Trigger warning: Themes of violence and abuse.
The world felt dark now.
Distant voices echoing through Lysa's consciousness.
Where was she?
What was going on?
Lysa let out a soft groan, feeling and hearing the hum of a ship's engine somewhere nearby.
Her head throbbed, as she blinked her eyes open, seeing only the cold and dark floor she was obviously lying on, come swimming into focus.
Wait…what was she doing on the floor? And why was it now moving beneath her? Far below she could hear the vibrations of a whirring engine.
A searing pain shot through her head as she tried to recollect what had happened. Grimacing against it, Lysa tried to move her aching body. But as she did so she heard a voice from somewhere above.
She gazed around, blinking a few times, finding that she was lying inside a very small cargo hold in the rear of a ship she had never seen before.
Turning her head, she frowned hard as a figure slowly strolled into focus.
"Wakey, wakey," came the voice again. A voice Lysa was only used to hearing these past few weeks in her nightmares. "Rise and shine."
And suddenly, the events of the past few hours came flooding instantly back to her, her mind clearing.
The wire…her speeder crashing…and the voice of-
"No…" she managed to murmur out in utter anguish as she realised just who was stood above her.
After so much suffering, all she wanted was for it all to be over, and yet here he was again. Causing her more utter pain. As though the abuse was an addiction to him.
And Lysa could only flick her green, tearful eyes up towards him now…
…her gaze meeting with that of Crix Val'shif.
"You miss me?" he uttered in a simpering tone, giving a shallow laugh.
And Lysa watched with wide eyes, as he leaned over her…
….his fingers clenching suddenly around her throat.
Lysa gave a pained whimper as he dragged her to her feet, his fingers digging into her skin.
When she got to standing she looked directly into the eyes of the man stood before her. The man she had once convinced herself she loved and who loved her back.
Crix's face was still as long and tanned as ever, his salt and pepper hair slicked back, with his teeth bared menacingly as he stared at her with cold grey eyes.
"Look at you, still as pathetic as the day I met you," he said in a foul mocking tone, a fleck of spittle landing on her cheek as he spoke. "Last time I saw you you were more than happy to put a blaster hole through me."
And with that, he pointed to his shoulder which was covered with a black leather strap.
"So I thought we could get all the- y'know -formalities out of the way early…and I could return the favour…"
And with that, before Lysa could do anything to stop him, she felt the hard and cold barrel of his blaster suddenly press against her shoulder at close range. Followed by a deafening shot.
A searing pain jolted Lysa backwards a step or two. Her eyes widening as she let out a scream of pure agony.
She clutched instantly at her shoulder with a shaking right hand, to find it covered in blood. Her pale blue long tunic dress now stained ruby red.
Hardly able to keep herself upright, Lysa felt the press of Crix's fingers around her throat keeping her standing.
"P-Please," she sobbed.
But Crix merely pressed his mouth close to her cheek.
"Please what, you kriffing slut. I hear it didn't take you long to shack up with the Mandalorian," he snarled, as Lysa sobbed again, the pain in her shoulder more excruciating than anything she'd ever experienced in her life. "I bet the moment I was gone, you were on your knees sucki-"
"You'd better not be gettin' blaster holes in my ship, Val'shif," came a sudden voice, cutting over Crix before he could finish.
Lysa gave a whimper as Crix relinquished his grip on her neck, pulling back away from her.
Clutching at her bleeding shoulder she sank to her knees, collapsing to the floor in an exhausted heap, gazing shakily up as a shaggy-looking bearded man strolled around a control panel and into the ship's hold.
The man looked down at Lysa uncaringly, before dragging his eyes back up to Crix once more.
"For dank's sake, Crix, get some bacta spray on that wound o'hers," he said with a shake of her head. "I don' want her bleedin' out before he gets here, you stupid son of a bantha!"
Lysa gave another harsh sob, as the man tossed a pressurised canister towards Crix which he caught with both hands.
"Cool your thrusters, Ran," muttered Crix. "I've got a handle on it."
"We'll make sure you do. It's not jus' you who's got something to gain from this job, Crix," the bearded man continued, his eyes suddenly roving over Lysa, taking in her slender form. "I jus' came through to tell ya, that we're just about to land. So, y'know, don' have too much fun down here with her before we get there."
And with that he disappeared off again, leaving Lysa and Crix alone once more.
It was surprising now how much of a stranger he felt to her now. The man she had spent so many years sleeping in the same bed as.
But now, just a few weeks after finally seeing him for the monster he truly is, it was as though a veil had been lifted, with Lysa realising that she didn't even recognise the man now stood before her. A cruel and poisonous man.
He moved over now and crouched down before her, pulling a sudden knife from his belt.
Lysa tried to move away, but reaching a free hand out, Crix suddenly grabbed handful of her long hair in his hand and tugged her head back, exposing her throat to him.
Lysa breathed hard, wet tears slipping down her cheeks, as she opened her mouth, too frightened to cry out.
This was it.
This was his final revenge for what she had done to him back at Din's cabin.
But to her surprise, Crix suddenly moved the knife to her shoulder wound, before pressing the tip of the blade sharply into it, causing Lysa to let out a blood-curdling scream of agony.
She squeezed her eyes shut, crying hard, as she felt him retract the knife before cutting at her tunic and removing a large section of bloody material that covered her wound. He dropped it to the floor before picking up the bacta canister before spraying it over Lysa's blaster burn, the painful area almost instantly becoming soothed.
She caught her breath as relief washed over her, the pain dissipating as the seconds ticked by.
"Y'know Ran is wrong about one thing," he said in a slick voice. "The idea of screwing a fridgid bitch like you would be anything but 'fun'."
He gave a hollow laugh as, through tearful eyes, Lysa managed to gaze up at him.
At the man she had once loved so much she had defended, in spite of the bruises he had inflicted on her, day after day. Seeing now only a bitter and cruel brute who had likely never cared for her.
"Why me? C-Can't you just leave me alone?" she said with a desperate shake of her head, as tears slipped from her cheeks, landing in her lap. "What have I ever done to you that was so bad?"
After all he had put her through, could he not just let her get on with her life?
Could he not let her be happy?
Why was he still seeking her out to punish her after everything?
But Crix just shot Lysa an incredulous look and was silent for a long moment, before he suddenly let out a harsh laugh.
"You really think this is about you?" he said in a loud tone.
Lysa stared up at him, confused, as he suddenly grasped her arm hard and pulled her roughly to her feet. The knife in his hand pointing steadily at her throat.
"You don't even matter. You never did," he continued, baring his teeth at her. "It's the Mandalorian I want. Him and his freak kid are gonna pay for what he did to me-"
And with that he flexed his red hand, scarred from the blast Grogu had sent back into Crix's blaster.
But at his words, Lysa felt a sudden anger bubble up inside her.
His instant dismissal of Lysa, not even considering her in all this. It was obvious now that she was just fodder in the battle for his pride and ego.
"And what about what I did to you," she snapped, her words sounding hard through her gritted teeth. She pointed to his shoulder. "I wanted you dead after everything you put me through!"
Angry tears sloshed down both her cheeks now as she glared at him. A burning anger fizzling through her.
But Crix merely laughed at her.
"You really are as pathetic as the day I met you, Lys'," he said leaning in towards her, his face lingering close to hers. She could feel his hot breath on her lips. A world away from the same pleasurable sensation she had felt with Din just a day or so ago. "You really think I care about you? You don't matter, you never did. You were just the easy option for me."
Lysa felt her lip start to quiver and more tears slide down her face. But she barely flinched, no longer wanting to show her vulnerability to this monster of a man.
"You practically offered it to me on a plate when I met you," he hissed. "And if I hadn't picked you up, let's be honest, you'd probably be sucking cocks in some back alley in Coruscant to earn your keep-"
As quickly as a flash, Lysa lifted her hand to strike him across the face. But Crix was too fast for her, grabbing her wrist, a vicious grin sliding its way over his lips.
And before Lysa could do anything else, Crix had retaliated, the back of his hand meeting with Lysa's cheekbone hard.
"You're nothing, Lysa," he snarled.
She doubled over for a moment, whimpering out, but Crix merely dragged her upright once more, hauling her around the console and towards the door as Lysa felt the ship setting down.
"And when I've got the Mandalorian where I want him, I'm gonna kill you," he continued in a poisonous tone. "And I'm gonna make it hurt… because I know that's how you like it."
Lysa gave an uncontrollable sob as Crix pulled her through into the brig, where the man known as Ran stood beside a droid who was piloting.
Ran opened the door and stepped out, as Crix, now behind Lysa, gave her another shove forward and Lysa followed, walking down the entry ramp on unsteady feet.
She gazed about, finding that to her dismay she was no longer on Nevarro. In fact she was instead, on a moon she had not seen for a long time.
Nar Shaddaa.
A dismal place, as built up as Coruscant, but filled with what felt like never ending illegal factories; gambling houses; brothels; and crime lord hideouts.
It was as foul as the smog-filled air it was bathed in.
And far more dangerous than anyone could imagine.
"Welcome back to Nar Shaddaa," said the hard voice of Crix in her ear, as he led her down the ramp. "Home sweet home, 'ey. Lys'?"
Lysa swallowed hard. She knew exactly what an awful place Nar Shaddaa could be.
And as fate would have it, this was the very planet that she had met Crix on, all those many years ago.
They had landed now on a small bridge, high up and windy, that led to what looked like a large open-shuttered hanger.
Walking towards them was a purple skinned Twi'lek with a blade on each side of her belt and a foul smirk playing over her lips.
"Xi'an," said the bearded man, Ran, with a nod.
"Ran," said the Twi'lek woman in a high pitched voice, her eyes flitting immediately to a space just over Lysa's shoulder. "Crix."
The latter's name was said with the hint of something laced within it, as she walked towards them on swaying hips, coming to stop immediately in front of Lysa, who felt herself breathing hard, her jaw set.
"Ooh isn't she a pretty one," said Xi'an licking her lips. Her eyes looking Lysa up and down greedily. She leaned in, extracting a small sharp blade from her belt suddenly and holding it to Lysa's cheek. "Oooh the fun I'm going to have with you."
And with that, Xi'an swiped the blade suddenly, cutting Lysa's cheek painfully. With her immediately feeling a warm trickle of blood slide its way down her face.
But this time, Lysa barely moved, feeling nothing but an utter hopelessness flood over her.
Any hope of being rescued by Din would lead to what could potentially be his death. And that was not something Lysa wanted. For she would take a thousand lifetimes of hurt, and even an excruciating death, if it meant that Din and Grogu were safe.
From Lysa's left, Ran gave a tut.
"There'll be nothing left of her to use as bait if you're both not careful," he said sharply. "Xi'an, bind her hands and take her inside. Crix, you got the proof?"
Lysa turned to see Crix brandish the bloodied part of her dress that Crix had torn from her body with his knife, smugly, as she felt Xi-an grab both of her wrists, and tie them in front of her using a tough wire cord.
And before Lysa could even say a word, she was roughy manhandled towards the hanger by the Twi'lek..
…disappearing inside, out of the thick smog of Nar Shaddaa.
Thanks to WriterMonkey0626, MsRosePetal, Freya2Xana and chipiam for reviewing the last chapter.
I hope you enjoyed the surprise inclusion of Ran and Xi'an from The Mandalorian S1 Episode 6. I wonder what Din will make of running into these familiar faces again.
Let me know what you think.
Please review! :)
