Dammit all to hell, Captain Miranda thought icily.
That…Lothal brat…that street rat.
The fleet was gone.
His hopes, dreams, aspirations. All gone. Just like that. Most likely, at any given moment, they would all perish here too. All because of that little bantha shit rebel, Bridger.
Miranda marched back to the interrogation room, blaster in hand in case the prisoner tried anything. He raised it at the ready as he opened the doors.
He stifled a pitying laugh holstered his blaster; there would be no need for it. The Rebel Commander was still trying to stand, apparently attempting to grasp hold of something from the workbench.
This will be too easy.
He entered the room, closing the blast doors behind him. He walked up behind Ezra and grabbed hold of his neck with brute force.
Ezra felt someone grab his wrist and slam it forcefully against the edge of the workbench. It only took two blows to make him drop the tool, a pain filled cry escaping his mouth. Miranda watched him with a sneering grin.
The young man was shaking; his attempts at self-preservation pitiful. He squeezed the boy's neck harder, relishing the sounds of struggle that were coming out of him.
Ezra twitched in his struggle for air, reaching up to try and pry the hand from his throat. But the Captain was much bigger, and strong. He struggled to breathe, clawing at the Captain, gasping for air. The harsh grip remained on his throat, and he began to see stars.
Just when he felt ready to pass out, the hand retracted. He tried to crawl away as he gasped and sputtered.
The Captain was on him again however, his knee digging into the small of Ezra's back. He felt his jacket being unzipped, then forcefully removed. He was forced to his knees, his undershirt removed as well. He felt blind panic as he was dragged to the corner of the room, and forced to face the wall.
Glowing blue binders were slammed on his wrists. He felt his arms being pulled up, on chains affixed to two of the walls. The Captain pushed a button, and Ezra's arms were drawn taught as the slack on the chains diminished, pulling his arms painfully outward. He gritted his teeth against the awkward position, struggling to stand but not being able to.
He was stuck on his knees, barely able to move.
The Captain sneered at Ezra. "If this is truly the end, at least I'll go out with some enjoyment." He appraised the prisoner in front of him; arms out to the sides, his tan skin glistening with perspiration, a look of fear in his eyes that he was trying to hide.
They always do try to hide that. But Miranda saw it. He always saw it.
Ezra heard the Captain chuckling again, walking over to him. He felt the Captain crouching down near his face, his breath on his skin.
Ezra's gut fell a little further in his stomach.
"That's right, Bridger; you had your fun, now it's my turn," the Captain stated. Ezra felt a hand on his neck again and he flinched. Miranda laughed at this. But, instead of choking Ezra, he began to caress his neck, rubbing his hand up and down along Ezra's throat.
Ezra froze, panic gripping at his insides.
He felt sweat trickling down his face as his internal warning systems flared. He needed to get away from this man. He needed to regain his composure; he needed to think.
How can I get out of this? Think, Ezra!
He had been in rougher spots before, hadn't he? Well, not really. But he had always managed to escape from seemingly desperate and sometimes hopeless situations, no matter the odds. This time would be no different. He had to figure something out, and fast.
His thoughts of escape suddenly ceased however, when he looked up to see that Miranda had moved next to the workbench, a crooked smile on his face that made Ezra's blood run cold.
"I don't know how much time we have left, but I plan on going out happily. You, Bridger, are going to make it worth my while," the Captain said.
Ezra didn't respond, but what he saw only heightened his anxiety.
Miranda approached the Interrogator Droid and pressed several buttons on it. It hummed to life; it's red eyes and sleek black design sending instant dread into Ezra. He watched the Captain place a cylindrical insert into the Interrogator Droid, tapping some instructions into the datapad on the workbench, and then turn back towards Ezra. The Interrogator Droid turned towards Ezra as well, its actuator arms twitching and shifting as it hovered closer to him. Ezra quickly averted his gaze, hoping that the Captain couldn't see the sheer panic that he was feeling. His hope of that died however as he heard Miranda chuckling again.
Ezra felt nauseous as the droid stopped in front of him. His heart felt like it had fallen into his stomach; he could hear the heavy rushing of his blood pulsing as it hammered in his ears. At least it drowned out the Captain's voice somewhat.
Ezra knew of the Interrogator Droids and their "methods"-even his Master Kanan had been subjected to their tortures. His master had endured, although Ezra didn't feel he could hold a candle to his late master's resolve. And it didn't seem Miranda wanted him to talk much, anyway; he was doing this because he could, not because he had to.
His heart thudded in his chest as he tried to pull on the chains and cuffs, knowing all the while that it was useless.
He felt weak from the blue glowing cuffs; like he was being cut off from the Force. He tried to harness it but was met with what felt like a brick to the side of the head.
He tried again, this time crying out in pain as the electric shocks hit him even harder.
The Captain laughed. "I wouldn't try that anymore if I were you, Loth-rat."
The Interrogator Droid whirred. A mechanical arm clamped on Ezra's head, yanking it to the side and exposing his neck. The droid then pushed a small device, a cylindrical capsule, flush against the soft skin above Ezra's collarbone. Ezra flinched hard and then yelped at the sharp pain in his neck. The droid maintained its first grip on his head, and he had to bite back a moan. The droid wheeled it's circular frame around, exposing a different mechanical arm holding a syringe with a large needle, which it immediately plunged into his neck right below the capsule injection site. He felt a cold fluid moving through his veins, and with it a strange sensation that made everything feel more intense, more painful. His wrists now felt like they were burning under the pressure of the binders. He hadn't noticed that before.
The Captain watched the scene before him with wrapped fascination; his mouth parted open, his eyes wild and hungry.
He could see how Bridger trembled. This is what he had wanted to see, the fear in the boy's eyes as his body and spirit were broken under the pain inflicted by his power.
There was probably no real reason to implant a tracking device into the boy's neck; but the Captain knew the pain it would cause and figured he would get some satisfaction from this fact alone.
"You may be wondering what I just did to you" the Captain started, glancing over his shoulder at Ezra briefly, then back to the datapad in front of him. "You've just been injected with serum which allows me to monitor your vital signs. Every skip of your heartbeat, every drop in blood pressure, I will be able to monitor. I'll also be recording our session on my holopad so that every sound you make, every expression contorted in pain throughout our time together can be re-lived by me later on. If I do survive this that is, which I admit, the odds are small. However, your odds of dying here are certain. When you are gone, this will provide for hours of entertainment. Ah, and look here, I can see the increase in your heart rate just now. Nice, isn't it?"
Ezra couldn't quite grasp what the Captain was talking on about; his brain was occupied with fear; his body occupied with pain and exhaustion. He tried to remain calm but was failing miserably. Ezra was dangerously close to unravelling; he felt cut off from any sources of calm he could garner from the Force. And whatever serum the droid had injected into him, it was working fast. Before he could tell his brain to stop, he reached out to the Force again, his desperation overtaking any logic. He felt a jolt of electricity shock him. His head exploded in pain and he gasped for breath.
"You might as well stop trying that," the Captain scoffed, reaching down and grabbing Ezra's hair, yanking his head back and forcing Ezra to look him in the eye.
"Unless you like the pain you're feeling right now. Do you?"
Ezra didn't respond; instead, he averted his gaze to the side to avoid the Captain, who was now close enough to Ezra that he could feel his breath on his face. His body convulsed in juddering waves. Miranda grabbed Ezra's neck and chin, yanking his head up and forcing him to look at him.
"I asked you a question," he continued. "You like this pain, don't you? You like being chained up, forced to submit to my every whim. You want me to beat you until you beg me to stop; until you scream my name-"
Ezra spat in his face. It landed near the Captains lips, some getting in his mouth.
The Captain maintained his grip underneath Ezra's chin but moved his hand lower to cover his windpipe and squeezed, hard, causing Ezra to sputter, his eyes scrunching up in pain then flying wide in panic.
"Now you hurt my feelings," the Captain said in a mocking tone, all the while forcing Ezra to look back at him. Ezra struggled and choked, trying to get air into his lungs. His neck was twisted painfully, and he was starting to see black spots in the corners of his vision.
"When I'm done with you, you will know how to respect a superior officer," the Captain said. "You might even learn some other things that I'm sure you haven't had the chance to…experience yet. Or…maybe you have."
The Captain licked the spit off his own lip and glowered down at Ezra, a sinister smile pasted there. He then withdrew his tongue and with a slimy smile, stooped down and inward, licking Ezra's cheek, moving his tongue across his face to his mouth, touching Ezra's lips with his tongue.
Ezra tried to blink back the tears he felt forming, but they spilled down his cheeks, the sudden shock from the Captain's behavior causing bile to rise in his throat.
Despite his best efforts to not let this man see his emotions, he was failing. The Captain squeezed his neck tighter and Ezra struggled for breath. The Captain continued to squeeze as he took his other hand and placed it on Ezra's bare chest, slowly moving his hand lower down to Ezra's stomach. Ezra felt hot tears falling down his face as his body continued to shake more violently. The Captain took his tongue and licked Ezra's tears with it. Ezra convulsed, his neck and face blushing as he struggled to move away, his efforts useless.
The datapad on the table started beeping louder.
"Ahh…I love when I see your heart rate increase." The Captain chuckled in his ear, then pulled back slightly, appraising his captive.
The way the boy's chest rose and fell erratically. The sweat covering his golden tan skin. He imagined pressing that body against his own, forcing it down, hearing the sounds the young man would make. The Captain felt a hardening between his legs. He released Ezra's neck but continued to hover his hand over the sensitive skin around Ezra's adam's apple.
Ezra gasped for breath and tried again to regain some semblance of calm. It wasn't working. The Captain continued to rub his free hand further down to Ezra's waistline where he began to unbutton his pants. Ezra flinched and tried to move away, but the Captain responded with a swift punch to his side.
"Ungh!" Ezra exclaimed, shocked at how much pain the blow delivered.
The Captain nudged Ezra's pants down slightly, just enough to see his pubic bones protruding from his frame.
"P-Please…don't," Ezra stammered as he wheezed in air. It was the first words he had uttered to this man. He has not wanted to respond to anything the Captain said or did, nor acknowledge what he was doing to him, but he couldn't help himself from asking him to stop. The Captain replied with a laugh and another blow to his side. Ezra felt the wind leave his lungs. His side felt like his bones were crumbling.
This intense pain…the injection must be making it worse.
If Kanan were here, he would fix this. He would make it all go away.
He felt frighteningly close to despair. I can't do this without him! I can't escape!
Without thinking, he reached out to the Force once more and was again met with an electrical blow to his entire body, feeling the painful spasms lacing through him.
"Aahh!" Ezra let out a pain filled cry as fresh tears and a glimmering grey snow fell around his vision. He wheezed, trying to recover.
The Captain laughed again. "You don't learn very quickly, do you?" He jeered into Ezra's ear. He placed both of his hands to rest on Ezra's slim hips. Ezra felt the bloom of a new blush move up his neck and face. Then he felt the Captain straighten, moving to stand behind him. Panic ratcheted inside his head.
The Captain hovered behind Ezra. Ezra felt the Captain's hands on his body again, this time squeezing his sides so hard that his nails were digging into his flesh. He felt his body being pulled backwards so that his back side was forced to rub up against the Captain's front side.
Ezra shuddered. The Captain laughed at Ezra's reaction.
"You know I could do whatever I wanted to you in here...do you realize that?"
Ezra felt like he was going to be sick. His body shook from pain and fright. His attempts at composure were long gone as he looked down and realized that his pants were unfastened and pulled slightly down, exposing his waist, resting on his lower hips. He started to hyperventilate as his body continued to quake from fright and shock. He felt like he was in a tailspin.
The Captain slammed Ezra forward, pushing him away with his arms pulled taught against the arm restraints. He stood and returned to the table. "Don't worry Bridger," he said, looking over the materials before him on the table. "I wouldn't let our fun end that quickly."
"I best most of your fun times end quickly," Ezra bit out defiantly. He immediately regretted it, but the words were out there nonetheless. He dared to look over towards the Captain, although his head told him to close his eyes and focus elsewhere. He couldn't; he needed to see what was going to happen to him next. To Ezra's dismay, he saw that Captain plucking an electro-whip from the table. He then returned to Ezra, ready to strike.
"What a nice little joke," he said. "Let's see how many jokes you can tell after this."
The Captain grasped the electro-whip and swung his arm back as far as he could. Before Ezra had time to reflect on his predicament any more, the Captain slammed the whip into Ezra's back with full force. Ezra tried to stifle the scream that threatened to rip from him. Despite his efforts, he still choked out a sob. He gasped for breath, completely engulfed in pain.
The Captain swung again. Ezra tried to remain still; to not move. Before he could take another breath, the whip slammed into him again. He felt his back arch in resistance to the blinding pain. He again attempted to choke back a scream, and it came out as stifled yelp instead.
The electro-whip cut into him again. Then again. Ezra was flooded in pain, unable to even swallow the spit in his mouth.
The Captain swung the whip again with merciless fury. Ezra heard the Captain laughing; a deep, evil chuckle. After several lashes, Ezra stopped trying to stifle the pain addled screams, letting them out instead.
He would rather hear his own voice than the Captain's laughter and enjoyment at the pain he was inflicted on him. Ezra felt his skin tearing; a stream of warm blood cascaded down his back to pool at the place where his pants rested on his hips.
His body trembled and he was covered in sweat. He squirmed, trying to escape even for a moment's reprieve. Ezra felt new layers of his resolve breaking, leaving him exposed.
"Okay, stop! Please!" he managed to shout. This was the wrong thing to say however, because it seemed to encourage the Captain, the blows landing harder and faster. Ezra pulled against his restraints, the pain in his hands not registering in his mind even as his wrists cut against the metal binders.
He lost his voice from crying out, yet he couldn't stop himself from continuing to scream and cry as the beating continued. His face was wet, and threads of spit pulled from his mouth as the shouts tore from his throat. His eyes stung from the sweat that dripped down his face, his hair soaked with it.
The Captain stopped suddenly, and Ezra took in a jagged breath, hoping this meant the end of the beating. He saw him coming back into his line of sight again, and Ezra didn't know which was worse; the man bending down in front of him, touching his face and body, or the man behind him, whipping him mercilessly.
The Captain squatted, his face leaning in towards Ezra's. A sheen of sweat shone on his face as his lips curled back to speak.
"I told you that you would be screaming my name by the time this was over." The Captain sneered. "I haven't heard it yet. Do you have anything to say?"
Ezra's eyes flitted back and forth.
The Captain reached out suddenly, grabbing Ezra's neck, shaking him violently.
"I said, do you have anything to say to me? Beg me to stop! Say my name!" he bellowed.
Ezra nodded, a mix of fear, revulsion, and disgust burning throughout his body.
He heard his own voice muttering, "P-please, C-captain Miranda, sir. Please…stop being a slimy piece of worm-ridden bantha dung." Ezra gulped in a shaky breath, his eyes going slightly wide at the horror of his own impulsive behavior.
White hot fury flashed across the Captain's face as he leaned in closer, grabbing Ezra's hair now and jerking his neck back.
"Ungh!" Ezra grunted. The Captain pulled harder on Ezra's hair, forcing his face up to look him in the eyes. "Beg me," he stated, simply, icily.
"Uhng!" Ezra exclaimed again through gritted teeth. He was having a hard time focusing; his vision going in and out. His body was shaking so violently that his teeth were clattering about in his skull.
He wished that he could simply pass out already; to be released from the pain into unconscious bliss. He thought of the injections, and realized they were probably keeping him from any such relief.
The Captain dropped the whip and brought his free hand up to Ezra's face. He relaxed his grip on Ezra's hair a little. He then wiped his other hand, slowly, across Ezra's cheeks, then nose, then lips, taking his time, removing sweat and grime that had accumulated there.
He then let his hand trail down and gently placed it on Ezra's neck again. He rubbed Ezra's lips with his thumb. He let go of Ezra's hair, moving his hand and groping Ezra's chest, then stomach, then moving lower still.
He reached his hand down, rubbing Ezra's lower stomach, then groping lower towards Ezra's member, grasping it within his hand. Ezra shuttered and blinked, not knowing what to think; afraid of what might happen next.
"Okay, I-I beg you, please." He forced the words out, quaking as bile rose in his throat at the utterance.
"Have you learned respect yet?" the Captain whispered, his hot breath hitting Ezra in the face. "Or is that defiance that I still see in your eyes?" He continued to rub Ezra's lip slowly with his thumb, toying with it, pushing his finger in Ezra's mouth a little further.
"No! I'm not defiant, I-I've learned," Ezra responded around the finger in his mouth, shutting his eyes tight and blinking them open again.
He could feel the Captain's other hand groping his body, rubbing his member sickeningly in his hand. You disgusting, ugly son of a whomp rat! Ezra thought. His eyes flashed as he looked at the Captain.
The Captain stared into Ezra's eyes for a moment, not speaking. He then let out an exaggerated sigh.
"Oh, Bridger," Miranda stated patronizingly. "No, I don't think you have learned…let's continue." He dropped his hands from Ezra's neck and body, patting him on the cheek before picking up the whip and moving back out of Ezra's vision again.
Ezra heard a whimper leaving his throat at the realization that the beating would continue. He didn't know how long he could take this. He pictured his naked body being violated and beaten to death.
"No! Please!" Ezra begged, his body shaking anew. "Plea-!"
The Captain struck Ezra hard and low, the whip cracking across his side and curling around to hit his stomach. Ezra's vision doubled as he cried out, his arms quaking from the weight of his body kneeling on the floor, his wrists burning from pulling on the restraints, his nerves spasming within his body. He felt like he was going to throw up or pass out. Maybe both.
He gasped for breath and hoped yet again for the release of unconsciousness to come over him quickly.
It never came.
