"I wanted to help." You grunt, pushing at Vicruls unmoving body.
You try to jerk your chin from his hand, but much like Kylo, he keeps steady and strong.
"You expect me to believe that? You little-"
"Vic, let go." Ap'leks steady words interrupt. Your muscles slacken as Vicrul releases you.
"What's the matter with you?" You narrow your eyes in his direction, feeling better now with Ap'lek's presence.
"He's not wrong. Do not disobey orders like that again." The disappointment in Ap'leks words are saddening, but you don't let it effect you. They still don't trust you. That's alright. They shouldn't.
You cross your arms over your chest. "Who are these guys, and why are they dead now?"
"Keep your goddamned voice down." Vicrul hisses, his finger pointing at you like he wants to grab your face again. "Plans are completely ruined because of you. Fucking-" He turns around so that he doesn't grab you again, grumbling in the process.
"What do you mean?"
"Obviously, I was going to use one of his damn men as leverage," he says harshly, his tone darkening for the last bit, "but now they're all dead." The Force shoves his rage in your face.
"I didn't make you kill them." You scoff at the insanity of it all, trying to keep your voice at a whisper.
"Little girl, you have a lot to learn." He shakes his head, the anger that had been brewing seeming to settle down as he turns away from you.
"If you've stopped your bickering, we need to proceed." Ap'lek swings his axe casually in his hand, before he takes a few steps toward the door behind Vicrul. You're not sure where that one leads.
While you wonder, Ap'leks axe is swung through the wood with a heavy hand. You jump a little at the noise. He yanks the axe from the splinters with little resistance, punching his gloved hand through the wood to open the locked door from the other side.
It swings open, to reveal at least four men with their guns already trained on you.
Behind them, sat at a large mahogany desk, is who the Force whispers is Menace.
His skin is dark blue, his eyes red. Small horns stick out from his temples and your knees begin to lose their standing as you see what hangs on the wall behind him.
Paintings of grotesque violations of women. Some roped up, some handcuffed, some just plainly being violated.
The door behind you swings open, and in the shock of it all you are not prepared. An arm wraps around your midsection, a blaster pressed into your neck. The cool metal sends echoes of the nearness of death through your bloodstream.
"Ap'lek," you squeak, your hands at the strangers fist that holds the blaster.
His head turns to see what has happened, his face hidden under his mask. But you don't need to see it to know what he feels. The Force is whirling with panic and rage.
"Move aside," your hidden captor warns the Knights as he moves you forward. A plan begins to form in your head the closer you near the room of enemies.
They don't know what weapons you have on you. All you need to do is get to one of them. The closer you are to Menace, the easier you can kill him.
"Lets see what we have here, ey?" The mans breath is stale as he tugs on your hood, your hair falling out as he pulls you past the men. They begin to whistle and jeer.
The Knights watch you as you are manoeuvred, following into the room with their weapons prepared. Six blasters are pointed at their heads. You count them as you're moved toward the desk.
"The Knights of Ren." Menace drawls, his cocky smirk aimed at you now. "And who is this fine new addition?"
"Don't fucking touch her." Vicrul snaps, letting his true thoughts fly. You tense up at this. They didn't need to know that you're important to them. This is bad.
Menace loves this new power he's been given. "Bring her here."
You dig your heels into the ground, grunting as the muscles drag you toward him. The blaster is pressing into your neck so harshly you can feel a bruise developing. Your heightened senses tell you his finger is on the trigger.
"Beautiful..." Menace's red eyes ignite as he turns in his chair to get a better look at you. Now that you're stood next to him, you can feel the poison leeching from his body. It is now that you realise exactly where you know him from.
This man runs one of the most powerful underground slave businesses in all of Coruscant.
He wears a robe, with nothing underneath. Unfortunately, you can tell from the tent he's pitching. The top of his chest pokes out, blue, his body is large with muscles hidden under a healthy amount of fat. You'd probably be attracted to him if not for the whole slave empire thing. His eyes are ravaging you and it only makes you feel nauseous.
"Wish I could return the sentiment," you spit at him.
"Alright, let her go now, I'm bored." Ap'lek is leaning against a nearby wall, completely at ease with the blasters readied to end his life. Vicrul is tense beside him, his blade extended toward the closest henchman.
You get the sense Ap'lek is good with mind games. Deception. Vicrul, of course, is more in tuned with violence. You're almost eager to see how this will play out. How they work together. What they're like without Ren. You find yourself wanting to trust your life in their hands right now. Which is good, considering you don't have much of a choice.
Menace only chuckles. "Where are those other lovely companions of yours?"
He does not take those red eyes from you. "And what does this... girl... mean to you?"
You send vulgar language his way, seething under your breath. The gun is pushed into your jaw so hard you wince, and shut up.
"Do what you want with her, if you must. She means nothing to us." Ap'lek shrugs, pushing off from the wall and toward Menace's desk.
He leans on the chair before him. "Apologies for the... mess. But, we came to talk business. Though, personally, I prefer to do so without blasters pointed at my head."
Menace hesitates. "Vicrul, here, seems to disagree." He means about you. His vermillion eyes shoot daggers at Vicrul, who is practically shaking with his temper. You can hear the yelling in his head, muffled but loud, through the Force.
"Can you blame him?" Ap'lek does not wait for an invitation to sit down, instead just takes the seat across from Menace and leans back in it like this is something he does every day. He keeps Menace's intense stare mutual. "I'm sure we can get him another woman to ogle. Your club seems to be brimming with them. How about it?"
This has to be a play. He's doing it for the mission, he doesn't mean any of it. Yet still, your back shoots straight in fear.
It takes a moment, but Menace begins to laugh.
"Blasters down, boys." The men follow his orders immediately, all but the blaster at your jaw.
Menace doesn't completely trust him yet. You can sense it.
"If she means nothing, you won't mind...?" Menace motions for the man holding you to bring you closer. You're pushed free of his grasp, the blaster now pressing into the back of your head as you stand unwillingly between Menace's knees. He looks to Ap'lek for permission, who motions for him to continue. Fire boils in your veins, but you keep your expression as blank as you can.
Predatory gaze ignites behind the red. His blue hands untie your robes, and they fall open to reveal your tightly clad body. Your dagger is still hidden, and your blaster also, tucked to your sides where the robe covers. Menace groans at the sight of you.
With one hand gripping your waist, he reaches behind to squeeze your ass with one hand - the opposite side to your blaster, luckily. You feel immediately dirty at his groping, and you look at the Knights for help.
Vic has his fingers to the side of his mask as if he's trying to contact the other Knights, but says nothing.
The zip at the front of your bodysuit is too tempting for Menace. The lust is jumping from his body. His fingers take the zip, slowly pulling it down. The curve of your breasts begin to show, and you've had enough.
The knights are taking too long to put a stop to this. Your hands are shaking. You can't let them do this to you.
You focus every ounce of energy on the man behind you, freezing him in place with how much adrenaline flows through your terrified body. The Force wraps around his limbs, bending to your will, and once you know you have him in your grasp - unable to shoot you - you strike.
You pull your dagger from your thigh holster, and stab with all of your force. The blade sinks into the side of Menace's neck with ease, and you watch his eyes transform into panic. You yank your knife out, his dark blood spurting before he brings his hands up to his neck with a struggling gargle.
The men in the room begin to shout, trying to pull their blasters out fast enough to stop you.
Vicrul has his sword through two sets of wrists so fast you barely have time to blink. Ap'lek shoots the brains out of the head of the man you held in your Force control. Screaming erupts, the men with no hands losing all sense of control over their mouths as they hiss and swear, sobbing uncontrollably. Shooting and high pitched blaster noises fill the room as the little red lasers beam towards the three of you.
You let the man behind you free of the Force hold, relieved he's dead, the noise of him hitting the floor thudding in your ear canal. You pull your own blaster free, aiming it at the remaining guards, dodging their shots, and noticing that Ap'lek had chucked his axe through the body of one already - leaving only three to be dealt with.
Vicrul has his blade at the throat of the one closest to him instantaneously, and the remaining two look around at their dead boss and colleagues. They drop their weapons and hold their hands up in fear.
You aim precisely, and shoot for the very centre of their foreheads, taking all three down in mere seconds. Perfect shots on each one.
You gawk at the mess you've all made and Ap'lek begins to slowly clap.
You shoot daggers in his direction. "What the fuck was that?"
"I had it handled." He says dismissively, jerking the handle of his axe free from the body pinned to the wall. When it comes loose, guts spill to the floor with the crumpled man.
"That was handled?" Ushar is strolling through the doorway you entered through, stepping over bodies with amusement lacing his tone.
He looks around. "I missed all the fun."
You can't control the frown that takes over your face as you zip your bodysuit back up, feeling the Knights' stares a little too much.
"Typical." Vicrul is grunting as he makes his way to the next door. You wonder if they already know where it leads. How prepared were they before you screwed it up? "And now, Menace is useless." He kicks the chair menace is slumped in, his lifeless body reacting to gravity.
"I probably should have been told what our goal was," you grumble, frustrated that this is somehow your fault. You were only protecting yourself where the knights were failing.
"Can't argue with that." Ap'lek is scratching the back of his neck now, surveying the damage. He seems to be looking at the men you killed. Guilt shoots through your stomach and you think you might be sick. The dead bodies already reek.
"I should never have brought you along." Vicrul sounds frustrated with himself as his dark helmet looks you in the eye. Your heart twists.
Before you can defend yourself, the sound of a bomb detonating fills your ears. Quickly, you realise it hasn't happened yet, the Force is warning you it is about to. The danger in your senses is coming from the door behind Vicrul.
"Vic, get away from there." You panic, running toward him and yanking on his leathers. It feels like crocodile skin.
Vicrul only stares down at you.
"There's a bo-" You yank him with the entirety of your weight just as the bomb goes off, blowing the door open. The bang is deafening, shards of wood and plastic flying towards you. Something slices against your cheekbone, the sting irrelevant when you're trying to make sure Vicrul isn't blown up on your watch.
He had allowed you to pull him forward, only the force from the blast pushes you both across the room, with his heavy body falling on top of yours. You can barely breathe with his weight, and he tries to lift himself off while ringing is still sounding in your ears.
Smoke seeps from the room ahead, and a large figure emerges. Vic is kneeling above you, his hand out to help you up. You take it, your body groaning with the impact.
The silhouette comes into the light, Cardo's mask becoming apparent.
"Great timing." Sarcasm drips from Ap'leks words as you steady yourself on your feet.
"That was on purpose?" You guffaw, concerned about the Knight's plans. Was that supposed to be a diversion? Blood trickles down your cheek and you wipe it away with the back of your hand.
"I got your message, but ran into a few hiccups on the way, mate." Cardo greets Ap'lek with a hand grab and a strong pat on the back. "Figured, better late than never, right?"
"You're so wrong it hurts." Ushar is pained, chuckling still, his head - or, well, mask - in his hands like he's covering his face.
"Well, I didn't know the situation in here," Cardo defends, jabbing his thumb in the direction of Menace's dead form. "Regardless, K and T took out some of his men and it's bound to cause trouble, so we gotta get going. Fast."
This kicks the Knights into gear, slinging weapons over shoulders and sliding guns in holsters as you follow them through the next door, into the half blown room. Exposed brick crumbles and you climb over piles on your way out. There's a few dead bodies in here too.
Instead of the last door, the Knights take the route through the gigantic chunk thats been blown out of the wall.
In the alley, you watch them ascend a ladder close by as you can feel a trickle on the back of your neck warning you of the Night Buzzards imminent arrival.
They wouldn't leave you to be last up the ladder, surely. This could be your chance to escape, if they do.
No, Kylo would find you. And even if he didn't, do you really want to stay here?
You think about your father. He could be dead for all you know. Maybe you could ask to see him before you leave. Say goodbye one last time.
Vicrul stays behind, motioning his head for you to climb before him. Of course.
You grab the closest rung, the corroded metal the least of your worries. What is Kylo going to think about your role in this mission? What will he think about the fact you ruined it entirely? Will he understand your positioning?
The ladder seems to go on forever, until you're hoisted up onto the roof by strong hands around your upper arms. You nod your head in thanks, climbing the ramp to the ship that hovers in the air - not quite landed.
You all sit in the ship in silence as you take off, flying back through the catacombs of Coruscant. You try not to look, the reminder of home too fresh.
When you're far enough from the planets surface, you feel an urge to be with Kylo. You can't quite put your finger on it. The stability of him. His soothing voice. The swirling black pool. The smell of leather. His warm bed. The way he holds you.
You send out a message to him, using the Force, praying it gets to him using that magnetic pull.
Are you feeling better?
The guilt of him healing you, wrecking himself to do so, it mixes with the confusion. Why did he bother?
His reply is quick, and to the point.
Yes.
Have you upset him? Does he know you're out with his knights?
"Does Ren know..?" You address this to anyone.
"Of course he knows. Did you think we'd do anything involving you without his ok?" Cardos gruff voice sounds from the back of the ship.
"Well, no." You didn't. You're more worried about how he feels about it. How he will react. Will he be mad? That's what you want to ask. But you can't stomach how that would sound to them.
I'm not mad at you, Pet.
Your chest jolts in shock at Ren's reply. You hadn't realised you'd sent that down whatever mental connection has formed. Despite your relief that he isn't mad, you simmer with annoyance. Pet? Still? Surely, by now, you'd earned a higher title. Even when calls you padawan to provoke you, it's better than pet.
Maybe I'm mad at you.
You smile to yourself at your boldness. You sense his surprise like it's right in front of you, not thousands of lightyears away.
What are you going to do about it, Pet?
You look at the ceiling. Nothing. You have nothing to hold over him. He's one of the most powerful men in the galaxy.
Don't fucking call me that.
Language. He warns, and the Force swells with his urge to put you in your place.
You scoff out loud, and Trudgen - whose helmet sits on the floor beside him - raises an eyebrow at you. You purse your lips. How would you even begin to explain?
You ponder your relationship with Ren. Do you truly hold nothing over him? Your ability to shut him away from your mind is something. Your secrets regarding your intentions, also. You'd say your body, but he's too good at making you give in to him. His touch. His rough caresses and whispered threats. Fuck it.
Perhaps you should find yourself a new fuck toy.
It slips from your mind without a second thought, yet the moment it's sent sway you wish you could grab it and take it back.
Anxiety rises in your chest. You keep your eyes on the floor, awaiting his reply for what feels like far too long.
Never.
The word echoes through your mind alongside the sense of dread and comfort that comes with it.
Never.