Hiya thank you for sticking with me Eclipse and anyone out there who's still reading and thank you all for the feedback. This one is out relatively fast for me. :) Stuff between *" denotes thoughts. All legal stuff is in the first chapter and with that I'm going to shut up and get on with it. :)

Take it Away
By
Devon

~&~

"I got dosed by you
Closer than most to you
What am I supposed to do
Take it away I never had it anyway
Take it away and everything will be okay"
~ Dosed by Red Hot Chili Peppers

~&~

Light suddenly assaulted the sleeping figure entangled in his bed sheets. With a soft groan of protest Billy pulled his pillow over his head to block out the offending light. He was not and never would be a morning person. He could not understand how Liam could get up before sunrise and still seem so cheerful without even drinking any jaffa!

"Come on get up, you can't laze in bed all day. We've got work to do."

"Mummgruph!"

"Nonsense. Mornings are the start of a new day, full of promise." An eye appeared from underneath the pillow. The gaze was frosty. "Come on we have meditations to do..." This time the whole head appeared from beneath the pillow and the look could have frozen the Dune Sea,

"Even the sun's not up!" Billy pointed out in tone that matched the glare.

"... ships to fly; memory wipes to reverse." Liam wriggled his eyebrows at his gumpy friend. Billy tried to decide whether remembering his past was worth leaving his nice... warm... cozy... bed. With a sigh he wormed his way out of his blanket-cocoon.

"Lead the way."

"You might want to get dressed first. I mean, sure it gets hot later but at this hour its a bit chilly to walk around like that." Billy gave Liam a withering glare which didn't wither him in the lest.

~&~

Liam slid into a chair in front of one of the computer terminals; leaving Billy to search around for a seat while they waited for the computer to warm up. After waiting a couple of minutes the search box appeared on screen. Liam typed in what they wanted.

"This will take awhile. Billy?"

"Yeah?"

"You never finished telling me how you ended up on Tatooine."

Billy looked down at the floor suddenly finding it the most fascinating thing in the galaxy. His thoughts followed each other. Racing around in his head like a dog chasing it's tail were the memories of acts of the Past, present, hurt, betrayal, slavery, hope, freedom, trust. Finally he raised his head his decision made with one truth remaining. Trust was something he was still capable of and after all Liam had done it was the lest he could give him.

~FLASHBACK~

Rays of sunlight laid gentle fingers on the figure who stretched lazily on the beach slowly leaving the sweet remnants of sleep behind him.

"Billy?" He heard someone call his name. He looked around for the source of the voice and spotted a girl with long black hair and honey coloured skin coming towards him.

" Yes?"

"Do you want to come scuba diving with me and..." Before she could finish her question strange grey things appeared from thin air and attacked them. One of them grabbed him by the shoulders and started shaking him. He was separated from the girl who was frantically calling his name.

"Billy!"

~&~

Billy sat up on his sleep couch, sleep leaving him quickly for once. Cook was standing above him. Her face wore a grim expression and her hand was held, poised ready to strike him.

"Good you're awake. Master Natacka wants to see you. You'd best get dressed. You have to be in the Master's chambers in ten minutes. You can have breakfast when you get back."

Billy climbed out of bed and grabbed a pair of pants from his makeshift cupboard - the floor. He had given up all attempts at privacy in the time he had been the property of Baron Natacka. That did not mean he was comfortable with it. He had just learnt to live with it.

"Do you know why he wants to see me?" Billy had a bad feeling about this.

"No but Master Tocust seemed quite happy. Only been out of the Kitchen for a week and your already in trouble." She Said shaking her head.

"How do you know I'm in trouble?" He asked pulling the cleanest tunic he could find from the pile on the floor.

"Tocust's only ever happy when the Master has granted him permission to punish someone."

"Punish someone?" Billy adjusted his collar frowning. He had a REALLY bad feeling about this.

"Aye. You've seen Malya?"

"Yes."

"She didn't always look like that so full of scars. She used to be beautiful."

"Are all his punishments so severe?" Billy asked

"It depends on what you've done. They're waiting for you. They don't like waiting." Billy nodded and quickly finished dressing. He had just reached the door when Cook stopped him.

"Remember, don't speak unless your spoken to. Keep you head bent at all times and don't make eye contact. Try to look as submissive and repentant as possible. What ever you do don't argue. It will only make you punishment worse. They see arguing as a sign of disrespect. Never show disrespect to your master." She said as she pulled his tunic straight.

~&~

Billy stood, once again, before Baron Natacka. This time however he was fully dressed and in control of all of his faculties. He was careful to heed Cook's advice and kept his head bent and his eyes firmly on the floor.

"Bring him closer." The Baron instructed. Billy's pulse quickened. There was undisguised malice in the large man's voice. Once his orders had been carried out the Baron continued in a much softer, gentler voice. "Maeve, is this the slave?"

"Yes Daddy." She confirmed. Her voice shook and was full of repressed tears. Billy kept his head bent, confused. All he had done was take Maeve her breakfast everyday for the past week. Surely that was no reason to punish him?

"Uncle, I have a suggestion if I may?" Cadfeal's cultured voice broke the silence. Natacka nodded his head for his nephew to continue. "Instead of killing him outright why not let him fight Dannon in the ring?"

"Yes Father. I will make him suffer for what he has done."

The Baron did not look at his son or nephew but continued to stare at the slave in the middle of the room his lips pursed in thought.

"Did you rape my daughter?"

"WHAT?" Billy's head shot up.

"Did you rape my daughter?" He asked again even though Billy's reaction had already given him his answer.

"No. I just took her breakfast in mornings. I swear I never touched her." Pushing aside everything Cook had told him, he looked steadily into the Baron's eyes hoping that his master would be able to see that he was telling the truth. The Baron was the first to look away.

"I find your suggestion odd Cadfeal," his voice was full of speculation. "The last time one of my slaves was accused of merely touching my daughter you killed him before I could ever see him. This slave," He looked back at Billy, whose eyes were once again riveted to the floor, "has been accused of a far worse crime and yet he still lives. I find that curious. Don't you Tocust?"

"Very curious, My lord."

"Daddy you can't possibly believe this slave over me?"

"Silence." He roared. "Tocust you have a suggestion?"

"Yes Sire. If we are to avoid a scandal you will have to get rid of this slave." Billy' heart thudded in his chest. They couldn't possibly want to Kill him. Could they?

"I realise that." Natacka raised an eyebrow waiting for his slavemaster to continue, albeit impatiently.

"The reports from the mine's overseers say that he is a very good mechanic. If we gave him the proper training he would be worth a fortune." The Baron nodded.

"Take him away." Natacka paused. "Before I forget," His tone belied the statement, "punish him for his disrespect."

"Yes my lord." Tocust cast Billy a small satisfied glance.

"Tocust, inform the Healer that she may heal his scars. He must be in good condition if we are to sell him for a good price."

"My lord." Tocust bowed slightly. He then nodded to the guards holding Billy.

The guards took him down several levels into the bowls of the palace. Deep under ground where his screams would not reach the surface and bother those in the higher levels. He was lead into a room where the only light came from the torch the guard was holding. Its flames danced around the room causing a chain hanging in the centre of the room to glisten. A table was pressed against the wall behind the chain. It was covered with instruments most of which Billy did not recognise but those that he did caused his breath to catch in his throat. He was pushed into the centre of the room. Instinctively he backed away from the guards. Somewhere deep inside him a voice screamed at him to fight; not to go along meekly.

Billy unconsciously fell into a defensive position. The guards stopped momentarily, not used to slaves fighting back but then they smiled and it sent shivers down Billy's spine. This was not good.

He danced away from the first guard's punch and duck underneath the other one's swinging arm. The wild swing threw the guard off balance and Billy used this to his advantage by pushing the guard into the first one. They fell to the floor yelling something in a language Billy did not understand.

Pain unlike anything he had ever felt before surged through his body emanating from his wrist. Billy sunk to the floor and curled in on himself, hugging his wrist to his chest. Then just as suddenly as it had come the pain disappeared leaving Billy shaking and disorientated. Ruff hands pulled from him the floor and forced his arms up over his head. His wrists were shoved into the manacles attached to the chain.

"That was very stupid, boy. Now I'm just going to have to punish you even more." There was no sympathy or regret in the slavemaster's tone. Tocust took an electro jabber from the table. He walked in a slow circle around the young slave. He looked like a cat in a river of cream. Tocust press the electro jabber against Billy's side and a bolt of pure agony shot through his body. Billy bit his lip refusing to scream. He did not want to give them the satisfaction.

~&~

Consciousness came slowly to the young slave and he wished for all the world that it hadn't. Everything hurt even his eyelashes. He felt strange as if he were weightless. He opened his eyes to find everything was coated in a shade of peach. He knew where he was - a Bachta Tank. If it weren't for the breathing mask he would have groaned. He hated Healers. One of whom was standing in front of him checking his vitals. She looked up to see his eyes open and smiled warmly. Billy recognised her as the Healer who had treated him when he had first arrived. She was nice - for a Healer. She turned away from him and spoke to someone out of his field of vision. Then he was being lifted out of the Tank. The Healers lowered Billy onto a bed and began towelling him off. He was so tired that he was asleep before they had finished drying him.

~&~

"... Once I was completely healed they sent me to someone named Elol for an engineering course. After which I was bought by a woman named Aurora Jade and she sent me to work in an "All Terrain Tactical Enforcer" manufacturing plant on Retaw Kcab and then Teh stole me from there, lost me in a bet with that Hutt and well you know the rest." Billy finished just as the computer announced the end of it's search with a series of annoying high pitched beeps. Liam opened the first file muttering about stupid alarms and how the kept getting worse with every upgrade. Billy just smiled, used to his friend's habit of talking to, cajoling and cursing the computer terminals. Besides it was something they had in common.

"Look here!" Liam pointed at the screen triumphantly. "I was right, all we have to do is take you back to Earth and..."

"Earth?"

"Yes, Earth. You must have had friends... there..." Liam trailed off realising his blunder.

"Earth is a planet? And I lived there?" Billy's voice had an unmistakable edge.

"Yes." Liam found himself looking anywhere but at Billy.

"How long have you known about it?"

"Since shortly after you arrived."

"And you didn't tell me?!"

"I know. I should have told you sooner."

"Of cause you should have told me sooner. For over a year I have had no identity. I got my name off the back of a watch for Force sake! Liam this planet could be the key to my past, the key to who I am. And you DIDN'T tell me!" Billy heard the anger in his voice which was starting to rise. *"Have to calm down. Anger leads to the dark side."* He reminded himself

*" But Liam told you that and he lied to you what else has he said that might not be true?"* The bitter voice rose in the back of his mind.

"Billy, I'm sorry." Now Liam held Billy's gaze. "But look at it from my perspective. My first duty is to protect this base and the people in it. I had to make sure you weren't an Imperial spy. Yes I didn't tell you and I realise my mistake now. But at the time I didn't know you. I had to be sure that I could trust you." Liam's voice was neutral.

"I take it your findings were inconclusive?" Billy's tone was icy. With a sigh Liam retrieved the file he had found using Billy's DNA. Billy read the information his lips pressed together in a thin line. When he had finished he pushed his chair back and stood.

"Where are you going?"

"I need to think." Liam felt his heart sink. All the ground they had covered seemed to fall away as a chasm opened between them.