From Scratch
Chapter 31
Her eyes opened slowly, the violet orbs flinching away from the light that was being shone directly into them. She groaned softly, her head aching. [i]What happened?[/i] Her head was beginning to pound, a souvenir from whatever had been used to knock her out, she supposed. But where was she? She shifted her head, trying to make out the details of her surrounding without the blinding light, but it was no use.
"Ah, you're awake."
The voice, that carefully cultured voice she recognized from when it had spoken to Jacen. Only it now spoke Yuuzhan Vong as flawlessly as it had basic. She tried to bring her hands around to push herself up, but they caught at her hips, a cord resting across the middle of her back. She almost smiled. Whoever had tied her up didn't know she was flexible. Good.
Vola moaned softly as she was rolled on her side, out of the light, the throb in her head beginning to lessen slightly. She opened her eyes wider and inhaled sharply. She'd been brought to the tent of the camp's leader, or so she thought. But why? Had she broken some kind of camp code? She swallowed, feeling her throat dry as timber, and coughed slightly.
"Have I made some mistake?" she asked softly, her violet-gold eyes reflecting the firelight now that she was facing him.
He stepped forward, from the shadows and she recoiled. He wasn't as she remembered him. This male was scarred, tattooed and mutilated. She inhaled sharply, trying to push herself into a sitting position so she could scoot back further. It wasn't the mutilations; it was the gleam in his eye, his one real eye, which made her recoil. He stepped forward and helped her sit up before stepping back again.
She licked her lips. "Have I done something wrong?" she asked again, recoiling mentally from his touch, feeling as if she'd been soiled. She was frightened and considered screaming but his proximity warned her not too. She didn't even realize she'd spoken to him in basic.
He was examining her carefully, as if searching for some kind of defect, but she didn't cower under his gaze. Yuuzhan Vong held little threat to her and though this male was scarred, she doubted he'd harm her. At least, she hoped he wouldn't.
He finally spoke again, his voice holding an edge it hadn't before. "What are you?"
Her chin came up. "I am Yuuzhan Vong." She snapped back in their language. "Are you blind or just dumb."
He looked at her critically. "You speak basic and you dress as they do, use their weapons. Are you truly Yuuzhan Vong?"
She flinched. "I am. I have lived with Humans for a long time, sir, but I do not think my heritage is in question."
He stepped towards her, "I am Nom Anor, Vola. I have brought you here to discuss your unorthodox choice in companions."
She stiffened her spine. "You won't get anything from me. I won't betray Flynn!"
"Flynn? The other male in your company? Interesting. Does he mean something to you? Would he be willing to bargain for your safe return?"
Her chin came up again. "He'll come for me, as will the Jedi. You can't hold me here."
He laughed shortly. "I have no intentions of keeping you here. You're an oddity, someone who will stand out in any Yuuzhan Vong crowd. You have no tattoos and no, absolutely no, mutilations. You still have your nose and your lips. How very... quaint."
"Then what are you going to do with me?"
"Trade you of course."
She blanched, her skin taking on an almost sickly shade. "Trade me?"
He nodded. "The shapers took a hard blow to their ranks last night. My sources tell me all but one of them is dead. The Jedi managed to do their job nicely. Did they return?"
She stared at him in silence, keeping her lips pressed close together. She would tell him nothing.
"It doesn't matter, they've served their purpose. And you will serve as a sacrifice, my dear."
"Sacrifice?" she echoed, a sick feeling forming in her stomach. "For what?"
"Why, to the Gods of course. A completely untainted body to bless the return of the race. It's quite the honor."
"Sacrifices are barbaric," she snapped back, her eyes blazing as she tugged on the ropes. She glared at him, searching around the room for her weapons. They were nowhere in sight, but she didn't think Nom Anor would hurt her if she lunged at him. She hadn't the strength to take him down even if she hit him by surprise. It wasn't a comforting thought. "I won't let you sacrifice me to some archaic ritual and gods that obviously betrayed our people!"
Nom Anor laughed. "How gullible. I have no intention of sacrificing such a lovely young woman when we need to repopulate our race."
A chill ran through her veins. Repopulate? Oh no, surely he didn't mean...? But he did, she could read the intentions in his eyes. Vola shook her head emphatically. "No, never, not in a million years!"
He advanced towards her another step. "And who will stop me, Vola? I am the leader of this rebellion, the savior of these people only second to the [i]Jeedai[/i]. I am given anything I wish, I take what I please. If it pleases me to take you as my mate, I will."
"Flynn-"
"Is human," he advanced another step. "A human can't give you what I can."
"No," she admitted. "He can and has given me more. You are revolting and I despise you, Nom Anor! I wouldn't take you as a mate if you were the last of our species!"
His eyes narrowed. [i]CRACK[/i]! His hand whipped about, slamming into the side of her face and driving her back to the cot on which she sat. Her cheek stung, her teeth having cut into her cheek and she tasted blood. Her ears rang, the soft pelt under her cheek the only sensation that registered as she fought tears. That had hurt! Hurt far worse than taking a shot to the chest.
Slowly, painfully, her cheek throbbing from the impact, she turned her head to look at the male leering down at her. "And you have proven my point," she said hoarsely. "Never. I will never be yours."
"Not even to protect your precious Flynn? A human in the middle of a dangerous camp?"
She closed her eyes, picturing Flynn's face. Give herself up in his place? She nodded. "I would. But you can't harm him."
"I caught you."
She opened her eyes and met Nom Anor's. "The Jedi are with him and I am missing. They will come for me, together, and you won't harm him. If you did, you know Jacen would kill you."
"He would try."
Vola smiled, her cheek tugging painfully. "And she of flame will have your head."
"She of Flame?" Nom Anor frowned.
"His wife." Her eyes closed and she didn't see Nom Anor's sudden shocked expression, the look as if he'd taken a low blow. She didn't see the speculative look that came into his eyes or the calculating gleam. She didn't see anything as she gave up her fight against the strain on her neck, the belated impact of her neck whipping around painfully, and fell back into unconsciousness.
Chapter 31
Her eyes opened slowly, the violet orbs flinching away from the light that was being shone directly into them. She groaned softly, her head aching. [i]What happened?[/i] Her head was beginning to pound, a souvenir from whatever had been used to knock her out, she supposed. But where was she? She shifted her head, trying to make out the details of her surrounding without the blinding light, but it was no use.
"Ah, you're awake."
The voice, that carefully cultured voice she recognized from when it had spoken to Jacen. Only it now spoke Yuuzhan Vong as flawlessly as it had basic. She tried to bring her hands around to push herself up, but they caught at her hips, a cord resting across the middle of her back. She almost smiled. Whoever had tied her up didn't know she was flexible. Good.
Vola moaned softly as she was rolled on her side, out of the light, the throb in her head beginning to lessen slightly. She opened her eyes wider and inhaled sharply. She'd been brought to the tent of the camp's leader, or so she thought. But why? Had she broken some kind of camp code? She swallowed, feeling her throat dry as timber, and coughed slightly.
"Have I made some mistake?" she asked softly, her violet-gold eyes reflecting the firelight now that she was facing him.
He stepped forward, from the shadows and she recoiled. He wasn't as she remembered him. This male was scarred, tattooed and mutilated. She inhaled sharply, trying to push herself into a sitting position so she could scoot back further. It wasn't the mutilations; it was the gleam in his eye, his one real eye, which made her recoil. He stepped forward and helped her sit up before stepping back again.
She licked her lips. "Have I done something wrong?" she asked again, recoiling mentally from his touch, feeling as if she'd been soiled. She was frightened and considered screaming but his proximity warned her not too. She didn't even realize she'd spoken to him in basic.
He was examining her carefully, as if searching for some kind of defect, but she didn't cower under his gaze. Yuuzhan Vong held little threat to her and though this male was scarred, she doubted he'd harm her. At least, she hoped he wouldn't.
He finally spoke again, his voice holding an edge it hadn't before. "What are you?"
Her chin came up. "I am Yuuzhan Vong." She snapped back in their language. "Are you blind or just dumb."
He looked at her critically. "You speak basic and you dress as they do, use their weapons. Are you truly Yuuzhan Vong?"
She flinched. "I am. I have lived with Humans for a long time, sir, but I do not think my heritage is in question."
He stepped towards her, "I am Nom Anor, Vola. I have brought you here to discuss your unorthodox choice in companions."
She stiffened her spine. "You won't get anything from me. I won't betray Flynn!"
"Flynn? The other male in your company? Interesting. Does he mean something to you? Would he be willing to bargain for your safe return?"
Her chin came up again. "He'll come for me, as will the Jedi. You can't hold me here."
He laughed shortly. "I have no intentions of keeping you here. You're an oddity, someone who will stand out in any Yuuzhan Vong crowd. You have no tattoos and no, absolutely no, mutilations. You still have your nose and your lips. How very... quaint."
"Then what are you going to do with me?"
"Trade you of course."
She blanched, her skin taking on an almost sickly shade. "Trade me?"
He nodded. "The shapers took a hard blow to their ranks last night. My sources tell me all but one of them is dead. The Jedi managed to do their job nicely. Did they return?"
She stared at him in silence, keeping her lips pressed close together. She would tell him nothing.
"It doesn't matter, they've served their purpose. And you will serve as a sacrifice, my dear."
"Sacrifice?" she echoed, a sick feeling forming in her stomach. "For what?"
"Why, to the Gods of course. A completely untainted body to bless the return of the race. It's quite the honor."
"Sacrifices are barbaric," she snapped back, her eyes blazing as she tugged on the ropes. She glared at him, searching around the room for her weapons. They were nowhere in sight, but she didn't think Nom Anor would hurt her if she lunged at him. She hadn't the strength to take him down even if she hit him by surprise. It wasn't a comforting thought. "I won't let you sacrifice me to some archaic ritual and gods that obviously betrayed our people!"
Nom Anor laughed. "How gullible. I have no intention of sacrificing such a lovely young woman when we need to repopulate our race."
A chill ran through her veins. Repopulate? Oh no, surely he didn't mean...? But he did, she could read the intentions in his eyes. Vola shook her head emphatically. "No, never, not in a million years!"
He advanced towards her another step. "And who will stop me, Vola? I am the leader of this rebellion, the savior of these people only second to the [i]Jeedai[/i]. I am given anything I wish, I take what I please. If it pleases me to take you as my mate, I will."
"Flynn-"
"Is human," he advanced another step. "A human can't give you what I can."
"No," she admitted. "He can and has given me more. You are revolting and I despise you, Nom Anor! I wouldn't take you as a mate if you were the last of our species!"
His eyes narrowed. [i]CRACK[/i]! His hand whipped about, slamming into the side of her face and driving her back to the cot on which she sat. Her cheek stung, her teeth having cut into her cheek and she tasted blood. Her ears rang, the soft pelt under her cheek the only sensation that registered as she fought tears. That had hurt! Hurt far worse than taking a shot to the chest.
Slowly, painfully, her cheek throbbing from the impact, she turned her head to look at the male leering down at her. "And you have proven my point," she said hoarsely. "Never. I will never be yours."
"Not even to protect your precious Flynn? A human in the middle of a dangerous camp?"
She closed her eyes, picturing Flynn's face. Give herself up in his place? She nodded. "I would. But you can't harm him."
"I caught you."
She opened her eyes and met Nom Anor's. "The Jedi are with him and I am missing. They will come for me, together, and you won't harm him. If you did, you know Jacen would kill you."
"He would try."
Vola smiled, her cheek tugging painfully. "And she of flame will have your head."
"She of Flame?" Nom Anor frowned.
"His wife." Her eyes closed and she didn't see Nom Anor's sudden shocked expression, the look as if he'd taken a low blow. She didn't see the speculative look that came into his eyes or the calculating gleam. She didn't see anything as she gave up her fight against the strain on her neck, the belated impact of her neck whipping around painfully, and fell back into unconsciousness.