Kind of a short one to wrap up the arc.
Read and review.
Kyra silently stared up at the Bantha. Once Lexi had brought it back and landed it here, it had not been moved since then. The Bantha was completely untouched by all who lived in and around the Dropstorm, herself included, and nature had seen fit to begin reclaiming the ship. Small patches of green occasionally marked the formerly clean hull, and the beginnings of entangling shrubbery coiled themselves around the landing gear.
She could not begin to fathom why Lexi wanted to take this ugly hulk into their possession. Beyond the fact that neither of them had any positive memories on board, there would always be that voice in the back of their minds telling them that this was a slave ship, and for her, that was reason enough to scrap the whole thing and get rid of it.
Yet, something about the ship stayed her wrath. In the weeks since the Bantha's arrival, she had constantly deliberated over what to do about it, and hadn't even as much as boarded it.
Something needed to be done.
Kyra bit her lip and headed up the boarding ramp. Before she even cycled the airlock, a looming sense of familiar dread hung over her. It was as if the Bantha remembered her, and was welcoming her back to its dark halls.
The Bantha gave her no issue and allowed Kyra passage to the interior, and the feeling of dread only grew. She briefly contemplated heading to the bridge, but instead, her attention turned to where the slave hold used to be.
As she moved towards her destination, Kyra noted that the interior had been redone, back to the original CEC fittings and away from the ramshackle, scrawled over fittings that Lostur had. It was all a facade, though; anyone even remotely attuned to the Force would know just what kind of horrors went on behind the bulkheads.
Kyra brushed her hand against the wall while she sent the hoverchair down the corridor, and she could hear some distant, ephemeral voices, though they were too muffled to hear anything distinctive aside from the occasional laugh or maybe the tink of drink glasses being toasted.
As Kyra approached the former slave holds, her sense of dread only grew. The locus of all of the suffering on the Bantha was in that room, just past the doors in front of her. A lump developed in her throat, and she swallowed, before opening the door to the hold.
It may have been bare, devoid of the cages and implements used on her, Lexi, and an incalculable number of slaves, but the sensations she had been feeling on board were amplified a thousandfold in the hold. She headed down the catwalk stairs, hand on the railing, and it was as if every surface in the hold had been marred by the sin of Lostur and his crew. Beatings, lashings, outright executions, crimes far too gruesome for her to even think about; every little detail had been marked in the hold and laid bare for her to see.
Kyra moved to the center of the room and set the hoverchair down. Then, she tuned herself out, focusing only on what the Force showed her.
Hundreds of envious eyes stared down at her from beyond the veil, feelings of anguish and hatred pouring from whatever little of them can still manifest. Phantom appendages clawed and grasped at her body, though she paid them no mind as she focused on the echoes from the Force.
Come. Unleash yourselves upon me so that I may give you release.
In an instant, the feelings of anger, remorse, and loss intensified, focused almost entirely on Kyra. It was as if, in lieu of Lostur, they were taking out their frustrations on her. In spite of the torrent of hostility, however, Kyra remained steadfast and calm. Compared to what she had felt from Dantinian, this was but a drop in the bucket. As the onslaught continued, Kyra could feel the echoes disappearing,
When the room calmed down, Kyra opened her eyes, taking in the sight of those few phantoms that remained. Go. Never again will this ship be used for what it was in your lives.
Then, just as quickly as they appeared to her, the phantoms disappeared with a nod, taking with them the terrible dread she had felt in the hold, leaving only her own memories of what happened there. Kyra turned the hoverchair back on, but remained in the hold, contemplating the purge of what had been hanging over her head.
Maybe this thing deserves a second chance, after all.
A sudden message on her commlink drew her attention away, and Kyra glanced at it to read. Her breath hitched, and she quickly sped off back to the Dropstorm.
...It's dark.
...Why?
...She should have been here by now.
...Is she late?
…
...I can't hear anything, either.
...Something just brushed against me. Who-
Oh. It's her.
…
…
...Is that… light? It's faint. Is she doing something?
Slowly, the familiar sound of the heart monitor beeping away faded in. "...Nax, are you awake?" Kyra asked softly, running her hand through his hair. He nodded in response, and Kyra stopped. "Good, um… I came as fast as I could when they told me the operation was done."
Operation? What operation?
Kyra moved her hands to the side of Nax's face, sliding her fingers under the wrap that covered Nax's eyes. It had been there so long that he almost forgot it was even on in the first place. Then, Kyra slowly lifted it off, and Nax realized the light from earlier wasn't some trick.
He could see again.
While his eyes adjusted to the bright light of the room, Kyra slowly came into focus, peering down at him with a smile on her face, while tears of joy began to well up in her eyes. Shocked, Nax put his hand on her cheek, and Kyra put hers over his. "...You have no idea how much I missed seeing those eyes." she dreamily said. "Not just your eyes – hearing your voice, too."
My voice?
Kyra read the confusion on Nax's face, and quickly realized that the medical droids told him nothing. "...They fixed your voice, Nax. You can speak again, so… let me hear you, Nax. Please."
Nax's eyes went wide, and he sat up, motioning for Kyra to come closer to him. She did as was asked, and Nax turned her head to the side, leaning in close to her ear. "...I… love… you..." he whispered, straining to say every word through his gravelly voice. As much as it caused him pain to even speak since his vocal chords were still healing, Kyra needed to hear that.
She turned back to look at him, tears streaming down her face. "...I love you too, Nax." she said, before she pressed her lips into his for a brief, fleeting moment. "Always and forever." she continued, before going in for seconds, thirds, and more. She pulled herself off of the hoverchair and crawled onto Nax's bed to lay with him in an embrace.
Now that Nax could take stock of himself, he properly realized the state of his body, and looked at his thin arms with disappointment. Kyra gently traced his jaw with her finger, turning his attention back to her. "I know, Nax. At least you're gaining weight – it was a lot worse when we just got you back."
Kyra gently squeezed his upper arm, feeling more bone than muscle. "These'll be back, too."
There seemed to be something eating away at Nax's mind, and every now and then he would look around the room for something – or someone. "...Where's… Lexi…?" Nax asked weakly. "...Shouldn't… she… see…?"
Kyra placed her hand on Nax's neck and let the Force flow through her to hopefully mend him faster. "She-" Kyra started, before pausing entirely in realization. She hadn't told Nax what had happened, nor did anybody else. "...The gravity well generator went down not long after I got you back, so some people were sent out. Lexi, uh, snuck out with them." she revealed, and Nax merely snickered. "She went to Tatooine, stole the Bantha, and then came back. She's sitting in the brig right now since Blackwall figured out what happened."
Nax's amusement turned to what could almost be described as amused disbelief. "She did… what…?" he said, his voice immediately improving. Nax tried not to laugh too much, and instead just shook his head. "What do you… want to do with it?"
A small smile found its way onto Kyra's face just from the small improvement she had made. "I was going to destroy it, actually. Bury the past and move on, you know? But..."
"...But?"
"...I'm thinking of keeping it. For us, I mean. Get Foreman to retrofit it with a hangar in the back for the Knight, a new coat of paint, get some droids to crew it..." she trailed, getting closer to Nax. "Haven't decided yet – was going to ask what you thought later down the line, but seeing as how it came up..."
Nax pulled Kyra into an embrace. "...I'll… think about it..." he said as Kyra settled in, and the pair slowly fell asleep together.
"Hey, Lexi." Kyra said as she quickly entered the cell with Nax.
Lexi lazily rolled over, expecting to see only Kyra, but she quickly darted up from where she was laying. "Nax!" she shouted, running up to the ray shield to see him. "I- you- we-" she stammered, trying to find the words. "Nobody thought you would-" she started, finally having found her footing, only to stop dead. "Your eyes. Stars alive, your eyes! They're back! I-"
Nax allowed himself a small smile as he interrupted her. "My voice, too." he said, his voice hoarse, barely above a whisper.
Lexi's mouth hung open slightly, and she kept glancing between Nax and Lyra in shock. Then, she shifted a step to her left, undid a panel that only she could see, and connected the link in her wrist. Her eyes lit up for a moment, and the ray shield quickly dropped, allowing Lexi to step out and effectively throw herself at him, pulling him into a hug. "...You laserbrain..." she sniffled, grateful that he was okay.
Initially taken by surprise, Nax let it go and pulled Lexi closer. "...That's one way of saying 'I missed you,' Lexi." he dryly joked.
"I know, I know. It's just-" Lexi muttered, her voice growing weaker, and she looked up at Nax, tears filling her eyes. "You shouldn't have had to go through what you did, Nax..."
Nax shook his head. "...No. Nobody should." he somberly replied. "...But, I've had a lot of time to think about things, and reassess myself." he revealed, letting Lexi go and looking down at her, then to Kyra. "Without either of you, I think I would have given up and died."
Kyra was taken aback momentarily, but she quickly realized what he was getting at, and chose to let him continue. Lexi, however…
"...You? Give up?"
"...Hard as it is to believe. I was at the end of my rope once Dantinian took my eyes and voice. Thought there wasn't going to be a way out other than me dying up there." he recanted, before nodding to Kyra. "Then, well, you reached out to me. Told me you were coming. Lexi showing up helped, too. It..."
Nax's breath hitched, and there was a long, almost uncomfortable pause as he tried to figure out how to word it.
"...It gave me the strength to keep going. Didn't want to die, not when I knew you two were still fighting to get me back." he finally said, letting the slightest hint of confidence out. "So, Lexi, to answer the question you asked when we were chained up; no. I'm going to keep moving forward, no matter what happens. If I just gave up, what would be the point of everything I've been through? Cobro, Thel, Val – all of them?"
"Nax..." Kyra softly trailed as she approached Nax, caressing the side of his face.
Nax pulled her in tight, bumping heads with her. "Even when you had me back, Kyra, you didn't stop. You stayed by my side from the moment you woke up. I owe so much to you, I..."
"...Hey, do me a favor?" Kyra suddenly asked, sounding particularly sweet. Then, before Nax could respond, she stole a kiss from him, holding it for as long as she could. When it finally broke, she gave him a smirk. "Shut up. I know."
Lexi remained silent in front of the display, and slowly pulled away. "So, lovebirds," she started, causing the couple to look at her. "...when are you giving the Morynes some grandkids?"
"Dunno, when are you going to join us for the night?" Kyra abruptly – and confidently – asked. Nax's eyes went wide, and he tried his best to stifle a laugh, and would have doubled over without Kyra's support. Lexi, however, was reduced to a sputtering wreck. "What, you can dish it out to me, but when I do it to you, you can't take it?" Kyra continued to tease.
"No, no, I, uh, it's just..." Lexi stammered, her cheeks blushing as she tried to explain herself, averting her gaze. "...I'm happy for you two. Really. I don't want to, uh… impose on you..."
Kyra suppressed a snicker, and laid her hand on Lexi's shoulder, shaking her a little. "Relax, I wasn't serious – just wanted to rile you up." she said, before giving Lexi an appreciative hug, and that caused her to relax a little. "...When are you out of the brig?" she asked, before glancing at the deactivated ray shield. "Officially, I mean."
Lexi shrugged. "Should be before Life Day, so… give it a few months?"
"That long?"
"I did go against direct orders and exposed one of our major advantages, and stole a ship. I'd say a few months in the brig is getting off lucky, compared to being put against the firing line." Lexi grimly commented.
"...Well, when you put it like that, yeah."
The conversation quickly came to a halt once they heard armored footfalls out in the hallway. Lexi ducked back behind the ray shield, reconnected, and turned it back on, making it appear as if nothing had even happened. Sure enough, a guard poked his head into the cell and looked around, before landing on Nax and Kyra. "Time's up, you two."
Kyra frowned at the guard. "Five more minutes?"
The guard simply shook his head and gestured behind himself with his thumb. "No. Out."
The pair turned back to Lexi, disappointed by the answer, but nonetheless accepting that their time today was up. "...So, same time tomorrow?" Kyra asked, sounding particularly hopeful.
Lexi smirked and leaned back onto her cot. "Dunno, don't think I have a choice in the matter."
That earned a chuckle from the couple. "See you tomorrow, then."
Sawei stared down at the 'lightsaber' in her hands, turning it over and over, taking in all of its malignant presence. Kyra had taken it from Dantinian after their final duel, as she had the blade, but with the matter of recovery, they were only now getting around to dealing with the matter of the weapons.
Sawei floated the 'lightsaber' out, before meticulously taking it apart with the Force with Kyra looking on. At the center of the hilt was the source of the malignant feeling that permeated the weapon – a blood red kyber crystal, cracked and fractured, barely held together by a surrounding containment field. "...Is that why it was so…?" Kyra trailed, gesturing to the crystal.
"...Unstable? Most likely, yes." Sawei replied, before drawing the crystal between themselves to take a closer look. Sawei reached out and felt the crystal with the Force, only to furrow her brows in discontent. "...Hm..."
"What?" Kyra asked, before reaching out with the Force in an attempt to see what the problem was.
"This crystal… it's natural."
"So? Aren't they all?"
"No." Sawei answered, clearly disturbed. "Red lightsabers are always artificial. The Order had records dating back generations documenting this, and yet..."
"...So, what does that mean? This one was corrupted?"
Sawei breathed deep, still trying to think of a rational explanation. "That's the only thing I can think of right now, yes."
Kyra stroked her chin and floated the assembly out to her. Her thoughts drifted to the empty crystal slot at the bottom of her lightsaber. "...Then, would it be possible to purify it?"
"Possibly." Sawei answered, her expression growing into a frown. "...Though, that would be beyond either of us. Dark side rituals are incredibly complex – we would need multiple Masters to even accomplish a feat like purging the crystal. Even still, the crystal likely wouldn't survive the process – the corruption is probably why it's shattered the way it is."
Kyra mumbled something under her breath, and contemplated physically touching the crystal. To her, it was malignant, but benign. No thought behind it or anything, just a catalyst of dark side energies. Then, in what was perhaps a lapse of her better judgement, Kyra touched the crystal.
Instantly, her thoughts were flooded by the echoes of what had been done to the crystal. Echoes and flashes of rage swarmed her, washed together with feelings of anguish by those killed by the blade. The sensation amplified quickly, and then just as suddenly as it started, it stopped with a blinding white light.
When the light faded, both Dantinian's lightsaber and the blade were gone, reduced to a small pile of metal dust on the floor, crackling with a red energy that eventually faded. Neither one of them offered up any immediate comment, though Kyra looked to Sawei.
She didn't seem angry, or if she was, she wasn't showing it. "Ah. Perhaps..." she trailed, staring down at the pile. "...Perhaps this was for the best."
Kyra gingerly rubbed her hand, surprised that she hadn't been scarred by whatever destroyed both items. "...Maybe so."
Nax sat near the boarding ramp of the Knight,staring out at the shadowy hulk of the Dropstorm against the night sky, occasionally illuminated by fireworks displays. In the settlement below, people could be seen milling about in the Life Day festivities, drinking and dancing to forget their worries. Even the Rakata were joining in despite how foreign Life Day was to them.
The only reason he wasn't down there with the crowd was that he had something else in mind for tonight. He pawed at his pockets for a small box, and stopped as soon as he found it. As if on cue, Kyra suddenly appeared, too fast for him to react, and she pecked him on the cheek.
"Got you." she said in a teasing tone, before setting her backpack down and sitting next to him with a smile.
As soon as she did, Nax pulled her in and stole a kiss back. "No, you didn't." he responded, and Kyra laughed. Then, she leaned against him and watched the display in the sky.
"Hey," Kyra suddenly said, before moving her backpack over and reaching inside, fumbling for something. "I wanted to get you something today. I know we don't exactly have options for anything good since we're out in the middle of nowhere, but, um..." she trailed, before producing a large, unmarked bottle of alcohol and two glasses. "...Lexi suggested I get you this."
Out of curiosity, Nax uncorked the bottle and sniffed it. "...Wine?"
"Yeah, local kind. Doesn't have a name, but she called it 'the most bougie drink ever,' and wouldn't stop raving about it. I thought you might want to share a bottle." she responded, before reaching into her backpack and pulling out two more bottles. "...or three."
"Is that even a question?" Nax said with a snicker, before pouring out the red liquid into the glasses. They both grabbed one, and then toasted. "To us."
"To us."
The couple drank slowly, savoring the taste. "...Huh, for a wine, this is pretty strong stuff. Strong, but sweet." Nax said, gently swirling the glass. "Like Hettyc Baar without the kick."
Kyra nodded. "Lexi said the same thing, yeah."
"Gonna have to thank her, then. It's pretty good."
The couple drank in silence for a while, but soon enough, a conversation picked up. "...It's almost been a year, hasn't it?" Kyra asked, looking up at Nax. "Since we all met, I mean."
Nax paused for a moment, and it quickly dawned on him just how much time had passed. "...Yeah, it has." he answered, sounding particularly melancholic. "Surprised we even made it off that rock."
"...You still miss them, don't you?" Kyra asked, picking up on Nax's tone.
"Not a day goes by that I don't, Kyra. Would I have liked to have them here with us? Yeah." he answered, before snapping out of it. "...But what's done is done. All I can do is keep moving forward – no sense in dwelling on hypotheticals."
"...Yeah. I mean, I've thought about what life would be like if I weren't captured, but..." Kyra trailed as she rested her head on Nax's shoulder and looked up at him. "...then I wouldn't have met you."
Nax looked down at Kyra, surprised. "...You would rather have me than your memories back?"
Kyra nodded, her cheeks slowly growing a rosy red, though whether that was from the wine or not was up for debate. "Is that a problem?"
"No, it's just-" Nax started, cutting himself off as he reached for the box, preparing to pull it out. "A little surprising, is all."
"Is it, though?" Kyra asked, taking his free hand into hers. "I don't think it is. Do you know why?"
"...Why?"
Kyra leaned in closer. "...Because there's not a language in this galaxy that I can use to tell you just how much I love you, Nax. Who I was doesn't matter anymore, Nax. What does matter is who I am now, and I choose you."
With that, she pulled Nax into a kiss, and they fell over backwards onto the soft grass. When it inevitably broke, Nax had his gift in hand. "...Well, Kyra, I got you something, too."
"Oh?" Kyra said as Nax handed her the gift. The box was small, neatly wrapped, and fit in the palm of her hand. She gingerly unwrapped it, revealing a little felt container within. Both of their hearts jumped into their throats as she took the top half off, revealing a small, golden ring inside.
Nax took her hand. "Kyra, will y-"
Kyra's eyes welled up with tears, and she immediately pounced Nax, cutting him off. "Yes, yes, yes! A thousand times, yes!" she cried out as she slipped the ring on her finger. "You didn't even have to ask!"
The couple embraced, and Nax held Kyra tight as she lovingly examined the ring, showering her fiancée in adoration. "...How did you even get this? I thought there weren't any-"
"-Jewelers? I thought so too, but I found one during the morning PT run not long after we started. For the last two months, I've been waiting on that ring to be done." he answered with a smile. "Seeing you like this made that wait worth it."
"...Nax, I-" Kyra stammered, and she sniffled, wiping some tears from her eyes. "...You've made me the happiest woman in the galaxy, I-"
An almost rosy mental haze slowly set in, causing them to stop and stare into each other's eyes. Neither was sure if it was the wine, or just the realization that they no longer had a reason to hold back anymore.
"I-" Kyra stammered, her face flushing red. "-Quarters? Now. Please." she said as she got up and pulled Nax to his feet. Words had almost completely left them, and they began to speak in fragmented sentences.
"Wine?"
"Wine, yes." she replied, and then she grabbed the two remaining bottles. "Go. Now." In her drunken state, she held Nax's hand, dragged him up the boarding ramp to the Knight, and hauled him into the crew quarters, throwing off any article of clothing they could on their way there. Then, just for good measure, she locked the door behind them for the rest of the night.
When Lexi returned in the early hours of the morning, she immediately picked up on what was going on – the trail of discarded clothes in the corridor was one hint, and the involuntary blush when she sensed Nax and Kyra was the other. Then, she smiled a little, happy that the couple had finally committed to each other.
That's all for this chapter. Sorry if it's a clusterfuck since it skips forward months at a time up to Life Day. I needed to do something to get Nax back into the story as a character – I was originally going to have him voluntarily remain silent even after getting his voice back, but then I thought some more about it and decided that, no, Kyra should get to hear his voice finally.
Anyways, Pulsar Company is going to go on break for a few months. I have some other writing obligations to catch up on, and I need to properly storyboard and plan out Alderaan to avoid the two-year long disaster this story arc was. Also, gotta finish the Tatooine rewrite so I can sync the release up to the first Alderaan chapter.
When it comes back in a few months, the timeline will have formally moved into 2 BBY.
Cheers, and see you then.
-Pygmalion
