Dusted eyes opened, and a glaring light penetrated the glass like a dagger through water. The dream she had seemed as if it would never drown out, but perhaps it was because it was more of a memory trying to drill its way in. One she had chosen to forget long ago.

As a child, she was a slave to Ivan, a half-human, half-Feeorin that traveled with a small crew of pirates. Xiamara had been his possession since she was very young. She could remember nothing before that.

She stepped out of the bed, a familiar weight slowing down her right foot. She almost always wore this chain as long as she was on Odryn, unless Ivan had somewhere to go, and therefore took her with him.

A booming voice came from the next room. The sound of the chain must have given away her consciousness.

"You're awake, good."

It was Ivan, alright. His accent and deep voice couldn't be mistaken. He appeared in the doorway. Unlike most Feeorin, his skin was dark and brown in color, not blue. However, he did possess some tentacles in his hair that blended with his dreads, each wrapped in gold and silver bands to express how many ships he had taken.

"Yes, master," Xia murmured, eyes averted to the ground, her orange hair falling over the sides of her face.

"You are sixteen today," he said, which momentarily surprised her. None of her other birthdays were important to him. Why was he keeping count now?

Ivan stepped into the room, using a small key to unlatch the shackle from her ankle. She said nothing, certain he would make his point soon enough.

"Follow me."

Or maybe not.

She did as she was told. Ivan usually was a fair master over these years, save but some treatments in the beginning that were enough to teach her to behave. She had no desire to do anything that might get her switched again.

The village was small, but there was one building in particular that she had never been to. She was never told not to enter, but the insinuation was always there. She was almost reluctant to enter, but as Ivan pursued to step through the burlap curtains, she meekly followed him in.

In the center of the room was a large vat with hot coals burning within. It was significantly warmer in here than it was outside, albeit it was only a chilly morning. Her bare feet touched dirt as she approached the cauldron with him, and almost instantly, her gut tightened. Something didn't seem right.

He pulled out a long, metal rod from the hot coals, red sparks floating through the air only to disappear. He didn't have to explain. All the members of the air ship belonging to Ivan had a branded symbol upon their necks, one that Xia couldn't exactly describe, but always knew it told everyone else in the Galaxy what they were a part of: a dangerous crew of pirates that weren't afraid of stealing anything they deemed necessary.

"I..." she began, taking a step back in great discomfort. She wasn't ready for this. Whether it was an initiation practice or another way for Ivan to show she belonged to him, she was seconds away from running.

"This is not an option, girl," he growled, snagging her arm roughly She cried out, the vice grips from the hybrid leaving the bones beneath feel like they were ready to crack.

"Let me go!" she hollered. "I can't... I won't let you!"

"Stupid child," he snarled, but the last syllable was drowned out by the sound of an explosion from outside. Immediately, he released her, and Xia took her opportunity to flee. She ran for the back of the house as her master went outside to observe the incident. Hiding herself beneath an old table, she held her breath as she heard voices from outside.

"We have suspicions that you are keeping a stolen Droid in your village."

"No one is to leave the premises while we patrol."

Then came Ivan's voice. "Don't be foolish," he insisted. "We have no interest in droids. Too complicated, and too noisy."

"Quiet, pirate scum. We must insist."

Xia feared the worst as she climbed through the back window. Indeed, the Feeorins had taken a Droid, a BB unit that actually wound up being a good friend to the girl. If they took it, she would have nothing left.

"BB-3?" she whispered to the cool, damp air. She was sure the Droid already knew it was being sought after, but Xia could only hope that she could get to it first. She returned to the hut she stayed in with her master, spotting a group of white-armored soldiers along the way. Thankfully, they were heading the other direction.

"BB-3," she whispered out again, a little louder this time once she got inside.

"Beewwooop?"

Xia sighed as the Droid slowly rolled out onto the carpet, clearly trying to be quiet. This BB unit was smaller than most of the current models, but it served it well in this case, so as to hide better.

"Yes, I'm okay," she murmure, kneeling before it. "Stormtroopers are out there looking for you. I wonder why they want you so badly."

"Broooop! Blip, bleep, bleeeep."Xia smiled faintly. BB-3 seemed adamant that they were looking for a different Droid, and mistook him for one of their own. "Well, we can't tell them that. they certainly wouldn't believe us."

After all, on her spare time, Xia liked to change some of the Droid's outer parts, just for cosmetic purposes. Right now, the unit dominantly doned a lovely shade of crimson and was accented with glossy, dark grays.

She had to say, she had taken very good care of it over these many years.

Hearing the marching footsteps of the Stormtroopers progressively getting louder, she shooed the Droid to go find a safe spot to hide. She would do the same, pulling aside an old bookcase to reveal a crawlspace in the wall. She squeezed herself inside, then pulled the bookshelf back into place. Only Ivan knew of this hiding spot, but at this moment, she questioned if she was really safe just because of that alone.

She held her breath for a few seconds, then exhaled. She wasn't so much worried about herself, but her friend.

She thought back to the first time she met the Droid. She couldn't remember what planet they were on, but the pirates brought the BB unit on board when Xia was cleaning Ivan's quarters. She had slipped and landed on her wrist when he came in with the unit. They hoped to find a map inside of its memory that would show them a rare artifact, but the details were lost on her.

Yet, BB-3 instantly came to her aid when she hurt herself, making sure she hadn't broken her wrist by slowly turning it in circles with a couple of grasping arms. It took great care in helping the child. She had to have been seven or so at the time.

She was shaken from her memory as the bookshelf shifted to the side, revealing her. It was Ivan who grabbed her out of the cleft in the wall, and none too gently, at that.

"We'll settle our earlier conversation later. Right now, we have more important matters."

He dragged her outside, and Xia struggled only for a moment until she saw the troopers were still outside. There were three of them, and at their feet were two bodies: Feeorins that she imagined were dead because they weren't cooperating.

"You know better than any of us where that Droid is hiding," Ivan muttered against her ear. "Tell them, and I might consider not lashing you for your behavior."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she growled at him, gritting her teeth. Her growing anger might have been clouding her judgement, but she wasn't about to give up her only friend.

"You'll get a lot worse if you don't come clean, girl," Ivan sneered. "If they don't kill you, I'll make you wish they had."

Her spark sank at the threat, but before she could decide if she was going to change her mind or not, a shriek filled the air.

No...

"BB-3!"

A pair of Stormtroopers carried a large net, and inside of it was BB-3, desperately trying to roll its way out of their grasps.

"We have the Droid," one of them said, approaching a black figure that Xia hadn't seen before. "It appears to have been modified."

"Take it to The Finalizer," said the figure in a deep, somewhat distorted voice that may have only been so because of his helmet. She couldn't see his face, but something told Xia he was the leader of the group. Maybe even more important than that. "Have them run diagnostics and detect any changes."

"No!" Xiamara cried out, unable to hold herself back. "Please, don't!"

The troopers didn't acknowledge her, and at first, nor did the individual giving orders. What if...

She was probably being a fool, but she had to try. Anywhere had to be better than here.

"Take me instead!" she tore herself out of Ivan's grasp, and he sneered something at her, but she didn't quite catch it. "Please... BB-3 is all I have. Don't hurt him..."

A couple of the soldiers shared looks, and then looked to their leader. Though she couldn't see their faces, they were considering their options. Finally, the deeper voice spoke.

"We will take both," he said. "Take care with the Droid. The girl stays in a cell until I say otherwise."

"What!?" Ivan snarled. "You can't just--" He stopped as one of the Stormtroopers pointed their guns at his face.

"You're lucky you're alive. Lord Kylo Ren has been very generous not to execute you right here."

Xia inhaled sharply.

What had she gotten herself into?