Chapter Text
Rey woke up to the sound of comm beeping loudly next to her ear. She felt small bolts digging into her face and brushed them off before grabbing the device and turning it on. She pulled it to her ear with her responsive arm. The other one was numb from the awkward position it was in for, only the stars knew, how many hours this time.
“Allo?” she mumbled slowly sitting up, feeling her whole body protest. She had fallen asleep working again and her back felt like a luggabeast had sat on it. Her hair had come out of it’s bun, sticking to the sides of her face and neck from sweat.
A deep reptilian voice was on the other end, that she recognized as Rak, the head of Prisoner capture and transport for her sector. He never usually called unless they were about to bring someone to the facility she was stationed at.She knew someone would be brought in soon-ish but the fact that it was so late worried her.
“Vadeem is dead. Kohdat is about to kill our haul. Talk to her.” Worry threaded through the Yinchorri’s low tone, that and desperation. And that was enough to startle Rey to full alertness. The lizard-like species wasn’t prone to showing such emotions. Though Rak and his team had become something as close to family as she had ever known in the few months of knowing them.
“What happened?” she asked hurriedly, her mind racing through thoughts of the couple.They had called each other mates and now one of them was suddenly gone.Vadeem, the fierce warrior and Kohdat, the assassin, only equal to each other in combat and marriage.
“Management asked us to take on a difficult tar- Hollsek! Stop her!” He cut off. Rey stood at attention, her balance off and her head spinning, forcing her to grab the edge of the chair as she heard the garbled sound of wind or fire, and the howls of Kohdat’s rage. Who the hell had been their target?
She had little time to worry as she heard a human man’s strangled cries of pain and stunted bursts of anger as the warbling sound of movement seemed to be the sound of dragging, maybe a thrashing body. Then what seemed like a crack of a weapon against something and the man’s voice was gone. Though faint, she heard Hollsek’s calming tone and what sounded like choked sobbing further off.
The sound of dragging once more and hissing mechanical parts. Rey dared not speak, feeling frozen as she strained to hear. A clang of metal hitting metal, and Rak sighing.
“Sorry, about that,” he said sounding exhausted. Whatever had happened was over. After a moment of labored breathing he added, “ Vadeem died well.” Again came the crackle of static and what Rey guessed was the comm being passed off. Rey forced herself to sit back down in the chair. She took deep breaths for what she was sure was about to be one of the harder conversations in her life.
A lighter tone replaced Rak’s, still reptilian and spoken with a thick hiss,
“Rey, ner ad ” My daughter . The words from Kohdat hit the girl hard, for that’s all she felt she was in that moment. The weight of grief of the Yinchorri’s proclamation felt like the memory of an unbearably heavy haul she dragged across the badlands, exhausting her body and mind.
“Vadeem, ner buir ash’amur ijaat susulur.“ My father dies with honor, I hear. Rey felt the foreign Yinchorri words spill out awkwardly, trying so hard to remember the right order and very sure she was miserably failing. But Kohdat had always been the more traditional one; she might listen better to her own language. And damn if Rey would let all the months of trying to learn the language go to waste now.
“ Ner Vadeem flame- shereshoy -calls great halls to olarom ,” Kohdat said, stuttering, and Rey could hardly understand. She knew only what she might say to bring some semblance of comfort.
“ Venmar'eyir ijaat mar'eyce. ” He will find honor in the great halls. Rey said, focusing on the words and not the feeling of loss that she knew would wash over her as well. She could hear Hollsek muttering words of comfort nearby, though with Kohdat's guttural sobbing and choked breaths, it was hard to know what he was saying.
“ Elek , venmar'eyir .” Yes, he will . Kohdat said resolutely. Her voice then turned to something more primal, “ Vengrat’tua ,” There will be vengeance, “Avenge kaysh ner ad. ” Avenge him my daughter. Rey knew it to be a great honor to be the one to kill those that took your family.
Rak cut back in, yelling, “That is not our mission here!” He sounded every bit the commander he was, even through the miserable sound interference of the comm.
He repeated the command in Yinchorri while Kohdat muttered, “Aruetii Demagolka.” filthy monster. Then more ear-ringing disturbance as the comm moved, likely taken back.
But Rey could hear Kohdat’s resolute request still from the growing distance,
“Rey, Pirunir sur’haaise. ” Make him pay for what he did . Rey could then only hear the sound of boots walking over some kind of turf.
Rak’s voice is calm once more, “Don’t let you her guilt you into something you will regret, Verd’ika. ” my little soldier.The word he used was something they would call children, and though the group has started calling her that because of how small she was compared to them, it became a common term of endearment as much as ner ad- daughter.
Her silence must have spoken of her conflict on the matter as she heard once more a very human sigh from the commander. Finally, she replied “Of course- I know.”
“We’ll arrive by tomorrow afternoon at the latest. Sleep. In a bed this time,” came the final reply and request before the comm shut off. She was getting a headache from trying to keep herself calm and finally let out a sob.
Another father, gone. And a spector’s voice she longed to forget infiltrated her memories. ‘ He would have disappointed you .’ She hardly noticed she had thrown a harris wrench clear across the room barely scratching one of the thick plated durasteel walls.
Rey went to the bed she hardly used. There she would rid herself of the pain flooding her soul and body by forcing herself to sleep.
She never slept well, though. This night would be no exception, and once again only exhaustion would bring her into the arms of the nightmare once more.
---
She was in the red room again, the one she only ever saw in the vision or dreams, with a molted human-like creature sitting on a throne. The molted thing was grinning broadly at her.
“You have done well, my young apprentice,” he hissed at her. But it was all wrong. She could feel the weight of Ben’s broken body in her arms, his hands clutching at a gushing wound. Her fingers were so red she knew the stain of the act would never be washed clean.
His eyes shone with betrayal, hurt. His arms were still loosely wrapped around her. He had trusted her and she had killed him.
‘It wasn’t my fault,’ she wants to tell him but her throat closes and her lips are sealed and pushed into a wild grin. The thing on the throne laughs as the light leaves his eyes forever. All because she went to him foolishly thinking she could save him, save the resistance, the galaxy. And instead would become the puppet for whatever sat on the throne.
She could never forget the first time she had seen the vision. So soon after that terrible knowledge of her aloneness in the universe and reaching out to Ben, their hands and minds meeting from across the galaxy. And the terrible vision that no force-negating ysalamirs, no force-repressing cuffs could quell.
---
Rey woke up fitfully, as usual,this time on the floor next to the bed, the blankets having twisted around her. She managed to pull the pillow down this time at least. She felt the wetness of tears on the pillow and felt her heart wanting to rip in two. Here she was alone again, another father lost. But hands wiped away tears and she dragged herself up, went to the small dresser nearby to grab another set of grey coveralls for the day, and went to the fresher to start the day.
She refused to let grief stop her now. She had lamented too much since she left everything behind. And Rak would be proud of her for keeping herself together enough to get through the day. Besides she could always sob herself to sleep later, after all was said and done. That was how it always was on Jakku anyway. No point sitting around upset when there was work to be done- If she did, she would have starved. Not that was a concern anymore, thank the stars.
She ate quickly then got to work setting up the dedicated data pad for music and speaker for the day. She flipped through a few of the more melodic channels, grateful she made enough from her employers to choose ones that wouldn’t have ads. The last thing she needed was another commercial about the benefits of investing loans with the InterGalatic Banking Clan.
Rey reminded herself that here she was, gainfully employed in what was practically a private retreat, if one could call an old factory in the northern woods of Myrkyr that. She was protected from the reach of the First Order; the Black Sun was surprisingly generous, considering she had what she assumed was a large bounty on her head. But she had worked damn hard to prove her salt as a mechanic and engineer to get here. And as long as she kept producing the force-repressing technology and was able to test it effectively she could continue have some sense of peace. Barring the loss of those she came close to.
And here,most of the time, she could avoid thinking about him . Another casualty of fate. Only in her dreams could she even dare think his name. But at least they were truly separated thanks to the elegantly designed wrist cuffs she wore. They were the culmination of so much hard work in re-working old, clunky, half-disintegrated designs for both appeal and efficiency.
The cuffs would appear to be merely jewelry, like a thick bracelet. To think she would have ever worn any such adornments on purpose before. As slender and gorgeous as the linear patterns that streaked across them were, they were dented, slightly scorched by the tools she often used, and currently covered in flecks of oil and grease as was normal nowadays.
As music filtered around the the spacious, drab grey duracrete room, she got back to her workbench. Before her sat a another set of her improved designs of the cuffs, less elegant and more practical, durable, certainly larger than her slim wrists. She remembered getting the dimensions in the latest batch of orders with the new cuffs being the top priority for the day with the prisoner coming in.
The man she had been asked to kill, if she understood Kohdat’s words clearly. Her hands fiddled with the small parts as she thought over the phrase. Pirunir Sur’haaise meant something like “make their eyes water,“ as Hollesk had explained once. Some kind of of slang for not just killing but defeating or injuring an enemy. But knowing Kohdat, it was easy to see which interpretation she meant.
But Rey doubted she would be allowed to do it. She had already allowed one important prisoner to die on her watch, and the message sent was very clear that if it happened again she would be sent to the First Order faster than the Hosnian system had been destroyed. Rak would deal with Kohdat, or else he would talk to Sefor, her local manager, before he permit it to happen.
But whoever this new target was, the cuffs were an expensive piece of work: high quality durasteel, large but able to adjust smaller with all durasteel parts. No cheap plasteel in any nut or bolt of these things. The force-suppressing tech was chem-based, like hers, but using class 2 neurological chemicals that doubled as a sedative. With that level of intensity, it was said anyone subjected to them for a few months could lose the ability to wield the force at all. And the cartridges weren’t cheap either, going for 700 credits each, let alone the 1000 credits for the hardware.
Whatever management wanted with this guy, they were willing to pay for only the best to keep him. And he must have been powerful to take out the fiery Vadeem. She could only hope the travel collar for prisoners would hold. Rey wasn’t sure she could handle the idea of losing another member of her created family.
Around her workbench was a spread of datapads with various designs and research for her work. The spacious temperature controlled room around her was warm (and unbearably hot for others unaccustomed to heat as she was) and kept slightly humid for the horde of plants on a sill in front of her workspace, which almost seemed out of place with the dull interior.
Rey was able to distract herself with how pleasant the warm beam of sunlight coming in through the transparisteel window felt, landing on the plants, her workspace, and her. And for her it was always preferable to work in the light than use the harsh, grating indoor lights when possible.
---
After a few hours she sat back, stretching out her back and hearing the telltale cracking, popping sounds that let her know she had been hunched over far too long again. But at least her work was finished. And it wasn’t even time for lunch yet.
She found herself able to better hear the music playing around her, now that she wasn’t concentrating so much. A light melody played and a smooth man’s voice came forth making the room feel a little less lonely.
Music was a luxury Rey had never thought she would be able to afford, thinking back to the fallen AT-AT she had called home, with its sounds of groaning metal from the nightly dust storms. But this place - a semblance of a home if she could claim it - was the antithesis of her old life.
Outside the windows which were scattered on the thick walls was lush green forest, similar to the expanse of green she once saw on Takodana, and in the next room was a variety of meals stored away and a real bed. It was all hers, and here she didn’t have to worry about crazy missions to save the galaxy, the resistance who felt like another lost family. The memory of an older woman’s embrace called back to her-fighting alongside newfound friends--it hurt to even think their names--and escaping to find them once more, and then….seeing one of them die.
No, she couldn’t think about that now. Work now, grieve later. She had to water the plants and feed the local Ysalamir.
Rey got up and walked briskly across the room. Her body groaned against the sudden movement, her shoes echoing off the hardened surface of the floor, and she determinedly put any thought of people dying aside. She opened a heavy metal door and stepped outside into the verdant green landscape, the music of inside replaced with the squaks and growls of wildlife beyond her view. She soaked in the now familiar Zaela and Olbio trees and the force-suppressing lizards that lived on them, along with the horn-weed bushes lining the path to the clearing beyond that served as a landing area for ships.
Rey tried to pick out the call of the lantern birds instead of allowing herself to fall into retrospection. Even if she could try to fight off the pressing grief the memory that she once held dear now only hurt. She remembered seeing Vadeem and Kohdat out here together: Watching them sparring together, showing flashes of pointed teeth as they grinned and threw playful jabs of “ Laandur ”or “ Pakod “. They enjoyed showing their new kin how mates of their species could dance in battle, know each other’s minds well enough to predict every move.
She recalled how on a dark stormy night they performed the right of ‘ gai bal manda’ , calling her one of their own in name and soul with the vow.
Yinchorri were known for being distrustful of outsiders, so to be called family by them was an honor. And they had chosen her. Stars -- for the first time she had known some semblance of familial love. Of course, she would have found those who were constantly putting themselves in danger. Hollsek joked about it often enough during the good times, when they could go find some sapflowers in nearby streams or dig up some chak-root for fun. Vadeem could make the best homemade Chakroot liquor. He had said he would teach her one day.
Rey tried to remind herself that at least she had the good memories. There were no happy memories on Jakku, besides leaving it. Her time with the resistance was full of hope but mostly sadness. And she had gotten a few good months with Vadeem. And she would have many more cycles with Rak, Kohdat, and Hollsek. She was determined on that much now.
She stared up into the canopy above her.The thought came to to mind about the first time she noticed how ‘cut-off’ from the world she felt without the force. It was like an an extra sense she had never really been aware of until it was taken away from her. But she found she preferred it this way. She got the chance to learn to see the world all over again, having to reach out to touch and feel. It was beautiful to feel...normal in a way.
It made her wonder about him sometimes. If he could feel like this too, unburdened by the weight of legacy or potential. Could he be okay like this too?
Her mind betrayed her and thought of them being here--together. She tried to push away thoughts of him but it was too late.
His face swarmed back into her mind before fading to the image of a man standing before her in a walkway. He was so far from her, but she knew he was looking at her. His expression was of surprise as if he had seen a ghost. It wasn’t real.
Rey stepped back, her sore back pushing up against the cool metal wall behind her. A groan of frustration escaped her lips. Her fingers grasped the edges of the cuffs she wore for comfort. It was a memory, a remnant of desire. After a moment she felt safe enough to let go, rubbing her back where it hit and then bent down to grab the nearby watering can, full of rainwater, and brought it back inside.
She poured the water slowly into the small pots on the sill by the window, carefully around the base of each of the plants. Seeing such vibrant life that she could cultivate, being a creature of the desert, was a minor miracle and brought its own peace. The music played on in the background as she finished watering the plants and started pulling out dead leaves and trimming them as needed, every once and a while pulling a stray hair from her face and tucking it back into the messy bun she wore high on her head. After her experience in the cave on the island, something never felt right about the childish three buns she wore before. But that was neither here nor there. They were part of the past, like the rest of it.
As she finished dumping the browned remains of the plant matter outside, along with the watering can, Rey heard the distinctive beep of the communicator left inside by the speaker. She knew what it meant immediately. Rak and his crew must have landed on one of the further clearings on the other side of the facility. It was time to face her family - and the man who had killed one of them.
---
Rey made her way through the unused parts of the factory. It was full of large cavernous rooms. And each of them filled with old droid or speeder parts in piles around tiers of machines and conveyor belts to carry pieces of half built parts along. It was a scavenger’s dream in a way. She sometimes came through and picked through it all, thinking of how many portions she might get for a repulsor drive unit or a salvageable sensor array. It always had a sense of home, this neglected treasure trove, and with the Rak and the others returning, it was almost like a homecoming.
Rak was already outside the group’s old Trandoshan transport ship, holding a bundle of cloth in one arm and typing something into a datapad. Even from the opening of the garage door she came from she could see the marks of grief, drawn in ash, circling around his spiked green head and neck, and circling around his arms. It was another tradition Rey had only ever heard about in passing. Something about taking the ashes of the fire from the deceased and having them applied to gain their strength. Just as she moved into the light Rak waved her closer, putting away the datapad in a small bag at his waist.
Rey called out the familiar greeting “ Olarom ba’buir ,” welcome back, old man.
Rak quickly returned it, “ Su cuy’gar verd’ ika ,“ hello, my child. They met in the middle of the path between the clearing and the factory surrounded by horn-weed trees, sun ferns, and small spiny veins of senalak just off the path. As they neared each other, Rak held out his free arm and Rey followed, until they stood close enough to clasp each other's forearms in a more silent but common greeting. His long, scaled fingers alone encompassed her arm, his claws carefully set back.
“How was the journey here?” Rey asked chiding herself for not thinking of something better to say on the walk here. They released their arms as Rak readjusted whatever the pile of black under his arm was. She decided then, she could ask about exactly what happened the night before after everything here was settled. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to get through the day either. Better to not think about any of that yet.
“A lot of covering our tracks. Management is being very careful with this one. It seems half the galaxy wants its head on a phrik platter, but the other half would pay a fortune for the human alive.” Rak spat out the words, his ash-marked face grimacing. Well, so much for the old Yinchorri convincing Sefor to let this one disappear. Kohdat was surely devastated, likely already knowing; Compared to Rey who had been left in the dark on this. But it was common procedure for high priority targets. Any long range communication could be dangerous. Now would be as good a time to debrief as any.
“Anything else I should know then?” she asked cautiously, hearing the hum of the repulsorlift coming down the ramp of the ship. She couldn’t see around Rak’s body, but she could hear the murmur of Kohdak’s and Hollsek’s voices in their native tongue not too far off.
“That this is a top level security job. Sefor doesn’t want to risk pulling attention by pulling too many obvious guards too close, though by tomorrow the main base will have more than enough for back-up.“
Rey wasn’t accustomed to high-priority anything here. And she admitted to not knowing enough about the galaxy to guess at who wanted who dead. But all she knew is this man had taken down Vadeem, who once composed epic Yinchorri poetry and then translated it just for her. Who had taught her the various martial forms he had learned in his years of travel. Vadeem had been a kind and patient teacher compared to her other experience. And he was gone.
Work now, grieve later , she reminded herself.
“So the money stakes must be pretty high, then.”
“Sefor already sent agents in to check on the bids, and the numbers overheated his engines to say the least. Also means with all the secrecy that this might be a long wait -- keeping the human here. I tried to convince Sefor it might be better to keep moving him, after what happened…” He shuddered slightly, “But there is nothing we can do. We’ll make our peace and keep the prisoner alive. Be sure to tell your buir that.“ mother. Rey nodded. The sound of the repulsorlift and the other two Yinchorri grew closer.
Before she could think of anything to say, she could hear what sounded like a struggle, a body banging against the insides of the crate. She felt herself lean to the side to see the thing shake slightly as a muffled but hoarse howl of pain came from within it. It made her shiver, reminded of what that device truly was: a way to break a person.
The lift stopped as did those surrounded it, the gargled cry of anger turning to low moaning and attempts to move the large durasteel box from within only met with failure.
Rey stared at the thing, hearing Rak mutter, “The sedatives must be wearing off-again.” Kohdak banged one of her large clawed hands on top of the box where Rey knew the man’s head would be,
“Do not enjoy breath, yes?” She laughed mercilessly. For Rey felt herself flinch watching. It had been strange enough to hear Kohdat in such a state of turmoil the night before, and it was that much more intense seeing her like this now. The female Yinchorri could be harsh, Rey knew, but she had never seen Kohdat being outright cruel.
With her face, neck, and arms marked with the ashes of Vadeem’s pyre, and her voice clearly so full of anger and pain, Rey found it hard to hold back her own emotions. Their job wasn’t done yet, not until the man was safely in the cell. She just had to wait a bit longer.
The steel box emitted a muffled groan in response to Kohdat’s threat and whoever it was inside stopped trying to move, at least for the moment. Rey wondered if Kohdat would really suffocate him, only guessing how terrifying it would be for the one inside. She could remember that function: a mask sealing the lower half of the face, allowing or refusing air at the touch of a button. It also forced tubes down the subject’s throat for food or water, forcing the mouth open. Rey’s jaw hurt just thinking about it.
Then there was quiet once more, besides the hum of the repulsorlift and the wildlife that surrounded them. Kohdat motioned to Hollsek to continue on, her lipless mouth twitching in anger.
Kohdat and Rak grasped each other’s forearms in greeting and the commander spoke resolutely, putting his free hand on Rey’s shoulder as well, adjusting the black bundle to do so.
“ K’oyacyi. Kebbur ganar mirjahaal .” Hang in there. And try to have a peace of mind.
Both women nodded and Kohdat moved to grasp Rey’s forearm as well, her eyes softening as she looked at the human woman before responding,
“ Elek. kaysh taab’ echaaj’la ” Yes. He is not gone, merely away. Kohdat moved to pull Rey into her bosom, holding her tight. Rey had trouble breathing for a moment from the crushing grip but tried feebly to wrap her arms around Kohdat in response as she started to feel a bit dizzy. All she could smell was smoke. And all she could think was that Yinchorri did not embrace each other in such a way, nor had any of them attempted to so with her before.
“ Ner ad,” Daughter , “today I teach how to make Haatyc or’trikar ,” marks of grief. Rey felt air fill her lungs as Kohdat released her and pulled out a large animal skin pouch with an intricate design carved into it. Rey knew it to be filled with ash. She nodded in response, feeling any words she could have said stuck in her throat.
Rak spoke next, “And I will teach you the cuyan laar. It is a rememberance of those passed. But after all this.“ He motioned of towards the building into which Hollsek had disappeared. Kohdat made a motion of agreement and started walking away. Rak gently grasped her arm as Rey moved to follow him.
“There is one more thing. A business matter.” He adjusted the bundle he had been holding under his arm and handed it to Rey. She could better see now that it was a thick black cloth, burned and also smelling heavily of smoke. She could feel the weight of something hard inside it, like the weight of a blaster.
“I know, I know, I’m slightly behind on orders. But I’ll have this batch done by the end of the week. Sefor said it was no problem, right?” Rey found herself asking, thinking that was the only business matter she knew of from the past few days.
“Yes. No problem. There’s a weapon he wants you to work on making replicas of, or reproductions of. Apparently there are certain collectors of Republic-era items that would apparently make management a fortune.“ His tone on ‘fortune’ was as sarcastic as he could physically be. And Rey knew well how the head of the Myrkyr division was only minorly obsessed with the ideas of his projects gaining traction considering the rather niche markets he was assigned. Hearing the Yinchorri’s attempt at humor was enough to hold back the heartache, for the moment.
“Typical Sefor.”
“Typical Sefor. But this means he’s impressed with your work enough. That thing you’re holding is rare. And dangerous.” Rey looked down feeling her mind work. What kind of weapon was he talking about? She had very little idea about much of anything from that era, let alone its weapons. But there was something off about the way he said dangerous, a tremor in his voice.
Rak motioned with his head for her to take a look. Rey curiously but slowly pulled away the fraying cloth away until a glint of black metal appeared and she almost dropped the thing.
The crafted black hilt -- with its exposed wires and rod terminals, its welded cross guards -- ending with jutting cooling vanes. Its construction exuded an air of inexperience and destruction equally. Just like it’s owner.
No.
“He killed Vadeem with this?” Rey spoke her tone venomous to her own ears. She was trembling. Was she cursed to lose everyone to this damned saber? And now she was expected to replicate it.
And then it hit her. The man-- it was him. She dared not think the name -- she swore she wouldn’t in the waking world. The dizziness returned. Everything came back: from the moment she first saw him stalking her in the forest, their minds connecting for the first time in that terrible room, seeing the blade struck through Han’s chest. Rey could feel the sensation of a planet splitting itself apart as they fought.
The hate and rage she felt at his mere presence in the universe even as she had cut him down.
Then -- his mind brushing up against hers once more. Him , the self-proclaimed monster who wasn’t all she assumed him to be. Who felt pain and loneliness as she did. Who was the only one who had understood the power within her and not been afraid. She had felt that much. She should have hated him. She could not hate what felt like a connection that was part of her soul.
He told her to let the past die. And so she had. She left everything behind to save them both from that terrible vision of the future.
Yet here he was. Her prisoner.
It was a great honor to be the one to kill those that took your family.
Kohdat’s word struck her like a fatal blow to everything she had built here. Everything he could tear away with his mere presence.
Vengrat’tua ,
There will be vengeance,
Pirunir sur’haaise.
Make him pay for what he did .
