"What are you talking about." she asked, suspicious and wary.
"You have a power, Rehn. It's been cruelly hidden from you, but it is there." Drakahn said, his deep voice took on a softness Rehn had not heard before. It was gentle, even concerned, and it made her uncomfortable. She broke eye contact with him, moving from foot to foot self-consciously. His could see the distrust on her face, but offering power to the powerless was like offering food to a starving animal.
"What kind of power." she asked finally.
"The power that the Emperor himself wields." Drakahn answered, his voice conspiratorial. "You could be powerful, rich beyond your dreams, command armies...."
"I have no use for power. It corrupts. Had it not been for the Lakeeta's quest for power, they would have never collaborated with the Empire." she replied smartly, her lips wrinkling in disgust. "You are a traitor to your people. Offer your little Force lessons to someone else."
The muscles in Drakahn's jaw twitched. Had he not been trying to gain her confidence he would have slapped her. She would soon learn to speak to him in nothing but a respectful tone, but that was a lesson for another day. He held his temper, keeping his expressions soft and open.
"With the power I offer you, you could escape if you like." He said, his tone almost conspiratorial and his eyes shifted as though looking for listening devices. "I can show you how to tap your power, how to use and control it."
"Why?" she asked, bristling. "Why would you give me a weapon that powerful." her suspicion suddenly became a tangible thing, and he knew he was losing her again. "Why would you give me a tool that could potentially help me kill you?"
"I did not want to see our people taken to the brink of extinction, Rehn. You could reunite the Thalcein and give them hope again. Our people need a strong leader. You could be that leader." He laced his words with the dark side, making his words all the more sincere sounding.
"Me? I'm no one special. I'm just a soldier." she replied, eyes narrow. Drakahn looked at her questioningly, with an almost worried look on his face.
"Has no one ever told you?" he asked, as though something vital had never been revealed to her. "You are the chosen one.. the Cefoltek... a gift from Adune to his children." Rehn looked at him as though he'd lost his mind.
"The what? Are you mind wiped? That's just a legend." her voice was incredulous. Drakahn smiled down at her, an almost reverent look on his face.
"Then I stand in the presence of a legend." he inclined his head respectfully, though it was probably the most difficult thing he'd done in years. Showing respect for a female, even one with Rehn's potential, cut him to the core. He would make up for it later, when and if Palpatine gave her to him. He would show her her true place and would take immense pleasure doing so. The thought made his body stir, and he focused his attention elsewhere, though his eyes never left Rehn. "As to mind wiped.. No, I assure you I have not been mentally tampered with.." his face turned troubled. "But I am not certain you have not been."
"Oh now you're just grasping at straws, Drakahn." Rehn gave a scornful snort. He looked at her steadily and exhaled slowly as though saddened.
"I can sense something missing in you Rehn. You are strong in the force and I know you feel it. What do you remember about your childhood?" he asked gently.
"I remember growing up in my Clan's fortress. I remember..." she stopped and her eyes moved as though she were searching for something in her mind. "I ..." Her eyes suddenly locked on his, angry. "The past doesn't matter." she snapped suddenly, her eyes boring into him. He kept his look soft and compassionate, though inside he was plotting his next move with a cruel, twisted smile.
"What do you remember before you awoke in Krall's home?" he asked. Rehn straightened slightly, having not heard the name of her guardian in years. He'd been very old when she'd left to join the Rebellion against his advice, and Barryk had told her the old master warrior had died peacefully in his sleep. In reality, he'd bee killed by Drakahn when he had refused to betray Rehn's whereabouts.
"How do you know I was Redah Krall's student?" she asked, her suspicion deepening.
"I have been watching you for some time, little one. It is unimportant how I know. Now answer my question, unless you are afraid of the truth." he responded, keeping his voice even, though heavily laced with the dark side. He could feel it slipping into her mind, fanning the flame of her doubts. She spitted him with an arrogant look.
"I'm not afraid... I just can't remember." she snapped defensively. She shifted uncomfortably, her mind trying to recall the events before she'd found herself in Krall's home. She could remember nothing.
"And why is that, I wonder? Terribly strange that one specific time of your life has been blocked from your consciousness, don't you think Rehn? Your importance to our people would have been told to you at a young age, yet you cannot remember. I remember the day of your birth, child. The whole planet rejoiced." he asked. "Only a Jedi has the power and control to do something so precise as to block a specific memory or suppress another's ability in the Force....." Rehn's brow furrowed in thought and after a long moment she gave him the answer he had hoped she would give him.
"Barryk......." a look of confusion crossed her face as she whispered her brother's name. Rehn looked up at Drakahn, questioning and ever suspicious. "Why would Barryk do that? she asked, not ready to believe her brother would so such a thing.
"He did it because he feared you, Rehn. He was jealous. Even at such a young age, you have the potential to become so much more than what he has achieved through years of training. You are destined to be a great warrior, leaving Barryk to live in your shadow." Drakahn said, his face and voice sympathetic. "He couldn't stand the thought of you being stronger in the Force than he was."
Rehn knew that her brother, twenty-seven years her senior, was fiercely competitive and loathed to be bested. It was him... you know it was... a voice in her mind whispered with conviction, leaving no question or doubt as to who was to blame. She and Barryk rarely saw each other anymore, but she had once looked up to him. She the last time she had seen him their conversation had degenerated into a heated and bitter argument over her involvement in the Rebellion. He opposed it, vehemently almost. Her teeth ground audibly and she shook in an effort to control her emotions. No.. He wouldn't do it because he was jealous.. Would he? Drakahn smiled inwardly as the doubt began to roll off of the young Thalcein like a delicious, invisible wave.
*********
"I am pleased, Drakahn. I had doubts that even this much progress was possible." Vader said. The holo image of the Dark Lord was twice life size, to make it appear that he was looking down at the huge Thalcein but Drakahn didn't mind. Vader was notoriously miserly with his praise, so Drakahn was now justifiably full of himself.
"You honour me, my Lord." Drakahn answered, lowering his inclined head in a gesture of submission and deference. Drakahn was powerful, both physically as well as in the Force, and his continued survival hinged on his obedience to the Emperor as well as to Vader. Any sign of arrogance or ambition for power towards either men would result in an unpleasant, painful death. Drakahn, however, was pragmatic. The Emperor had given him the honour of being an enforcer, giving him as much trust and autonomy as Palpatine was capable of showing. He respected Vader by having no ambition to usurp his position as the Emperor's right hand man, content with his place as number two. "She has no memory of the death of her parents. Barryk has repressed it deep within her mind. It is protected by a sort of powerful Force barricade. Lady Vader was the first to encounter it. She had only touched the child's mind, and was hit with a kind of power backlash. I felt it also, when I probed her mind to find why she failed to recognize me." Drakahn replied.
"Your work shall be rewarded, Drakahn."
"Thank you my Lord."
"Continue the conditioning. The Emperor's other project commands my full attention at the moment. I will join you on Cey'lon when I have concluded affairs here."
"As you command, Lord Vader. She will be made ready for your instruction." Drakahn said, his teeth bared fiercely as he knelt on one knee, his head bowed. Vader nodded gravely before he terminated the com link.
********
Rehn stood under the hot water, her eyes closed, letting the heat travel through her body. A hot shower was a luxury she did not get to experience often with the Rebellion. She had been filthy and could no longer stand to be around herself but had been hesitant to use the shower. Dirt and sweat turned the water an ugly shade of grey as it swept over her. It felt so good she almost forgot her imprisonment. Her cell had once been servant living quarters, she guessed. A wood framed bed sat in one corner of the large main room and, other than two chairs and a table, was the only furnishing. A battered copy of the Tulwahr, the Holy Book of the Thalcein religion rested on the table, a moth eaten grey ribbon marking a dog-eared page.
The refresher had been attached to the main room by a door at one time, but had since been removed. The lack of privacy bothered her more than she wanted to admit, but there was precious little she could do about it. She only hoped no one would not come barging in as she looked down at her lower legs. So that's what colour they're supposed to be... she thought offhandedly. They had been a grungy grey for long enough that is was almost a shock to see them snow white again, the large black spots that decorated them adding pleasant contrast. Her long black tail, no longer matted was a stark contrast to the white of her muscular posterior physique. The white fur began between her shoulder blades and continued down her back to the back of her thighs, forming the shape of a tear drop. The white was sparingly spotted in gold. The rest of her was body was the same colour as her rump spots, with the exception of her muzzle, the area around her eyes and her mane, which were the deepest black. Her striking colour was exceptionally rare among her people, she'd been told, though exactly how rare had never been discussed. Only once every few hundred generation was a filly born with her markings.
Satisfied she was finally clean, Rehn turned off the water and shook herself, sending a spray of water in all directions. She dressed in the only clothes that had been provided- a muscle shirt and knee length fatigue pants. Both were standard stormtrooper issue and both fit like a second skin, leaving little to the imagination and she pulled and fussed at them self-consciously. "They must be borrowing from Rage's wardrobe." she growled in disgust to no one in particular.
********
General Ranikin sat at his new desk, in his new office, his new General's rank plate pinned to his olive drab uniform, having just been given what the Rebels jokingly referred to has an 'Imperial Field Promotion'. General Petak, his former CO was now dead at the hands of Lady Rage Vader, and he as the next highest ranking officer of the garrison had just been handed a dead man's job. Not how most officers would prefer to get promoted, but when you were stationed this far out on the Rim, you took what you could get. What Ranikin had just inherited was a group of men who had been lax for far too long- the reason for his predecessor's demise, but he was an old-guard, spit-and-polish type officer, and knew he could succeed where Petak had failed.
He was just finishing a holo for his wife, sending her the news of his promotion, when Drakahn walked through the pressure door of his office. Ranikin was about to verbally slap down the trespasser for not asking permission to enter when he looked up from his recorder - and felt his heart drop into his feet. He got out of his chair in a hurry, and it rolled backwards, thumping into the wall noisily. He had heard stories of the 'Death's Messenger', the Emperor's enforcer, and his career- as well as his life- flashed before his eyes. Drakahn, dressed in dark green and gold Lakeeta Clan armour, a black hood and cape slung from his shoulder, looked down at the surprised human. He enjoyed the fear he instilled in this supposedly 'superior' species.
"Congratulation on your promotion, General." Drakahn said in greeting, his voice somewhat sarcastic.
"Thank you, Lord Drakahn." Ranikin replied, regaining his composure and ignoring the verbal jab. He knew that he had not been in office long enough to screw up badly enough to warrant a visit from Drakahn in an official capacity, but it had still given his heart rate a jolt.
"I have need of some of your men. Three that are experts in hand to hand. The bigger the better. They must be physically intimidating." He could see the confusion on Ranikin's face, though it was admirably hidden.
"As you wish, my Lord." Ranikin said with a nod. Drakahn placed a datapad on his desk and turned to leave, but stopped and looked back over his massive shoulder to fix Ranikin with a green eyed stare.
"Make it clear to your men General, that Gade is to beaten and humiliated, but not violated. Tell them to follow the rules of engagement, or punishment will be... severe."
"I will make it abundantly clear, m'Lord."