A/N: Ah, the prequel to my fic Old Scars is finally out! We start out story in the third film of the original trilogy and then we will keep on going right with young Avry and Kylo Ren. I recently saw Rogue One which inspired me to get the first chapter of this fic out as soon as I possibly could. Although it took a little time to get out because I went away for Christmas but now that it's a new year, I thought it's about time to get it out. I'd like to also dedicate this chapter to the recent passing of Carrie Fisher and her mother Debbie Reynolds, which greatly saddened me that we have to end the year that way.
Anyways... the wait is over! Please enjoy! We begin our story a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...
She hated dreaming.
Never in her life did she intend to. In fact, when she was a young girl it was encouraged. Her mother always told her to dream of the stars... always. For the what felt like the longest time, she did. She dreamed of the stars and their endless possibilities. She saw hope when she looked up at the sky at night, and she thought to herself that she was safe as long as she could see them.
But stars offered her less safety when the comfort of her mother's arms was a memory that laid shattered at her feet every time she went to bed at night. And at times it seemed like it was too dark to see the stars outside the window.
Dreaming for her now was bitter. She didn't like to dream because dreaming led to hope and she lived a life where there was no hope for anything better. Yet still at night when she closed her eyes, when it was all quiet and her heart seemed at peace, her mind let itself dream. This night she dreamed of a child. Not herself, but a pale crying baby wrapped in a green blanket. A human child. It cried so loudly and reached its hands out to her... as if it were pleading.
The sounds of it crying was what woke her. They seemed to echo against the walls, which made her heart skip a beat when she couldn't figure out where it was coming from. Although she was convinced it was dream, it sounded so real that she felt it was happening in person. She tried to stand up to investigate but barely made it past a few steps when the chain on her feet stopped her.
She frowned when she realized she would never be able to follow the sounds she heard. She plopped back down, her fingers curling around the chains attached to the metal cuffs around her ankles. She pulled on the chains but they were bolted into the wall, offering her no hope of freedom. She continued to struggle against the restraints, clattering her chains until she woke up the person besides her.
"Caddesca?"
Her eyes shifted from her chains at the sound of her name, and she turned her head to look down at the green Twi'lek who slept besides her. They shared the room unfortunately and Caddesca had the awful habit of waking up the other green alien. It was completely unfair to her that she was forced to put up with an alien as restless as Caddesca.
"I'm sorry, Oola." Caddesca apologized, feeling guilty as her eyes returned to her hands. They were still wrapped around her chains so she let go and then saw the dirt from the chains had rubbed on her green skin. She looked back over to the other slave girl who now seemed wide awake.
She couldn't help but be curious about what woke herself up. "Did you hear anything, Oola? Like... like a baby crying? I thought I was dreaming but I swear I could've heard it like it was right here–" Caddesca began but Oola simply shook her head and moved to sit up. "I didn't hear anything. You could be imagining things." She suggested. Caddesca shook her head at that. "No. I wouldn't do that. It just– it sounded so real. I thought it might be." She admitted.
Oola smiled small,"Is that why you were trying to get out?" She asked gently. Caddesca frowned as she looked at her chains. "Yes... but it was stupid of me to try. It's not like I'm getting out of here." Caddesca pointed out. Oola nodded her head, studying Caddesca. "You could you know... I know I haven't been here as long as you have, but you are braver than I am. You're stronger." Oola remarked.
While Caddesca did smile at the compliment, she reached over and put her own hand on top of Oola's. "You're strong too and I promise that you'll never have to face anything in this place alone. Okay? That's a promise." Caddesca vowed, which was enough to set Oola at ease. Caddesca knew that Oola had to be taken care of. Oola hadn't grown up as a slave like Caddesca had. She had known a life of freedom and then all of a sudden it had been ripped away from her when she was drugged and kidnapped one night. Caddesca remembered when Oola woke up crying at the horror of her new life. Meanwhile Caddesca was completely conscious when she was sold into slavery.
The two girls froze at the sound of approaching footsteps. It was always dark in the cell but they could tell the sun had come up by the light that had poured in from the cell's skylight, which meant it was a start to another day. Caddesca moved closer to Oola and gently touched the girl's shoulder. "It's okay. I'm right here and when they come you mustn't cry again. They'll just whip you again and you don't want anymore scars." Caddesca told her. Oola nodded her head and tried to keep a brave face when the guards came in. They carried their chains in their hands, ready to put around the necks of Caddesca and Oola.
Caddesca could tell Oola was trying not to cry as they put the collar around her neck. She still hadn't gotten used to it even though it had been just a bit over a year that she had been here. Oola did a better job this morning of not saying a word and Caddesca watched as one of the guards dragged Oola away first. She had more to offer than Caddesca did anyways, which meant she was always the first to leave the cell. A trained dancer that Jabba loved to watch. Caddesca didn't have any talents such as that and was forced into simply serving the many crowds of thieves and pirates Jabba entertained.
She remained still as the remaining guard put the collar around her neck, and unlocked the shackles on her ankles. She was pulled onto her feet by her chain and then pushed out of her cell. Out for another day of work.
No amount of true hate could possibly capture how much she hated this.
Caddesca hated forcing a smile onto her face and going around the place handing drinks to any pirate, thief, or bounty hunter in the room. A guard was on her all of the time, pulling her chain whenever she misbehaved. She went around and served all of the patrons in Jabba's throne room. The most notorious guest that had taken up stay in Jabba's Palace was Boba Fett, who seemed to impress any female alien in sight with his Mandalorian armor and silent demeanor, but Caddesca was hardly moved by this. She served the bounty hunter with a drink, forcing the typical smile on her face before turning away.
Music filled the air of the room, but it wasn't what was capturing everybody's attention. Oola danced in the middle, entrancing the grotesque crime lord with her movements. Caddesca often felt bittersweet when she saw Oola danced. For she knew while the slave girl loved dancing, that it was wasted by being satisfaction for a slimy creature like Jabba.
When the music ended, Caddesca could see the exhaustion coming off from Oola at the other side of the room. But instead of letting her stop, Jabba demanded another song be played for Oola to dance to. The music started up again and Caddesca had to watch as her friend was dragged back into dancing. The exhaustion was hitting Oola hard but luckily that didn't stop her dancing from being any less good. What stopped her dancing was Jabba himself.
A small tug on the slave girl's chain was enough to stop her completely. "Da Eitha!" Jabba's cry was enough to gain Caddesca's attention. She lowered the empty tray in her hand, turning to watch like the rest of the throne room was doing. Oola would typically obey at this point and go to sit with her master.
But this time she didn't.
Oola shook her head which immediately angered the Hutt. Jabba tugged on her chain but Oola just grabbed a hold of her chain and tried to fight him on this. It seemed like after all this time she wasn't going to take it anymore. "Na Chuba negatorie Na! Na! Natoota..." She began, trying to convince him to let her go. Jabba was growing tired of the slave's pleas and began ignoring her until his patience finally wore thin.
"Boscka!"
Caddesca's heart dropped when the trap door opened, and Oola screamed as Jabba let go of her chain and she fell through the floor to the monster below. "Oola!" She called but before she could even take a few runs, the guard in charge of her chain pulled her back so roughly that her feet escaped from underneath her. Caddesca screamed as she fell to the ground and was dragged out of the throne room. The tray she was carrying clattered to the ground and everyone watched as she was yanked away. The metal cuff around her neck was practically choking her, so she reached up to hold her chain in attempt to ease the pull.
She wanted to speak but the collar around her neck was too tight for her to get any word out. All Caddesca could do was cry when the cries of Oola reached her ears. It was almost like she felt the girl's pain as she knew Oola was being eaten by that monster, and it was so intense that Caddesca passed out when she was being dragged off to her cell.
It wasn't the first time Jabba lost his temper and got rid of a slave. Caddesca tried to remember then when she woke up. She had been around that place long enough to see them arrive and never leave the place alive. The only reason that she had managed to survive this long was due to the fact she never got too close to Jabba in order to anger him. But now with her little outburst she felt like that had changed. She had been put back in her cell but she knew that wouldn't last long. They could always go out and buy more slaves. It wasn't like her life mattered.
The slave rolled over, her eyes widening when she noticed she was being watched. Caddesca yelped, backing up against the cold wall at the sight of an unfamiliar person in her cell. They usually never replaced another slave this quickly. Usually Caddesca spent some time alone in the cell before they brought another girl in but not this time. The human sitting across from her raised her hands, trying to show she meant no harm. Caddesca calmed down a little when she realized that the human wasn't trying to attack her.
"Why were you watching me?" Caddesca questioned her. The woman lowered her hands and let out a soft sigh. "I'm sorry, it's just... you looked dead. I mean– you barely moved in your sleep. You were already asleep when I came in and here I was thinking that they put me in a cell with a dead body but then suddenly your moved and– look, all you need to know is my name's Leia–" "I don't want to know your name." Caddesca cut her off.
Leia furrowed her brows, studying the alien quietly. The princess began to put a name to her race: Mirialan. The slave had been terribly frightened when she had woken up, but now her eyes were beginning to lose their fear and instead it was replaced with grief. "I'm not interested in making any more friends with the new slaves that come in here. There's only one way out for us: death. And I'm going to get out of here." Caddesca explained.
"Hey, I am not a slave. They can try to turn me into one by dressing me like it but I am not a slave." Leia clarified firmly. She wouldn't let herself dig a grave like this girl seemed to be doing. "I have a friend who won't leave this place without me. I can convince him to take you with us when we escape this place." The princess began to suggest, but Caddesca hardly reacted with relief. "Escape?" Caddesca raised a brow and shook her head with a bitter laugh. "Your friend is going to die here." Caddesca finished.
The princess frowned, reaching over to grab the slave by her shoulders. Caddesca was surprised by this action and looked up to meet Leia's eyes. "You can't just sit here and feel sorry for yourself. I promise you that I am getting out of here and if you want to get out of here too I promise that I will help you. Alive, okay? You shouldn't throw your life away because of that slug." Leia said, cringing at the thought of Jabba the Hutt.
Caddesca moved away gently from the girl's grip but nodded her head. "Okay." She whispered. "But you should know that I am tired of promises." Caddesca admitted with a heavy sigh. Leia frowned as she studied the alien, but she could tell that there was nothing to say to convince Caddesca otherwise. She had seen other people carry heavy burdens from the past and no matter what she said she could never seem to offer enough hope to make them lighter. Leia just hoped that the difference she could make would make it easier to deal with those burdens.
"I'm Caddesca." Caddesca piped up, realizing she hadn't introduced herself yet while Leia had. Leia nodded her head,"It's nice to meet you." Leia told her, this time offering her a small smile.
The moment didn't last long as the sound of footsteps interrupted them from speaking any further. Leia's eyes went wide as she was completely unfamiliar with this procedure. They had just thrown her into this cell last night after her attempt to rescue Han went wrong.
Leia then looked to Caddesca, hoping for any warnings the alien could offer her. "Don't cry, fight, or speak. They hate it when you do that and the guards carry weapons so they won't hesitate to hurt you." Caddesca informed her. Leia looked over Caddesca,"They hurt you?" She asked, her brown eyes filling with concern not only for herself but for the other girl.
Caddesca nodded her head,"Yes, but it's okay for now. I haven't done anything in awhile, so much of them are just... old scars."
The guards opened up the cell door, interrupting them. They went and get Leia first, putting her in a collar that matched the clothes she gave her, mostly because Jabba forbid that any of his slaves be not color-coordinated when he sat them next to him. She could tell even if Leia put up a brave attitude that she was afraid when she was dragged off. Leia wore the same looks all the others had worn when they were first forced to do this. Caddesca felt sorry for herself when she realized that she no longer had that look and had accepted the treatment she was given.
She squirmed this time when they put her collar on this time, feeling it was tighter than usual. A guard looked at her through his mask, scowling at her. "One more outburst and you might just join your friend." The guard warned her which made her heart skip a beat. Caddesca didn't want to suffer the same fate as Oola though she knew that was rather inevitable in her case.
Returning to the throne room wasn't as easy as she thought. Caddesca often bounced back after the deaths of her cellmates but going back to the room where she last saw Oola wasn't the same. She kept looking to the middle of the room expecting the girl to be still dancing there. Instead she only saw Leia's pained expression as the human sat by Jabba's side. Caddesca tried to serve but moved slower than she did the day before.
Her actions gained the attention of the guard watching her, as halfway through her serving someone she was pulled away. The drink pilled itself all over the pirate she was serving, angering the pirate. She was spared of any abuse that might have been thrown back to her when she was dragged back to the guard. "What?" Caddesca questioned, a little annoyed at her neck being pulled.
Instead of being answered, Caddesca only saw the tip of a blade being forwarded to her. It gently touched her bare stomach and she blinked in fear at the sight of it. "If you can no longer serve than there's only one place for you. Go." The guard told her, his eyes moving over to the trap door that was placed in the middle of the throne room. Caddesca knew she couldn't fight with a blade held so close to her and just backed up slowly in the direction of the trap door.
She hung her head long as she was escorted by the guard in front of Jabba. The Hutt was sleeping, with Leia resting in chains by his side. Her eyes immediately caught Caddesca's, who was pushed down by the guard in a kneeling position. He held onto her chain and pointed his weapon at her back, making Caddesca too afraid to even lift up her head to look at Leia who was eying her with concern.
Leia was suddenly distracted when she recognized a certain voice. She turned her head to notice Luke entering the throne room, led in by one of Jabba's advisors. She wanted to smile at the sight of her friend but couldn't help but be nervous at what the outcome of him coming here might be. The plan hadn't worked out the way they thought it would, which meant anything could happen at this point.
Bib leaned over to Jabba, introducing the hooded figure. "Luke Skywalker... jedi knight." Caddesca looked up at Bib's words and her jaw dropped a little. The guests that Jabba entertained here were big on gossip, so even a slave girl who had been locked away for most of her life had heard of Luke Skywalker. He had grown up on Tatooine as well, which gained him some popularity around this parts. Her eyes shifted a little to the hooded figure who stood not too far away from her and she wondered if that was the jedi everyone had been talking about.
Jabba frowned at Bib's words, opening his eyes and looking at. He spoke out in protest in his native tongue, but Luke seemed to ignore this. "I must be allowed to speak." He looked to Bib and Caddesca found herself confused when she heard Bib repeating Luke's words. Jabba was furious and shoved Bib away from him. "You weak-minded fool!" Jabba yelled in Huttese. "He's using an old jedi mind trick." Jabba explained, looking to Luke.
"You will bring Captain Solo and the Wookiee to me." Luke attempted to use his powers again but they didn't seem to work on the Hutt. He removed the hood of his cloak, and Caddesca tried to lean her head forward to get a peek of the jedi. Jabba answered him rudely, which made Luke frown. He tried to keep his calm but he didn't like seeing Leia in chains. "Nevertheless, I'm taking Captain Solo and his friends. You can either profit by this... or be destroyed. It's your choice. But I warn you not to underestimate my powers." The jedi warned only to be met with Jabba's laugh.
C-3PO suddenly realized where Luke was standing. "Master Luke, you're standing on–" The droid tried to get out his warning but Jabba interupted him. Luke realized that bargaining with the crime lord might not be the best option and reached his hand out. A blaster from a guard's holster flied out and into Luke's hand which alerted the guard who had his eye on Caddesca prior to this. The guard grabbed Luke's arm and pushed it away, sending a blast off in the ceiling.
"Boscka!" Jabba yelled, pressing the button to the trap door. Caddesca tried to get back onto her feet but screamed as she was sent down the hole along with the hapless guard and Luke Skywalker.
Everything was blur on the way down, as the only thing Caddesca was sure of was the cold feel of the collar around her neck. She then hit the ground roughly and let out a cry. Luke got up onto his feet, throwing off his cloak. It was the first time since he had registered Caddesca's presence. His blue eyes fell on the slave girl and he immediately dropped down to his knees by her side. Luke noticed she had hit her head on the way down, and some blood trickled down her face. He recognized her garments and quickly clued in that she was a slave girl.
Caddesca opened her eyes to see Luke's face quite close to her. He was touching her head gently, his fingers dabbing her dark green blood. "Are you hurt?" The jedi softly asked as he brushed away her hair to access how badly the bump on her head was. Caddesca was a little disoriented by the fall. "What?" She questioned, tilting her head up as she tried to adjust herself on the ground. Luke looked away for a moment, reaching over for the black cloak he had discarded.
She wasn't exactly dressed modestly, which wasn't something Luke was used to. He used his cloak to cover up her body so he wouldn't be distracted and then finally moved away from touching her so she could regain her sense of mind. Caddesca blinked a couple of times before the sounds of creaking steered both of their attentions away from each other. Luke stared at a door being raised and frowned when he didn't sense anything good.
"What does Jabba keep down here?" Luke quickly asked, looking back at Caddesca to see she was clutching onto Luke's cloak very tightly. He didn't seem encourage by the lack of words coming out of her mouth and watched as something moved in the shadows behind the doors. "Well, I have a bad feeling about this."