Glitter and Gold
Chapter 18
33 ABY – Ahch-To
It was with a heavy heart that Vex left Ahch-To after a year and a half of peaceful life there with her son. Luke hadn't tried to convince her to stay, but she could see how her decision grieved him. Could see his sorrow returning. Vex felt awful, but she needed to do this. Ayla'Lyn would take her son into hiding and then Vex could fight. Fight against Snoke and the First Order.
"Once you've hidden Ani, go to the Resistance. My sister, without a doubt, will be at its heart," Luke had advised her.
"The Resistance? They'll never trust me, Luke. It used to be my duty to hunt them down," Vex had argued.
"Not if you show Leia this," Luke said, pressing a worn wooden talisman into her hand. Vex examined it, the wood smooth in her hand. "Leia gave it to me years ago. She told me our father had made it for our mother, before everything had gone wrong. If you have this, she would know I sent you," he explained.
Vex gaped at him, eyes wide. "I can't – this is too precious an heirloom," she objected.
"You must," Luke insisted, closing her hands around the talisman.
She looked up, meeting his eyes. "What will I say when she asks where you are?" Vex asked.
Luke set his hand on her shoulder. "The truth. That you swore to never reveal my location. That I will not leave," he said.
"What if she does not accept that answer?" Vex questioned, brows drawn low in concern.
"Then you do what you must. I trust you, Vex,"
/
33 ABY – D'Qar
It took twenty-four days to reach D'Qar. By then, they're desperately low on supplies and Anakin was ill-tempered from the sudden upset in his short life. EV-9 had to go long stretches without charging since Vex had to tend to her son and herself. Someone (some droid) had to pilot the ship.
EV-9 landed the ship in a field outside the town Vex had traced Ayla-Lyn to. It was a dense little town with rows and rows of winding streets. On the west side of town, there were several large buildings and a landing strip with several x-wings lined up. Vex assumed it had to be a rebel base, but she found it of little interest. But the fact that this was where Ayla'Lyn lived was interesting.
They waited three hours to leave the ship, allowing time for EV-9 to charge and for dusk to fall. More people would be on the street as they returned home, so Vex would be lost in the crowd. Vex had dressed carefully, in dark pants and a pale blue shirt, covered by a worn brown cloak that Luke had given her. She strapped Anakin to her chest and hid him beneath the cloak, and a small pack of Anakin's things on her back. Her newly crafted lightsaber hung on her belt, also hidden by the voluminous cloak.
After spending so long in solitude, the bustling streets of the town were overwhelming. It's the only reason Vex didn't sense the man coming up behind her. He gripped her shoulder suddenly, digging a blaster into her back. She stilled – luckily, Anakin was fast asleep against her chest.
"What business do you have on D'Qar?" the man's voice demanded, low and gruff.
Vex turned her head, face shadowed by her hood. She caught sight of the man's olive skin and dark curls. His handsome face was set in suspicion. "What right do you have to question me?" she asked in return.
"You don't think I recognized you, Reaper?" he suggested. "The deadliest woman in the galaxy?"
Vex sighed. "If you know who I am, then you know what I can do. That that blaster of yours is useless against me," she said.
"Then why haven't you done it yet?" the man challenged, blaster digging deeper into her back.
Vex shifted uncomfortably. She felt Anakin stirring against her chest, beginning to wake. She bit her lip. "I have no desire to harm you or anyone else. I am here for personal business, nothing more," she promised.
A bitter laugh escaped the man. "As if I should believe that, from the woman responsible for the murder of hundreds,"
"You blame the weapon rather than the one who wielded it?" Vex asked, turning her head to catch his gaze.
He snorted derisively. "As if you can blame someone else for your crimes," he said disdainfully, just as her son let out a little cry. Vex quickly wrapped her arms around him, trying to quiet him. "What was that!?" the man demanded, seizing her arm and turning Vex to face him.
Vex's arms stayed wrapped protectively around her son, who began to cry in earnest now. She used the Force to push the man back several steps, keeping him at bay. "What is that!?" the man questioned through gritted teeth, his blaster still trained in her direction, even though they both knew she could stop him easily. It was with great reluctance that she pushed the cloak aside, revealing her son. "Whose baby is that!?"
"He's mine. My son," Vex admitted, rocking her son in hopes of calming his cries before attention could be drawn to them. Something in the man's expression changed – his eyes widened, jaw fell slack. His grip on the blaster faltered, but he regained it quickly. "Stop pointing that blaster at him!" she growled, a wave of her power sending the weapon spinning from his grip, and the man sprawling on his ass.
The man quickly got to his feet, hands held out in a calming gesture. "Look, I'd never harm the kid," he said, slowly reaching for the blaster, only for Vex to push it farther from him.
"Then why did you point a blaster at him?" Vex questioned, hood falling back as she stepped back to put space between them. The man stilled, seeing the look of fear and anger on her face.
"I was pointing it at you," he said. "You're from the First Order – you're the Reaper," he said, as if that explained everything.
Vex pressed a kiss to her son's head, frantically smoothing his hair. Anakin began to quiet, his face still red from fright. "You don't know me. You don't know what I've been through!" she said harshly.
"Maybe I don't," the man admitted, taking a cautious step forward. "What is your business on D'Qar?" he asked again.
"I seek an old friend." Vex answered.
"Why?" She didn't answer, glaring in his direction. He looked at her carefully, crouching down to pick up his blaster, this time without her interference. "So it's for him, then," he said, gesturing to Anakin with his empty hand. Vex kept her gaze steady, mouth pressed into a thin line.
After a moment, he gestured to her. "You need to come with me," he ordered, blaster kept pointed at the ground.
"Why?" she questioned.
"Because I can't just let you go. I promise nothing will happen to your son," the man swore.
"You think you could stop me if I want to leave?" Vex challenged, eyes hardening.
The man shook his head. "No, I don't. But you'd have to hurt me to get away. And you said you didn't want to do that," he pointed out.
Vex's jaw tensed, her arms still wrapped around her son. "And where would you take me?" she asked.
He didn't answer for a moment. "The Rebel base," he admitted reluctantly.
Something changed in Vex's eyes. She shifted, looking down to the droid at her side. The man eyed it too. "I want to speak to Leia," she said finally, meeting his eyes.
Review, Please.
Who can guess who the man is? Or is it as obvious as I thought?