**WARNING: This is definitely an 'M'-rated story. If this is not your cup of tea, I strongly advise you not to proceed.
Nadya's hands were miraculously steady as she quickly piled her possessions into a utility sack. Over nearly a decade of scraping, hoarding, and collecting, the woman was proud to have belongings. No matter how meager or trifling they were. There were her brushes, her cosmetics, and her clothes purchased with coin she had been allowed to keep. Would they be needed wherever she was going? Probably not. But, she didn't have the strength to leave them behind.
The sheets Hux had bestowed upon her months ago, when they had first met, were the last thing placed in the sack. She folded them gently; smoothing each crease, remembering each night they had spent on them. How things had changed since then.
With one last look around the room, Nadya triumphantly smiled as she placed the sack over her shoulder and hurried down the hall. It was still early enough for the bedrooms to be filled with sleeping occupants. The experienced girls were awake readying themselves for the day. They did nothing except watch as Nadya passed by. She did not expect goodbyes. Their profession did not breed affability, or nurture familial attitudes. They were not her friends; they were co-workers and rivals. Each girl fought to earn their keep. Her departure would more likely be applauded.
Private Xue was waiting for her on the second floor along with another soldier who had accompanied the pair for extra protection. As she descended the stairs, the Private stepped forward.
"Are you sure you wish to go inside alone? I can accompany you if you are uncomfortable," the man in implored.
It would be useless to explain to Xue that this brothel was her home; the only home she had ever known. Except for a few years serving as a kitchen maid in a Hutt palace, Nadya had been reared in the halls of this pleasure house. There was no sentimentality in the idea of finally being able to leave. However, facing Master Sidd alone would be a tidy ending to this chapter in her life.
With a pleasant smile she shrugged off Private Xue's offer, "I'll be fine, this will be over quickly. If there is trouble, I'll call out for aid."
She added that last sentence to ease the Private's worries which it seemed to do.
With that, Nadya pushed the double doors open entering Master Sidd's office. There were no guards in the room which surprised her. Master Sidd always had a Trandoshan at his side for protection. The doors shut behind her. The brothel's proprietor was sitting behind his desk counting a rather large sack of gold coin. Private Xue had brought that coin as payment for her release. To think all that money had been spent on a slave such as herself. If she were an innocent girl, she would blush at the idea of her body being exchanged for coin. Now, that coin was the last thing standing between her and a life with Hux.
"Well girlie, it seems to me that you've gotten yourself into a pretty situation," Sidd growled as he continued counting the money.
"Don't know what you did to deserve it. Maybe you're just that good. I wouldn't know. Sadly, I never got a taste of it myself."
Nadya lowered her head respectfully as the man behind the desk stood up. He dropped the coin into an empty drawer in his desk. She squared her shoulders as he walked around her; eyeing her with an appreciative gaze. It was true, Nadya had avoided being Master Sidd's bedpartner. Not to say the man hadn't made moves in the past, or gotten too friendly with her over the years. Sidd preferred Twi'lek girls, and she had used that information to her advantage. The man's hot breath tickled her forehead as he got closer. His milky eye darted around quickly as he spoke, "If you were still mine, I would fix that issue. See for myself what causes a First Order General to drop enough coin that could buy a dozen girls like yourself…"
A shudder went through her body as Sidd huffed a final time before he darted away to grab a handheld device that sat on one of his shelves. Nadya brought her head up to see Master Sidd walking back towards her with the device in his hands. She recognized the device. It was the deactivator for her microchip. A giddiness ran through her body as he pushed several buttons on the device before gesturing for her to move.
Automatically, Nadya dropped the sack from her shoulder. She moved her pale blonde hair out of the way and opened the front of her vest to expose her chest. The microchip had been placed above her left breast, roughly over her heart. Master Sidd growled unintelligibly as he placed the device over the area. She watched in excitement as the microchip beneath her skin glowed a bright green. Then the deactivator let out a long beep before the microchip glowed red neutralizing it forever. The process was painless, but Nadya felt like a great weight was lifted off her shoulders.
"There you go, no longer a burden I have to bear," Sidd spat as he threw the device onto his desk.
The woman retrieved her bag from the ground placing it back onto her shoulder.
As she turned to leave, the man spoke again, "Where do you think you're going with that bag? Those things belong to me."
"These are my things, I bought them with my coin!" Nadya countered loudly. The slave felt emboldened by her freedom, Sidd was no longer a man she had to cower to.
"Your coin? Ha, that was never your coin. It was my coin being used by my slave; nothing has ever been yours."
Her grip on the sack tightened as Master Sidd moved towards her. He grabbed the sack, roughly ripping it from her shoulder. Instead of letting go, Nadya held onto her belongings. One cry would bring Private Xue and the other officer to her rescue. She wondered if it was worth it, fighting over a sack of possessions that were useless to her now. The answer was clear – it wasn't worth it. None of this was worth it. All she wanted to do was leave, and if Sidd wanted to keep her useless trinkets, he could have them.
Disgustedly, Nadya let go of the sack. The man triumphantly sneered as he began to riffle through the bag. Her heart clenched at the sight of the man's oily fingers on the sheets Hux had given her. All she could do was give Sidd a nasty glare as she reached for the office doors. As Nadya shoved them open in frustration, the woman was greeted by Private Xue and the other officer. In an instant, she felt consoled by the Private's presence. He respectfully placed a hand at her back and the trio went to leave.
Before they were out of earshot, she heard Master Sidd say, "He'll get tired of you. I'll give it a year before the General's back buying another girl off me."
The hand on her back tensed. Private Xue grabbed for his weapon to turn it on Sidd, but Nadya stopped him.
"He is not worth it. Besides, the General is expecting us," she smiled. The Private's actions surprised her. Sidd had a way of crawling beneath a person's skin, even the protocol obsessed Private. The sooner they were away from this place, the better. Nadya longed to be by Hux's side.
Fortunately, they escaped Sidd's Tavern without further issue. Private Xue gave the other soldier instructions before placing a call into his telecom. The Base 3 market was already bustling; vendors called out their wares to a motley crew of visitors. People moved to make way for them. No doubt, the sight of First Order officers unnerved many. Outside the Base 3 market was a landing craft awaiting them. The transport vehicle was meant to take them to the General's ship. From there, they would be conveyed to the Unknown Regions. Nadya was shuffled into the landing craft. Private Xue showed her to a seat and she fastened herself to the chair.
It had been so long since she had been in a spacecraft. The gallery of a slave-ship paled in comparison to the relative comfort of the landing craft. Private Xue left her side to speak with the flight crew. Her presence garnered several curious glances, but Nadya ignored the prying eyes.
As they ascended into the air, the Private returned to take a seat next to her.
In a flash, the spacecraft descended through Dandoran's atmosphere. Gazing out the window, Nadya watched as the landscape became a distant blur. Sidd's Tavern grew smaller and smaller until it was a mere speck on the horizon. Though she was consumed by anticipation, the woman couldn't help but feel dread creep up her spine. Master Sidd's words were in the back of her mind. As much as she hated that they bothered her, Nadya couldn't help but wonder if the brothel owner was right.
A long absence will miraculously lead to a new surge of inspiration. I do pray you enjoy this chapter. There are several more to come in the following days. Happy New Year!