Flames roared from the throwers held by the stormtroopers, screams being drowned out by the constant blaster shots as the the troops marched through.
What was supposed to be a routine inspection had turned brutal when the Order identified a spy.
So naturally now the whole village had to be obliterated.
You weren't exactly sad to see it go, you would however be slightly annoyed that you would die via blaster, it seemed rather undignified.
You were shivering despite the columns of flames engulfing the buildings around you, perhaps it was the cold blaster being pushed against your spine. That was probably it, the trooper was moving you from your lovely little hut to the village centre, you could see other troopers herding different households in the same direction. A strange strategy, you thought, if they wanted to kill all of them, why not do it in the comfort of their own homes?
A reverberating roar caught your attention as a flash of light indicated a ship coming out of hyperspace just outside the atmosphere, fast approaching it appeared to be a a strange looking shuttle with large, overdramatic wings pointed upwards.
Frankly you thought it looked obnoxious, but you could see why it would evoke fear in all of its pitch black glory.
A jab from the nuzzle of the blaster had you shuffling along again, towards impending doom, the looming shape off the ship was now just about to land, hovering just outside the border of the town. You passed a family huddled together, with two children both crying in earnest, a small twinge of guilt tugged at your heart, but you faced forward and continued on, trudging at the pace of the trooper behind you.
Chaos had torn through the village centre, sand seemed to be suspended in the air giving the flames a hazy quality, tension and fear laced the air, you could almost taste it.
Despite having heard the atrocities the First Order had committed, even in nearby villages, you could not quite comprehend that everyone here was going to die, and you felt in your gut that it wasn't your time.
Regardless there wasn't really anyone in the village that you particularly minded dying.
Was there?
"Sima" you exhaled, panic rising in your stomach like bile. Or maybe that was actually bile, you felt sick.
She was a young Twi'lek sold to the village by the Hutt traffickers, a servant at the small inn, bought by the same old Quarren that had bought you years ago, Yon Morg.
You had befriended the girl when you had caught Morg's son trying to make a pass at her, the punch to the jaw you gave him earned you another ten strikes to your already marred back.
As you approached the fountain in the middle of the village centre the scene became clearer through the sand and smoke, your eyes frantically scanned the huddled group of villagers searching for the small girl. Tugging the tattered blanket you had wrapped around yourself as you were dragged from your hut tighter.
Your eyes locked onto the hunched figure of Sima across the square, the trooper shoved you to your knees, the rocks in the sand cutting through your thin pants and in turn shredding your knees.
When the trooper turned to gather more people you crawled towards Sima, shuffling past the hunched figures of crying people, when you were only metres away from the girl a blaster was lowered in front of your face. You froze, taking a moment before turning your head to follow the white armour up to the bucket head, you sat back on your knees as you gave what you hoped to be a soul-shaking stare into the pitch black eyes of the trooper.
He took a step back.
Astounded by your apparent intimidation, you almost missed the volume of the cries instantly diminishing around you, being replaced by hushed whispers, you tore your your eyes away from your good friend bucket head to glance around at what was happening, the roaring of the the ship had finally stopped and from the haze that enshrouded the village a tall figure emerged, swathed in black from head to toe, with a flawed metal mask obscuring its face.
It moved like death, swift and lethal.
In no time it had reached it destination, troopers moved to flank it, standing to attention as the creature in the mask gave them orders. Silence cloaked the villagers, tension weighed heavy on their shoulders, every pair of eyes (and the extra ones) fixed on the distorted metal mask partly obscured bu the black cowl hood. You exhaled, the mask snapped in your direction, mentally you recoiled, was it looking at you? physically you held your ground gritting your teeth and staring into yet another pair of black eyes.
the creature took a step forward, but you were torn from your trance as you heard a familiar voice cry out, you whipped your head round to find Sima with a blaster to her forehead, a few metres from where you had last seen her, a few metres closer to you. The stupid girl must have tried to make a run for it.
Idiot.
The trooper appeared to be listening to orders in his helmet, you looked desperately at Sima, conflict tearing through your mind, why bother saving her? we were all going to be dead in a few minutes. Somehow you could feel the eyes of the masked creature on you the whole time.
Cursing yourself and the child in front of you as the trooper lowered his hand from his bucket head and moved it towards the trigger.
You launched yourself towards the girl.
loosing your blanket at some point during the short journey through the air towards your destination you landed with a skid facing Sima, your back exposed to the trooper above your wrap bandeau you were sleeping in.
The vicious lacerations of your now healed scars on full display.
So much for dying with dignity.
Turning your head to look over your shoulder, keeping your arms wrapped tightly around the young girl, you let out a low snarl,
"Don't touch her"
The trooper went to raise his weapon again but froze, tilting your head slightly to look behind him, the black clad figure stood there, with is arm raised and hand opened slightly, it lowered its hand and the trooper stumbled slightly, turning around to see the creature, and straightening to attention.
You tore your eyes away and looked back to the quivering puddle of fear that Sima had transformed into,
"Don't move, don't speak. Let me handle this" You reprimanded.
Before Sima could respond you were ripped from the girl, letting out a small cry as you were tugged backwards by invisible hands backwards until your back hit fabric. Toes barely dusting the sand, your breathing restricted and coming in strangled gasps.
You couldn't move, couldn't turn your head to see what was behind you, although you didn't need to.
You had put the pieces together when you had first seen the mask, just hadn't allowed the terrifying idea to breach your conscious thoughts. everyone had the heard stories about the incredible power of the Supreme Leader Kylo Ren.
But why was he here?
Still fixed in place you relied on periphery to track the infamous force user, despite his hulking size he moved with fluidity, with the feline grace of a predator circling its prey.
He towered above you, with your head fixed in place you were forced to stare at his chest. You struggled against the restraint, managing slight twitches and jerks, breathing through your teeth as tears began to pool in your eyes, which you blinked down furiously.
"I cannot read your thoughts. Why is that?"
Your breathing halted, stuck in your throat as you heard his words. The distorted question came low and slowly, a hint of cynicism present in that deep voice.
You stayed silent, mind racing. Struggling to breathe, let alone form a coherent sentence.
A moment passed, with immense effort you managed to raise your line of vision from his chest, reaching his mask, neck muscles straining from the effort.
Then you spat.
You spat. On the Supreme Leader of the First Order,
Was there an end to your idiocy? You presumed no.
The mask tilted slightly. Considering you, his chest rising slightly faster than before, you had riled him.
You watched the spit drip from where it had hit the bottom on his mask onto his cowl.
Idiot. Idiot. Idiot.
Another moment of silence passed before he spoke again. This time louder, you probably would have jumped had it not been for you the force holding you in place.
"Kill them all. She's coming with us."
Panic grasped you in full force again. The creature in the mask raised his hand towards you and you heard the clicking of metal as the troopers raised their blasters in sync.
"Wait!" The yell tore out of you throat before you could stop it.
"You don't need to kill them" You gasped out.
He raised his hand above his shoulder and the troopers paused, he tilted his head toward you slightly.
"They're innocent." You continued.
"They're harbouring resistance"
Almost immediately a wave of cool, calm revelation washed over you. Knowing what you had to do allowed your next breath to come controlled and even.
"It's me, I'm the rebel. They didn't know it was me"
When I was writing the bit where she says she's the rebel, all I was thinking of the bit from the movie radio rebel where they all go "I'm radio rebel!" ... "no I'm radio rebel!" .... "I'm radio rebel"
first chapter down lets goooo
This fic will be a relatively slow burn with pretty graphic violence and smut
I also promise fluff and a happy ending (because I'm not a monster unlike Disney)
feel free to interact and leave constructive criticism xoxo