Riksha was pretty sure the Force was laughing at her right now. That is, if the Force could laugh.
She had risked sneaking through the vents, breaking into the trophy room, "stealing" her lightsaber, and had endured a whipping worse than she'd had in a while in hopes that this lightsaber would trigger her memory and let her see what happened on that fateful day two years ago.
But instead, those memories felt harder to reach than ever.
Riksha didn't think it was possible that she had actually had those memories completely erased from her mind. No, she could clearly tell they were there. It was as though they were secured in a safe, and no matter how hard she tried, Riksha couldn't figure out the combination on the lock. In fact, she couldn't even touch the lock to try.
Every time she tried to grasp the memories, they danced just out of reach, and the Force laughed gleefully.
Riksha mused that it was not unlike the way a group of schoolchildren cluster together, forming a little circle and giggling about some fabulous secret they all know. They glance over their shoulders every now and then, their mirthful smiles widening mischievously as they spare a look at those children not in the circle, the ones who do not know the secret. The ones who find the insane giggling insanely irritating.
Then there was that chant, that Force-forsaken chant.
"I know something you don't know, I know something you don't know!"
It was enough to drive any left out schoolchild crazy.
Riksha reached out again, and the Force simply laughed.
Yes, it is very much like a group of school children indeed. And, like that excluded and increasingly exasperated child, Riksha was growing very frustrated. Very, very frustrated.
Patience, young one. The voice was calm and wise, with a hint of amusement. Riksha half expected to open her eyes and turn her head, to find Qyu-Lyen standing there with a calloused hand placed gently on her shoulder. Or see him sitting cross-legged in front of her, the perfect image of a meditating Jedi. But of course, there was no Jedi sitting in front of her. Only the Force speaking, or old lessons repeating themselves in her mind. Somehow, the words still had their soothing affect, as if they had been spoken directly by her former Master. She took a series of deep breaths, releasing her frustration into the Force. It was swept away nearly as easily as a feather on the wind.
Feeling a bit calmer, and accepting the fact that she would accomplish nothing more at this time in her quest for knowledge, Riksha slipped into a healing trance.
The Queen mulled over her little plan. It was not complete, that was for sure, and not terribly sinister either. It was just enough, like an afternoon snack is just enough to hold back a person's hunger until the final meal of the day. This plan alone may or may not keep her most prized possession from attempting to become a free person. That all depended on the determination of said slave.
Originally, she had planned to use the Togruta child, Taylor, to keep Riley in check by appealing to the latter's Jedi morals. If the Togruta was to be hurt as a result of any sign of defiance, Riley would surely not try to pull off another stunt like the one she had last night. Or was it early this morning? Hmm, the guard had not mentioned exactly what time Riley had attempted to steal the lightsaber. But that was of little relevance or importance.
Now, the Queen contemplated that perhaps that was too harsh of a move. Yes, taking things slow would be better, test just how far the slave had strayed from her loyalties. If it was just a little bubble of defiance, a tiny spark of hope or longing for freedom, than that could easily be squashed by this simpler and much less costly move. If she could avoid it, the Queen would rather have all her slaves working than have to take one out of service to use as motivation. That was in no way off the table though- no, to keep Riley in check, the Queen was prepared to sacrifice the well being of a less important individual. Slaves were easy to replace, especially since the big auction was going on right now. But a Force-sensitive slave was nearly impossible to come by, and the Queen did not plan on loosing her.
One of the guards had asked why the Queen did not simply put a Force-inhibitor on the slave. After making him feel like he had no more brains than a bantha, she had proceeded to explain that with a Force-inhibitor, Riley was no different than any other slave. In fact, from her knowledge about Jedi, the Queen reckoned that the young woman would be less efficient without the use of the Force. But this proposition had set some wheels turning, and another idea had formed in the Queen's ever scheming brain.
A Force-inhibitor was impractical, for everyday use anyway. But as a form of punishment... Now that could prove useful. In more ways than one. Not a collar... But perhaps a chamber... A Force-inhibiting cell of sorts could be used as a punishment for Riley, if needed, and it could be used to hold a Jedi should any foolishly venture onto this planet again. Why hadn't she though of this sooner? It was a win-win for everyone. By everyone, the Queen meant herself, and anyone on her side, since this was obviously a lose-lose for anyone who ended up imprisoned in the cell. Duh.
As her thoughts ventured over this idea, yet another solution took shape in her mind. The chamber was a sort of preparation, something that was going to be built for use not immediately, but in the near future. So, going back to the original plan of using the Togruta child as motivation, the Queen decided that she could do a bit of prep work there as well. Even if her current plan worked, this third idea could come in handy in the future, just like the Force-inhibiting cell.
A shock collar? No. Something more subtle. Something that not even the Togruta herself would realize. Something that Riley couldn't tamper with. How about... A chip? A chip that would emit a painful shock, at the press of a button. Hmm, yes, that could work. It would be easy to put one in the Togruta.
The Queen certainly had a lot to do. Chip the Togruta (and maybe a couple of others), get a Force-inhibiting cell constructed (the only obstacle now was finding someone with the technology to construct such a chamber. Time to call upon her Separatist allies, who would surely have someone who would be able to do what the Queen wanted), and implement the afternoon snack of motivation.
Yes, there was definitely much to be done.
The Queen was up to something.
Anakin had only known the Queen for a couple of short days, but he could tell. It radiated through the Force, whispering half-warnings and cautions. Though the Force around the Queen was always polluted with some degree of ill intent, and she always seemed far too arrogant and pleased with herself for his taste, her Force-presence felt even more confident and conniving than usual. If that was even possible.
At lunch, when Riksha had brought out a platter of food, the Queen had watched the former Jedi with a calculating gaze, as if measuring something about the young woman. Then, such a smug expression flitted across the Queen's face that Anakin had paused with a fork halfway to his mouth to stare at her. In that quick moment, the Force around the Queen had churned mysteriously, making Anakin both want to stretch out his senses to investigate and distance himself as much as possible from the humanoid. Then, she had muttered something nearly inaudible, but the Knight managed to pick out a few bits. "...work nicely...nent soluti...may need...ontact...r late meal." Before he even got the chance to enhance his hearing via the Force, the Queen had noticed him watching, and quickly smiled and struck up a conversation.
Needless to say, Anakin resolved to watch the Queen even more closely than he had originally intended.
"Are you afraid of needles?"
"Pardon?"
"Are you afraid of needles."
Riksha was puzzled by this question, but answered anyway. "No, your Majesty."
The Queen simply nodded in an uninterested way, as if the answer to the question didn't matter to her at all. Riksha walked along behind the woman, wondering where exactly they were going. About half an hour after noon meal, the Queen had summoned Riksha without stating why. Then, she had instructed the slave to follow her, with no explanation. Now, it appeared that she was leading Riksha towards the medical ward, and the Queen was asking her whether she was afraid of needles. Still no reasoning behind all this, and Riksha was growing rather uneasy. The Force around the Queen betrayed the woman's feelings, showing she currently felt anticipatory, pleased, and contemplative. The former Jedi had already known something was up, as she had detected the differences in the Force at noon meal. Riksha was pretty sure Anakin had noticed as well, considering the way he had suspiciously stared at the tall green ruler.
Riksha had the unsettling feeling that she was about to find out what the Queen had been plotting.
Sure enough, the pair soon reached the med wing. Yet even as they entered a room, the Queen did not explain anything. In fact, she dropped Riksha off, turned with a regal swoosh of her skirt, and left.
"I hope you're not afraid of needles," stated the being in the room, "not that it matters. Queen's orders and all. Well, lucky for you, this should be relatively quick. Just a small tattoo, of the Queen's seal."
Riksha's eyes narrowed slightly. A tattoo. They weren't uncommon, considering some species covered themselves with tattoos, but it wasn't the fact that she was going to get a tattoo that bothered her.
It was what that tattoo represented, and the clear unspoken warning from the Queen.
By late meal, Anakin had begun to grow rather worried.
He had sought out Riksha shortly after noon meal, but couldn't seem to find her. Considering the fact that he had the Force as his ally, the fact that the former Jedi had managed to avoid him meant that she wasn't just busy. The only possible explaination was that she had purposely been avoiding him, and shielding her Force presence so that he couldn't find her.
That was not a good sign. Why would she possibly want to make sure he couldn't find her?
Well, she couldn't avoid contact for any longer.
Sure enough, Riksha appeared from the kitchen, entering the dining hall with plates of food floating around her. Her presence was still oddly shielded, and though he could now sense her presence, Anakin found he could not pick up on any of her emotions. Not only that, but as she served him and the Queen, Riksha made sure always to approach him in such a way that her left side was not fully visible. A regular person might not pick up on the subtle behavioral difference, but any Jedi would.
And Anakin did. He gave Riksha a questioning look, but she either didn't see it or pretended not to. Then, she disappeared back into the kitchen, after the Queen dismissed her for the night.
After he had finished eating and a slave had cleared his place, Anakin excused himself from the table, and made a beeline for the place he figured Riksha would be.
The tower.
Sure enough, Anakin found Riksha sitting in the middle of the space on top of the tower, meditating. She looked quite serene sitting there, cross-legged with her upturned hands resting gently on her knees, eyes closed, breathing measured and controlled. The perfect image of a meditating Jedi.
Anakin watched for a moment, then took a few quick strides towards the center of the roof. Now only a pace away from the former Jedi, Anakin settled into a meditative position himself. He crossed his legs, upturned his hands and rested them on his knees, and finally closed his eyes. He took steady, slow breaths, sinking into a meditative trance as he found his center.
For a while, the two of them just sat there facing each other, meditating.
It was Riksha who broke the silence first. "Something on your mind, Skywalker?"
Anakin opened his eyes, though upon doing so he noticed Riksha had not yet opened hers. "Yes, actually." When Riksha made no further comment, he elaborated. "It appears to me that you avoided me all day. The only time I saw you after first meal was at late meal, and even then you were heavily shielding. What's going on?"
"Nothing's going on. I was busy, that's all." Her voice was calm, but it seemed to Anakin that it was the sort of measured calm Obi-Wan used when he hadn't wanted his young Padawan to worry about something.
"Nothing? I don't believe you."
Riksha opened her eyes to meet Anakin's gaze. She shrugged, and tilted her head ever so slightly to the left, casting a slight shadow over her neck.
Naturally, Anakin looked exactly where it appeared Riksha was trying to hide something. His eyes narrowed. Was that a...? "Turn your head to the right," Anakin said.
"Excuse me?"
"I said, turn your head to the right."
Riksha crossed her arms. "I hardly think I need to take orders from you." Her voice sounded calm, a hint of defiance lacing her tone, and her stubborn gaze would have caused any average person to drop the subject.
Luckily (or perhaps not) Anakin was no average person. He met her stubbornness with his own, and a staring contest ensued. Said contest lasted about ten minutes, neither competitor budging. It was Riksha who glanced away first, turning her head fully to the right with a soft, slightly despondent sigh. He's bound to find out sometime. Might as well be now. The waning light illuminated the symbol, black marks appearing harshly dark against her soft sun-tanned skin.
One of the clay pots idly squatting on the roof shattered.
I'm not dead! Nope, very much alive here.
However, I would like to apologize for my prolonged absence. I never planned to go so long without updating, it just sort of happened. Life got in the way, I got busy, and my muse acted much like Riksha's memories. I considered at one point just posting the half a chapter I had written already way back in June, but decided I wanted to give my loyal readers a full, albeit short, chapter. This chapter was mostly thoughts, I know, but hey, you have a chapter to read at least. The action will also be picking up soon, if my muse decides to stick around long enough for me to write some more. I can't say when the next chapter will be up, and I can't guarantee 3,000+ word chapters, but I'll always be back at some point.
To those of you who don't already, I recommend reading over my profile every now and then, especially if I disappear for a while. I will likely post updates on my status there, and let you know if I am going to be on hiatus for a bit.
Please review. I begin to wonder if anyone actually cares about this story when nobody reviews, and if none of you are interested, than I will simply abandon this story. Why post it if nobody is interested in reading it?