Chapter Text
The small boy sniffled, running a sleeve across his cheek to catch the tears. His fathers words vibrated off the floorboards as he continued berating him.
“Whatever did I do to deserve such a pathetic excuse for a son?”
He buried his face deeper into the pillow, trying desperately to picture the sky. The clouds had always calmed him. How slowly they moved through the wind. It was what he looked for on the few clear days on Arkanis. That was, when he was still there.
This new place was scary.
There were no clouds or skies, and the silent darkness beyond the metal hellscape of his life offered little distraction to his father’s torment.
…
You blinked slowly.
The fresh breeze swept across your face, whipping your hair messily against the sand behind your head.
The sun had risen earlier than yesterday, and you sighed deeply, feeling the warmth resting on you for a moment before a cloud curtained it away.
You sat up, stretching. You groaned as you felt your muscles ache from the uncomfortable position you’d slept in.
But you didn’t care. It was the best sleep you’d had in days. It always was down here, by the shore. Whenever you had the chance, you’d make the journey here. It would take a few days, and a few more to prepare food, equipment, and water for the stay. But it was worth it.
Soon, you wouldn’t need to bother with all that. Soon, you would be here permanently.
You slowly stood, giving your body time to adjust. The waves crashed gently along the sand, and you sighed again, taking in the peace.
Right, breakfast…
You bent behind some driftwood logs and retrieved your rucksack. Keeping it out of the wind was always your go-to - the scent of the food wasn’t carried that way, and fewer creatures would be drawn to it.
You shuffled back to your spot in the sand and repositioned yourself, leaning back on one of the logs and gazing out at the water. You reached into your bag and pulled out some food, munching quietly as you watched some shadows dancing in the water.
Dang, the tea
You set your breakfast down on the log and pulled a set of metal rods and a small contraption out of the bag. A soft humming settled around you as you fiddled with the pieces. It took some time, but eventually you set up the kettle. Carefully, you added the water, cursing as it spilled. Your hands were shaking more than usual, and you frowned, wondering if this was something new or if you just hadn’t noticed it before. When the water had been poured, you exhaled triumphantly, flicking on the battery.
Finally
As you waited for the water to boil, you settled back and continued munching your breakfast. The kettle began to hum, and you closed your eyes, feeling the sea breeze once again. You opened your eyes again and gazed along the water, but you caught a strange movement. The water was rippling, creating jagged, frantic movements. The noise from the kettle began to grow louder, and you frowned, turning back towards it.
Standing next to the kettle was a group of strangely dressed people. You jumped back in surprise. No one was ever here, not once had you bumped into a stranger. Out of all the times you’d been here, never had you seen anyone else. You stood quickly, but the one closest to the kettle yelled something aggressively at you.
“Excuse me? What? I can’t hear you” you tried, but the others were looking at you now too. The one that had spoken approached you, and you could see the costume better now. It looked like thick plastic armour, probably heavy and humid in the sun. He said something else and you frowned. “Uh, I don’t understand. Do you speak English?” You asked. It was clear the guy was foreign, but his language wasnt anything you could recall hearing before. He tilted his helmet, and turned back to his group, gesturing for them to approach. You shifted uncomfortably. Although these people probably just wanted directions, you really weren’t in the mood to talk. You just wanted to relax, and now they were invading your space.
You sighed softly as another one came up to you and pointed at your rucksack, mumbling something you couldn’t understand. You looked between him and the bag and shrugged. “Uh, sorry. I don’t understand” you insisted. You pointed behind them, gesturing to where you’d come from. “Try the town. The town. That way” You did your best to motion them onwards, and to politely just leave you in peace. Another one approached you and spoke with his friend. You stood awkwardly as they conversed. Not being able to make out their facial expressions made this a bit stranger, and you began to wonder why they didn’t take off their helmets to speak to you properly.
What the hell are they even supposed to be?
You looked between them curiously, but your attention was caught by one of the ones close to you taking something from his belt and pointing it at you. He spoke to you and pointed to the small machine, and you shook your head. “Uh, I don’t know, man. I really can’t understand a word you’re saying.” The group suddenly all approached, and you cautiously took a step back. But their attentions were on the machine. They looked a strange sight as they huddled around the one holding it, and you wondered what could possibly be going on now.
After a few moments, the machine beeped angrily, and you peered over in curiousity yourself. The group began to converse again, their voices sounding confused and argumentative. You sighed again, looking away awkwardly and wondering if you should just pack up and walk away. You looked back at your bag laying, not far from you.
Maybe, I could just…excuse myself? Make up some important meeting or whatever?
You stepped forward slowly, and the group didn’t react. They were too busy in their deep discussion of the machine. You bent down and scooped one of the bag straps, pulling it towards you. Exhaling in success, you pulled it on, looking up again at the group. Still nothing. You stepped back slowly, before turning completely.
A loud bark of a word escaped the group, and you turned back to them in panic. They were all looking at you now. You raised your arms in a shrug-apology. “Sorry, I gotta head somewhere. I can’t help you guys.” You began to turn again, and, as you did, one of them shot a weapon into the ground next to you, causing a bright red gaping hole to appear in the side of one of the thick driftwood logs. Before you had time to even digest it all, a sudden piercing noise shot through the sky. The world around you was suddenly cast into a deep night. You searched the sky with wide eyes, breathing quickly as you tried to make sense of the situation.
What? What?!
-
“What is this?” A voice mumbled through the haze.
The sound of snapping echoed through the emptiness.
“Uh, useless. Can’t use it.”
“Don’t touch it!” Another echo scolded, “We don’t know what that’s for!”
You felt far away and nowhere. Weightless, but heavy.
“- all in order.”
A new voice now.
“The…will be sent…data, sir.”
You tried to move, tried to think and grasp and speak…but there was nothing to do anything with.
-
Your heavy eyelids opened, and the sudden white light hit you harshly. You grunted, pulling a hand up to shield your eyes. When you adjusted, you looked around slowly. You were lying on a narrow metal bed with a thin mattress. The room around you was small and grey. A sudden panic rose in your chest.
…have I been arrested?
You sat up, quickly trying to remember the last few days, but your memory refused to come back to you. You look down and see that youre dressed in a monotone grey jumpsuit. The material feels scratchy, and the design is plain, save for a strange looking symbol on the right side of your chest. A deep headache started to thunder from the back of your head and you grimaced. Clenching the sides of the metal bed harder, you tried your best to think. But it was no use. With a frustrated sigh, you stood and approached the small sink, splashing cold water onto your face. You caught a glimpse of your arms, and a deep, unsettling feeling came over you.
Your arms had bruising as though blood had been taken, and your left hand had a fresh bandage as though you had been hooked up to something. Your breathing started to quicken as you checked your arms again, looking for more…or for clues as to what the hell had happened. You retreated to the bed and sat back down as your head began to spin. You raised a hand to your forehead, and tried to massage your head to ease the pain. As you did, your fingers brushed against something firm. You quickly pulled both hands up and investigated. Your stomach dropped as you realised these were more bandages, covering pretty much the entirety of your head. You felt your heart hammering against your chest as your panic deepened.
What the hell happened?!
Groaning through your worsening headache, you laid back down on the bed and closed your eyes, trying your best to ease the pain in your head. Not much time had passed when the door to your cell opened, and you jerked in surprise, opening your eyes quickly. You sat up slowly, wincing as the pain worsened. You looked up to see that a man was now standing in front of you. He was in a sleek black uniform, his face stern and his hands clasped behind his back. You met his gaze and looked away, your cheeks turning red in embarrassment. He was young and attractive, but his eyes watched you with a burning intensity that made you shudder. You wondered if you really had done something terrible by the seriousness of his demeanour. For a long moment, neither of you spoke, and you wondered why he was here if he was just going to stand there intensely. Finally, he spoke “Are you resistance?”
You frowned at the sound of his voice, not sure if he had actually spoken or if you had imagined it. You looked at his uniform again, making out some markings and symbols. Nothing you recognised.
“Can you speak?” He asked flatly, irritation growing in his tone. You looked up quickly, “Yes. Yes, I can.” You said, but your voice came out weak and wobbly, your panic evident. “You said resistance, right? Resistance to what?”
He raised a brow at your question and took a step forward. You look away, unsure whether your answer was good or bad. “Do you know where you are?” He inquired, peering down at you over his nose.
“...am I in jail?” You asked quietly, praying for the answer to be a no. A chuckle escaped the man and you jumped in surprise. He didn’t look like someone who often cracked a smile. “Jail? No. But you have been detained.”
Your stomach clenched. Detained, great. “Uh…why? What did I do?” The man glared down at you, and you caught his eye again, regretting it as soon as you did.
“You evaded arrest. Do you not remember this?”
Doesn’t sound good.
You frowned against your headache, trying again to recall anything that had happened to you. “I think there is some mistake…I don’t know what I would be doing for that to have happened.” You tried, massaging the side of your head. “Do you know what…happened to me? What these bandages are for?”
The man watched you for a moment, almost as if admiring you in your state. You didn’t have the faintest idea why. “It won’t be happening again.” He almost smiled as he spoke. “Do not touch your bandages, I will have someone see to them before the end of the day.” With that, he turned and left, disappearing behind the cell door.
-
You must have passed out for some time, because when you woke up, someone was in the middle of changing your bandages. When you felt something on your head, you opened your eyes in panic. “Hey, keep still. I’m just helping you. I’m the medic.” Said the woman calmly, but watching you with caution. You took a moment to register her words before mumbling a quiet “Ok.” She continued her work, and you only winced when she placed the final bandage. “Have you been experiencing any pain?” she inquired as she began to pack away her equipment.
“A bit. I’ve had some…headaches.” You mumbled again, blinking sleepily.
“I see,” she reached into her case and retrieved some pills.”Take these twice a day until the pain subsides. If it gets worse, let someone know.” You watched her place the pills on the pillow next to you.
“Thanks,” you managed. “Uh, what happened to me?”
She frowned, looking down at you. “You had an implant surgically inserted. Was this not explained to you?” She questioned.
“A what?” You asked, sitting up slowly and leaning against your elbow as you spoke. “I don’t remember anything like that. I had…surgery?”
She sighed, as though she was at a loss for what to say. “Yes, you-”
The woman stopped mid-sentence at the sound of the door opening. She stood quickly, straight and tall, her head held high. The man from before stepped into the room, and you felt your stomach tighten. “General, sir. I have attended to the bandages. The wound is healing well. I have administered-”
General? …Shit, this is some kind of military thing.
The General dismissed her with a wave of his hand. “Have a full report sent to my office. Unless there is any immediate issue I should be made aware of, you are dismissed, Doctor.” Out of the corner of your eye, you noticed how the man had been looking at you the whole time he’d spoken with the doctor. You suppressed a frown, instead trying to focus on your breathing to control your soaring heart rate.
He stepped towards you as the Doctor left. You looked up cautiously, wondering just what kind of hot water you’d landed in. Unintentionally, your eyes fell to the weapon on his belt and you felt your panic rise even more. “Your name?” He asked with a hint of irritation. Not wanting to make your situation any worse, you opened your mouth to answer, but you stopped.
My name…my name…what is my name? Your face dropped, and you mumbled under your breath, trying to think as best as you could. How can I forget? What the hell is wrong with me?
The General sighed loudly, “So, this is how you wish to proceed?”
“No. I just…I don’t know…my name.” You managed, barely believing it yourself.
The General scoffed, “just what kind of a fool do you take me for?”
You looked up at him quickly, your mind racing. “Uh, my things, did I have anything when you brought me in?” You tried. Its not like you've been arrested before, do they usually keep your stuff?
The General’s eyes narrowed, and you looked down. “I-I just can’t think right now.” You said.
Ugh, this can’t be all that convincing.
The General exhaled sharply, “what is the last thing you do recall?”
“...I really don’t know.”
The General’s face remained neutral as he reached into his coat to retrieve something. You try to see what it might be, but he brings it to his ear before you get a good look. “This is General Hux, prepare a room for a neurological scan immediately.” The tone of his voice announces his frustration, and you decide that avoiding eye contact is the safest bet.
“Are you capable of following me without issue, or would you prefer to be dragged to the medbay by the troopers?” He asked, his cold eyes never leaving you. You shivered at the thought of being manhandled.
“I can follow you.” You said sheepishly.