One week later.
"Das, where we going?" Zheth jumped up, trying to see outside the window as their ship landed.
"To see someone." She responded, giving a look to Nathale that confused the child slightly. "I'll be waiting here, go with him, you'll be fine."
"A mission? Like what you go away on?" Excitement raced through her, was she going to finally start learning from them?
"Just keep your mouth shut and do what I tell you." Nathale growled, grabbing her arm before walking her out of the ship and into a landing hanger.
Zheth looked around at all the people running around before her eyes landed on a figure in white armor with a red shoulder pad on. She slowed down a bit suddenly not liking the new place only for her arm to be jerked harshly forward. The figure was staring at her through the helmet while Nathale glared down at her as if disappointed by something she had failed to do.
"This is what you wanted to bring as a recruit?" The voice was male as the figure in white spoke. "She wouldn't last a day in training."
"You've taken younger, babies, barely old enough to remember their mother's face. She's two, she can learn to fight and I'm sure her loyalty to the cause would never waver once she learned who it was to." Nathale replied. "Besides, I know how desperately the Empire needs loyal recruits."
"Not little girls. Take her and do as you wish with the child, the Empire has no use for her."
"We made a deal!" Nathale hissed back quietly, causing Zheth to shift away slightly. "Now I want my pay."
"Your pay will have to come from somewhere else. Our orders are to only accept the males who display the best potential to be molded to obey our superiors." The line sounded so... rehearsed. Like the man had said it once for every star in the galaxy.
The pair locked gazed for a few minutes and Zheth glanced nervously back at the ship where Das was waiting, surely she would help if a fight broke out. She staggered as Nathale tightened his grip on her and stalked away, a pop came soon after as he tossed her ahead of him. Pain went through her shoulder and she gave a yelp, most of it from surprise rather than the throbbing at first, but then he attacked her again. This time he kicked her to the ground, the air going out of her lungs as his boot went into her stomach. Zheth flinched as he came closer before feeling him pull her up and walk calmly back to the ship with her in tow... Das avoided the ill-tempered man the entire flight to the next planet, ignoring her cries of pain that slowly faded into quiet whimpers. That first bout was only the beginning of worse abuse.
Zheth woke up curled in a tight ball in the back of her cell, her body shivering from the damp ground and early morning cold. She hated that memory her fever had brought up but would still prefer that over the living nightmare she currently lived in. At least this time it wasn't a guard or Luke who had woken her up... Han had no idea what his Jedi friend was doing, or she didn't think he did. Every time he showed up he seemed surprised by her worsening condition, no more than that, he was concerned. Did he really still believe that lie or did he just not care that they weren't related? It would make sense... his own son tried killing him, he acted like a fatherly figure towards that Rey girl too from what she'd seen.
She tilted her head slowly to finally glance at the intruder who'd disturbed her rest, confusion appearing in her dull gaze as Poe stood there. He looked down at the ground slightly when he saw her take notice of his presence. "You could at least get more comfortable if you told us were General Organa was taken."
Zheth didn't respond. If she did someone would punish her, this conversation had to be a trick created by the Jedi. It was especially suspicious that Poe had only just come to see her, not only that, but he didn't seem to hate her as much anymore either... it was too odd. Of course, maybe he had gotten over her 'betrayal' but at the same time, she didn't trust this.
"Han says the medical droids can't help you much anymore." He glanced back the way he'd come from before looking back at her. "I know what Skywalker has done and, while I don't like it considering I have been in a similar position, we need our leader back. Tell us where she is."
She again stayed quiet as she observed him. Something was obviously going on, something she couldn't quite figure out. Zheth tried observing him, he was fidgety but other than that... nothing that could point to something directly.
"Silence won't help you." Poe turned and began walking away. "Funny, the one time we need you to speak you act like a mute. You can't stay quiet forever, eventually you'll say something, even if it's only a sarcastic comment."
Zheth tried to get up to watch him walk away but collapsed onto her side as her trembling body gave up the attempt. She continued shivering between a state of consciousness and unconsciousness the minutes and hours blending together in a blur of dark and palely lit lights. The only sound other than the faint voices and footsteps was the occasional coughing fit, was Skywalker actually taking a break from finding out information? She hoped that wasn't it... she hoped something bad had happened to him. A heart attack perhaps... or a mission gone wrong... it didn't matter.
Someone eventually stopped by to give her a daily meal before leaving without a word so at least half a day had passed by without any visit from Skywalker. She looked at the food, wanting to get up and at least drink the water but couldn't even find the will power to crawl over. Zheth gave a dry cough and closed her eyes; at least sleep would make her forget how weak she was, even with the nightmares. Just one week and she felt like her life force was draining out of her by the minute. She should've killed Han and Leia while she had the chance... Hux would've been furious of course and who knew how Ren would've reacted but at least then the Resistance wouldn't have a leader and she would be with the First Order and not a prisoner.
A medical droid finally showed up, entering her cell and reapplying fresh bandages before giving her an injection of some sort for her fever. Zheth saw Han show up a few minutes later, waiting for the droid to finish and leave before taking its place in her cell. She barely gave him a glance to acknowledge his presence... her father... the droids had confirmed it during a small blood transfer. He seemed to be pained seeing her in this state, when she still had the energy she scoffed at him for it, now she could care less. After she was gone it would be normal again, he didn't know her, he hadn't know she existed until recently. Han still had his son once she was dead... well if he could persuade Kylo back home, which was unlikely.
"You haven't eaten." Han pointed out simply.
She gave a tiny shrug that he probably didn't even notice. It was moved in front of her a second later, tempting her to eat it... Zheth didn't make a move to though.
"You need to eat." His voice was stern. "You'll never get better if you don't keep your strength up."
She wasn't going to get better. It was too late for her to recover; she had already accepted death and wished it would hurry up. Funny, how often she seemed to be waiting for death lately... just sitting around badly beaten and waiting to go into the void. Apparently it didn't want her yet.
Han seemed to give up trying to make her eat. "Luke says he's going to make a deal to get Leia back. You won't be locked in here much longer if everything goes according to plan."
Right. Was this a bluff to make her speak? To get her to say something about the First Order and accidentally say something important... she couldn't be sure. On one hand he had admitted to being Luke's friend but on the other he apparently wasn't aware that this condition wasn't from infection or fever alone.
Her father's concern was evident even more than before when he spoke again. "I already lost my son to a monster, my wife could be killed by the First Order any time... I can't lose you, Kid. You still have your life ahead of you and I plan on actually being around this time considering I seem to have failed twice before..."
Zheth stopped listening and closed her eyes, hoping to escape the pain radiating through her body. Unfortunately she wasn't able to go back to sleep long because soon after Han woke her up and left... leaving her with Luke Skywalker She did her best to glare at him.
"I'll see you tomorrow." Han promised as he left.
The Jedi waited until his friend was gone before examining her. "I've managed to make a deal with General Hux. We will meet soon to make the final agreements, but I'll be getting my sister back and winning this war. The First Order won't know what hit them."
So, he had made a trap... Hopefully it would backfire on him.
"You aren't needed anymore of course and after what you've done you could be executed but I have decided to let you live, locked up of course, but you will be allowed to live."
He said that like she had a choice... as if she would prefer to live. No, he knew she hated being locked up. Living was her punishment. Zheth forced back her retort as she caught sight of his lightsaber hilt, she had grown to hate his lightsaber more than any she'd ever seen before.
Luke gave a small smile. "I see you've learned your place. Good, I'll keep this brief. You will get what you deserve in the end, just like your mentor. I didn't hire him just because he was the best... I wanted to see if you could actually kill him, to test just who you were. It's a shame I saved you just so you could become such a heartless killer."
If only she had the strength to lunge at him through the bars in an attempt to show him just how heartless she could be. Ripping out his heart would be nice. Zheth looked away from him and curled up tighter, shaking as the fever continued eating away at her strength. She couldn't hear Skywalker leave but she could guess by the long silence he had, which gave her the opportunity to slip back into sleep and nightmares... oh how she was coming to love the nightmares.
It's not only the day of the Total Solar Eclipse but it's also update day! I hope you enjoy both the eclipse and the newest chapter!