Chapter 4: Masks
As we moved safely into hyperspace for our lengthy journey to King's Cape, I could tell the crew is getting antsy over the Kylo Ren situation. He wasn't exactly a part of the plan - at least Ari tells me as much in a tense whisper.
"Don't worry," I assure him, already cooking up a plan for this unexpected series of events. "I'll take care of it. Make sure everyone is in the cargo hold in ten minutes."
Leaving for the brig, I saw the slumped figure of Kylo Ren in the corner of the cell. The twins had likely roughed him up a bit more than I would have cared for, but he probably deserved it.
"Bring him to the cargo hold." I commanded, watching carefully in the event that he may try to escape.
The twins, standing a head taller than the already towering Kylo Ren and impossibly more muscular, had no trouble handling him. I lead them, carefully reading Ren's energy through the Force, which was fully on display now that he could not use it to shield his thoughts.
He was shocked - every trained official was when they were captured by pirates - and angry. He struggled slightly in Dezna and Ezra's grip, which earned him a crushing blow to the ribs from Dezna.
"I think you'll find it's best you cooperate, Ren." I advised. "You're not in charge here."
"I'll kill you." He threatened through his teeth. He still wore his mask, but I could hear the fury even through the voice modulator.
A small smirk played on my features as I turned to walk backwards to look at him.
"You can certainly try." I said. "I think you'll find it's harder than you think."
We stepped into the cargo hold, Ren in tow, and the crew roared. Everyone had showed. Even the night crew which ought to be sleeping. The large holding area, partially filled with crates and cargo, was packed with people - so much so, I had forgotten how large the crew actually was. No one wanted to miss this - even if they still feared him - which was exactly what I had hoped for. It was show time.
The crowd parted and the twins stood him directly in front of me.
I raised my hand and the crowd faded to silence. I felt fear shoot through the man in front of me. Now weaponless and powerless before a powerful opponent, once again armed. And, an opponent with a bone to pick at that.
I nodded at Ezra and Dezna, and the twins forced him to his knees. It was an ironic mockery of the scene that had played out in the general's office - only, Ren didn't know how to play the game, and pirates had no rules.
He was still wearing his mask - that stupid mask.
"Let's see just who's hiding behind this thing." I said, motioning for the twins to release him.
Finding the releases on the sides, I pulled the fancy hunk of steel from Ren's face.
"Ah," I said, looking down at the man. He was somewhat handsome, young - younger than me - with pale skin and dark features. I admired the mask for a moment, peeking at the young man from the top of it before dropping it before him. "The face of the First Order's lap dog."
The crew laughed, as I had expected. They were expecting a creature, a monster, not a boy. First step: show them that he is only mortal.
"I'm sure there are plenty who pay quite the price for your pretty face." I taunt, staring down at him as the laughter dies down. Heat has risen to his cheeks, his eyes are narrowed and full of rage.
"Money. I wouldn't expect you to want anything else, filthy pirate." He adds, haughtily under his voice.
A person can only be called that so many times in one day. A flare of anger rises up in me as my right hand grasps the front of his tunic before I've even thought about it.
I lift him to just above where his feet can touch the floor with just a little help from the Force and the enhanced strength of my mechanical arm.
"You'd do well to remember who I am and your place here." I say before tossing him to his knees and kicking him to the ground. I place my boot over his neck, just barely pressing down as I lean in closer to him. "You are nothing here, boy."
The pirates roar again, thirsty for violence. But I only match his dark gaze as he stares at me from under my boot.
I step off of his neck and motion for the twins to pull him to his feet, my eyes not leaving his until I have to tell Dezna in a low voice to take him to my chambers and not let him out of his sight until I arrive.
"Back to work!" I yell, and the pirates disperse. I don't have to use the Force to sense that they are once again at ease as laughter and easy conversation fill the ship as they go back to their stations.
I meet Ren's gaze once more, his eyes full of confusion and anger, before leaving to make arrangements for the rest of the evening, all the time feeling his eyes bore holes in my back before he is lead away.
Ren:
A growing hatred fills me as I am practically dragged by the hulking twin figures that have become my keepers in the Captain's absence. I am acutely aware of the ropes that bind my hands together, digging into my skin and the mysterious blocking cuff that stings my wrist. The lack of ability to access the Force floors me, and I realize that I can't remember ever having no connection to it before.
There is an upside and a downside all in one. Snoke is out of my head for the first time since I was a kid. On one hand it feels like an immense pressure has been lifted from my mind. On the other hand, this is the most inconvenient time for Snoke not to know my location and thoughts.
I am surprised to find that Dare's henchmen do not lead me back to the cell I had inhabited for the last few hours, and I quickly work to memorize the turns that they take as they lead me to my new location. The hallways brighten and begin to appear in better repair, almost nice - at least as nice as a piece of pirate junk gets. We pass rooms where groups of various life forms are settling into bunks for rest. Their chatter ceases as we pass and they stare before closing the door.
I am not given much more time to wonder why the Captain has sent me to the residential area of the ship before we stop and I am forced into a large room, that is well furnished. The center of the room is dominated by a large, antiquated desk and chairs for receiving guests. Broad windows take up one side of the room where I am guided towards a table and three chairs which are set into the ship. On the far side of the room is a vanity that sits next to an area that is hidden from view by a folding wall. I realize with no small amount of confusion that I am in the Captain's quarters.
While part of me thinks briefly of escaping as one of my large humanoid captors unties my bindings, I think better of it as Dezna - I gather his name is - stares me down, cracking his knuckles. Even if I were to escape and if I could handle the crew, I doubted my ability to match the Captain in combat without access to the Force. Not to mention, if the streaks of white stars outside the viewports were any indicator, we were in deep hyperspace, and I had no way of piloting such a ship back to the First Order alone.
Then there was the part of me that wanted to see how this would play out. I thought of Dare's words as she had mocked me in front of her crew. I'm sure there are plenty of people who would pay quite the price for your pretty face. If the deal she had proposed to Hux in his office still interested her, and I hoped it did, this might be an interesting period of observation before I was returned to Snoke. However, pirates were known, if not tenuous, allies of the Resistance.
My stomach turned and my heart clenched in my chest with an unwanted pain that was swiftly replaced with anger at the thought.
No. I would not go to the Resistance. Captain Dare would have to kill me before I would let myself be crucified by the Republic and tortured for information.
My mother's face rose to my mind's eye and I suddenly wished for my mask as I felt myself losing my composure. But the twins paid me no mind. They had sat down in the chairs next to me, nearly too large for the furniture, and had taken to conversing between one another in a language I was unfamiliar with. I distracted myself by trying to discern what species the twins were and decided they were some human-interspecies hybrid, with mostly humanoid features excluding their black eyes, pointed ears, and increased size.
They laughed raucously at some joke I was not privy to before there was an interruption at the door as a old Imperial droid stepped in followed by Captain Dare and another man pushing what appeared to be trays of food.
"Leave us." Dare said, dismissively to the twins as she approached.
The droid took to unfastening my bindings from the chair, and my brow furrowed as extravagant plates of food were placed in front of us. Although untied, the Force blocking cuff remained. I watched as Dare placed her extra weaponry in her desk, keeping only her blaster as she approached, but I still wasn't keen on the idea of risking escape. I needed to bide my time.
"I still don't think this is a good idea, Captain." The droid spoke, in a tone less worried and more exasperated.
"I'll mute you, K-9." She responded before sitting down across from me as all but her and the droid left the room.
The droid kept a blaster poised at the ready as it sat in the chair between us.
Dare sighed heavily, removing a shiny domed lid from her tray of food before gesturing for me to do the same.
"Apologies for the show back there." She said, once we were alone. "Appearances are everything, you know. Eat. I'm sure we have much to discuss."
Author's Note:
Apologies for the late update and any continuity errors as I am writing this more for myself than anyone else. However, I plan on posting steadily Tuesday or Wednesday evenings US Central Time. I had hoped for more backstory in this chapter, but, alas, more exposition. I promise a bit more detail next week, if not sooner. Thank you so much for reading. -Captain Dare's Metal Arm