Chapter Text
Fractured
By: Anna Becker
Chapter One
She felt eyes watching her. They had been on her since she had landed two days ago. She was supposed to be isolated, this planet had no registered forms of human life and yet it was there. At first she had assumed it was an animal or creature of some sort but these eyes felt intelligent and very human. She wasn’t sure what exactly she expected this was the site of something very old and very powerful. Maybe it was remnants of those long dead and yet she couldn’t shake it. She had even had her trusty reprogramed blue battle droid scan for any signs of life.
“I detect no human life Miss.” KD had spouted to her in a mechanical female voice. She had saved the droids several years before from the scape yard mostly out of boredom and curiosity. She liked old things and since she had put some much effort into it, it had become not only her most cherished possession but also her constant companion. It was better to talk to a droid instead of actual people.
“KD how many times have I asked you call me by my first name. You can drop the miss.” It exasperated her sometimes with the droids correctness.
“So sorry Miss Adelaide.” She signed at her droid once again.
“Addy, Addy will do. Now help me clear away some of this rubble. I would like to get into that lower section before mid day.”
“Shall I send out a locator beacon?”
“No.” Was her very quick reply. “Not until I know for sure that I have something. No need to get everyone in an uproar until then.
“I’m sure General Dameron would like a report on your progress.”
“Yeah, I’m sure he would but since this mission wasn’t approved or known about I don’t think he needs to know.”
“He will not be pleased.”
“He never is. Look, KD Poe has too much to worry about that he doesn’t need to worry about me. Now if I find something reportable then I will let him know until then we maintain radio silence, okay?” Negotiating with a droid was always oh so fun with their no nonsense approach to life and well the truth. The truth well the truth was no one knew where she was or even that she was leaving, a decision she had made long ago. Five years before she had lost her brother, her only family to the resistance during the final battle at Exegol. Poe, whom had been Alec’s best friend had felt responsible and taken on the role of big brother, the highly over protective big brother. In her mind’s eye he still saw her as the tiny little girl who would chase after her big brother and his friends. She had admired her brother and x-wing pilot her whole life, a life that had come crashing down with his ship. Poe had tried to fill the void in his very Poe way but he too had other worries. He was a general now, responsible for helping to set up the new government, always on the go always on the move. She admired him just as much as her brother but he wasn’t Alec. Alec had been so full of life and had always been the only one to ever understand her and her ways. Most just passed it off as a hobby even the Jedi girl Rey who she thought would have been at least interested but wasn’t.
Addy loved history, Jedi and Sith history. She would devour anything she came across, anything she could find. That was why she had trained as an archaeologist. She loved finding artifacts but after the recent war people seemed less likely wanting to know about it, hearing about it so her interest eventually became a lost cause, just not to her. She was a firm believer that those who don’t learn from the past are doomed to repeat it. Ignoring what was out there was a disservice to everyone, at least in her opinion and as she learned a very unpopular opinion. She and Poe had had a huge argument the night before she left. She loved him like a brother but Rey had been right when she had said he was a difficult man. He had a heart of gold but was stubborn to a fault. Which was why she had left in the early morning light, stealing a small transport ship which she had stowed all her gear and her beloved droid. She had left a message with BB8 telling Poe she was sorry but it was something she had to do.
Two months before she had come across some old text that she had found hidden away in a long forgotten library on the outer rim. She had been searching for forgotten artifacts in the idea of creating a bit of a rare collection. Her thought was eventually someone would care and when they did she would grant them access before all was lost. Too much history had been lost already and she was a firm believer in restoring it. She had come across a very old book stacked way in the back. Its old binding brittle to the touch but she was drawn too it. What got her attention was not only had she found a collection of old stories but that it had been written by Jedi and Sith alike and it spoke of a temple hidden away beyond the far reaches. It was believed that this was the first Jedi temple. Rather that was to be believed or not she wasn’t sure but she needed to find out. That meant, however traveling further than she had ever gone, further than Exegol, beyond the far reaches. No one alive knew what was out there but the thing that scared her the most was that the text also mentioned an ancient evil so powerful that both Jedi and Sith had fought side by side to defeat it. So if there was something more powerful out there shouldn’t people know. That was her thinking even though the people around her stated it was just an old fairy tale she believed it. Fairy tales started from somewhere.
It was well past mid day when KD and Addy had finally cleared away enough rubble to get to where she wanted to be. She had found what she believed was at least in part an old temple. Rather it was that old temple she had yet to be determined. This particular planet had been first on her list of coordinates of where it might be or at least lead her in the right direction. She had just pushed a huge rock away and had stopped to wipe her brow. The planet was a lush green beautiful almost peaceful planet but dang it was hot, sticky, jungle like. Not something she overly enjoyed.
“Miss Adelaide my sensors detect a cavern of sorts beneath us.”
“Really?” She asked trying to keep the excitement from her voice.
“Approximately 140 meters down.”
“Well that’s not too bad. Do you detect anything else?” KD was silent for a moment.
“I detect nothing.”
“Nothing? As in not life?”
“As in nothing.” Strange she thought to herself but then again if this was a jedi temple of sorts lingering force energy might be here.
“Well let’s take a look shall we.” She went to where KD indicated finding a small crevice large enough for her to slip into. Lying on her stomach she peaked into it finding nothing but darkness. “Hey KD you wanna hand me a light?” To which the droid passed her a small flash light which she shown down into the hole. Still darkness. Her next step was to chuck a few rocks down it to see if she could hear them hit bottom. She never heard them hit. Her next step was to break a few glow sticks and send them down, the light seemed to just disappear, never hitting anything. “You said 140 meters, right?” She should have at least heard something.
“That is correct.”
“That’s weird right?” She asked the droid not really expecting an answer. “So I guess our next step is to go down.”
“Might I make a suggestion Miss Adelaide?” The droid asked her. Addy made an sound of annoyance but indicated for it to continue. “There is a storm moving in, perhaps we wait until it passes.” Addy looked up at the sky noticing for the first time the quickly gathering clouds.
“Yeah, your right. Let’s gather the tools and make our way back to camp.” One thing she had learned rather quickly when she had first landed here was the daily storms. They would move in quickly bringing with it floods of rain, thunder and lightning. It usually came right before sunset and was known to last for hours. Nights on this planet were anything but fun.
The rains came just as they had made it back to camp which really was just her ship. She had set a tent up at one point but after the first night of rain she had choice instead to sleep aboard her ship. It was safer anyway even though it was small. She had set KD up for charging and after a measly meal of rations she curled up with a light blanket laying on her small bed roll which she had placed near the entrance to her ship. She knew leaving the ship open wasn’t the safest thing but closed up it became insufferable hot once the rain past, leaving a thick stickiness about. She lay there for a moment watching the rain pour down from the sky and the lightning lighting up the whole valley. It was in these moments that she missed her family. The one she was born to and the one she had created. She hadn’t wanted to run away, not really but she knew she had to do this. She just hoped that when she went back she would be forgiven. Poe was liable to lock her away and throw away the key. But if she found what she thought was out there then maybe just maybe she would be forgiven.
Another thing that kept her awake were the dreams, dreams that all started differently but always ended the same. It would be dark, wet and she could feel her heart pounding, she had heard a voice in her head telling her to run and she would blindly. Then she would fall, tripping and falling head over heal down an embankment. Then she would look up to see a figure looming above her but was it friend or foe. Then it would say her name, not Addy but Adelaide. She would always wake up with a start, looking around and out into the darkness for answers as if someone had called her name but none would come. She would then fall back into a restless sleep forgetting about it until morning.
What she didn’t know was the eyes that were watching were indeed human full of pain, guilt and sadness, eye that watched her through the day and over her during the night. Something drew her to him. What he didn’t know. This wasn’t like the last time when he could reach out to someone, this was different. She was different. While she slept he would approach her ship, circle it touching the metal haul as if searching for answers, answers he didn’t even know the questions to. He would see her dreams, her fear, she feared the dark no matter how much she tried to hide it. She feared failure and she feared being alone even though she didn’t really prefer people she didn’t want to be forgotten. Feelings he himself had had in the past and understood so well.
Once he had made his trip around her ship he would crouch just outside the entrance watching her, observing her, standing guard over her. Once she would wake from her dreams he would put her back to sleep with a slight wave of his hand. She needed to be watched over and like a faithful knight he would stand guard. He would stand guard until he could figure out why this girl called to him, why he felt the need to watch her. Five years ago he had left everything behind, faked his own death and disappeared into oblivion so why now had she come to him? What was she looking for? Who was she and why did he need her to see him?