"I am coming for you, Keida-Ari."
The deep voice woke her with a start. She was gasping for breath, sweat beading on her clammy skin. This wasn't the first time that deep voice had echoed through her dreams. She stepped outside into the cool breeze, pulling her robe closer around her. The gentle whisper of the wind sifting through the trees calmed her racing mind and tousled her wild red curls. The forests of Corellia were lush and beautiful, but the hustle and bustle of Coronet City was right around the corner; she could see the lights of the busy city just a few miles away. The sun was rising in the east as Keida-Ari stepped back into her small home. Her surroundings were modest, but that was mostly by choice; her parents were wealthy merchants who lived close by in the city when they weren't doing business abroad.
Keida-Ari chose a more solitary life, living in the forest on the outskirts of the city. She visited the city often, but she worked at a local watering hole. Being a waitress in such a well-travelled area was hard work, but she enjoyed her job and had forged great relationships with the regulars. She worked from open to close almost every day. Though her days were long, they were always interesting; she heard stories about people and places all over the galaxy.
After dressing for the day, she pulled her wild hair back into a loose bun and hopped onto her speeder. She grimaced as she glanced overhead and saw First Order ships zipping about in the distance; though the shadow of the Empire and the First Order had long ruled Corellia, the planet continued to prosper. As she parked her speeder, she saw a ship come screaming by, her clothes whipping fiercely in the wind it left behind. She had barely entered the establishment, greeted its elderly owner Junai, and thrown on her apron when they heard the roar of engines.
"A bit early for the morning rush, isn't it?" Junai asked in her soft voice. Keida-Ari nodded, but they didn't have to wonder for long. The door slammed open, and two stormtroopers in shining white armor entered, their guns loaded and at the ready. Keida-Ari froze, her gray eyes round with shock. Junai frowned, and approached the two soldiers.
"What is your business here?" Junai asked in a stone cold voice.
"We're searching for two fugitives who were headed this way. Did you see them?" One of the troopers asked in his sterile voice. Junai shook her head, crossing her arms over her chest.
"We're not even open for service yet." After a quick survey of the room, the stormtroopers lowered their weapons. They turned on their heels and marched out the door. Keida-Ari could hear their muffled voices over the intercom outside. "I hope whomever they were kept going and didn't stop to look back," Junai murmured, pulling her silver hair back in a bun. She glanced out the window and sighed, seeing the stormtroopers searching the outside perimeter. "Today is not going to be a good day for business." With that, she marched into the kitchen to start prepping for the coming day. Keida-Ari glanced out the window at the shiny white soldiers; she had never seen stormtroopers before, only heard horror stories of what followed their presence.
Junai was right; the presence of the stormtroopers diverted much of their daily business. Keida-Ari was as curious about the strange beings as she was afraid of them. Junai chastised her as she caught her peering out the window at them as the sun began to lower on the slow business day.
"The more you look at them, the more suspicious you look, and the more excuses they'll have to hang around here." Keida-Ari nodded, and went back to cleaning the dining area. She only had two tables currently: a couple of men drinking hot coffee and whispering in the corner and a group of local ship mechanics. She knew the mechanics all by face and name, but the two men in the corner were newcomers. She smiled as she refilled their drinks, but they repaid her only in stony silence. She returned to the counter, where Junai was drying freshly washed cups. As Keida-Ari opened her mouth to speak, the sound of loud engines cut her off. It also seemed to startle all their customers, who began looking around nervously. Before anyone could move, the front door slammed open and a battalion of stormtroopers marched in. Junai pulled Keida-Ari behind the counter and approached a superior marked stormtrooper.
"What is the meaning of this?" Junai demanded of the soldier.
"First Order business." The cold tone in the man's voice warned her against any further questions. The stormtroopers grabbed the two strangers from the corner table and shackled them. The superior stormtrooper spoke clearly into his intercom.
"We have them." The scream of another engine approaching ripped through the air. Keida-Ari stood frozen behind the counter, gaping at the spectacle before her. The stormtroopers dragged the men outside, where another group of stormtroopers stood waiting. Despite Junai's warning, Keida-Ari ran to the window. The shining white soldiers parted, and a tall, cloaked figure approached the shackled men. The figure was draped in black from head to toe, and he wore a metal mask over his face. Keida-Ari thought he looked like something out of a nightmare. She couldn't hear the exchange that was going on between the people outside, but it didn't look good. Without warning, the dark figure drew a weapon from his belt, and a red beam shot out like a glowing sword, with two small beams spouting out horizontally. Her eyes widened and filled with tears, but she couldn't make herself look away as he cut down one of the men who had not even five minutes ago been silently drinking his coffee. He gestured toward ship behind him, and a handful of stormtroopers took the remaining man and boarded the ship. The figure then turned to the superior stormtrooper, who after words seemed to be exchanged, pointed toward the restaurant. Keida-Ari darted over to Junai.
"Go into the kitchen. Now," the older woman demanded in a tone that left no room for argument. She quickly ducked into the kitchen as she heard the front door open again. Keida-Ari immediately felt the atmosphere in the happy diner darken, like a heavy weight was pressing down on her. She held her breath with her back to the wall, straining to listen to what was happening out on the floor.
"Can I help you?" Junai asked in a neutral tone. A smile pulled at the corner of Keida-Ari's lips; even when facing such intimidating people, Junai refused to show any fear. The tall, dark creature gazed at the small woman through the mask.
"These men were dining in your establishment?" A deep, metallic voice cut the silence. Keida-Ari felt her blood freeze in her veins and her stomach dropped. That voice.
"Yes, they had been drinking coffee in the corner," Junai replied in her calm, neutral voice.
"Was there anyone else with them?" The metallic voice cut through Keida-Ari like a knife, and for a moment she forgot how to breathe.
"Not that we saw," Junai replied in a simple voice, hoping to wrap up the conversation. The dark creature cocked his head to the side, but did not reply. He whipped around to face his soldiers.
"Search the surrounding area. I want them found." The deep voice resonated with a promise of violence if his demands were not met. He dismissed the troops and turned back to Junai. "Where is the server who waited on them?" Before Junai could even answer, the door to the kitchen swung open. Keida-Ari looked up, her gray gaze meeting the black metal mask. She felt her heart jump into her throat as she stared up at the towering shadowy figure. "Tell me about those men." Keida-Ari felt her free will leave her as she opened her mouth to answer.
"They came in about an hour ago and sat drinking coffee in the corner. They've never come in before." Keida-Ari was surprised that the words were pouring out of her own mouth.
"What did they talk about?" She felt herself giving in to the deep metallic voice on command.
"I don't know. They stopped talking every time I came within earshot." The dark figure paused, bearing down on the trembling girl.
"But you saw something earlier," the metallic voice murmured. It was a statement, not a question. She felt like this creature was poking around in her mind. Though she wanted to resist, she nodded.
"When I was arriving at work early this morning, I saw a speeder fly by heading south." The creature stared down at her for a moment longer before turning on his heel and walking out of the kitchen and out of the diner. Keida-Ari gasped for breath as the dark weight left her mind.
"Are you alright?" Junai asked in a concerned tone, softly touching Keida-Ari's cheek. She shook off the lingering dark feelings and nodded, giving Junai a small smile. They walked back out into the dining room and watched the stormtroopers finish boarding their ships and speeders. She couldn't have been more relieved that the masked figure was already gone. As the ships pulled away, they noticed that their other patrons had rushed out in a hurry without paying. Junai sighed. "Let's close down. I think that's enough damage for one night."
After cleaning the diner with Junai, Keida-Ari sped home. She didn't want to be anywhere near something that reminded her of those shiny white monsters and their dark leader. When he was around, she felt like she was lost in darkness. And the way that he seemed to read her mind and make her speak… She shivered just thinking about it.
She stood outside on the porch of her home, the soft breeze tangled in her hair much as it had that morning. To say it had been a long day was an understatement. Her thoughts drifted to the speeder she had seen screaming by the restaurant as she had arrived at work. Clearly whoever or whatever was on that speeder was of great importance. She was ashamed that she had told the First Order so much, but it was as if she had no control over herself when that creature had questioned her. She felt a chill as her thoughts drifted to the events at the diner. She shook her head, refusing to let her mind be darkened by the First Order. She wanted to scrub every trace and reminder of them from her being.
After a long, hot bath, Keida-Ari curled up in bed. As she drifted off to sleep, images of the dark figure with the metal mask filled her mind. Now she had an image to match the deep voice in her dreams.