Chapter 6
Maicah woke up in a strange haze, her mind blank as to what had happened or why she was in this unfamiliar room. She attempted to sit up, but was stopped by a sharp pain that shot up her side. She cringed as she clutched at her bandaged wound and sat up slower this time, ready for the pain that would occur from the movement as her feet hit the floor. It was only a few more minutes before the horrible event that had occurred returned to her, a slight panic flooding her before she got control of herself. "Calm down, Maicah." She said silently to herself. "Everything's going to be fine. You need to just get out of this room and figure out where you are..." She reached down to check that her lightsaber was on her person, coming to the shocking conclusion that Atton had taken it, along with her robe. "Figures he'd leave me in my underwear." She muttered, standing to her feet as she let out a pained groan, making her way to the dim room's door. Unsurprisingly, it was locked and she had no idea as to what code to type into the console near it to open it. She rested her head against the door, trying to collect her thoughts as to what exactly she should do until she heard the familiar, yet eerily different voice from before.
"You think I'm stupid enough to leave that unlocked?" Atton stepped out of a dark corner.
Maicah didn't bother turning around, she didn't want to see the monster he had become.
"Hey, I'm talking to you. Look at me when I'm talking to you." His hands moved around her arms, forcing her to turn to look at him. "Ah...that's better."
She glared at him, trying so very hard to stay strong and not give in to what she really wanted to do. She wanted to break down, to throw her arms around him and tell him how sorry she was for leaving him. How she would willingly stay there and die with him on that wretched planet...or live, since that had apparently happened for him by some miracle.
He frowned his lips, shaking his head at her until her lips trembled and her eyes glazed over with tears. Staring into his eyes was something she had longed to do for so long now, something she didn't think would happen ever again. "Is it really you?"
"Who else would it be, babe? Are you happy to see me? Are you glad to see that I survived even if you left me to die?" His eyes were still hardened as he kept his hands on her, letting go after a light squeeze and turning his back to her. He moved towards the bed, taking a seat on the edge of it.
"No, Atton. No." She shook her head, repeating no a few more times with urgency in her voice. "I did not leave you to die. You were already dead...at least, I thought you were. I tried to bring you..." Her voice cracked, "...your body with me as I looked for the Ebon Hawk, but I was too weak. I didn't even reach it myself. I collapsed, but Mira found me."
Atton's eyes appeared to soften for a moment before they hardened again, shaking his head. "I don't believe you. You wanted to be with Mical, so you left me there. Are you two happy together?"
She nearly choked as he spoke, "are you serious? I haven't spoken to Mical in years. I haven't thought of him other than hoping he and the others are training more Jedi. My thoughts have been consumed with you. My dreams have been about you. My nightmares, about you." She pointed to him each time she spoke, hoping this would emphasize how sincere every single one of her words were. Then finally, tears finally broke through and began making their way down her cheeks as she continued, "do you not think I've wanted to take back leaving you there? If I could go back, I would've stayed there with you, God knows I would."
"But you didn't." He replied coldly, crossing his arms. "And that's the simple truth." He stood from the bed and walked right by her, typing some numbers into the console. "I'll be back. Don't go anywhere." His previously cold look faded away as he made sure the door locked behind him, taking a deep breath. He'd only have to act this way a little bit longer and that was the only thing that kept him from spilling everything to her too soon.
Maicah regained her composure before looking to the door again. He underestimated her; even in her breakdown, she was still a Jedi and you never want to think the numbers you're typing when a Jedi is well trained in reading another's mind. She clutched at her side as she moved to unlock the door, hesitating to make sure she heard no one anywhere nearby. After all, she wasn't sure exactly where she was, though she was certain it must have been a ship of some sort. The door slid open and she slowly peeked her head into an empty hall, glancing both ways as if she were about to cross a street. She turned right and tip-toed to where she saw a few lockers sitting, a small bit of hope in her that one would hold her lightsaber and maybe even some spare clothes. To her disappointment, both were empty with the exception for a strange looking insect that scurried into a dark area to escape the light. As she closed the locker's door, she froze upon hearing footsteps heading her way from the nearest corridor. She looked around to find there was no where to hide, so she decided to hurry the other way as quietly as she could. Gritting her teeth at the pain heightened by her quick movements, she made it around the corner just in time as an Arkanian woman appeared. Maicah managed to peek around the corner just enough to catch sight of her pure white hair before retreating further down this hall to escape the woman discovering her wandering around. There may have been a small chance that someone on the ship could help her, but she wasn't about to risk being captured by another when she had the chance to escape on her own. She was determined to find the escape pods, cursing quietly as she realized this ship was bigger than she had expected. How had something so large snuck up on the Ebon Hawk? She turned into yet another corridor that opened into a small clearing, though she didn't hear anyone, so she continued past, fixing her eyes ahead to be alert incase anyone else was wandering.
Atton stood in the clearing that Maicah carelessly didn't bother examining before hand, finishing up collecting food for the two to eat. He glanced up as he heard footsteps in the hall ahead, nearly letting out a laugh as he slipped behind a column to stay out of her sight. His eyes slipped over her slim, yet toned figure. Thankfully, she had worn a separate top and bottom set of undergarments that covered enough to keep him from feeling as though he was violating her privacy when he dressed her wound upon first taking her aboard the old ship the Relye had taken as it's own. Still, her little number left enough to his imagination to distract him as he watched her, shaking his head as he swiftly and quietly snuck up on her. He leaned forward as she had hesitated to peek into an open door of an empty room, whispering into her ear as he took her arm to keep her from running, "Y'know, I'm beginning to wonder if you just love running around unfamiliar places in your underwear, considering I first met you in a somewhat similar situation."
A sense of defeat overcame her as she realized he had caught her. "You didn't have to undress me."
"Would you rather me let you bleed to death?" He retorted, pulling her with him back towards the room she had previously been in. "I was going to let you eat, but since you're feeling in such a rebellious mood, we won't have time."
She tried to glare at him as he forced her to walk, but she couldn't display much more than a pathetic pout. Even if he had stabbed her and planned to possibly do worse, she couldn't get her mind around the fact that he was still alive, still walking next to her. Her pout turned to a puzzled expression as they passed her previous prison. "You passed the door."
"I'm surprised you noticed...you've become real sloppy, Maicah. Since when have you not observed your surroundings before rushing into some situation?" He almost sounded concerned for a moment. Almost. "This works out great for me though, doesn't it?"
She didn't answer him, ashamed that he was absolutely right. At some point in this journey, which she was beginning to consider a waste of time, she had become so very careless and sloppy in everything she was doing. What was wrong with her? Why had she changed so much?
After a few more minutes of walking in silence, the two approached a large set of doors which automatically opened for them as they got closer. Inside, there were groups with a wide variety of races, Twi'leks, Wookies, Humans, Akanians, Rodians, and many more, doing different activities. Some women were dancing for men that nearly drooled over them, others were partaking in drinking an overabundance of alcohol and eating some of the richest foods in the galaxy. Still, others were engaged in conversation about how wonderful they were, how beautiful they considered themselves, all the while gazing into mirrors of their own as they spoke.
Atton maneuvered Maicah through everyone, her eyes curiously staring at these people as they indulged themselves in their most favorite of pleasures. There were other groups she hadn't seen upon first entering; there were two humans, one male simply counting money as he grinned upon hearing an argument break out nearby due to a human woman winning a game of Pazaak.
Some of the men who were previously lusting after the erotic dancers, dressed in less than even she, turned their heads to watch after her for a split moment before their attention was refocused on the girls. Finally, they stopped in an area the rest dared not to go. Laying on a large bed, what looked like a very attractive woman, sat up to look at who dared come into the large "bubble" she had marked off as her personal space.
"Last of the Relye," Atton bowed his head slightly, the creature smirking upon sight of him and the girl he still had a hold of. "I've found her."
"So you have." It moved, with the grace of a skilled dancer, placing it's feet on the ground as it held it's pale hand out as if to display something to her. "What do you think of my ship? And of this party?"
Maicah, in typical fashion, wasn't afraid to offer up her true opinion. "I think it's outdated and..." She glanced back again at the large group of people, a slight look of disgust overcoming her expression at everyone's lack of self-control. Looking back to her, "your party isn't anything special. Go to any cantina and you'll see the same thing happening. Maybe less people, but the same none-the-less."
Silence slowly overcame the entire room as everyone's eyes turned to watch their pale leader. She brushed some of her short, brown hair from her face before her laugh echoed throughout, her piercing blue eyes bouncing as it's laughter seemed to dance around each person for a moment. "You have the courage of a ten foot man and the beauty of a thousand of the purest princesses."
Maicah raised a brow at her, finding her compliments to be flattering, yet strange.
"It's a shame that I'm going to have to do this to you..." She shifted in her seat some as she flashed a smile full of jagged, sharp teeth towards Atton. Before he could react, she had moved faster than anything Maicah had seen before and was right before her face within the blink of an eye. The Relye snatched her from Atton's grip, sending him flying back with a kick into a crowd of gamblers who had stopped their game to watch the horrific show.
Maicah wasn't completely sure what was happening, only that the room seemed to be a blur of lights, colors, and faces until all she could see and focus on was this supposed woman in front of her.
"I may have spared you and allowed you to follow me had you not destroyed my planet." It snarled at her, her hands which had looked delicate previously, now dug into her skin with the ferocity of claws. "But now you pay."
Maicah let out a blood curdling scream as she felt something being torn from her, something that lay deep in her. The creature's face changed, it's hair turning grey and it's eyes pure black, until it suddenly stopped.
Atton, who was just reaching them, screamed for her to stop after he realized the fact that it actually had. Fearing the worst, he dove to catch Maicah as she collapsed when the Relye let go of her.
It hissed at him, it's eyes, returning to it's blue color, and mouth contorted to display a puzzled expression. "Something is wrong with her. What did you do?"
Atton glared up at her, ignoring the question. "You said I would be able to do what I wished with her and that you wouldn't hurt her."
It turned, heading back to it's seat with an eery calm. "I changed my mind. Go, feed her, make sure her wound is healed by tomorrow. Have whatever fun you wanted with her and then she's mine."
Atton looked down to her, seeing that she was fighting to keep her eyes from closing, but still breathing steadily. Tears had found their way down her cheeks from her grey eyes yet again, her head turning to and fro as she mentally battled against the image of that monster she had just seen. He lifted her with ease, keeping one arm under her knees and the other at the back of her neck as he exited the room swiftly. The party they had previously entered slowly began to take place again as the doors closed behind them, making him break into a run towards his room.
#
Atton shifted her weight in his arms the best he could for a moment to type in the series of numbers needed to enter his room. When the door slid open, he entered carefully, making sure not to bump her head on the entrance before placing her on his bed. He kneeled by it to examine the wound he had inflicted on her with a sword, making sure that the Relye hadn't caused any further harm to it. It was healing slowly, but from what he could tell, nothing more was done to it; her arms, on the other hand, had five deep punctures on each from where it's claws had dug into her. A wave of guilt hit him as his hand traveled to her face, gently wiping away her tears as a small cry came from her. This wasn't what he had intended to happen, this wasn't how the plan was supposed to play out. He leaned over and pressed his lips softly against her forehead in an effort to comfort her until he heard the room's door open.
"Adam?" A voice behind him, the accent thick, spoke up.
Atton's head shot towards the green Twi'lek who had entered and called him the wrong name. "It's Atton. What do you want?"
The Twi'lek shrugged his shoulders. "The Relye ordered me to get your bracelet. It seems it wasn't happy with the previous technician's performance and decided he'd better serve as...dinner.
Atton tried his best to hold back a smile since he no longer had to figure out where to find a key to remove the device from himself. He held out his right arm that the large arm band was wrapped around, "There are some new ones on the ship, then?"
Who he assumed to be the new technician nodded his head, inserting a unique looking key into one of many holes until the bracelet opened and was removed from Atton's arm. "Since it knows you'll be here, we're going to re-use yours until I can make some new ones. You won't be going anywhere with her here, though." His eyes moved to the girl on his bed, Atton quickly moving to block whatever vision of her he was attempting to get.
"Okay. You have it, so...go. I have some things to do." Atton watched as the Twi'lek laughed and nodded his head, knowing exactly what he thought he had in mind. Once the guy left and the door closed behind him, Atton muttered random insults under his breath about him. "Okay, Maicah. Let's get out of here." He reached under his bed and pulled out her boots and a pack; inside laid he and the Exile's clothes, her lightsaber, and some medicine and bandages. He glanced around, his brown eyes settling onto the stealth belt nearby he had been looking for. The rest of her clothes were too tight for him to put on her in the current state she was in and he wasn't sure how much time he'd have, so just her underwear and the belt would have to do for now. He tossed one of the bag's straps over his left shoulder, then lifted his love back into his arms.
Maicah, who had previously been silent, softly began to stir as he carried her through a number of empty corridors on his way to the escape pods. "Att...Atton...?"
"Shhh." He said softly, "we'll be out of here soon. I promise." His eyes stayed focused on his surroundings, making sure to do a better job than she had earlier with this escape attempt.
Upon hearing footsteps approaching the nearest corner, he switched both their stealth belts on and waited. The same Arkanian that Maicah had seen earlier appeared, followed by a small group of red, dark, light, and green skinned beings. She was giving the newest crew a run down on the ship, the do's and don'ts, and what was expected of them if they were going to follow the "greatest leader of all time." Atton took slow, silent steps the opposite way the group was headed, turning the corner to avoid what could have been a very bad situation. It was another few minutes of walking until a feeling arose in Atton, one he wasn't fond of. He had a bad feeling about the room ahead, but there wasn't any other way to get to the escape pods. Having spent the first few days aboard the ship, he mapped out his exact escape route and this really was the only way. He prepared himself as the door opened, his eyes revealing to him exactly who and what he did not want to see; Dark Jedi. It was pointless to use any sort of stealth at this point, so he stepped into the room and allowed both he and Maicah to appear to them.
They both looked to him, one speaking as the other drew it's lightsaber. "Well, look at this." He laughed, "I always knew you were soft...but where did you think you were going? The Relye has some great plans for her."
Atton looked to the door leading to the escape pods, taking a step towards it which made the Dark Jedi take multiple steps towards him.
Maicah's eyes shot open as Atton tried to continue holding her and unhook his blaster from his side, gasping for air as if she hadn't been breathing for some time even though she had been. She lifted her hand as her head turned to look to the two attackers, clenching her teeth. A strange look rested in her eyes, that of fear and anger, as the two Jedi stopped in their tracks, seeming frozen in place until their bodies began seizing. With each and every second of this that passed, Maicah's wounds visibly began to heal.
Atton looked to Maicah, to the Jedi who's faces bore a pure expression of pain, then back to her in slight shock. Finally, the two dropped to the floor as their lives came to an end, Maicah's eyes returning to look to Atton. She could see he was about to say something, probably clever and humorous as the old Atton she knew would have, but her lids closed completely and her body went limp once again before he could even get it out.
All of this must have been draining to her, he had to get them out of here and fast. "Hold on, Maicah. Please, hold on." He hit the button to open the doors, hurrying to the nearest escape pod when he discovered them ahead. The doors behind him closed as he pressed the button to activate the pod, his hope slowly dropping as nothing happened. He looked to his left then right, blinking at the small flyer that sat still, similar to what he had transported he and Maicah here with earlier. He hurried towards it, noting that it didn't look to be in the best shape, but it was better than having to stay here. He managed to slowly climb up the small ramp, setting Maicah in a chair that faced the opposite direction of the pilot's chair. He set down his pack of goods then strapped her in, taking care to not hit the screen or console that powered and controlled the flyer's weapons. Had the conditions not been as stressful, he may have found how dated this thing actually was humorous. He made his way back to the pilot's chair, having to crouch down as he moved, strapping himself in before he messed with some of the controls. Soon after, the small ship powered to life, it's ramp closing the two in before it hovered off the floor. A larger door, big enough only to let them out, slowly opened to a very satisfied Atton. "Pure Pazaak." He said with a grin, the flyer inching out of what had been a prison for him for too long. Fooling with a few more of the controls and typing some words on occasion, he looked up as they seemed to backtrack for a split second, the next being fired into hyperspace and far, far from the Relye and it's ship.
#
Maicah's eyes blinked open as everything seemed to spin around her. "Where am I?" She asked groggily, memories of what had happened echoing in her mind. This was the second time she was waking up in an unfamiliar place, unsure of what was happening, and it was beginning to make her agitated.
Atton immediately set the small ship on autopilot, quickly unstrapping himself from his seat. He knew there wouldn't be much time for him to be away since flying this required quite a bit of attention, but he wanted to make sure she was okay. "You're on our classy, little version of an escape pod."
She looked down to herself, beginning to undo the straps that held her in. "I'm still in my underwear...?"
Atton gave a half grin, taking the pack that was on the floor and handing it to her upon reaching her. "Well, y'know how it goes. Boy steals away girl, boy saves girl, boy leaves girl in her underwear while he carries her all over the place."
She opened the pack, seeing her belongings inside then looked up to him. "...You're not mad at me anymore?"
Atton's face fell and he quickly shook his head. "No, no. I never was mad at you. I had to act that way, so..." He looked to the flyer's control system as it began beeping. "Okay, I promise we'll talk about this later, but know that I never was upset with you."
She turned her head to watch him hurry back to his seat, her attention returning to the pack shortly after as she pulled her wardrobe out. She stood as much as she could in the cramped area and began dressing herself as quickly as she could manage since from what she observed of Atton's actions, something was wrong. She took her boots that rested near where the pack originally lay, sitting down again so she could pull them on.
"Hey, you might want to sit down if you haven't yet. This isn't holding up so well...we're going to have land now or things are going to get ugly." He glanced back to see that she was situated before making the proper adjustments.
Maicah managed to strap herself in to her seat again just in time before the flyer began plummeting towards the planet of Bescane.