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- Dec 30, 2017
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PROLOGUE
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"She's worth too much not to consider it."
Aoyen'neziz had overheard the conversation as she stood in the hallway of a stranger's home a few dozen miles away from her home. She hadn't meant to get lost, but one minute she'd been out with her friends hiding amongst the tunnel networks of Ryloth, the next she had taken a wrong turn down an unlit pathway and grown lost. She'd been taught not to follow strangers as all children had, but in the dark and unforgiving tunnels with time passing immeasurably quickly, she decided she had no other choice but to agree to come home with the kindly pink Twi'lek who had offered her a bed for the night. He had promised her she would be back with her parents by morning. Perhaps he had meant it at some point or another, perhaps he hadn't intended to do what he did when he first gripped the little girl's shoulder with a warmth that had, at the time, seemed so convincing.
These were questions upon which the girl would not dabble in or ponder upon when she grew older. The girl didn't even remember much of what exactly had happened, for all she wondered of was the outcome.
When the girl had gotten in, she had been treated to a meal with another Twi'lek woman who reminded her of her mother, the man she had been picked up by, and a young boy who was not much older than her little brother. She liked him, he laughed at the faces she pulled. It had seemed comforting, not too far from ma and pa, and by extension she didn't feel so distant from them. Perhaps that was why the girl trusted them so much.
Even when she overheard the man talking to what must have been his wife in the kitchen, she hadn't thought much of it. If the girl could remember it when she was older, she would surely have wondered how she could have been so stupid as to not run when she had the chance. The dark was better than what was to come. Instead, rubbing her eyes, she had gripped the small handkerchief in her hands and walked brazenly into the kitchen within which they spoke. Stunned eyes followed her as she grabbed a drink for the night, smiled sweetly at the pair, and returned to the living room where she nestled herself onto the makeshift bedding on the floor.
Aoyen'neziz's obliviousness either made the couple more bold or the small home really was as poorly constructed as it looked, for as she drifted to sleep, their conversation could still be heard.
"Think of how we could sort out Uwintipek! He could have a better life, we don't even know the girl, we can forget her for his sake," the man's voice had hummed through the walls. Aoyen'neziz never heard the woman's voice in all of the conversation, so she could only presume that her lekku were doing all the talking for her. There had been a long exchange between the two of them, but after a few minutes, the girl had fallen asleep. She awoke only to the feeling of her body being moved, arms scooping beneath her back and cradling her head. Soothing sounds met her ears as she blinked blearly eyes across the dark room - no lights had been lit, no noise echoed through the tunnels outside, so it must have still been night. The female Twi'lek smiled down upon the girl, forced hoarse comforting words from her mouth of how her mother was waiting to pick her up, but they needed to go up.
Aoyen'neziz hadn't seen much of the surface of Ryloth before, but it was certainly a lot more beautiful than the tunnels. Especially now, as the sun brimmed on the horizon, casting a gentle dawn light that slowly began to rouse the bewildered girl. Not quickly enough to struggle in time, as she came into cold gloved hands and her mind woke fully to receive a horrible whirring noise that felt so foreign, so alien. By the time she thought to writhe, to try to escape the unpleasant leathery grip of those cool covered hands, she was being held too tightly and too aggressively to be freed. She knew Ma and Pa wouldn't come here, so close to the dangers the stories had told of - they must have taken a wrong turn again, it was all a mistake and she just needed to get back down underground if these stupid gloves would just let go!
The jingle of coins had joined those mysterious buzzing sounds of engines that she would one day come to love for their familiarity.
These were questions upon which the girl would not dabble in or ponder upon when she grew older. The girl didn't even remember much of what exactly had happened, for all she wondered of was the outcome.
When the girl had gotten in, she had been treated to a meal with another Twi'lek woman who reminded her of her mother, the man she had been picked up by, and a young boy who was not much older than her little brother. She liked him, he laughed at the faces she pulled. It had seemed comforting, not too far from ma and pa, and by extension she didn't feel so distant from them. Perhaps that was why the girl trusted them so much.
Even when she overheard the man talking to what must have been his wife in the kitchen, she hadn't thought much of it. If the girl could remember it when she was older, she would surely have wondered how she could have been so stupid as to not run when she had the chance. The dark was better than what was to come. Instead, rubbing her eyes, she had gripped the small handkerchief in her hands and walked brazenly into the kitchen within which they spoke. Stunned eyes followed her as she grabbed a drink for the night, smiled sweetly at the pair, and returned to the living room where she nestled herself onto the makeshift bedding on the floor.
Aoyen'neziz's obliviousness either made the couple more bold or the small home really was as poorly constructed as it looked, for as she drifted to sleep, their conversation could still be heard.
"Think of how we could sort out Uwintipek! He could have a better life, we don't even know the girl, we can forget her for his sake," the man's voice had hummed through the walls. Aoyen'neziz never heard the woman's voice in all of the conversation, so she could only presume that her lekku were doing all the talking for her. There had been a long exchange between the two of them, but after a few minutes, the girl had fallen asleep. She awoke only to the feeling of her body being moved, arms scooping beneath her back and cradling her head. Soothing sounds met her ears as she blinked blearly eyes across the dark room - no lights had been lit, no noise echoed through the tunnels outside, so it must have still been night. The female Twi'lek smiled down upon the girl, forced hoarse comforting words from her mouth of how her mother was waiting to pick her up, but they needed to go up.
Aoyen'neziz hadn't seen much of the surface of Ryloth before, but it was certainly a lot more beautiful than the tunnels. Especially now, as the sun brimmed on the horizon, casting a gentle dawn light that slowly began to rouse the bewildered girl. Not quickly enough to struggle in time, as she came into cold gloved hands and her mind woke fully to receive a horrible whirring noise that felt so foreign, so alien. By the time she thought to writhe, to try to escape the unpleasant leathery grip of those cool covered hands, she was being held too tightly and too aggressively to be freed. She knew Ma and Pa wouldn't come here, so close to the dangers the stories had told of - they must have taken a wrong turn again, it was all a mistake and she just needed to get back down underground if these stupid gloves would just let go!
The jingle of coins had joined those mysterious buzzing sounds of engines that she would one day come to love for their familiarity.
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