Hera woke up as she finished her slide from counter to floor, her head hitting the ground the moment after waking. Rubbing her head and grimacing at her sore back, she looked up to where Fen sat, still seemingly asleep, still in apparently the same position as before. Jedi. Hera thought, shaking her head before turning her attention to Chopper, who had started to beep at her the second she was awake.
"Slow down," Hera stood, stretching her arms well above her head and rolling her shoulders, feeling her back pop. "What about the empire?" The droid collected himself for a moment. "They're here?" Beside her, Fen jolted awake, her feet hitting the ground softly a moment later.
"Who's here?" Fen asked, yawning and stretching like a cat.
"The empire's coming, they're performing an inspection, Chopper thinks they'll be here in about half an hour." All of Fen's ease vanished in an instant, muscles tensing.
"The empire is coming here?" There was a slight wobble in her voice that Hera could not brush off as grogginess. Outside, someone ran down the hall, shouting indistinctly. For a moment, they stared at each other in silence while Hera tried to recall what her father had told her to do in these situations.
"We need to get this place looking less like a base and more like a house." Hera's eyes swept the space, trying to be analytical, as her father had told her to be, to look at the space from the empire's point of view. There. On the far counter, some supplies that she could use to make bombs. "Can you grab those wires, divide them up randomly and put them in different drawers." Fen nodded and Hera grabbed the metal casings. Hopefully, they would be easier to overlook this way. Grabbing some corroded blaster parts she had been trying to salvage, Hera cast them into the incinerator, she could find more later.
The rest of the workshop looked innocuous enough, she mostly kept droid repair equipment in the space anyway. There would be rooms that needed much, much more help than this. The armoury came to mind. "Let's go see if we can help anyone else."
Outside of the sanctuary of Hera's workshop, the rest of the house was in chaos, like an anthill overturned. Twi'leks ran left, right and center, carrying boxes of ammunition, plans for future attacks, everything, anything that would make the officers suspicious. As Hera passed the hanger bay, she paused long enough to see sparks flying as someone tried to quickly transform fighters back into freighters.
Fen nearly ran into Gobi as they rounded the bend to the armoury. "Sorry!" He shouted, muffled behind a box of thermal detonators. "I didn't see… Hera!" He spotted her around the corner of this load. "You know what's happening?"
"Sort of, the Empire is coming to do an inspection? Do you know why? Is it routine or something else?"
"We're not sure. They may have spotted us on our way back from the mission last night or this could be them just trying to exercise their new authority."
"New authority, what did I miss?"
"Oh, right, you don't know yet! The moff is as useless as ever but we've got a new colonel, name's Dray. He seems a little more active than the last one, still got something to prove I guess, but it's pretty inconvenient for us." There was a paused where Hera couldn't help but wonder if the pilot, it had been Krev, had been the one that caused this. If so, it was her fault. She could have been flying. She would have known how to avoid any hidden imperial lookouts. Her thoughts were interrupted by a hand on her arm, she jumped slightly, looking over at Fen.
"Which way to the armory?"
"This way." Hera said, pulling herself together and giving Gobi a nod. Despair, guilt, these feelings would have to wait, for now, they had to keep moving.
The remaining twenty minutes before the empire landed was nothing but a blur of movement. She carried one heavy box and then another, moving them to the designated hiding spots that she had forgotten she had memorized up until that moment. Her father had seen this day coming, his plans had usually hoped for an hour noticed, but as the shuttle came in for a landing, Hera looked around and had to admit, they had done alright. The blasters, the ammunition and stores had all been hidden in secret rooms and compartments throughout the house. Many of the twi'lek rebels had left via secret underground tunnels or were hiding somewhere down in the warren of carefully dug pathways under her feet.
It was just as the shuttle was about to land that she remembered Fen, who stood out precariously from the line of brightly colored twi'leks, her dark hair drawing the eye like a candle in the dark. "Fen." She hissed
"Yes?" Her eyes were wide as she fiddled with the edge of her sweater, revealing a glimpse of bright red scars beneath.
"I think it would be best if you went down into the tunnels with everyone else, I'd rather not have them choose to question you over everyone else, just because you're human."
She nodded, beating a retreat as the shuttle kicked up a storm of dust upon landing. She had only been in Hera's life for a short time but as she vanished around a corner and as the shuttle landing ramp descended, Hera's chest felt slightly hollow. Her spot was quickly taken by Cham, and Hera turned back to face the approaching stormtroopers, only marginally more pallid then Fen's high cheekbones. Between the armored men walked a plain main in a drab olive uniform, the source of their trouble. Dray. Some of her anger must have shown on her face. Cham gripped her shoulder suddenly, so tight she could feel the bruises forming beneath his fingers. Hera plastered a smile on her face instead of the snarl she felt.
"Welcome," Cham gave a short bow, "It is a pleasure to welcome you all into my humble home. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
The colonel stopped in front of Hera and Cham, gaze sweeping the line of twi'leks who were ostensibly dressed as servants. His eyes raked her up and down a few times, she resisted the urge to shudder. "I am colonel Dray. We are here to conduct a search of this area for suspected rebels. An insurgent vessel was seen near this area last night." Hera's heart sunk. This was her fault. "If you have any information about such activities in this area, I recommend you speak up now." He was only a few inches taller than Hera, but he looked down at her as though he were a giant and she just an ant.
"I am sorry, but we cannot help you, we haven't seen anything, have we, daughter?" He put his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close as she shook her head. The colonel almost rolled his eyes.
"We will be inspecting your … home," He paused, staring up at the tower of rock and sand above him out of which the former governor's palace, her home, had been carved from. "To ensure that it has not been compromised by insurgents." Dray finished.
"Of course." Cham stepped aside, gesturing the troopers into the building.
Hera felt her chest ready to explode as she followed the imperials through the house, adrenaline coursing through her, ready for her to run at any moment.
"You have a lot of ships for just the two of you." Dray commented in the hanger bay, they hadn't managed to get any of the ships out with the empire so close, but they did now mostly look as though they were cargo ships in a state of semi-repair.
"My daughter," Cham threw his arm around her again. "She loves to repair ships." Dray didn't look like he believed him, even though in this instance, it was the truth.
The colonel himself didn't manage to find anything, or piece together enough facts to accuse them on the spot. It didn't matter. They were almost at the end of the tour when a trooper ran up. "Sir! Sir!"
"Yes?" The eagerness with which the colonel answered was not promising.
"We found some rebels in the basement."
"Rebels?" Cham managed to respond, even before Dray opened his mouth. "Those are not rebels. Those are the rest of my servants." The calm derision with which he spoke made Hera proud of him, for an instant. "I thought it best to keep most of them out of your way while you performed your inspection."
"How… thoughtful of you." Dray did roll his eyes this time. "Bring them up, will you?" The stormtrooper saluted and headed back the way he had come.
The twi'leks managed to look appropriately confused and a little afraid as they were brought up the stairs and into the main foyer of the house. A couple of dozen in all, their outfits were all casual enough to make it plausible they were servants. The main issue was when it came to Fen. Just as Hera had feared, she stood out like a togruta in a snowstorm. Her face was stoic enough, and nothing about her bearing immediately screamed as though she were out of place. Despite Fen's facade of calm, Hera fancied that she knew her well enough to see the fear beneath the mask.
"Who are you?" Dray made a beeline for Fen. Hera didn't have to look for her father to feel the thundering rage he was emitting. Much like this whole debacle, the presence of Fen was on Hera's shoulders alone.
"My name's Fen." She was smart enough to to even try and look at Hera, but instead held eye contact with Dray. "I work here."
"Really?" His tone could not have been more different, gone was conescention, in its place, concern. Fen nodded, still toying with her sleeve. Hera restrained herself from leaping in between the two of them, to protect Fen. "Are they forcing you to work here against your will?"
Hera was ready to kill Dray.
"Of course not." Fen spat, looking offended as the suggestion. The colonel paused for a long moment, rubbing his chin and scanning the group of assembled twi'leks.
"Very well." His eyes fixed on Hera's. Something terrible was about to happen. "You and Fen will come with me." Cham's hand gripped her arm like a vice.
"You will not be taking my daughter anywhere."
"That is not up to you." Dray gestured and the stormtroopers pulled Hera from her father. She had never wanted to leave him less. She managed a glance over her shoulder at Fen, who had gone white as she was gently removed from the line and towards Hera. The last thing she saw before being pushed onto the shuttle was her father's shocked face.
There were too many of them. Her eyes flicked between the ten troopers that sat on either side her her and Hera. In the cockpit she could see the pilot and the colonel, to take them all out, before anyone could shoot her or Hera, was going to be impossible. If she took the risk and failed, her mind shied away from thoughts of Hera's broken body. No, she would have to wait it out.
As soon as she had decided upon inaction, it became that much harder to control the raging Force that was swirling inside her like a maelstrom. She wanted to let it out, to relieve the pressure like a dam cracking. Instead, Fen closed her eyes and tried to focus on breathing as the shuttle rocked its way up through the atmosphere. How many times had she ridden a gunship like this, troopers in white armor all around her, trying to control the fear of another day at war, another field of death and destruction? Fen had done it before. She could do it again. It may not be a warzone where she was going, but there would be a battle, another battle for her life.
Through the haze of her own anger and fear, she could sense Hera, terror as sharp and bright as a knife. Opening her eyes, the world of the Force and the world of her senses merged, and she locked eyes with Hera, directly across from her. They both held that gaze as though to break it would be death. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see a sliver of space through a viewport and the bright green moon drawing ever closer, until it filled her view. Focusing back on Hera, Fen tried to swallow, to force her fear back deep down inside, but her heart was pounding her throat and it was all she could do not to scream. She may not be in as bad of a position as Hera, but just because she wasn't manacled did not mean she was free.
I can't do this again. If she could not be free, she would die. This time, she would end her life rather than submit, if it came to that.
The shuttle came to a rest, shuddering as it hit the ground, her body tensed as the door hissed open and she blinked in the sun, letting a stormtrooper lead her by the arm. As she stepped into the sun, she couldn't help but pause, head tilted up to bask in the warmth of the tropical sun. Her mood lifted slightly despite herself. A heartbeat later, she was being lead along again, lead to a sumptuous building, glittering with transparisteel. She twisted her head back to see Hera, being dragged along by handcuffs and anger nearly consumed her. But the same problems still remained, if not worse, as she noted the stormtroopers on either side of the door.
The building was beautiful, full of dappled green light, streaming in through the forest canopy and the large windows. Their steps were soon padded with thick carpet and the soft aroma of flowers suffused the air. All of this beauty withered to ash in Fen's mouth as she saw the slaves. All twi'lek whose skin matched Hera's to within a few shades. Once they were done with whatever they had planned for Hera, Fen could guess her intended fate. The long hall concluded with an office containing a single human woman. Here, Dray paused and Fen detected a brief whiff of fear, quickly disguised under smugness and bravado.
"M'am," the woman turned around slowly, and tried to fix Dray with a bleary stare. Fen had seen enough spice addicts to know what she was looking at "I have brought you the daughter of the rebel Cham Syndulla and a human prisoner they were holding."
The Moff only had eyes for Hera. Steps a little wobbly, she advanced, grabbing Hera's face, twisting it this way and that, eyes narrowed with an undue effort at concentration. "Beautiful." She pronounced, stepping back slightly. Fen's skin crawled, a furious beat inside her chest ready to strangle that woman. But there were still too many troopers.
Then the woman's hazy eyes turned to Fen who took a step backwards into a stormtrooper. "It's alright." Dray spoke, looking down at her with something like concern in his eyes. "We're here to help you, you're safe now."
"What are you called?" The moff asked, her eyes had an eerie intensity, though the rest of her expression was vague.
"Fenrian Thenaxia." Her whole name sounded odd on her tongue, underused, half-forgotten.
"Fenrian." The moff stepped closer, Fen could see the veins in her eyes. There was a long pause, Fen didn't breath, every inch of hair on edge. Then she stepped back. "Find her a guest suite. Prepare the daughter for interrogation." Fen was frozen as Hera was pulled away, she could do little but watch her go, panic rising like a tide in her. Tears were rising in her eyes but she didn't dare let them fall or it could be her being interrogated next.
"Dray." The moff's voice had changed, grown sharper, more focused. The colonel snapped to attention growing paler. "You've taken an awful risk in bringing her here. The twi'leks are all on the verge of rebellion. If she doesn't confess…" Dray was as pallid as a ghost, a bead of sweat forming on his forehead. Fen reveled in his misery.
"She will confess m'am."
The moff dismissed him with a wave of her hand, collapsing back into her seat with a heavy sigh. "Bring me my wine-girl!" She shouted at yet another pale green ghost. "And you." She pointed at Fen, hand trembling ever so slightly. "You will join me for dinner." Fen nodded, pulse racing, ready to run from this place.
Instead, she followed another slave down the hall. It was a strange sensation, to be on the other side of this same equation. But of course, she could not help but to see these women, to feel their suffering, unlike the moff getting drunk in her office. She didn't need the Force to know their pain, the resignation, the quiet despair that permeated this building. It was all she could do not to fall into the sinkhole of her own memories of this place.
"Dinner will be in an hour." The slave gestured her into her room. "The moff has prepared an outfit for you." On the bed, something glittered. "Is there anything else you need my lady?" The slave kept her eyes on the ground.
"Just call me Fen," She didn't know what to do. "Just…" Just go kill your master, rip her limb from limb and burn this place down. There was anger buried deep inside this woman and Fen ached to help her release it, to release her own frustration on this building, that woman. All this and more she wanted to say. "I'm fine for now." The words slipped out off her tongue, leaving the bitter taste of cowardice in her mouth.
The dress laying on the bed was a deep green concoction. She had worn dancing outfits made of more fabric. She could barely make herself touch it, let alone put it on. Which was good, because she didn't intend to be here long enough for someone to force her into it. She was about to go for the door when someone knocked softly. "Yes?"
"I have a droid that claims to belong to you." Another slave stepped aside, allowing the squat form of Chopper through the door. She left without another word.
"Chopper!" Fen dropped to the floor and clung to the droid, her wisps of plans seemed more feasible now. "Did you sneak aboard the shuttle? Never mind that, Hera's been captured and taken for interrogation. They think that I was her prisoner and that they've se me free." Chopped scoffed and Fen had to smile.
"If you said what I think you said, I agree. Let's go get Hera."
Chopper had a map constructed from the central computer in a matter of minutes. The hallways were nearly deserted, and for those that weren't, all it took was a little false confidence to avoid immediate detection. The entrance to the prison block was only slightly more problematic. Two stormtroopers stood on either side of the door, but she knew it before she had come into view. A few days ago, that would have been enough to stop her. Now, now it took only an instant to draw on the Force. The rage and fear inside of her begging for release. She let the emotions fill her until she was burning like a sun.
The men died without a sound and she managed to lower the bodies quietly to the floor while Chopper jammed the security cameras. Hera's cell was easy to spot, with two more troopers that died as quickly as their brethren. When the door hissed open, Hera was not alone, a few other twi'leks cowered in the shadows, but Hera stood in the middle, a smile across her face.
"I knew you'd come." Fen smiled, delight and fear struggling uncomfortably in her heart.
"Let's get out of here!" Adrenaline was awash through her veins, ready to grab Hera's hand and run like her life depended on it.
Hera shook her head, sending ice water through Fen's veins. "No."