Captain Kylo Ren acknowledges Mitaka and looks out across the water towards the port. This is it. Finally all his debts will be paid with Captain Snoke and he'll be a free man once again. Kylo can't help but smile to himself at the prospect he's longed for coming to fruition at last. His crew busies themselves with docking the ship as his first mate comes to stand beside him.
"You're sure this is the place Captain Snoke said his cargo will be?" Hux asks with his inquisitive brow raised.
"Aye, Armitage. It's the right place, there's no doubt," Kylo replies.
Hux nods and looks out towards the port. As they grow closer, they can hear the shouts of people attending the local taverns and barkers from the markets surrounding the little town. The ship docks and Kylo's men drop anchor before setting he sets off with Hux and two other members of his crew into the bustling port.
Takodana is not for the faint of heart. Although it's a prosperous port on a well-visited island, you'll never know what you'll find when traversing the landscape. Kylo keeps this in mind as he and his men make their way towards the town's busiest tavern. As soon as he enters, he's greeted by a loud voice.
"Captain Ren!" a woman calls out from behind the bar.
"Ahoy Maz!" Kylo calls back with a wave.
He makes his way over to the bar and stands before the woman. She eyes him and his companies up and down before pouring them all a drink. The rum she sells compares to no other.
"It's been a long time," Maz says as the men each drink hurriedly.
"It has indeed. But we're not staying," Kylo replies.
"Aye, figured as much," she says solemnly.
Her hands busy themselves with cleaning glasses from previous patrons as she looks at Kylo. He places his own glass down and looks at Maz.
"Is it here?" Kylo asks.
"Just in the back. Shouldn't be hard to find," Maz answers, her head gesturing towards a side door next to the bar.
"Thanks, Maz," he says with a smile.
She nods at him as Kylo and his men push off from the bar. They head towards the door with Maz watches intently.
"Will I be seein' you again soon?" her loud voice calls out.
Kylo stops and looks back at her. He shakes his head with a no and she smiles. Maz nods back in understanding, feeling thankful this is the last time he'll be running errands for the dreadful Snoke. With another wave, Kylo moves into the back room with his men to look for what they've traveled all this way for.
The men keep their eyes peeled for a small crate no larger than a dog. They weren't told about the contents of the crate but knew of its importance to Captain Snoke. Kylo shivers as he remembers a time when he failed to deliver what Snoke wanted and refuses to let another failure happen, especially with this being the final piece of his debt paid.
"It's not here, sir," Finn says after scouring the back room.
"Keep looking. It has to be here," Kylo replies.
His eyes skate across the room as he tries to keep calm. It needs to be here. He can't go back to Captain Snoke empty handed. A noise from behind him captures his attention and he whips around to see what made it. His eyes manage to catch a glimpse of someone in a gray cape and dark blue skirt rushing out of the room with a small crate in hand. His small crate.
"Stop them!" Kylo roars as he races off after the thief.
The men trail closely behind the figure as their movements quicken with every step. The hood of the gray cape falls back to reveal waves of brown hair as the chase continues out of the tavern and into the streets of town. The figure sprints ahead and darts into an alleyway, catching their breath and hiding behind some barrels. They reach up and pull the hood back over their head. After a few breaths, the figure risks a peak only to be pulled up from the ground. The crate is yanked out of the figure's grasp as Kylo steps into the alleyway. Hux holds the figure's hands behind their back to restrain them.
"Excellent work, Mr. Dameron," he commends as he walks closer.
Kylo peers down at the figure and raises his hands to the hood. Carefully he pushes it back until it falls onto the figure's shoulders, revealing the beautiful brown waves once again. The woman who owns the beautiful curls looks up at Kylo with fury and snarls at him, trying to pull free of Hux's grasp and nearly succeeding. Kylo smirks at the woman's tenacity and steps closer to her.
"And just what gives you the right to take something which isn't yours?" he questions.
"I don't have to explain myself to you!" the woman bites back.
Kylo chuckles and leans close, his nose almost touching her own. A flash of worry touches her rosy cheeks for a moment before her fury returns.
"I don't take thievery lightly, my dear," he purrs, his fingers ghosting the base of her curls.
"What should we do with her, Captain?" Hux asks, fighting to keep the woman at bay.
"Bring her aboard the ship. I'll deal with her there," Kylo replies, smirking down at her.
He pulls some rope from his satchel and hands it to Hux. The woman's hands are bound in front of her as she still fights to break free. She manages to elbow Hux in the stomach, knocking the wind out of them as she begins to take off. A smile crossed her lips at the prospect of freedom before she feels strong hands grasp her waist. The woman yowls as she's hoisted onto Captain Ren's shoulder and marched towards the docks.
"Unhand me, you fiend!" she cried angrily.
Kylo chuckles and tightens his grip around her waist as he makes his way back to his ship. His men follow behind carrying the prized crate.
"You, my dear, have no idea who you're dealing with. You are now a guest of Captain Kylo Ren," he growls with a smile, strengthening his grip more as he brings her aboard his ship.