Dark Knights: Knights of Ren XReader

Chapter 34: Running

Your mind reels, you gasp for air through the hole in your gut. The planet blooms in front of you. Clouds splotch out some of the green. There's so much green, with small ribbons of blue winding around the planet. Your ship approaches, and you try to sit up to control the landing. You find one small settlement in the hemisphere that you face- the map is nearly empty. You groan. There will be no blending in here.

Ugh! Kuruk, this was not the right place to send me. This ship will stick out like a sore thumb.

You freeze for a long moment, hovering in the upper atmosphere. You contemplate moving on, going to a different planet. There is enough fuel to go for a while longer. But they'll still find your ship. There has to be a tracking program built in. One you can't access. Wouldn't it be better to land now and trade your ship for a different one? On a planet like this, they wouldn't find out it's affiliated with the First Order until you're long gone. On a more populated planet, they would check the computer infrastructure before trading. Would they still trade? Is there even a ship here that could make it to another planet system?

You take a deep breath. "Just go with your gut!" but your gut hurts.

Deneb stirs at the sound of your voice.

"Hey, Denny."

He sits up and looks out the viewport. His eyes pop out of his head and his mouth falls open comically. "We're here?!"

With a jolt, you realize he's never left the Finalizer apart from that mission, but you barely left the shuttle and couldn't see much then. This will be the first planet he's ever seen. The first time seeing plants that grow out of the dirt. He'll get to smell grass for the first time, feel real wind on his face, and likely meet people very different from himself.

"Deneb." You wait until he looks at you. "I don't know how safe this planet is. You need to stay with Mommy and listen very closely to me, do you understand?"

He nods while your heart pounds against your ribs. They're coming for you. And you don't even know what you're walking into. You descend into the atmosphere, and land in tall squashy grass next to a sparkling lake. The small village lies a few kilometers to the east. You need to be close to civilization, but not attract attention. They likely spotted your ship flying in.

Scooping Deneb up into your arms, you lower the ramp. The air that rushes in is muggy and sweet and earthy. You swallow a huge lungful, and smile at Deneb, who crinkles his nose with distaste. You walk down the ramp, listening to the buzz of insects and the cawing of birds. Your feet sink into soggy grass that comes up to almost your knees. You try to set Deneb down on the ground, so his bare feet can squish into the soft earth, but he clutches to you desperately.

"Mommy, I don't like it."

His words slam into you. Nothing has cemented the knowledge that you had to leave the First Order more than this. He's scared of the grass. And probably the sounds of nature. Your heart twists, and tears sting your eyes. The hole in your gut already makes it hard to breathe normally.

"Deneb, this is grass. It's just like the plants you see in hydroponics on the ship, except you don't eat this. And the ground is soft, like a thick blanket."

He doesn't loosen his grip, so you trudge off into the sun, toward the settlement. You grow hot very quickly having to walk on such soft ground and carrying Deneb. Ahead is a large grouping of trees, and you find a fallen trunk to sit on at the edge of the shadows. It's late afternoon here...you think. Or it could be this muggy in the morning too, but there's no mist, which points to afternoon.

Not knowing how close the Knights are keeps your nerves on edge, and you jump at the slightest cracking of twigs. Deneb sits silently next to you, finally growing some courage as he picks at the dead, mossy bark. His feet don't touch the ground, and when you stand up to continue toward the village, he refuses to put his feet down.