Disclaimer: I own nothing belonging to Lucasarts/Star Wars. Xalaina is all that is mine.
As we know little about the new movies trajectory, I am grasping straws and making shit up as I go in accordance with a few books about Jedi and Sith I picked up for references and information. Hope you enjoy. :)
Xalaina is pronounced: Za-Lay-Nah
Chapter 1
She held both her shoes in one hand as she approached the village of Tuanul. It was the only place she was sure her personal ship would be safe from the Scavengers of Jakku.
Xalaina travelled all over the Galaxy in her small ship she'd nicknamed Freedom. Unlike most travelers, she was not after knowledge, items, or attempting to form friendships, Xalaina travelled to get away from her life at home.
She'd been gone for almost a year now, the longest she'd been gone without her father sending his trained dogs out to bring her back. He must be busy, it was the only explanation. He liked to remind her from time to time that she would never truly escape him.
The sand had cooled under the fallen night sky, but it was welcome as the long walk had her sweating. This had been her first visit to Jakku. She hadn't found much. She wandered mostly, just something to occupy her time and focus her thoughts. She could have stayed in the village, but she wasn't one to socialize.
Her eyes caught sight of a pyre burning hot only a short distance away. She could hear the faint sounds of the people within Tuanul. Entering it, Xalaina sought to find their leader to thank him for allowing her ship to be parked safely in his territory. One never knew when they might need to make a good impression, she might find herself back here someday.
Her search was interrupted by a BB-8 unit as it zoomed past her beeping an apology as it did so.
Xalaina hated Droids. They unsettled her in ways her father would mock her for. Lifeless forms programmed to do anything and everything without compassion or second thoughts. It reminded her of her own upbringing, only she knew the difference between right and wrong, pain and suffering.
She watched the BB-8 unit all the same before it disappeared into a hut. Her attention now taken off the Droid she looked up with a sigh and noticed multiple small forms in the sky.
Xalaina squinted, unsure what she was looking at until they drew closer. It was a small fleet belonging to the First Order, she was certain of it.
She groaned. Surely her father hadn't sent them here to locate her. That was too much manpower just to force her home. Normally it was one small ship with a few lackeys. Unsure what to expect, Xalaina began to head back to her ship, deciding she didn't want to deal with this.
She hadn't made it to Freedom before a couple of the ships landed. When the doors opened the Stormtroopers began to file out in lines firing their blasters instantly. "Shit," Xalaina cursed, knowing for sure they were not there for her. Whatever she'd gotten caught up in, it wasn't worth her time. Nothing to do with her father was worth her time.
Several blaster shots passed by her, disrupting the sand. Screams echoed throughout the night sky, but they did not make her pause. She felt no pity for these people, no remorse. This was not her fight to get involved in.
Had she been closer she would have heard one Trooper shout to another, "Over there," and point her way. Her folly was putting her back to the fray in retreat. She felt the sting of a blaster shot skim over her left shoulder and a second whizzed past her striking her ship.
Allowing her anger to take over, Xalaina turned in an instant. She dodged several more blasts and stalked back toward those shooting at her. Her steady gaze locked onto them and for a moment they seemed shocked by her actions. She was hyper aware that they had no clue who she was, not that it surprised her as most people under her father's command didn't.
She reached the Stormtroopers, dodging every blast they fired along the way. In quick, easy, and perfectly trained movements, she killed them both.
She took a moment to look back at her ship now smoking and clearly in no condition to fly. Annoyed, she saw only one option.
Careful to avoid the rest of the blaster shots, she turned on the next group who had set their sights to her noticing their fellow soldiers going down. The arrival of a new ship made everything stop, including Xalaina. She recognized this one to be of greater importance.
Patience was a virtue, one that she'd become very good at, so she waited and watched pretending to surrender only out of curiosity over the newcomers.
When the door opened a tall figure cloaked in black, his face hidden by a mask, exited. Xalaina straightened up, her blue eyes focused only on that man. She needn't have met him to know who he was. His reputation proceeded him.
The man in the mask, Kylo Ren, approached an old man. What the master of the Knights of Ren would want with an old man, she couldn't begin to guess, but it was clear that this man was their reason for invading.
Seemed a tad like overkill to her. All this combat and senseless killing over some old fellow. The First Order certainly had a way of making a messy entrance.
Xalaina didn't care to listen to what was transpiring, it was none of her concern and they were too far to hear clearly anyhow. The Troopers surrounding her began to nudge her forward toward the gathered group of villagers. She went along with it growing ever closer and gaining a better look at Kylo Ren.
Ren seemed to grow impatient. He pulled his Lightsaber out and cut down the unarmed, elderly man.
A shout sounded somewhere behind Xalaina. She turned to see a blast sore toward Kylo Ren, whose reaction was so quick she hardly caught it at all. The shot froze in midair and the man who fired it was clearly rigid as the power of the Force gripped him.
Stormtroopers rushed forward and dragged the man to Kylo Ren, shoving him to his knees in front of him. Xalaina couldn't help but smirk as he tried to remain witty, maybe even a little cocky in the face of evil.
Very little words were exchanged between the two men before the captive was taken prisoner, escorted onto the ship Kylo Ren had landed in. Xalaina had two options now, she knew there was no way anyone would walk away alive from this village and her ship was not a viable option.
She could become a prisoner herself or..., no the second option was not one she was willing to do, not yet.
She turned her attention back to the nearby Stormtroopers and before one knew what hit him, she broke his neck. The commotion caught Ren's attention, as intended.
Xalaina cringed inwardly as the Force caught her body just as it did the stranger before her. Her limbs tight and unmoving no matter how hard she tried.
She hated the Force.
As it had happened with the last man, she was brought before Kylo Ren. She didn't open her mouth to speak, she wouldn't need to. A single name could have solved her dilemma here, but her pride would not allow her to say it. She would rather do this the hard way.
His masked face was looking toward her, but he also did not speak. He looked her over, that she was certain by the slight tilt of his head down and then up. Her clothing was nothing like that of the villagers and most certainly marked her as foreign.
"Strange," his deep, muffled voice said. She could not tell if he was intrigued, irritated, or even angry. "Take her as well," he ordered his men.
XxX
She remained calm as she was forced through the large mothership and into a relatively plain room where she was clasped onto an upright steel bed of some kind. Used for interrogation no doubt. She'd never been in one before, nor had she seen one.
She waited patiently for someone to come to her. Finally, Xalaina turned her eyes to the door as it opened revealing Kylo Ren. In all honesty, she hadn't expected him to do the interrogating, though it made sense. The Force was usually a quick way to gain information.
"Some company at last," speaking for the first time, Xalaina kept her voice soft. He didn't frighten her. This was almost too exciting for her. Like a child at play. Xalaina loved her games.
"You were very foolish to have attacked my men." He told her.
"You haven't come here to tell me that." She replied, making what she hoped was eye contact.
"Then you know why I'm here."
"Perhaps," her voice never wavered even when he stepped closer. In truth, she had no idea why he thought she was there and for a moment she wished she had paid closer attention to what had actually been said back on Jakku.
"Where is the Droid." He demanded, his voice level, never betraying emotion.
"I don't know. I wasn't with the man you captured." She gave the only shrug she could considering her shackles.
His hand came up. Apparently, he was in a hurry for answers she was not giving. She didn't turn from him, she faced off with him. Her eyes never leaving the mask, and then, she laughed.
"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I'm not laughing at you, but rather this situation. You can't possibly know the irony in this." She shook her head.
He stopped what he was trying to do and with a different movement of his hand she felt her body stiffen, all her movements hindered once again by the power of the Force.
"Your mind is closed to me," he said. This time, he did sound surprised.
"Don't feel special." Perhaps, she was having too much fun now. If she hindered their mission much longer she was certain the price she'd pay wouldn't be worth the hassle. Sucking up her pride she decided this had to end. Her meddling would only cause further punishment. "You can find your answers with General Hux." She hated to say the name. Hated to call her situation to his attention. Xalaina decided she'd say no more.
Her body fell free of his power and without a word he left her alone once more.
XxX
Kylo Ren marched to the bridge, where General Hux was giving orders to his crew. He was preparing to interrogate their male prisoner. Ren found him before he could leave.
"The female prisoner from Jakku claims to know you," Ren said trying not to sound annoyed. He was perplexed at her mental resistance, an effortless task for her it would seem. He could not find a crack in her thoughts to allow him to see into her head and that has never happened to him before. It was..., unnerving.
"Really?" Hux sounded genuinely surprised. "Did you get any answers from her?" He asked.
"This one may need your kind of..., persuasion." Ren did not want to report his failure to the General, but he could not deny that something had gone wrong
Hux seemed to evaluate how to respond. "I'll deal with her after I visit the other one."
XxX
It must have been hours before Xalaina's interrogation room door opened again. The second General Hux's eyes fell on her his already pale face seemed to pale more.
"Hello General," she greeted almost mockingly.
"Xalaina...," he seemed stunned. As if realizing his place he rushed to release her from her bonds.
"The Dark Jedi certainly took his sweet time telling you about me." She remarked.
"I didn't know it was you. Had I known, I would have been here sooner. He doesn't know who you are?" Hux sounded surprised.
"Not many who still remain living do. I'm not exactly my father's pride and joy." Xalaina replied a hint of resentment welling in her stomach. Hux didn't reply, what could he say? Hux barely knew Xalaina anyhow and that's how she planned to keep it.
"I'll inform your father immediately of your presence here," The General straightened his posture.
"Do what you must, General." Xalaina had no time to deal with the man who was her father's lapdog. Supreme Leader Snoke had all his lackeys wrapped around his finger, a fact Xalaina was well aware of.
She followed Hux from the room turning heads in curiosity as they walked by. Her father, Snoke, would not be pleased by her actions and that alone made them that much more worth it.