Primal Rage

Willa awoke with a start, disorientated, an overhead light glared in her eyes. Causing her head hurt ever more. Pain in her limbs made it hard to move, she turned her head to get the light out of her eyes.

"Wondered how long you would sleep," said a deep male voice.

Willa jerked her head to see who was in the room with her, pain shot through her body, she groaned.

"Relax, you are safe here," the voice said in a calming tone. Willa moving with great care, slowly turned over and got her eyes to focus on the source of the voice. In a chair near by was a very large Brutor man, sitting with his arms folded across his chest and a relaxed smile. Willa was confused and suspicious, she glared at him, trying to figure out where she was and how she got here.

The man laughed, "Damn, now I see the family resemblance." Willa tried to speak but could only get out a hoarse, "Where?" Through her painfully swollen lips.

"Not surprising you don't remember much," he said with a chuckle. He rose from his chair and went to get a drink for Willa. He approached her slowly, and handed her the glass, then backed away. Willa tried to sip the liquid which caused her to wince with pain, she realized her lips were swollen and cut. Carefully she tried again, the cool liquid made her sore mouth and parched throat feel better. After a few more sips, her head was till throbbing but her mind was clearer and she felt like she could speak.

"Who are you?" Willa asked.

"I have may names, most know me as Ashihei but my friends just call me Ash," he replied with a friendly smile. Willa wasn't ready to accept this man's friendship, but he seemed to be fairly good natured. "What do you remember Willa?" he asked.

Willa's guard came back up. "How does he know my name?" she wondeered to herself. She tried to sort out the last thing she remembered before waking. There were a lot of dream-like images swirling around in her head, the last clear image she had was of her ship blowing up around her.

"My ship blew up," she answered.

"I was afraid of that, maybe best you don't remember too much. I imagine that you were drugged most of the time," Ash said, shaking his head a little.

Confusion overtook Willa again, and she looked at Ash questioningly.

"You were kidnapped, Willa," Ash stated in a flat tone. Willa set the drink down and rested her head on the pillows. Closing her eyes she listened to Ash's calm voice.

"Two weeks ago you where reported missing. Jaxx sent me to find you," he said. Willa looked at him again, he was sitting in the chair relaxed as before. Willa started to let herself relax, images and events started piecing themselves together.

She remembered completing her mission to Amamake, and had joined a group of other rookie pilots, trying to get out of the system. While waiting for traffic to clear near the gate, so they could make a run for it, the group opened fire on her. She was unprepared and had no chance to even fire back. The concussion of the ship blowing up around her pod left her dazed. She remembered the blue light of a tractor beam engulfing her pod and being towed into the cargo bay of a destroyer. Her pod was opened and a hand reached in, injected her with something. After that there was nothing but the dream images.

"I was drugged." She said looking blankly at the ceiling.

"Do you remember anything?" Ash asked.

"I think so, some, not really clear," She replied.

"Well the guys that took you, are use to the smaller races, and probably didn't take in to account your size and Brutor resistance to some drugs," Ash commented.

"How did you find me?" Willa asked.

Ash's laughter filled the room. "Wasn't hard really, your aunt has been keeping tabs on you and when she found out you were missing, she tracked down your last known location. Then just called her contacts they discovered where you were. You really don't know her all that well do you?" He asked. "Once I arrived, there was plenty of people that knew where to find you, underworld was quite impressed by you. Seems like you were quite the attraction."

Willa looked at Ash again and then around the room slowly. She brought her hands near her face and looked at them shocked to see that her knuckles were bruised and her fingers bloody. Gingerly she tried to get up, all her muscles and joints screaming with pain. Ash quickly moved to help her, patiently and carefully offering her a hand. "I want to see," Willa said. Ash helped her to the bathroom and closed the door as he stepped out.

Willa found that she was wearing a robe, and as she looked in the full length mirror on the wall, she untied the robe and let it fall away. In the mirror was a woman Willa didn't recognize. Her red hair was matted with dried blood, there were several cuts on her face, a large gash at the hairline, her lips were battered and swollen, her eyes were black with bruises. On her neck there were two distinct bruises on either side that where made by someones hands around her throat. Hand shaped bruises covered her arms, legs and breasts. On the left breast there was bite marks. Her knees were cut and scraped. She was shocked when she saw the large bruises on the inside of her thighs. She collapsed on a small stool in the corner, unable to breath.

She hid her face in her hands and screamed "NO!" over and over.

The dream images all came flooding in at once, clearer than she wanted. Men grabbing at her, men holding her down, men on top of her. Images of herself in chains, standing naked on a auction block. Images of being bound to a bed in a small room and endless number of men beating and using her. Slamming her head back against the wall and let out a primal scream of pain and rage.

Willa rose as quickly as she could from the stool, turning on the hot water she stepped in and began scrubbing her hair and body. Attempting to wash away the hands and faces that her mind was filled with. Her skin became raw with her own rage, the new pain seemed to calm her; she slowed then collapsed against the wall of the shower letting the hot water run over her abused body. She stood there motionless, lost in a daze.

Suddenly she realized that the water had grown cold. Her body began to shake from cold and emotions, she turned off the water. As she stepped out of the shower she looked at the blood stained robe lying on the floor like a evil creature. She grabbed a towel that was hanging on a hook, wrapping it around her. Willa walked into the other room and was relieved that it was empty. She sat in the chair that Ash had been sitting in and shivered from the cold and rage that filled her mind. Willa realized she wanted a drink, a very strong drink. She began looking around the room.

It was larger than the small pilot quarters she had at Rens VII. There was a small set of cabinets along one wall where one could prepare a meal, nearby was a table and several chairs. In one corner there was a double bed and a desk with a communication terminal. A window covered by a shade was near the desk. Willa started looking through the cabinets, finding a glass and several bottles of liquor. She opened a bottle of tequila and filled the glass. As she took a drink she went over to the window and pulled the shade back. Outside was the interior of a space station dock.

So I am on a ship, and a fairly large one at that, she thought. She took another drink, and started to feel a warmness fill her head. As she took another look around the room she noticed that the furnishings and decorations, even though few were expensive. From the room she couldn't tell what kind of ship it was. Taking another drink she could feel her muscles starting to relax, and the raging images began to dull.

There was a tap at the door. She went and opened it, Ash was standing there with a package in his hand. "I think you may need these," he said handing her the package, then turned and walked away. Willa closed the door and went to the table setting her drink down, she opened the package, new clothes tumbled out on to the table, and she looked at them.

There was a soft leather vest that buckled up the front, made for a woman, with a low front and tight middle, some long leather pants, a shirt of soft fabric, wide belt and some heavy boots. Willa tossed the towel across the back of a nearby chair and dressed. Picking up her drink she went for a refill, then walked out of the room. She looked up and down the corridor and heard someone moving about. She walked toward the sound, not wanting to be alone any longer. Past several blast doors, she came to a large room that seemed to be the bridge. Ash was sitting at a console, looking around the bridge, she still wasn't sure what kind of ship she was on, the technology and setup was definitely not Matari. Ash looked up at her and smiled kindly at her.

"Welcome to my ship," he said.

"What class is this?" she asked.

"Amarrian command ship, it's called a Damnation, not a bad ship for light work," he said with a sarcastic grin.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"We are in the Sinq Laison region right now, but we will be leaving soon," he answered. "I am taking you to Verge Vendor."

"Why?" Willa wondered aloud.

"That's were Jaxx wants you, for now. There is a recorded message in the computer. You can access it over there," he pointed to the com panel nearby.

Willa went over, sat at the terminal and looked at the display. Ash pushed several buttons and the read out changed, displaying a single entry addressed to Willa. She tapped display to access the file and the text came up. Willa sipped on the drink as she read.

Willa,

I am glad that Ash found you. I know what has happened. At this point you probably in no mood to trust anyone, but Ash is a good friend and can be trusted like family. I should have gotten in contact with you sooner, but was waiting for a chance to have a contact approach you when you weren't being watched so closely.

The people that did this have already been punished, they will never be able to rest without looking over their shoulder. But I have many enemies and your name has been attached to mine, leaving you in danger as long as you are where you can be found easily.

That is why I asked Ash to take you out of the Republic and into Gallente Federation territory. I am bringing together a small group of people to operate in High Sec as my representatives. These are all good people that I trust and want to help. Join them, learn your skills and learn from them. Become a pilot that can take care of herself then you are free to do as you wish.

Fly Safe

Jaxx

"So I am to be an exile too," she said staring into her drink.

Over the next several days Willa learned more from Ash of what she had been through. How he found her in a Caldari Brothel, and purchased her freedom. He was patient and friendly towards her, allowing her to work out her rage and anger. It did help her to know that not only was her aunt hunting the people that had caused Willa pain, but that she had managed to send some back to the clone vats the few times she managed to get loose.

They arrived at Luse a week later, Willa felt like she was ready to step out into the world again. It was time for them to part. As they stood on the gangway Ash handed Willa a gift, "This is from Jaxx," he said. Willa opened the box; in it was a knife and sheath. The knife was large with a tapered double edged blade, on the hilt was a inlay of a black fox. The sheath was worn and old, tooled with classic Matari symbols of her tribe. In the bottom of the box was a card on which was written in Jaxx's elegant handwriting : "This knife was your mothers; the sheath was a gift to her from your father, when you were born."

Willa could feel tears burn at her eyes. This was all she had left of her parents and it was the most precious thing she could ever owned. She put the sheath on her belt and positioned it at a angle in the small of her back. Then shoved the knife inside.

Ash chuckled a little, and shook his head, "You are definitely related."

Willa reached up to give Ash a hug and a light kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for everything." Willa said as she turned to leave.

Ash said "You will need this too," he handed her a data pad.

"What's this?" Willa asked.

"A little something from me," he said smiling then boarded his ship and closed the hatch.

Willa flipped through the data as she walked out of the hanger. On the pad she found title to a Rifter located in one of the Luse hangers and a credit transfer of two million isk to an account in her name at the Garoun Bank in Luse. She turned back to wave to her new friend, just as the hanger bay doors banged closed.