The dull roar of the waves behind her helped her to gather her mind as she breathed steadily, her hands in her lap lax as she felt the Force swirl around her.
It was strange: the pull she felt from the cosmic energy. It felt different than what she'd experienced last time but the same feeling of calm was still present. There was also a feeling of wholeness that surrounded her person.
Feel the Universe around you. Feel all things, Rey. Her Master had whispered to her in her mind as she settled herself on the sun bathed stone.
And, when she stopped the flow of nearly untamable and constant string of thoughts in her mind, she found that she could. It was a very startling discovery that she had stumbled upon.
She could feel it all.
But, especially, she could feel the seemingly blinding presence of the Jedi kneeling before her.
Sage's aura was almost painful to even glance at in her mind's eye. It was strong and constant, entirely unwavering like her own signature; a flickering, delicate thing that felt like it could be snuffed out any minute.
"You're thinking too much."
Rey jerked in surprise when a voice cut through the once silent air. Her face then heated up and she shook her head slightly, her brow dipping in concentration. "Sorry." She then attempted to clear her mind once more, to push everything aside but she found herself struggling to do so what with her Master's presence so near. She released an audible breath through her mouth and opened her eyes to find the blonde seated across from her, her own head bowed. "It's just... Your aura is very... loud."
The Jedi quirked a brow and held the girl's gaze, "Loud?"
The Padawan bit her lip nervously, "Yeah. Especially today for some reason."
The older girl narrowed her eyes briefly, the cogs in her mind clearly turning as she searched for an explanation. "Perhaps you're just more in tune with the Force this afternoon." Or your aura is loud.
Rey swore her Master's eye twitched.
"Perhaps we're just making a breakthrough." Sage offered, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly. "It's very possible that you're connection to the Force is just growing stronger the more we train. But, for the time being..." She took a deep breath in, bowed her head once more and closed her eyes.
And suddenly, it felt like Sage vanished.
The younger's girls eyes widened and her jaw fell slack slightly, "...What...?"
"As you learn to bend the Force to do your will, you can eventually develop the ability to hide in it."
The brunette thought about this for a moment, her lips twitching, "That's pretty neat, I guess." She hesitated once more, a thought suddenly ringing in her mind, "Is that how you and Master Skywalker have stayed hidden this entire time?"
Sage nodded.
"With mastery over concealment and wraith-hood means more than just disappearing of the radar in the galaxy." The blonde sighed and leaned back so that she could sit on her rear instead of her knees. "For instance, I can block my signature off from you but Master Luke can still feel me. And, if I wish to, I can amp up the power and metaphorically release a beacon for someone to come find me." She explained, her eyes zoning out for a moment of contemplation. "You'll come to understand that the Force is about outwards mastery... but it's also about the mastery of your inner self."
When the older woman looked back to her, Rey was giving her a blank look.
Sage's lips twitched as she struggled to find a way to convey understanding with her words. "I've... personally always believed that there are two sectioned off portions of the Force: the galaxy's entire Force and an individual's own inner Force. It's sort of an extra something that separates us from the rest of the galaxy but still binds us together with it..." She looked to Rey for conformation. The scavenger girl narrowed her eyes slightly and slowly nodded. "And this... this inner Force is more than who you are outwardly but its how the galaxy has shaped and molded you to be who you are. That's why we are different but are still, technically, the same."
The scavenger was silent.
"...When do I get to do the cool stuff?"
Sage narrowed her eyes at her student, feeling her brow twitch slightly at the sudden question and dismissal of the lesson she had just been trying to teach. "Cool... stuff?"
"Lightsabers and moving stuff around."
The blonde's jaw locked and her eyes blazed quietly with what Rey could only describe as annoyance. "Being a Jedi is more than lightsabers and being able to manipulate objects. The Force comes first. The Force is always first." The Knight climbed to her feet then and Rey could only watch her warily. "When you learn to acknowledge the consistent presence of the Force and your connection stops flickering every time your mind becomes even mildly distracted, then we will learn how to do more advanced techniques." Rey's eyes widened then as she watched the female snatch her heavy cloak from the ground. "Until then, I will teach you nothing more."
The blonde left then, leaving the young brunette alone down in the cove where they'd been seated on the sand in the sun, the sea water having been lapping on the beach far below them.
She watched as she disappeared into the dark cave entrance that led back into the dwelling.
The Padawan could only sit there with her eyes wide, watching the dark entrance for a few long moments, entirely disbelieving of what just happened. What had she done to make Sage so annoyed?
Forgoing the strange behavior the Jedi had just displayed, Rey's lips pressed into a firm line and slowly bowed her head once more, only to straighten out her back. Allowing her eyes to slip closed, she focused hard and reached out to the Force, with her inner Force, she realized. She extended her reach outwards and felt the Force within the universe call back to her and dance around her, fleeting and still just as inconsistent through her weak connection.
But... This is what Sage had been talking about.
It was easier to concentrate now that the Jedi had shielded her nearly blinding presence from the girl but it was still a bit disturbing how she'd just stormed off like that. And now she'd be near impossible to find, Rey reasoned.
"Master Luke?" He looked away from his work and found that the young girl was standing beside him, having quietly ascended the steps of the Falcon so that she could find the older Jedi.
"Yes, Rey?"
"I think... I don't know what happened but I think Sage might be angry with me."
"Angry?" She nodded and the man briefly reached out in search of the flux of his oldest Padawan and found that her signature had been muted some; it was more subdued than it typically was. However, when he brushed over her mind without alerting her of his presence he found that there was only frustration and disgruntlement at the forefront of her emotions. "Sage doesn't get angry." He spoke with surety.
She ran a hand absentmindedly over her hair only to shake out her top bun. Luke narrowed his eyes at the occurrence. It seemed strangely familiar.
"I don't know... she sure seemed angry to me."
"May I ask you what you did to evoke such emotions from her?"
"Well, we were meditating... awhile ago, now. And, she was explaining to me about how there is an inner and outer Force in all of us."
"Yes... and?"
"And I simply asked her when we would be moving onto lightsaber training and moving physical objects."
Ah. He understood now.
"Because that is what you believe being a Jedi is all about." Even the older man seemed to suddenly be irritated now.
Rey frowned. What was the big deal? What was she missing?
When he saw the confusion on her face, Luke bowed his head slightly and sighed heavily through his nose. He dropped his arms back to his sides where they had been raised to work on some weapons' wiring in the Falcon's hull, the tools in his hands forgotten.
"I will tell you that Sage... Sage has been through much in her life. And she is now so strong because of it. Do you know why that is?"
The girl's lips twitched, "Because of the Force...?" She tried lamely.
"Yes, actually." The way that the Jedi Master suddenly bit at her caused Rey's eyes to widen. He stared at her intensely for a moment and the girl took a small step back and away from him. "If you have yet to notice, Sage has a very strong presence. The strength displayed in her signature indicates her profound bond with the Force, a connection that no one besides her and maybe one other person in the galaxy could even begin to understand.
"And, when going through these hardships in her life, sometimes, all she had was the Force and nothing else. Yet, here you are, her Padawan, asking her to bypass the only certainty she's ever known her entire life so that you can play with plasma swords and float objects." He softly glowered at her for a moment, the frustration in his voice easing, "How would that make you feel if your positions were reversed, Rey? To have someone completely disregard your entire life's work?"
The scavenger could no longer hold the older man's eyes and instead stared down at her boots, a sour taste forming in her mouth and her stomach ached. "Probably not very good."
"Exactly." Luke turned back to the paneling, evidently having gave his two cents and was done lecturing her. Rey remained a moment longer, glancing very briefly at the Jedi before she was turning to walking back down the ship's corridor and back down the ramp. "Also..." He was suddenly calling after her, causing her to pause. "Without the Force, you will not get far in your Jedi training."
The girl simply watched him as he worked in the cockpit for a moment before she sighed, allowing her shoulders to slump as she did so. "What should I do then?"
He didn't even look at her. "Let Sage come to you." He grit his teeth and yanked another section of the wall away. "Give her time to herself and in the mean time, practice what she's already taught you. Hone the connection. Start to make up all the time you've lost in your youth."
She glanced back down the ramp, her eyes lingering on the stone flooring of the small hanger briefly before she resigned herself. This was the life she wanted. This is how she was going to live now.
Perhaps Rey had pushed their kindness too far. She'd been too greedy in receiving things to freely and easily. Now was the time that she had to once more work for something.
"Yes, Master Skywalker."
Usceb Tirzo's wings fluttered as he settled himself upon his perch, the holo-station before him lighting up as his fingers danced through the air, tapping commands and inputing new data onto the see through screen. A new notification flashed and pinged in the upper righthand corner of the display. The Toydarian reached up and touched a finger to it and a new string of data flooded the screen.
There was a new arrival in his docking bay.
He was just about to rejoice at that fact but when the fuzzy live feed of an old Imperial transport appeared on the holo before him, his eyes widened and he felt his anxiety spike. He could faintly make out another small, moving shape in the docking bay. His wings twittered nervously and from his seat, he gazed down the wide, looming corridor to where the doors to Hanger 3 hissed open.
Holding his breath, he felt his fear increase even more as a tall form came stalking out of the maw of the entrance, the familiar, blood red cowl contrasting sharply against the normally dull colors of the dusty Mos Eisely docking bay. The fabric hung tattered around the broad shoulders of the individual who wore it.
Usceb shifted nervously as he watched the… being approach. He had tried a number of times during the last few years whenever he and this… He wasn't even sure what he could call it.
Assassin? Bounty hunter, maybe?
There was an old, frayed patch of a red mythosaur skull sowed into the sleeve of the long dark gray jacket that this creature wore, signifying their allegiance to the Mandalorian Bounty Hunters' Guild.
Still, Usceb never saw them return with any sort of bounty or creature they'd been hunting. So, assassin resounded more strongly every time they came walking into his hanger. The idea was especially reinforced because of the image of the hulking mass of a T-21B heavy blaster rifle slung across their back.
Bounty hunters also had the nasty habit of covering and hiding their faces anyway and Wraith Hound VI was no different.
They wore one ugly looking, fear inducing helmet, the surface painted with dark grays and black. It had a very narrow visor that crossed over where a pair of eyes should sit and had a number of pipes connecting to the lower half of the helmet which appeared to be a respirator. Or at least filtered out toxins in the air.
The only real indication that the Hound was even partly human was the fact that they wore fingerless gloves on their hands, leaving the pale skin of their fingers exposed to the air. Other than that, Usceb had always saw them with their mask on.
For all he knew, the Wraith could be more machine than human.
"Usceb." The distorted voice spoke in greeting, a deep, gravely timbre that was so low it was near impossible to understand. However, the Toydarian was used to dealing with all sorts of creatures in all sorts of languages so he had an ear for voices.
"Hello, Hound." He swallowed nervously as he gazed up into the seemingly empty black void of the visor. "What can Usceb do for you?"
"A repeat of our old business." They spoke slowly. "Watch my ship until I return."
The Toydarian hastily typed into the holo before him, making sure that the reservation was finalized, "Eh... how long will that be?"
"Just watch it until I return. Keep it fueled. You will receive appropriate payment after I return." The hunter gazed around for a moment, surveying the area before the helmet was once more directed to the hanger manager. "That is, if my ship is properly catered to."
That wasn't how Usceb did business and he felt his lip curl as he readied himself to protest. However, as he continued to gaze into the soulless abyss of the Hound's visor, he felt his resolve grumble. He would make an exception, like he always did.
Something about the bounty hunter always completely unnerved him.
"Anything else?"
"Are there are any transports leaving for Abafar?"
"Abafar? Like... the empty planet, Abafar?" The hunter just continued to stare at him. Usceb took that as a yes. He hummed deeply in thought for a moment, rubbing his grubby chin with his hand. Off the top of his head, he couldn't remember any ships leaving from his hanger and going towards the other desert planet. His fingers then flew across the screen as he searched for any departing ships. He frowned at the results, "Not any from my hanger."
The Hound processed this information for awhile, "There are extra credits in this for you if you arrange transport for me to this planet by tonight."
"Uhh… Listen, Master Wraith… Sir…" He began, his brow furrowing deeply as he tried to gather his courage. "Usceb is very busy-"
"Get it done." The hunter barked before they were turning away and marching across the dock bay towards the large opened doors, no doubt heading to the local cantina.
"Usceb, you really need to hire some goons." He muttered under his breath as he instantly fired up a message system and began sending out feelers to some of the other hanger owners. "Or else the Hound is going to rip your throat out one of these days."
For a moment, the Toydarian wondered what happened to the other five Wraith Hounds.
The cantina didn't even fall silent as the Hound came marching through the doors, the typical personnel working there not unfamiliar to serving all sorts of shady, intimidating characters. They were used to the sporadic appearances of various hunters and smugglers.
The visor upon their mask swept around the room, the single, seemingly sightless eye surveying the area. The perimeter seemed secure enough.
The bar was crowded so it took the hunter some time to wade across the room until they could reach one of the walls so that they could skirt the edge of the room for a place to stand until Usceb took care of business.
They found an empty spot that was near the wall but was shadowed enough by a nearby alcove. The perfect place to not call attention to oneself. However, as soon as the Wraith slung the rifle from over their shoulders and leaned their back against the wall, a woman was appearing before them.
"Can I get you something to drink, sir?"
Despite being an older female, she still had thick, brown hair that was streaked with silver and one corner of his mouth was curled up in a mildly saucy smirk. Yet, the smirk seemed to not meet her eyes which in themselves were hauntingly intense and green in color.
What bothered the Wraith the most was that she was Force-sensitive.
The hunter stared down at the smaller female for a moment and was amazed that she was almost entirely unperturbed by the helmet, "No."
"Alright, just thought I'd offer. Holler if you need anything."
The Wraith just watched her go, their head tilting slightly in intrigue. She didn't speak to anyone else in the room as she returned to the bar before she disappeared into the back room to no doubt retrieve more alcohol. What a strange occurrence.
Perhaps she had felt the Hound, too.
Hours passed by after that, the lone hunter silent as they continued to survey the noisy bar around them, the line in their mind tight with focus as they reached outward in hopes of detecting any threat.
They allowed for their time to be consumed by watching the same older woman as she worked briskly behind the bar, evidently popular with the clients as she indulged on some shared drinks that some of the customers themselves had paid for. There was something vaguely familiar about her face but again, the Hound kept quiet about it. Not that they spoke to anyone either way.
A few small fights sporadically broke out as well during their time waiting but what could one honestly suspect while in a cantina that lay in the center of a number of the shadiest, scum-ridden docking bays in the entire galaxy.
There was suddenly a tug on their pants and the hunter tilted their helmet down to look for the source of the disruption. A small boy, no more than nine years of age, stood beside their worn, knee-high boots, his grubby hand raising from the depths of his overly large shirt to brush the dark hair from his silvery eyes, "Are you M-Master Wraith Hound VI?"
The Hound nodded.
"M-Master Usceb says that your request has been filled."
They nodded again.
"You can come b-back with m-me if you like?"
They could tell that the boy was uncomfortable and even scared of them, especially because of the mask and the fact that the blaster rifle that was leaned against the wall was nearly as tall the child was was.
Nodding once more, the bounty hunter pushed off the wall and grabbed the strap on the weapon so that they could sling it across their chest so that the blaster rested diagonally across their back.
The boy turned then, hauling his oversized shirt back up onto his shoulders before he began navigating through the crowd.
They were nearly to the door when the child was accidentally bumped into and was knocked into another patron in the cantina, a Weequay, causing him to drop his drink, the glass shattering at his feet. He roared in anger and was immediately spinning on the one who had attacked him. When he found that his assailant was the small child, he backhanded the boy, effectively knocking him off his feet.
Before the child could recover, however, he was yanked up from the dirty cantina floor by the front of his shirt. The Weequay raised his fist in preparation to strike the boy once more but never got the chance to as a whooshing sound filled the air and there was a flash of red as the older creature was slammed up against the bar.
It was now that the cantina fell silent.
All eyes turned to watch as the leather skinned creature was pinned down to the bar top with an arm pressed over his throat, a crackling purple plasma blade jutting from a black and silver cylinder in the hands of the young hunter.
Wraith Hound VI said nothing as he loomed over the other bounty hunter, the deep violet beam reflected back in the empty void of the visor over their eyes. They didn't have to say a word, the message they were trying to convey was clearly received and immensely prominent.
The Weequay's eyes were wide as he stared up at his attacker who continued to bore down upon him, the heat from the unstable blade snapping uncomfortably close to his leathery, brown skin.
After a few more tense moments of their unyielding glaring, the Hound shoved the offending creature down slightly so that he remained sprawled partially on the bar. The saber in their hand continued to spit and snap, the violet blade exceptionally unstable as the bounty hunter turned back to the boy, thumb pressing down on the igniter switch so that the weapon sheathed itself.
"Come." Came the low rumbling voice and the child was wide eyed but nonetheless scrambled up from his place upon the ground where he'd been dropped.
No one dared to move as the Wraith allowed the boy to lead the way, the crowd parting easily now that they were wary of the new patron. All eyes were upon the hunter as they ghosted out the door, entirely unawares of the darkly clothed figure that had been seated in another dark corner at a table, their interest peaking at the sight of the plasma sword.
The red hooded figure followed the boy out into the ever darkening day, the light from the two suns casting a warm orange glow over Tatooine as they began to set on the quadrant of the planet.
The boy wordlessly ran along back towards the hanger, the young hunter just behind him. He would stop every few moments and wait for the Hound to catch up to him before he would dart ahead a few more steps before repeating the process again.
When they were just about to enter back into Usceb's hanger, a hand gripped the child's shoulder and spun him around. His silvery eyes widened when he came face to face with the horrific mask as the bounty hunter crouched down on his level.
A hand rose to the child's face despite his fear and touched the swell of red that was blossoming from a handprint that still lingered on his cheek. The Hound touched it gently, their helmet tilting to the side for a moment as they examined it.
The boy could only stare at the hunter in confusion and fear. Nonetheless, the fingers upon his cheek were warm and gentle. "Are you alright?"
The child slowly nodded, "Y-Yes, Master Wraith."
"You need to be more careful when going into a cantina." The low voice rumbled and again the boy nodded his head in understanding. The hunter released the child for a moment as they began to dig around in the various pouches on the low riding belt they wore. "What's your name, boy?"
"Kyp, M-Master Wraith."
"And Usceb is your owner?"
"Y-Yes, Master Wraith."
The hunter continued to shuffle around in their supplies and rose up to their full height once more, taking a moment to remove the blaster rifle from their back before setting the stock on the ground and having the boy hold it so it wouldn't tip over. Kyp watched as they tugged a bag around to their front that had been on their back before they were rooting around inside, still searching for something.
"Did you kill a Jedi to get the laser sword?"
The Hound paused for a minute in their search, hands stilling in the bag and the helmet slowly rose to gaze at the child. The dark haired boy swallowed nervously, wondering if, perhaps, he shouldn't have asked such a question. His eyes nonetheless lingered on the canister that hung on the hunter's belt.
"How do you know about the Jedi?"
"Uh. One of the the men who works for Usceb said he saw one once. It was a girl and she had a blue laser sword."
The Hound looked up at the boy from their bag at the mention of the female. "Lightsaber." The hunter corrected him nonetheless but the boy continued, entirely unfazed.
"So, did you have to kill one to get the sword?"
The Hound paused in their searching, "One had to die, yes."
"You know, sometimes I see other Jedi coming here but they wear all black. They're kinda scary." Kyp continued to stand there, swaying on his feet as he talked, waiting patiently for whatever the Hound was going to do. "One of them has a laser sword, too, but his is red-"
"-lightsaber-"
"And they kinda wear helmets like yours, too. They're usually out stomping around near some of the cantinas, like they're looking for something-"
"They aren't Jedi." The boy stopped in his rambling and looked up at the older person. "The ones in black. They're the Knights of Ren and work alongside the First Order. They aren't good news."
"I could tell..." Kyp trailed off, his nose wrinkling as he looked off at the setting suns.
"How often do the Knights come around?"
"Only once in awhile."
"Have they been here recently?" The Hound finally pulled out a small bag and readjusted their pack onto their back before they took their gun back from the boy, only to return the rifle to its proper place.
He hummed in thought. "Not recently... Not in our hanger anyway."
The bounty hunter nodded and once more crouched down before the child so that they were eye level. Reaching out a hand, the Hound snared the boy's wrist in their grasp and raised it so that they could place the bag into his palm. Their other hand reached up to curl the boy's fingers around the pouch.
Kyp frowned softly down at his hand, "What's this?"
"It's all I have right now. Forty wupiupi." The boy's eyes widened at the information. "Don't let your master see you with this or he will take it from you." Rising once more to his feet, the boy just frowned softly down at the little purse. "Be wise in how you spend it."
The Hound began to move off back towards the hanger across the courtyard, leaving the boy to stand there in the dying light, his silvery eyes wide as he continued to stare at the bag. However, a sudden thought crossed Kyp's mind.
"Hey, wait!" He called after the red hood and raced after them a few steps. The Wraith glanced over their shoulder at him. "If you have a lightsaber, are you one of the Knights of Ren or are you a Jedi?"
Wraith Hound VI paused, the metal on their helmet glinting in the suns' light and a surprisingly cool breeze blew across the planet's surface, tossing the tattered cowl around the hunter's shoulders. A moment passed where they were silent before the bounty hunter simply turned away, only to disappear into the darkening hanger bay, never offering the child a proper answer.
Rey was furious.
It had been a week and a half since her falling out with Sage. An entire bloody week and a half. And she'd seen neither hide nor hair of the female or even felt her Force-signature since then. Not even in passing.
The blonde's room in the dwelling had been sealed off and locked with a number pad and code the entire time as well. Rey couldn't stop herself from checking one day when Master Luke had been outside working in his shop.
At first, the brunette was beside herself; groveling in her spare time whenever she wasn't meditating and further entwining herself with the Force. She'd felt absolutely awful for the inconsiderateness that she had displayed before her Master. These thoughts of self-loathing had sort of been the root and cause of her solo meditation sessions.
She wanted to get better, get stronger for Sage. To impress her when she did decide to show herself once more.
It was quiet without Sage around like she so often was; where ever she was hiding at, Rey had slowly began to anticipate her return.
Life was once more exceptionally quiet and at times, it felt like she was back on Jakku. Master Luke never really had much to say besides his morning lessons. However, when the isolation and lonely despair began to settle in, the brunette had quickly learned that if she meditated, these emotions would melt away, albeit slowly. She'd grown spoiled in her everyday interactions with her female Master and found that she was now missing them greatly.
She had at least taught herself to self-soothe in a way, so, that was progress, she guessed.
Master Luke had also begun teaching her the various letters in Basic and had given her the task of memorizing them in order in her spare time. This was another welcome distraction when it came to the missing Jedi.
However, one day, on the week and a half anniversary of Sage storming off, Rey found that she couldn't take it anymore. And, if she couldn't get the blonde to cave, then she would get the "top dog" to make things right.
"Master Luke?" The young pilot came trudging into the hanger, having felt the older man's presence down in the cove once more. He was standing atop the Falcon with Chewbacca at his side, both of them wearing a set of goggles as they welded something to the top of the ship.
There was a moment as the crackling of the welder continued to fill the air before the Jedi stopped what he was doing, only to raise his goggles to his forehead so that he could turn and look at his student, "Yes, Rey?"
And all of a sudden, the annoyance and frustration she felt before seemed to disappear. Instead, it was replaced with a humbling embarrassment. She felt her cheeks flush and her eyes widen. Was she really going to tattle on Sage? Again?
After a long moment of contemplation and consideration, Rey had found that she was tired of the discipline that she was being placed under. She'd been meditating a lot and practiced reaching out to the Force more often than not on her own. She at least deserved a little reconciliation. So, yes.
Yes, she was going to tattle on Sage.
"It's been a week and a half..." She muttered dejectedly, her lips and nose wrinkling as she moved them from side to side, the absurdity at the situation making her cheeks burn once more.
"Since...?" He called, lowering his goggles once more as the Wookie resumed welding, having taken over for his human companion.
Now, Rey was confused. "Since... Sage was frustrated with me and hasn't spoken to me since?" She rocked on her heels for a moment, her hands behind her back, wringing together awkwardly. "And... I was wondering if you could tell me where she's at on the island so that I could go apologize for my... naïve actions? It was wrong of me to say such things."
The older man jolted slightly in place, looking up at her through his thick goggles before he was reaching out and grabbing hold of Chewie's arm to stop him. The Wookie yodeled slightly in question but nonetheless ceased his work.
"Sage isn't here."
It was Rey's turn to startle. Her brows furrowed deeply as she gazed up at the Jedi Master, "What?!"
"She's been gone this entire time."
Again, she repeated her shrill, "What?!"
Skywalker's brows nearly rose into his hairline in surprise at her tone, "Did I forget to tell you?" He asked, more to himself as his pale eyes searched the hull of the Falcon as if it held the answers he was looking for. He then briefly looked up at his newest Padawan. "Was I supposed to tell you?" When he saw the horror and even mild irritation on her face, he himself frowned. "Evidently, I was supposed to tell you."
Taking a moment to process this information, the girl shook her head slightly. "Well... Where is she?"
"Even I am not sure of that." He looked thoughtfully into the distance for a moment. "She is fine, though. That I can say with confidence."
"So... she just left?"
"Yes, she left in the middle of the night. Barely even stopped to tell me she was leaving."
"Why'd she go?"
"We both felt another awakening in the Force," he explained, "and she went to go investigate the source."
The night was cool at least, the Hound noted. A reprieve from the near blistering heat from the sun that had assaulted them during the lighter hours of the day as they traveled across the bleak, salty desert of Abafar.
It had taken near an entire day of travel to reach the small settlement that barely passed for a shoddy outpost in the middle of nowhere. And yet, this is where the source, the pull in the Force, had taken them.
They're always on the backwater desert planets. The hunter thought, lips curling up slightly beneath their helmet as a snort of a laugh filtered from their nose.
They shifted their blaster rifle from where it rested on their thigh, foot propped up on the ledges of the many abandoned buildings that still remained standing in the old mining community.
The red cowl tossed about their person, swaying gently in the refreshing breeze. The visor on their helmet glinted slightly from the light of the moons that had risen into the inkiness of the night.
There was a foreign feeling, one that lingered in their gut, that kept the hunter from approaching the building down on the other end of the street. There was a lingering sense of danger that had settled there low in the pit of their stomach that kept them in place.
It's nothing. The Hound tried to convince themself. Simple paranoia. A dislike for the emptiness in this planet.
Raising the blaster up so that they could gaze through the scope, the bounty hunter scanned the perimeter once more for any source of this unseen danger. A few scale rats skittered across the street, bouncing along as they nosed into piles of sand in search of insects. An unidentifiable creature passed by a window, their form silhouetted against the lantern light in one of the buildings. However, this didn't raise any alarms in the hunter's mind.
Gathering their courage, the Hound huffed and dropped their blaster, only to swing it over their shoulder as they prepared to descend the building and make their way towards the other end of the settlement.
However, there was that lingering feeling of dread once more, only this time, it was much stronger than before.
It was the roaring of engines that caused the hunter to slink down and hide in the maw of the rooftop entrance as they ship passed overhead, churning up all sorts of new dust and sand.
Once the shuttle passed by overhead, the Hound crept out from their hiding place, making sure to remain low to the rooftop so that they could watch the vehicle land itself on the outskirts of the town, just a few meters away from the building where the hunter had taken up residence. Hiding behind the ledge, they watched as the ramp up to the shuttle hissed and lowered, releasing all sorts of steam and exhaust as the engines struggled to cool. Once it touched down, out strode three beings from the bowels of the ship, all of them wearing heavy armor and cloaked in all black. Upon each of their heads sat a helmet unique to their own person.
Kriff.
This wasn't good.
The Hound breathed deeply, further falling into the shroud around their person as they slunk back from peering over the ledge as they felt the three signatures stride passed the building down below on the street, their dark forms marching by with all the confidence in the universe. They had no reason to hide. Or, at least, that's what they believed at the moment.
Once they were far enough away, the bounty hunter ghosted across the rooftop to the other wall so that they could gaze down the street. Hauling the rifle from their back, they rested the forestock on the ledge and gazed down the scope, the night vision optics automatically clicking on and painting the landscape green.
They watched the cloaked figures as they made their way towards a building. The one were the signature was coming from.
Three Knights of Ren?
One of them strode forward and kicked down the door to the building before forcing their way inside, the light from the interior spilling out across the sand and casting a low beam of whiteness out into the darkness.
One isn't enough?
There were the sounds of a struggle and an enraged scream that came from the building, as well as the unmistakable sound of shattering glass. Then, all too soon, the Knights were reemerging, only there was a fourth person with them this time. They appeared to be female and the poor girl was being dragged along, struggling the entire way as the black-clad figures towed her along back towards the shuttle.
Her shouts of protest filled the air and a multitude of times, the two Knights holding her had to stop and yank her back into moving, obvious struggling with the feisty redheaded female.
There's only ever been just one... Unless...
They're afraid of the Jedi returning.
Beneath their helmet, their brow twitched with interest but nonetheless, the hunter's finger ghosted over the trigger of the blaster rifle, the thought of firing briefly crossing their mind as the Knight leading the way passed between the crosshairs of the scope. There were three of them and a raging girl.
There was no doubt in their mind that the first Knight could be taken care of easily. It wasn't that hard of a shot, especially with a scope. However, taking out the other two while sparring the girl would be another story. Not to mention that sniping was exceptionally cowardly. Entirely uncivilized.
The idea of a confrontation with their saber crossed the hunter's mind as well but was pushed away. It was too risky right now. Too little information to go on about each of the Knights and their strengths.
Also, the First Order probably wouldn't like it if three of their dogs were reported dead. It would draw too much attention. People would begin searching and the Wraith didn't need that right now.
The bounty hunter drew back suddenly from the ledge and only listened as the fight continued before the sounds disappeared into the ship. The hunter's helmet thudded as they rested the forehead on the ledge, resignation washing over them as they simply allowed them to take the girl.
They have another one now. The Hound sighed deeply. They've taken so many.
The engines resumed shortly after the ramp closed and the ship lifted off once more, causing the red cowl to whip around the bounty hunter as they watched the Knights of Ren flee with their newly acquired prize.
The walk across the large hanger was a long one, not because of distance, per say, but simply because the weight of the disappointment and failure hung heavily around the young hunter.
Pushing the Starhawk speeder bike down the corridor, the Hound headed back towards Hanger 3 where their own ship was still parked. The speeder was weighed down with numerous bags of supplies incase they were needed on the journey to Abafar, across the planet, and back again. Despite it being a moderately short trip, in all technicality, the flight back to Tatooine felt like weeks.
The harvester ship, The Aurora, had been stationed on the planet three days total as they pumped and stored thousands of gallons of rhydonium into the belly of the ship. It was a delicate material, highly explosive and toxic to a number of creatures if it touched their skin. Handling the substance called for precaution, so the three long days that they were sifting and loading the fuel was used by the hunter to investigate the disturbance in the Force.
Still, perhaps, the flight, in all actuality, was slower because of the fact that the harvester freighter was turned into the equivalent of a bomb. Either way, the Hound failed to watch the time not because of lack of trying. They just didn't care.
Needless to say, the speeder bike felt heavy as the bounty hunter pushed it along beside them. They were vaguely aware that Usceb was at his work station as they passed it, their leather boots quiet on the sandy floor. It was strange that the Toydarian said nothing. He usually had some sort of remark to make whenever he saw the bounty hunter in his hangers.
Not today, though, evidently.
However, as soon as that thought crossed their mind, they felt the disturbance. Something was off.
The hunter paused in their walking and their helmeted head swiveled back to look at the grubby blue creature. Usceb was staring at him, fear evident in his wide, yellow eyes.
The Hound frowned softly beneath their mask, "What?" Their voice came out as a deep rumble through the vocoder.
Instead, Usceb just swallowed thickly and chose to say nothing. However, whether he meant to or not, his eyes betrayed him. They flickered over to the hanger - the Wraith's hanger - before they flicked back to the bounty hunter.
The Hound nodded ever so slightly in answer to the discrete message. They was grateful for the small warning, despite its brevity. Even if there seemingly was no disturbance or danger lurking in the air.
Just this fact alone made the Hound jumpy and antsy.
However, these feelings were so easily suppressed and the young hunter made sure to keep their mind level, calm. Blank. Both for their own sake and Usceb's.
They did, however, tug the strap of the blaster rifle over their head, opting to instead carry it in one hand while balancing it across their shoulder blades, before they resumed pushing the bike forwards.
All seemed normal when the hunter first entered the hanger bay, crossing over the threshold and making their way towards the old shuttle. Pushing the bike near the side of the ship, they would need to release a hatch to a storage pod that lingered in the bowels of the ship by way of the interior of the shuttle.
Taking a deep breath, the Hound was still on alert as they walked around the side of the vehicle, the rifle still on their shoulders. And, just as suspected, there was someone waiting for the hunter. Five of them actually.
Clad head to toe in black.
The red hooded hunter paused at the bottom of the ramp, eyes rapidly flickering across the five visitors behind their own helmet. The Hound recognized three of them from Abafar by their distinguishable, crude helmets. Three of the Knights.
The fourth facing the entrance was new but nonetheless gazed back at the young hunter where they were leaned against the wall with their arms crossed over their chest. Unless...
There was a brief lingering thought that perhaps the Hound had seen the same helmet in the cantina... The spy.
And the other one, the biggest one, the looming form of black, was facing away from the entrance, fists clenched, heavy cloak and cowl draped down and over their shoulders. He turned around then, the silver plating surrounding the visor on his own helmet glinting prettily in the bright light illuminating the hanger from the open sky above.
They maintained eye contact through their visors for a tense moment.
The Knight was turning his head slightly towards his comrade against the wall, "This is the one?" His own voice was a deep timbre through the modulator in his own helmet.
"Yeah." A feminine voice responded.
There was another long pause, a lull where no one seemed to breathe for a beat.
It was broken, however, as the Knight turned around and then descended the ramp, his boots resounding heavily against the metal and cutting through the dead silence. The other Knights shifted forward slightly, taking a few steps towards the hunter as well but remained in the Hound's ship.
The bounty hunter maintained eye contact with the Knight the entire time.
"To what do I owe the pleasure of being graced with the presence of the Knights of Ren?"
"You know of our organization." It's not a question.
"Your reputation proceeds you, Kylo Ren." The hunter spoke lowly, though, with the vocoder in their own helmet, their voice was always rather low and deep.
"That reputation being?"
This could be a potentially dangerous question. However, despite the circumstances, the Hound decided sass would be be the most suitable when dealing with the Knights. "The First Order's dogs." The bounty hunter was pleased when the Knight appeared to bristle and tense slightly. He took a short step forward while his fists clenched at his sides. The Hound didn't move an inch.
His helmet nodded at the mythosaur patch on their shoulder. "You yourself are nothing but an attack dog. Bounty hunter." The title was nearly sneered but the Hound refrained from showing any sort of outward response. "Who do you work for?"
Another loaded question. "The creature with the most credits."
Evidently, this was suitable enough. The Knight paused for a moment, maintaining eye contact with the hunter once more before he glanced back at the smaller Knight in the ship.
"One of my Knights said that you have in your possession a lightsaber."
The Hound looked over at the aforementioned female. The spy. The reason for this mess. "She would be correct."
"Where did you get such a weapon?"
There it was. The danger lurking once more. "Someone had to die for it."
Ren held his hand out expectantly. The young hunter slowly titled their helmet down to look at it before it rose once more to gaze at his mask once more, their brow furrowing beneath their faceplate. Nonetheless, the Hound reached down and pushed back the fabric of their jacket and unclipped the saber where it hung on one of the various, overlapping belts they wore. They held it in their hand but didn't place it into the Knight's.
Without warning, their thumb pressed down onto the igniter switch and the blade snapped and spit as it shot up into the air.
All the Knights in the ship lurched forward, hands jumping to their weapons. And yet, Kylo Ren didn't even seem phased. He merely tore the void of his visor away from the bounty hunter's and examined the crackling, purple blade.
"You said someone had to die for it?" There was a pause where an answer was expected. "Was it a Jedi?"
"Something in between."
Ren looked away from the blade and instead focused directly on the hunter. The Hound pressed down on the switch once more and the blade retracted. The Knights relaxed behind their master. The bounty hunter replaced it on their belt and pulled their jacket back over it.
Just then, there was a insistent push on their mind and instead of retreating like anyone else would in the presence of the feared Force-user, Wraith Hound VI held their place.
"You are Force-sensitive." The pushing continued against the forefront of the hunter's mind and yet, no ground was given to the intrusion. They remained firmly fixed in place. "Not just sensitive... But, a Force-user."
"There's a name for it?" The Hound turned their head to the side slightly as if in confusion, feigning naïvety. "I always thought it was just... instinct."
"Still..." There was a strange tone in the Knight's voice, his own head tilting slightly to the side, seemingly fascinated. The insistent shove continued and still, the hunter was unwavering in their mind. "It seems as though you've been trained in it...?"
"In hunting, yes. In resistance, yes. To trust my instincts. Nothing about the Force."
Ren seemed to regard the bounty hunter for a moment longer, helmet tilting to the other side, still intrigued. "Remove your helmet."
For a moment, the bounty hunter felt their breath catch in their chest. Kriff. "If you're ever... fortunate enough to survive inhaling gaseous toxins, you get to wear a helmet with a respirator for the rest of your life." The Hound growled, the lie slipping easily through their lips. "They tend to melt your esophagus and permanently scorch your lungs."
Again, the Knight was quiet for a long moment, silently watching and contemplating the young hunter. The air in the hanger seemed to thicken yet the Hound did not look away from the blackness of the opposing visor.
"I'm going to give you a proposition, bounty hunter..." They shifted slightly in place, their fingers tightening subconsciously around the stock of the blaster rifle on their shoulder. "I want you to find Luke Skywalker. Dead or alive, it matters not. Either way you'll be doing the galaxy a duty."
The young hunter paused for a moment, visor still locked onto Ren's, "My payment?"
"If you are able to bring the Jedi to me, alive or as a corpse, I will accept you into the ranks of my Knights, therefore granting you immunity among the First Order. And…" He took a step closer, so that there were only a few inches between the two of them. The Hound had to tilt their head back because of his looming height. "You'll never have to worry about credits ever again."
There was a long, tense pause that filled the air after the offer was posed. Eyes flickering back to the other warriors, the Hound couldn't help but allow anxiety to hollow inside their chest. No doubt, the outcome of such a meeting would be one of pain and death if the job wasn't accepted.
"What of his subordinates?" Came the hunter's low question.
Ren rolled his shoulders back, obviously pleased of the bounty hunter's decision, even if it wasn't spoken outright. "There is only one that is possible. A scavenger girl named Rey from Jakku. She is also sensitive to the Force." The hunter nodded slowly in understanding. "Bring her to me alive."
The Knight took a half step back, creating more space between the two of them so that he could extend his arm towards the hunter.
"Unscathed?" The Hound reached out and gripped the man's hand firmly.
There was a smugness that seemed to hang in the air between the two of them that emanated from Ren. "That is up to you." A few quiet yet dark chuckles were heard from the observing Knights. "Although, we would prefer she have all her limbs attached."
The hunter couldn't help the short bark of laughter that filtered through the modulator on their mask, "That's no fun." Ren was still tightly holding their hand.
"Your designation, bounty hunter?"
Behind the mask, the hunter smirked, "Wraith Hound VI." The Knight slowly nodded in acceptance. "And should I fail?"
Ren's gloved hand still gripped their own and when the Hound moved to pull away, the Knight wouldn't permit it. "I will personally hunt you down and find you. You will not be accepted into the Knights but taken by them. Your tutelage will not be… civil as I have promised before. Punishment will be dolled out continuously and praise will be impossible to come by. You will beg me for death." He yanked the young hunter forward so that the muzzles on their masks were nearly touching. "So, I suggest that you don't."
Rey felt her approach before the ship actually came into view.
She was down one more in the cove, her legs crossed and her hands resting in her lap when she felt the smooth flux in her mind jolt against another presence in the Force.
Sage was back.
Remaining as she was, she could sense the oncoming signature and allowed it to slowly grow in strength as the ship she was in descended into the atmosphere. Eventually, it came to be that she could hear the quiet roar of the engines before the wind began to pick up around her.
The gentle, lapping waves began to uncontrollably flutter as the output from the engines disturbed them as the ship lowered itself down into the cove.
Rey's normally tamed hair was mussed by the gusting winds as well and her hand rose to brush away the stray strands so that she could watch the landing. It was remarkably clean and smooth, the shuttle setting itself down gently before the engines cut off and began releasing steam out into the quiet air of the cave hanger.
The young scavenger climbed to her feet, dusted the soft, white sand from her clothes, and began to race up the craggy set of stairs that led from the landing pad down to the beach, her old boots carrying her swiftly over the stones.
She could feel Sage inside, as well as Master Luke's and Chewie's own life forces when they came down to investigate.
It had been two weeks total since the Jedi Knight had unexpectedly disappeared and it was safe to say that her return had been very much anticipated.
Rey made it up onto the landing dock by the time the post-flight procedures were completed and the ramp into the back of the ship was hissing as it descended.
It was dark in the hull for a moment but nonetheless, footsteps could be heard on the metal flooring and soon enough, the Jedi began to emerge from the shadows and was slowly engulfed in the sunlight, the beam slowly traveling up her body until she was entirely cloaked in the light. The three members of their party waited with baited breath but were able to let go of the anxiety clouding their minds when she emerged unscathed.
She was wearing a faded green poncho over her regular clothes, a bag slung up high on her shoulder. Her hair was plaited and hung down the middle of her back.
The Jedi beamed when she saw the three of them.
When she was close enough, the Wookie roared softly and stepped forward to embrace her. A chocked sound escaped her throat as he crushed her to him but she nonetheless patted his back affectionately, smiling the entire time she did so.
Lightly punching his shoulder, she moved passed him to her Master and she stopped before him so that she could bow her head slightly. The older man returned the gesture before they both straightened.
There was a moment of silence shared between the two of them, the man's eyes flickering passed her into the bowels of the ship before they returned to her, a question lingering in his blue eyes. Sage just swallowed and diverted her gaze away from Luke. He himself was still quiet before he just nodded in response.
No doubt they would speak about it later.
Finally, the once missing Jedi turned her gaze upon her Padawan. All Rey could do was purse her lips together, her ears burning hot with embarrassment.
Perhaps the scavenger had been anxious because of her want for companionship. Not because of the conversation that no doubt had to take place and the apology that had to happen.
However, the two weeks that had passed had definitely allowed for the girl to tune herself more to the thrum of the Force. It was easier now, felt more natural. It was no longer so difficult to grasp onto and she found that she could more readily bend it to do her will.
Sometimes, when she had grown tired of meditation, she'd found that she could levitate a number of small stones after concentrating hard enough and focusing all her energy on that simple task.
Now, though, she could sense something in Sage that had shifted.
There was a tiredness that lingered in her signature, an echo of exhaustion that both permeated the air around her and was visible on her physical person. There were dark circles as evidence beneath her eyes and her shoulders were sagging slightly.
That wasn't it, though. There was something else.
It was an… apprehension that filled her mind and boiled low in her signature. A strange new wariness that lingered around her person.
After realizing that she had been holding her breath and openly staring at the blonde, the young scavenger blinked back into existence, having disappeared into her own string of consciousness for a long moment.
However, what surprised Rey the most was that her Master released a puff of air from her nose that could potentially be called a laugh. And that the corners of her mouth turned up slightly in a small smile.
Just then, the silence in the cavern was broken by the shrill whistles and clicks as R2-D2 came rolling across the landing strip, obviously pleased to see the female's presence.
All four of the others laughed quietly as the astro droid rolled right up to the older female and she placed her hand atop his domed head. "Yes, I'm back and yes, I missed you." He jittered again, firing more questions at her, causing her to grin. "I'm going to be honest, I'm exhausted R2." He chirped at her again, rocking back and forth as he did the little dance that she so adored. Sage let out a soft laugh again and spoke to the droid while glancing up at Luke, "Yeah, low power hibernation for about a month does sound lovely right now, bud."
So, there's that.
Sorry this update came later than expected. I was trying to get it out on May 4th but, hey. Things happen. I was packing up to leave college. I had to watch Episode 7 again. Time got away from me.
And, honestly, this chapter ended up going a completely different direction than I originally intended to. Jesus.
We also got a new character introduction with the Wraith. Dynamics are going to shift and whatnot. I'm actually really excited about the character and the possibilities they present.
But, anyway, no new recruit this chapter. The Knights kinda got there first.
There's still one coming, though! ;)
And I lied about the Kylo is going to disappear and not return for a couple of chapters. In this one at least. We'll see how the others go because, again, this one went in a completely different direction than I wanted it to. I hadn't even planned on having Wraith in the story but it just sort of happened on its own.
I also just really adore older Luke. Forgetful Luke. To busy lost in the Force Luke. Yes.
And spiteful Sage. Annoyed Sage. Sage who half the time doesn't understand anything but the Force. Sage who displays emotions.
Anyway, thanks to all of those who reviewed/kudoed/followed/favorited/subscribed! The whole nine yards! You guys are the reason I write these things and if you want more content, comments or reviews tend to help me write faster ;)
YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO, READ AND REVIEW!
Love,
Blue
P.S. You can bug me on my tumblr at blueeyedwolf33