A/N: Hi! Welcome to my first Star Wars fanfic! This is a Kylo Ren x OFC piece, so if you're not up for that, I'm sorry!
Also, while I am a Star Wars fan & have been since the original trilogy came out, I am by no means I die hard fan; so please be understanding if I don't follow the cannon or get it 100% right. I'm doing the best I can ;).
Other than that, I hope you like it!
"Come on, Jae. It'll be an easy pick up. In and out, I promise." Lira huffed, following her best friend to the hangar.
Jae skewed a glance at her over his shoulder, gold eyes narrowing. "Honey, the ONLY person in the galaxy who thinks this is an easy pick up, is you." He grumbled, stopping in front of Reaper, their modified YT-1930.
"Ple-ease? You know I can't do it without you. And it's good money that will keep us in the black for months if we can swing it." She tried to do that high pitched voice thing little girls did with their parents to get what they wanted, but failed. She was horrible at that whiny crap.
Jae kept his head down and scanned the inventory list for their new job, should they take it. "You're talking about kidnapping a First Order weapons supplier, from a pleasure den on Naboo. On top of that, we both know that place is crawling with First Order spies. It's too dangerous, Lira. We don't need that kind of heat on us."
Lira smirked and bumped his shoulder with hers. "Well yeah, but I thought you liked danger. Isn't that what you always told me?" She dropped her voice to mimic his rich tones "'Live fast. Live hard. Enjoy every moment. Blah blah blah.' Or have you finally gone soft? Don't tell me I need to find a new partner for this bounty hunter thing. You know how much I hate meeting new people. Besides, haven't you ever heard of doing things for the greater good. Sticking it to the First Order, in some capacity, would be for the greater good."
Jae shook his head. "Ah, shut up." He grinned, softening the lines of his angular face. "We both know you can't fly your way out of a paper bag. If I don't go, you'll definitely get caught, and frankly, I don't need the Resistance getting on my ass about anything happening to you. Besides, maybe I like having you around a little."
Lira laughed, wrapping her arms around her friend. "You're full of it. We both know you love having me around and are doing it for the money. You won't regret it, promise! We may even be able to swing by a gambling hall on Hosnian Prime when we're done."
At his quirked brow, she shrugged. "What? I like risk taking. Obviously. So, when can we leave?" she asked, excitement in her voice.
Jae groaned. "You're going to be the death of me, one of these days. You know that?" He ran a hand over his spiky brown hair. "We can leave in an hour. I just want to run a quick maintenance check to make sure the hyperdrive is working properly. The last thing we want is for that to crap out on us. And seriously, Lira, this is the last job we do for a while. It's getting too hot out there."
Lira grinned. "Deal."
"Are we sure this source is accurate and there will be an attempt to kidnap Toth Daa'r? Isn't there a chance they're wrong?" General Hux asked, for the second time in an hour. Annoyance and condescension dripping from his every word. "Couldn't we just take him and leave?"
Kylo Ren stifled the urge to kill him. "Yes. No. And no. Supreme Leader Snoke made it clear that he wishes to interrogate the culprits to see if they can lead to the Resistance." he snapped, answering each of Hux's questions.
Both men would have preferred just about anything to being cooped up in one of the opulent bedrooms of Zora's Pleasure House listening to the other guests enjoy themselves, while they waited for an attack with several of the Knights of Ren. Their distaste for one another was legendary within the First Order, which made Snoke's orders all the more challenging.
"It's been three hours, Lord Ren. If these would-be kidnappers don't show up soon, I will return to the ship and let you and your Knights deal with it." Hux sneered. He'd have given just about anything to be back on Starkiller Base.
Kylo Ren clenched his fists at his side, struggling to keep his temper in check. I'd like to deal with you.
One of these days Ren knew they would come to blows, and only one of them would walk away. He was more than willing to make sure it was the redhead.
His retort died on his tongue when the far wall dissolved into a screen, and Lady Zora, the proprietor of the house, appeared. "They're coming! Get ready." She hissed quietly, her ancient face so pale Ren could see where she'd applied her gaudy makeup, and how heavily.
Setting aside his agitation with General Hux, he motioned for his men to get ready and faced the door that joined their room to Toth Daa'rs. Silently, he removed his lightsaber from its place on his side. Toth Daa'r had been holed up in that room for five days, gorging himself on pleasure. If the Resistance was going to attempt a kidnapping, they would need to enter that room, and when they did, Kylo Ren would be ready for them.
Closing his eyes, Ren reached out with the Force and searched for any impending footsteps or ships, but there was nothing unusual.
Without warning, glass shattered next door, followed quickly by the sound of a man screaming. Furious he hadn't detected anything out of place, Ren used the Force to rip the door off the wall, allowing his Knights to pour into the space.
It took only a moment for Ren to realize their mistake. Glass littered the floor. Bedding had been hauled off the bed and over the window's ledge. The kidnappers had been clever. Instead of risking an escape with an unwilling hostage out the main door, they'd merely shattered the window and jumped from the third story bedroom.
Furious, Ren followed suit, unwilling to let them get away and make him look like a fool. His boots landed heavily on the grass, but he'd mastered jumps and landings at a young age, and was up and running after them within moments. Two figures were sprinting ahead of him. One was obviously the half-naked Toth Daa'r, who seemed to be stumbling. The other was a man in dark clothing and a ratty helmet.
Ren tried to use the Force to stop them from gaining any more ground, but for some reason, was unable to reach them. You can't escape, he thought grimly, following them down a grassy slope that would lead to the lakefront. There's nowhere for you to go. It wouldn't take long for his Knights to spread out and surrounded them. And even if they were to make a run for it, there was no place to hide. Zora's was the only building for miles. No one would be able to help them out here.
He smirked wickedly, and ran faster. Even if their capture was imminent, he would make sure they paid for the escape attempt.
Lira felt the adrenaline surging through her system as she pumped her legs and hauled Toth Daar's fat, stumbling, ass behind her towards where the Reaper was supposed to be waiting. She and Jae had agreed on keeping it cloaked so they'd have a better chance of escape, but she still needed him to open the ramp so they could board the ship, and not run into the hull. Not that she had done that before. Nope.
"Come on, Jae, now would be nice." She hissed.
Glancing back at the Stormtroopers running after them, Lira felt her heart skip a beat. There were more than a few Stormtroopers chasing after them. She counted at least eight, plus one First Order twit in a uniform, and the infamous Kylo Ren.
So. Not. Good.
They hadn't even made it halfway to the lakefront, let alone the old docking pier where Jae was supposed to be waiting; and Toth Daa'r was fighting her every step of the way. His wailing only drowned out by the clatter of her stupid helmet rattling painfully on her head.
Next time, I need a better last minute disguise.
Ahead of her, Jae had finally gotten the ramp down so she could see where she was going. Only, instead of being in the cockpit, readying the engine, he was crouched on the ramp, waiving frantically at her. Dread pooled in her belly, and she knew that if Jae was waiving at her to hurry up with one hand and holding a blaster in another, they were in deep shit.
She stole another glance behind her and swore. Kylo Ren was gaining on them.
Must move faster! Must move faster!
Her legs burned in protest. It was bad enough that she was trying to lead a reluctant hostage towards her ship at full speed, but she'd landed incorrectly when she'd jumped out the window, and now her right leg was practically screaming at her. On top of that, she could hardly see where she was going.
Stupid helmet, stupid Toth Daa'r, stupid legs, stupid Kylo Ren!
Without warning, Toth veered to the right, yanking her already unstable leg off balance, and sending them tumbling to the ground, costing them precious seconds.
Furious, she used the Force to stop him from scrambling away, and yanked him down to the ground, hard; cursing herself the moment she did so.
"Get up!" Jae yelled, running towards her, his gun firing at the troopers, trying to buy her time. Their whole plan had gone to shit, and if she hadn't promised to deliver the smuggler alive to the Resistance, she would have delivered him in pieces.
She snarled, and yanked Toth up, her voice dangerous when she spoke. "You listen to me, you miserable waste of life. Do you think they're going to help you? They're going to kill you - just to protect their interests; so stop acting like a two headed baboon, and get on that ship, or so help me I will remove your favorite appendage and make sure you never enjoy a pleasure den again!"
Toth Daa'r gaped at her, his blue jowls opening and closing rapidly before he nodded and they started running again.
Jae reached them, panting as his arm reached out to her. "We have…to move!"
She pivoted and took in the encroaching group, trying to calculate their odds and possible outcomes. None of which were good. Her heart stuttering when she realized Kylo Ren was close enough for her to make out the detail of his mask; which in her mind, was entirely too close for comfort.
Turning, she placed her hands on Jae's chest and began shoving him in the direction of the Reaper. "Get him on the ship, Jae. I'll cover you."
"What?! No way." He snapped, gold eyes glittering furiously. "We go together or not at all."
Lira spared him a quick glance from behind her helmet and smiled weakly. "I'll be right behind you, but if I don't cover you, we all die. You know that."
"Lira…"
"Jae, please. There's no time!" She yelled, Pushing him away from her with the Force.
She caught the distraught expression on his face before he grabbed Toth Daa'r by the collar of his robe and sprinted for the ship.
There is no emotion, there is peace. She reminded herself.
Turning, she focused on the approaching figure. Guess there's no point in anonymity. Gotta fight to live, but I've gotta see to fight, Lira thought bitterly. In one smooth motion, she yanked her helmet off with one hand and reached for her lightsaber with the other.
If Ren had been expecting anything, it sure as hell hadn't been this.
It felt as though everything had gone still. The air vanished from his lungs, and his heart stammered to a halt in his chest before beginning a violent hammering against his ribs. Not for the first time, he was grateful for the cover of his mask. It prevented the others from seeing the way his mouth hung open as he stared at the figure before him. Or the way he struggled to keep from doubling over and retching right there from the violent physical sensations coursing through his body.
At first, he'd been mildly surprised when the kidnapper had used the Force to stop Toth Daa'rs escape, though it wasn't completely unexpected. He and Supreme Leader Snoke were still running down traces on Force-sensitive individuals who could be trained for the Dark Side. But when they'd removed their helmet and withdrawn their green lightsaber, Ren had stopped dead in his tracks.
Three things became apparent to him at once: First, the kidnapper was no man. Second, Toth Daa'r and the kidnapper's accomplice had made it safely to their ship. And third...he, Kylo Ren, was staring at a ghost.
A face as familiar to him as his own, glared back at him. Tendrils of dark auburn hair escaped a loose bun at the nape of an ivory neck; catching in the wind and dancing around her face. There was nothing he wanted more in that moment, than to reach out and catch one between his fingers.
Impossibly green eyes watched him warily from their sanctuary beneath dark lashes, while a perfect set of lips pressed together in a grim line, ready and determined.
His mind railed against what he was seeing.
It's not possible.
Quickly, he searched the Force for any trace of her but found nothing. Meaning that whoever was standing in front of him was indeed a ghost, or had become one powerful Jedi Master since the last time he'd laid eyes on them.