With a violent jolt of ice cold water being thrown onto her unconscious body, Deidra gasped to life. Shivering, she struggled against the steel chain binds tethering her against the sturdy wooden chair that hardly creaked as she writhed. She strained even harder to see past the too bright light that assaulted her eyes, but couldn't see much of anything.
Although the sound of footsteps just beyond her field of vision let her know she was not alone. As she listened harder, trying with difficulty to hear past her own labored breathing, she heard hushed whispers, words she couldn't make out.
Her first reaction was panic. Her body which had first trembled from the cold of the water that had dwrenched her clothes, matting her fine blonde hair to her face and neck in soping tendrils, now shook in fear. It was the terror of not knowing who these people were, or what they wanted. She hardly had the ability to inflate her lungs enough to even whisper any question or plea, with the inconvenient thrall of panic setting in.
Past the halo of white that veiled the darkness beyond, a figure stepped closer. Deidra could only just make out the edge of a body, a bipedal figure, humanoid by the look of them. Just over six feet tall in stature, muscular, perhaps masculine.
Then the figure spoke out, his voice deep and low. It was one that sounded kind, clashing with the dire nature of the situation that she found herself in. The words might have been aimed to calm and soothe, however they sounded threatening instead. Perhaps they had been designed to garner such a reaction, a false sense of security or hope, undermined by the ever pervasive fear and dread of uncertainty.
"Now, I need you to listen to me very carefully."
Again Deidra squinted against the light in an attempt to make out a face, her breathing still less than steady. She found herself noticing for the first time, that her mouth hadn't been gagged. So maybe they didn't care if she screamed or called for help. All the same, she found herself speechless.
"No one's going to hurt you, as long as you're honest with us. Do you understand?" The man said in the same gentle tone from his place in the shadows, just beyond the blinding glare. She nodded her head in acknowledgement as she tried to calm herself.
"Good. I'm glad we have an understanding." The man said, this time in a different voice. It sounded dark, satisfied, making a shiver run down her spine.
"How long have you been working for the Imperials?" He asked in an accusing voice, demanding an answer. All of the feigned tones of kindness had bled away. If Deidra were any less confused, his tone of voice might have made her feel even more afraid than she already was.
But she had no clue what he was talking about. Deidra looked at the figure with a puzzled expression, as much as she could while contorting her face against the light that now seemed even more harsh and assaulting.
"Don't make me ask again," he said, this time stepping closer with an object in hand. A knife, dull and ragged at the edge. He placed it under the light for her to examine, only inches away from her face.
"I-I don't know what you're talking about, I swear, I'm just a merchant. I grow herbs and sell tea." Deidra said shakily, breathlessly, becoming increasingly bewildered and terrified.
"You said you would be honest," the man chided, reaching out to bring the blade to rest pensively against her cheekbone.
Deidra closed her eyes tightly, a few tears escaping as she clenched them shut. She could feel the corrugated torn metal edge of the blade, the burrs hooking into the delicate surface of her skin. With only a flick of his wrist, he could tear her open like a piece of too-ripe fruit. She tried not to think of it, but it was becoming increasingly difficult.
"I swear i'm telling the truth," she croaked out, breathing hard as her throat constricted uncomfortably.
In the midst of the perilous horror she found herself in, Deidra couldn't stave off the overwhelming regret as she wished she had never gone out that night at all. If only her grandmother hadn't have insisted. She might have been safe at home, instead of here, wherever here happened to be. The burden of such heavy regret was nearly too much to bear. Though she had little time to dwell on it.
Mostly, she only hoped she would live long enough to see her beloved grandmother again.
After a pause for emphasis, making sure Deidra understood he meant business, the man pulled the knife back into the shadows, clipping it onto his belt. Deidra hadn't thought she had been holding her breath, though as he holstered his weapon suddenly she found herself gasping for air, dizzy from an apparent lack of oxygen.
"How do you know Yaron Drabek?"
"I-I just met him. I've hardly known him for a day," Deidra said, daring to open her eyes again. "I didn't even know his last name."
"Let's say I believe you. Why does a man you've only just met take you out to the most expensive restaurant in town? Didn't you even think to ask what he does for a living?"
"I didn't think much of it, to be honest," Diedra replied, the trembling in her body slowly subsiding, but only a by a fraction. "I did ask, but he didn't tell. I didn't think it polite to pry," she said, feeling rather childish in her response. Her spirit flared with anger only a moment later. She should have to explain herself to this man, whoever he was. But she would have to, if she wanted to live to see another day.
"You claim to know nothing about Yaron's mission here on Onderon?" The man asked, audibly skeptical.
"I don't know anything. I'm sorry, I wish I could help," Deidra plead, hoping to win their favor in order to gain freedom. "I have nothing to offer, please just let me go."
"That's where you're wrong," the man shot back quickly. "I don't think I believe you. You're not going anywhere until we can verify your claims."
"What do you mean? Verify? What does that even mean?" Deidra asked desperately, frantically searching out the hidden face of the shadow figure that paced in front of her.
"It means the only way you get out of here alive is by impressing me. And i'm not impressed." His voice quickly turned caustic, threatening.
"I don't even know who you people are! Who are you? What do you want?" Deidra shouted, frustrated and scared. She felt like she had been thrown into the middle of a game she didn't understand, on the losing team near the end of the match. She didn't know the rules, or the players, or the objective. For her, the only goal was to survive.
"For your sake, I hope you're telling the truth." The man said flatly. "It would be a shame to see that pretty face get all cut up," he added in a low voice, hand resting over the dull holstered knife at his side.
"What do I say to make you believe me?" Deidra shot back, feeling at the end of her rope.
"You're making this harder than it has to be. Just tell me everything, now. I can still make you a deal if you're just straight with me." The man said bluntly, nearly emploring.
"I've told you already. I don't know anything."
The figure stepped closer, coming into the light. Deidra could see him clothed head to toe in black, a scarf covering all of his face except the bright green eyes that shone out from the darkly pigmented skin beneath his coverings. In his eyes, there was something wild, untamed, feral even.
"Look, all I need is com codes. Who's your imperial contact? What intel have you pushed for him? Simple things, see? Then, you keep pushing intel, only we tell you what to push instead, understand?"
Deidra squinted her eyes again, searing her gaze into the man's eyes. The fear she had felt at the start had all gone now. It had been replaced with frustration, anger, indignance. Within it all, came a wave of understanding.
"You're rebels, aren't you?" Deidra said, accusing. "You're to blame for the civil war, for everything that's gone wrong on Onderon."
"Stop playing stupid. We'll get to the bottom of what you know sooner or later." The man growled.
"I never conspired with the Imperials against you, but if I had the chance, you better know I would have taken it." Deidra barked out in an angry voice, one that didn't even sound like her own. "You rebels are all monsters, and here you are, proving it again. As if you needed any help in that regard."
"It's the Imperials who are the monsters. Taking away our freedoms, making us all their slaves. Under their rule, we'll never be free!" The voice shouted out, suddenly enraged more than before.
"They're not the ones bombing markets, killing innocent families," Deidra shouted back, unrestrained. Tears of anger leached out of her eyes, vocal chords straining against the untapped rush of suppressed emotion that had been sitting in wait for too long. "That's you."
"You were there," the man said, narrowing his eyes. "The bombing, five years ago. The one in the bazaar."
"Yes. And my family. All of them. You killed them all." Deidra said, eyes piercing into his. "And so many other innocent people."
"A sacrifice for the greater good," the man insisted. "You're not the only one who has lost loved ones in the fight for freedom," he added with a shade of something familiar in his voice. Loss. Only Deidra didn't have the capacity to feel sorry for the creature that loomed over her.
"And you're the one who gets to make that call? Who lives and who dies? How does that make you any better than the so-called evil Imperials? Is that not taking the freedom away from those people, the ones you so willingly sacrifice for your precious freedom?" Deidra shouted, enraged.
"Tell me the codes, your contact, the intel. It's all we need. Then you work for us. Those simple things, and we let you go. Unharmed." The man said with a shift in his tone, taking a step back into the shadows.
"I told you already, I don't know anything." She said lower, averting her eyes away from the blinding light.
Without a word, hands came up from behind, placing a breathable black hood over her head as the shackles on her wrists and ankles were unclasped one by one. "Toss her in a cell, keep a guard on her at all times." the voice commanded, and was silently heeded.
"We'll find out soon enough what you're up to, Deidra. Whether you choose to cooperate or not, we'll find out." The man called after her as she was led away through a series of doors into a small holding cell with a solid iron door.
Once she was left, she tore off her hood and scanned her surroundings, not finding anything that would help her escape from the four solid walls. Though a glimmer of hope shone on the horizon.
If they had meant what they had said about validating what she had been saying, she was sure they would find her to be honest. If they were people of their word, which was going out on a limb to believe, she might be able to get out of this alive and unscathyed. Though she wasn't about to throw much stock in the hopes of the rebels being people of their word. She would need a backup plan.
"Hello?" Deidra called out hesitantly. Maybe Yaron was in the same holding block, or maybe someone else who might be able to help her.
Though her words were met with silence, she thought she could hear the soft tread of someone a short distance away. "I know you're there," she called out, suddenly remembering the promise of a guarded cell. Her heart sank. So she was truly alone, no perspective allies in sight.
A pair of eyes looked through the small barred window in the door of her cell. "Shut up! Don't give me a reason to come in there and make you." The guard said in a rough voice before walking back out of sight.
Deidra gave a sigh, settling down in the far corner. She could only hope that they would find out soon that this had all been a huge misunderstanding. Her chest burned with anger for the unforeseen consequences of her happenstance date with the supposed imperial spy. If she ever got to see him again, she would have a few choice words to share with him at the very least.
While she sat in wait, Deidra's mind swirled with negative thoughts about her situation, about the galaxy and the way things worked. Suddenly she didn't feel so safe at home on Onderon, and didn't think she could ever feel okay here ever again. Maybe there was nowhere that was truly safe. She cursed herself for her foolish ignorance. This is what happened when you took time away from surviving.
The truth was, there was no life outside of the day to day. Everything else was unpredictable, unknown. She had been happy enough to keep the shop up, keep her grandmother company. Even in the midst of her family's killers being only a stone's throw away she had been complacent.
No, not all people are bad. Just because this happened… it doesn't mean…
Deidra fought the darker thoughts, the things that felt so wrong to think and believe. She had always thought people were mostly good, she wanted to believe they were. Was that only foolish ignorance, too? No, certainly there were places that were safe enough. She had been alright, until she trusted a stranger.
But wasn't that what everyone was, until they weren't any more? Just strangers? That didn't mean they were dangerous. But it didn't mean they were safe, either. A stranger may have gotten her involved with this mess, but it was also a stranger who saved her life from the same blast that killed her family.
It felt like a wound to the very core of who she was, to lose her faith in humanity, in kindness. After her family had died, it had been the only thing aside from her grandmother that had kept her afloat. The beholden ideal that where there was life, there was hope. That there was the promise of better things planted inside each and every person. That it only took the right amount of fostering and love to bring out. Now she wasn't so sure.
Worst of all, she couldn't shake the feeling she was the only one to blame for all of this. Now her grandmother would be at home alone, probably worried to death over where she had gone. The last thing Deidra could stand to think about was her grandmother feeling guilty over her disappearance, but she knew Thea too well to think otherwise. When she thought of the woman even now, she swore she could feel the guilt emanate off of her, even from such a distance. It felt like lead in her soul that made everything else just that much more unbearable.
Though for the moment, there was nothing she could do. It was a helpless feeling. She was at the rebel's mercy, and she would comply to the best of her ability; jump through their hoops. Eventually she would get to go back home. After all, she hadn't seen any of their faces so she wouldn't have anything to report to the authorities.
Yes, she would escape. She had to. She would get out of this place, get back to her grandmother. Get back to the shop and continue on like she always had. It was the only option, all she knew. There were no other acceptable alternatives.
….
It was early in the morning when the sound of knocking echoed through the house. But Thea had been wide awake.
It had now been two days and two sleepless nights since Deidra had gone missing.
That first night, she had waited up for Deidra to come home. She had hoped to hear good stories of their night's excursion. If the girl was owed anything, it was a night off at the very least. Really, she needed a month's vacation, but that was hardly practical. Although Thea wished it had been possible. Deidra deserved so much from life, but recieved so little. Not even once had she ever complained about it.
When the night had drawn out into early morning, Thea had began to worry. Sure, she might have followed the man home, but it would have been so unlike her to do something like that. Once the afternoon sun was high in the sky, Thea rushed as fast as her aged legs could carry her over to the local police station. It was a fair distance away from their humble home, only made further by the panic that had stricken the poor old woman's heart.
Though the city police had hardly been concerned with her situation in the slightest. "Are you sure she hasn't just gone off to this fellow's house for the night? It's too early to call this a missing person's case," one dismissive officer said with a wave of his hand. He was young, inexperienced, couldn't be bothered.
"You don't know my Deidra, she would never go out like this and not tell me, she knows I would be worried sick! Please you have to listen to me!" Thea shouted as loudly as her throat would allow, all of her words falling on deaf ears.
"Listen, We can't do anything until she's been missing for 48 hours. Come back here then, and we'll do something. Until then, you're just wasting our time." The man grumbled, turning his back to her to resume whatever menial task he had been working on.
"I'm not leaving until you help me! By the time 48 hours has passed, she'll be dead!" Thea shouted, waving her fist at the officer who was nearly twice her height.
"Listen grandma," the man started, moving a hand to the blaster tucked away at his side. "If you don't calm down, i'm going to have to detain you for the safety of yourself and others," the man warned, eyes narrowed challengingly.
"Robert, take it easy, can't you see this poor woman's under a lot of stress?" A soft voice spoke out as a light green skinned twi'lek placed a soothing hand on the officer's shoulder.
The man shrugged her away. "Then you deal with grandma, I don't have time for this," Robert said in a huff as he walked away.
"I'm sorry for that ma'am. I'll put in for a pre-emptive search, so if any officer sees her they will bring her back home. But i'm afraid it's standard procedure to wait 48 hours until a full-on search is authorized." The kind woman spoke, her brows raised in concern.
Thea deflated. "You're the police, you're supposed to help people," she said accusingly.
"I'm truly sorry ma'am. This is all I can do. Do you need a ride back home? I can take you, if you like." The Twi'lek said apologetically.
Without a word, Thea turned back, huffing and grumbling back home. She had looked everywhere on the streets as she went, hoping and praying she would see her granddaughter, or the man who had taken her out that evening. Though she hadn't been so lucky.
The day had passed into the night. Then the night bled into the next day, and night, until it was morning once again. 48 hours had well since passed, and Thea had been ready to set back out onto the street to go back to the police when the rapping at the door had broken the silence of the early morning. The sun hadn't even crossed the horizon quite yet when she opened the door.
"Good morning, ma'am," an officer said in a stiff voice, glancing down to papers she held in her hand and back up to meet Thea's eyes with her own. However this was not just any officer, certainly not a city enforcer. The woman's dark olive fatigues were finely pressed, not a wrinkle to be seen. She wore knee high dark black boots that shone with fresh polish. A plaque on her upper right chest displayed a show of red and blue tiles that spoke to her ranking of which, Thea wasn't sure of. Though she guessed the officer to be well ranked enough to bring with her a detail of five stormtroopers clad in their signature white armor, blasters ready in arm.
"You're Thea Hardell?" The officer asked, studying her face intensively.
"Yes, I am." Thea replied, befuddled.
"This is the home of Deidra Hardell, as well?" The severe woman asked in a soldier's voice, eyes flitting over the front of the shop and back down to Thea.
Thea's throat began to choke up, hoping and praying they hadn't come with news of her granddaughter's death. Tears began to well up in her eyes, filling the wrinkled creases at the edges. "Yes," Thea said shakily, feeling the world spin around her as she waited for the dreaded news.
"Ma'am you don't look so well," the officer said in concern, a crease between her brows. "Do you need to sit down?"
"She's dead, isn't she? Just tell me," Thea cried out, reaching her breaking point.
"I'm sorry Ms. Hardell, I'm afraid i'm not sure what you're talking about. Why don't you sit down?" The officer said, suddenly looking more human and less hard wired than she had only a moment ago.
So Deidra wasn't dead, or at least hadn't been found. Thea plopped down in the rocking chair on the front porch with an unsturdy sigh, as her tears began to slow. This entire time, she hadn't allowed herself to cry. It would have been giving up, and she wasn't going to do that. But now that the dam of tears had been broken, they were exceedingly difficult to stop. The exhaustion from the last two sleepless nights weren't helping her, either.
"So what is this about then?" Thea asked shakily, trying her best to compose herself as a fresh set of worries took hold.
"We're looking for Deidra, she's been summoned to Coruscant, to the Imperial palace." The woman said matter-of-factly.
"Deidra? What has she done? Why do you need her?"
"I'm not sure, ma'am. The nature of her summons is classified. We've been ordered to collect her." The officer replied, again looking over into the dwelling.
"I wish I knew where she was," Thea said, dejectedly.
"What's your meaning?" The officer asked promptly, tilting her head to the side only slightly.
"Deidra's been missing for the last two days. I've tried to get the local police to look for her but they haven't been of much help."
"We're going to have to search your residence for her, i'm going to ask you nicely to not interfere." The officer said politely yet short, not waiting for Thea to reply before she waved the company of troops over to the entry.
"Don't turn the place upside down, just give a good look," the woman called after them as they filed in through the door.
"Yes, sir," the commanding trooper shouted back from within the shop.
"You have no idea how I wish they would find her in there," Thea said, still teary eyed. "I keep on thinking she's going to walk round the corner, or that i'll find her watering her the plants in the greenhouse," she paused, fighting the swell of tears that grew as she spoke. "But she's not, no matter how wish it were so."
The officer knelt down, taking her hat in her hands respectfully. The woman's hair was fair, like Deidra's. It made Thea choke up more. "I'm sorry, truly I am."
"It's my fault, you know, I told her to go out to dinner with that man, Yaron, I think his name was." Thea said, as the officer promptly pulled out her data pad and began entering in notes.
"You said his name was Yaron. Do you know the last name by any chance? Any details of what he might have looked like?" The officer asked, attentive.
"I don't know his last name, but he had dark hair. Brown, maybe black? A little gray up in one corner. Blue eyes, tall but not too tall. I'm sorry, I know that probably doesn't help much." Thea said, feeling silly for how few details she knew about the man she suggested her granddaughter go out on a date with.
"It's good, it helps." The officer said, stowing away her data pad into the recesses of her jacket. "I'm going to see what I can do."
"I just want her to be okay," Thea said quietly. "If she's hurt, I'll never forgive myself."
Just then the troopers filed back out of the shop, onto the front porch beside the officer who promptly stood back up, putting her cap back on. "Nothing to report, sir. The girl's not in there."
"Alright men, back to the shuttle." The officer commanded. Seamlessly, the troopers marched back down the path to the triangular shaped craft that sat off in the distance.
"Keep your chin up, Mrs. Hardell. We'll be in contact." The officer said in earnest.
Thea nodded, afraid to become too hopeful, though appreciative. Still, there was the matter of Deidra being summoned to Coruscant for unknown reasons, to the Imperial palace, no less. That, she still wasn't comfortable with. But being taken to Coruscant was a far cry better than whisked away by strangers, taken to who knows where.
….
"My Lord, I'm afraid the girl you summoned is missing. We have a few details about her disappearance, but she was nowhere to be found." The Lieutenant said, his voice unsteady as he stood at the foot of the emporer's throne. He had heard tales of what happened to people who displeased the man. Even standing in his presence was known to strike terror into the hearts of his subjects.
The six red robed guard that stood beside the Emperor were at attention, staff in hand, ready to strike. Everything about the sight was made to instill unavoidable, desperate fear. It was quite effective, and true to expectations.
Even worse, the Emperor looked unimpressed. Although, not thoroughly enraged, either. Surely he would have never survived had he been so disposed. "I see," Palpatine said simply, features darkened by the black hood that covered his face. Only the yellow glow of his eyes were visible beneath.
"Do you require anything, my Lord? Shall I send out a squad to search for her?" He asked nervously, fidgeting his hands subconsciously as he clasped them together.
"No, that will be all, Lieutenant. You're dismissed." The Emperor said with a wave of his hand.
With tangible relief the man gave a polite bow and promptly spun on his heel, heading back down the too-long hall to the doors that led out of the throne room. As soon as the Lieutenant had fled, the Emperor keyed on his com.
The face of his apprentice appeared in the blue holo before him. "Master," Vader answered, bowing his head in reverence.
"Apprentice," Sidious smiled, revealing his marred yellow teeth. "Come to me, I have a task for you."
"Yes, Master. I'll be right there."