The Ryun Chronicles - Every Chapter Comes to an End

Aska Ryun

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Standing outside the dingy bar she had called home for so long, Aska observed the doorway while the clattering of cups and cutlery could be heard from within. With her hood drawn over her head and a cigarra in her lips, the woman remained still along the edge of the suspended walkway as citizens of a wide array of species walked across the path between her and the door. Hesitation held her in place, however. Hesitation to see the familiar faces inside. Hesitation to face the problem that had sparked between her and one of her closest friends on Boonta Eve. Hesitation to tell them what she could come here to say…

”Go, child. Your destiny lies beyond this chapter,”

Gritting her teeth as the voice could be heard within her mind’s ear, Aska reached upward and pulled the cigarra from her mouth before ashing it at her feet. The pain in her heart tugged at her, forcing her to close her eyes.

”Not yet…” she responded quietly, though no one in ear shot would know she was speaking to someone directly.

”These people do not matter. You will see this in time,”

Anger began to boil within at the words as the voice spoke them. Deskar and Quinri had meant everything to Aska ever since she had arrived on Nar Shaddaa all those months ago. They were the family she had always been searching for and welcomed her with open arms and yet here she was, preparing to leave them behind. How could they not matter when they were all she had? Yet just as she was about to raise her voice to the one within her mind, her eyes opening again with supressed rage, she caught a glimpse of the young Togrutan woman walking out of the bar, her shift over for the night. Simply watching Quinri walking away from the building was enough to soothe her, if only for a moment as the frustration was soon replaced with the same guilt she had felt before. Still, with Quinri finally gone, she could go inside and say her good bye to Deskar without being required to deal with the heavier handed issue she faced. Sighing, she pushed herself up from the railing and took one last drag off the cigarra before flicking it over the edge, sending it on a spiral to the depths of the Smuggler’s moon.



The inside of the bar was quiet, as it nearly always was. Only a few tables held any patrons and the bar was sparsely populated though the same stool where Aska had so frequently sat upon in the past on the corner remained vacant. ’Poetic,’ she thought to herself as she moved into her seat, opting to leave her hood over her face.

”What’re ya havin’?” the Besalisk bartender asked, his back turned as he reorganized some of the bottles that adorned the shelving along the back wall. Aska couldn’t hold the smile hearing Deskar’s voice brought on, the same damn question he’d asked her what felt like a million times before.

”A hug would be great but I’ll settle for a beer,” As she finished speaking, the giant bar tender spun around, knocking a glass over into the sink at his side with shattering conclusion. Still, he ignored it.

”Aska!” he bellowed, but the young clone quickly motioned for him to keep his voice down. In response, his face contorted into one of confusion. ”Is something wrong, kid? What’s going… By the five moons, what happened to your face?” he stammered, struggling to keep his voice down. Still, Aska was impressed by the effort. The man’s booming voice could carry across a Coruscanti starport and still be heard clear as a bell, she’d wager it any day.

”Got myself into a bit of trouble, pal,” Aska replied though she was sheepish with her words. ”Big trouble. Can we go somewhere to talk?” She could see the sympathy in his big brown eyes, hints of recognizing just what she could be referring to reflecting through them.

”Was only a matter of time… C’mon. Let’s go upstairs,”



Deskar’s loft… She had never been here before, the bartender typically choosing to remain downstairs to spend time with the two girls before retiring up here when he decided they were getting to be too much for him to handle. It was far more sparsely decorated than she had ever thought it would be, though she never did really think about it. Sitting down on the massive couch in the center of the single room, Aska finally allowed herself to pull the hood back from her head to reveal the wounds she had received on Nal Hutta. One eye was still nearly swollen shut with massive cuts along both her bottom lip and bridge of her nose, parting gifts from the Quarren thug she wound up murdering. Deskar, frowning as he saw the damage, placed a small glass of rum on the table ahead of her before dropping into the massive chair behind him.

”So… What did you do?” he asked, though as she stared at the drink placed before her, she could feel his focused stare. It felt like he was asking questions he already knew the answers too.

”Well, I’m assuming you know Quinn and I aren’t speaking right now?” Aska finally allowed herself to say as she wrapped her hand around the glass. Deskar nodded slowly.

”Aye, I do. She’s ready to talk. You should go see her,”

”I’m… I’m planning on it. So you know why?” The Besalisk smirked slightly.

”Where is the slave girl?”

”Left Ali at the ship. Don’t need her getting in my way and… Don’t need her for what I’m here to do,” Looking up from her glass, tears began to form in the corner of her eyes as she looked at the giant bulky man who had been the closest thing she’s ever had to a father since leaving Coruscant. ”I gotta get off world, Desk… I made a mistake getting involved in all this shit. Terrik… Boola… Zugg… This Alzon son of a bitch… The longer I stay, the more likely I’ll be putting not just myself at risk but you and Quinn. And I can’t live with that,” Pushing the glass away from her, the tears finally started flowing, sobbing as she spoke. ”I shouldn’t have ever gotten involved in all this crap. I should have just stayed content being a dock jockey and left well enough alone,” Burying her face in her hands, everything started coming out. All the frustration she had felt since that fateful day in the skies of Coruscant, her boot firmly placed in the back of Dur’Agu’s skull. Leaving the only life she’d known just to start trying to carve out her own place in the galaxy, only to end up becoming exactly what she had sworn against becoming. Then there was the holocron from the jungles around Iziz that constantly whispered to her in her dreams. Everything flooded her at once, though if she was going to allow herself to be in such a vulnerable state, Deskar was the only person in the entire galaxy she felt comfortable with seeing her as such. Soon, she could feel the weight of his giant hand setting down on her shoulder, causing her to flinch as he agitated the blaster wound in the same location.

”Kid, you needed to do all that. If you didn’t then you wouldn’t be you,” he spoke calmly, clearly doing his best to comfort Aska but she soon lifted her face and locked eyes with him once again, her vision blurry not only from the tears but the swelling, of which was growing worse.

”That’s not even all of it!” she stammered. The flood gates had opened… ”Desk, I’m a damn clone! I was made in a freaking lab, cloned from an ancient Sith! Every choice I’ve made up until this point, they’re not mine! They’re hers!”

She had never told Deskar of who she was, where she had truly come from. All he ever knew was that she came from Coruscant and she was trying to run away from her ‘family’ before choosing Nar Shaddaa as the place to settle down. And as she explained it all, blubbering between each word, he wrapped one of his giant arms around her and pulled her in tightly. Her first response was to try and fight back from the grasp but his hold on her soon began to feel of such a comfort that she had never felt before. Besides, there was no way in hell she’d break out of his iron grip.

”Aska… I’m sorry. You’ve never told me before,” he began. ”But it doesn’t matter. You’re you, kid. Not some ancient war mongerer. Sure, you’ve got some shared similarities it seems but…” Bringing one of his other armsover, the Besalisk tousled the hair on Aska’s head as she placed her face against his stained shirt. ”You’ve got a good heart. I’ve seen it. So has Quinri. We wouldn’t have kept you around if we didn’t think ya did,” Releasing some of the weight of his arm from Aska’s shoulders, the Besalisk pushed her back to look him in the eyes again. ”We both love ya. Doesn’t matter who you are, where you come from. None of it matters. To us, you’ll always be Aska, the girl up to no good,” Flashing his toothy grin once more, he soon pulled her back in and embraced her tightly. The wound on her shoulder ached as he did, but she didn’t care. She needed this.

”I’m going to miss you, Desk. So damn much,” she sobbed.

”Aye, I’ll miss you too. What are you going to do? Where are you going to go?”

”Boola…. She owes me a favor,” Sniffling, the clone did her best to regain her composure but never let go of the giant bar tender. ”I’m going to make her refuel the ship I took from Nal Hutta… and I’m going to run. I don’t know where yet, but I’m gone…” She lied. She knew she needed to go back to Coruscant, back to Trench and his lab. It was safer if he didn’t know…

”And the slave… Ali, you said?”

”Bringing her with me… She’s not safe here. Zugg will come looking for both of us. He’ll kill me and after everything on Nal Hutta… He might want to kill her too…” Finally, Deskar pushed Aska back before standing up from his spot on the giant chair.

”I’m not going to pry details. I understand. But before you go…” Standing from his spot, grunting as he pushed himself upwards, the Besalisk waddled back towards a closet, rustling around inside. As he did, Aska wiped the tears from her cheeks.

”I want you to have this. To remember me by,” Deskar said as he returned to her side, holding out a folded piece of fabric. Taking it from him and unfolding it, a holo projector dropped into her lap. Sniffling, she lifted it upward and activated it to see an image of all three of them sitting at a booth in the bar downstairs. All three were smiling, and the glint in Aska’s eye told her that she was wasted when it was taken.

”I don’t remember this…” she whispered, unable to take her eyes off it.

”No surprise there. It was a few months back, first time the three of us stayed after shift. Take it,”

”I… I don’t know what to say, Deskar… Thank you,” Putting the projector back in her pocket, Aska stood and leaned over before wrapping her arms around the man’s thick neck. ”I don’t need a holo to never forget you, pal. But I love it all the same,” Standing back, Aska locked eyes with the bartender one last time and she could have swore she say tears beginning to form in his. There as a first for everything it seemed. ”But I need to go…” Stepping back, Aska lifted the hood back over her face and made her way to the doorway.

”Go on, kid. And take care of yourself,”
 
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Aska Ryun

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The stairs up to the small business that served as a front to Boola’s criminal operation lay ahead of Aska and she found herself to be relatively surprised by what she saw. While it was no secret to her that the Rodian was only just beginning to carve out her own place within the small gang of pirates and thugs that had cropped up in recent years, she had expected something… more. Instead, she was greeted by a run-down store front that was staffed by a single aging Ithorian behind the sales counter while another Rodian sat on a stool beside a closed door near the back as he read off a datapad. The building was sparsely lit, and the shelves seemed to be rather bare. No, this place was far from what she had expected.

”Hey, lookin’ for Boola. She in?” Aska requested of the Ithorian, her hood remaining drawn over her head. She didn’t know if anyone was watching, who could be trusted amongst the millions of citizens of Nar Shaddaa. Even asking this alien for Boola by name sent shivers down her spine, concerned that maybe she had guessed the wrong store. As the Ithorian listened to her, he laid both hands down on the counter and squinted at the human girl before speaking in his native tongue, a language she was not familiar with. ”Of course,” she said with a sigh. ”Rodian chick. Like that guy,” Pointing to the man in the back, she continued. ”Long face, big blue eyes? Kinda ugly? Well… Really ugly, I guess,” Clearly frustrated with her inability to understand him, the Ithorian threw his hands in the air as his voice grew increasingly agitated. Still, Aska didn’t have the time nor the desire to waste precious moments trying to communicate with this man. Looking over to the Rodian, she called out to him. ”Hey, is Boola here?” Still, she was ignored. ”Chuba face! I’m talking to you!”

”Yeeep, heard ya,” the man responded finally without raising his attention from the datapad in his hands. ”Don’t know anyone named Boola. Sorry,”

”You sure? I’m pretty certain this is where she told me to come if I ever needed to speak to her face to face,” As her attention was now fully on the Rodian man, the Ithorian let off a frustrated huff before stepping out of the store. Now alone with what appeared to be the guard of the back room, Aska walked closer to him. ”You’re messin’ with me, right?” Looking up finally from his reading material, scanning the room to be sure the Ithorian was no longer present, the Rodian stood.

”You got bolts for brains, moron?” he asked, tapping the side of his skull with his long finger. ”That doofus who runs the shop ain’t supposed to be involved. Boss woulda told you that,”

”Must have slipped my mind,” she responded. Still emotional from her meeting with Deskar, Aska found herself unable to feel the normal sort of response that would come from some stranger throwing insults. She just wanted to get this over with so she could get off Nar Shaddaa. ”Look, can I go and see her or not?”

”You Aska?” the Rodian replied, giving the girl a once over before spotting the blaster on her hip.

”Yea,”

”Weapons stay here,” With an outstretched hand, the Rodian curled his fingers to indicate he wanted Aska to relieve herself of the gun. Obliging him, she unholstered the SE-45 and set it into his hand before he placed it on the table beside him. ”Heard about that fancy sword of yours. It stays too,” Gritting her teeth, the woman locked eyes with the body guard as she reached into her jacket, finding the hilt tucked away safely in it’s place. Removing it, she hesitated to let it drop into his hand. ”Boss promises you’ll get it all back. And I won’t mess with it. Don’t need that sort of heat if someone walks in here and sees a Jedi weapon,”



The back of the store was much the same as the front as the Rodian guided Aska through the stock room. Dark, empty… Erie. Still, a second door appeared at the back with two droids standing guard. Motioning for Aska to approach them, the Rodian soon disappeared back to his position in the store entrance. For better or worse, she was here now and as she approached the droids, they each stepped aside as the door slid open to reveal a shockingly ornate office of dark greens and blues. It was in such a contrast of the rest of the building that Aska was taken aback for a moment. This, this is what she was expecting…

”Ah, and there she is! The trouble maker!” Boola called out from her desk with open arms before indicating her to take a seat opposite her. Complying, the woman scanned the office carefully as she sat.

”Quaint space you’ve got here,” she allowed herself. ”Could pick a friendlier shop attendant though,”

”The Ithorian? Is’rik is a lovely gentleman, I’ll have you know. The office in my old bar was far more elegant but… Well, you know what happened there,” Boola replied as she reached under her desk, resurfacing with a bottle and two glasses. ”Can I interest you in a drink?” Looking at the liquor, Aska waved a hand of dismissal which earned a shocked look from the Rodian. ”You? Turning down alcohol? You must be ill,”

”Soul searching…” she replied softly, finally lowering her hood. ”When did you get back?”

”Not long ago at all, maybe an hour or two. I’ve spoken with Zugg about Nal Hutta. Needless to say, the slug is irate but denies any blame. Not surprising in the slightest,” Boola chuckled as she poured herself a glass from the bottle before replacing it under the desk. ”Says I ‘shame him with such accusations’. But we know the truth of the matter, don’t we?”

”Sure, whatever… Look, that’s actually why I’m here…” Aska took in a deep breath. Never before had she asked the woman for a favor as their relationship had been off to a more than rocky start and yet here she was. ”I think it would be best if I left Nar Shaddaa for awhile, let things cool down. I was hoping that maybe you could…” Aska trailed off. She hated being here. She hated asking Boola for anything, let alone for a favor that held her survival in it’s grasp.

”You’re going to run?” Boola interrupted with a look of smug disbelief. ”Never pegged you to be one to turn tail,”

”I’m not worried about just myself here, schutta,” Aska responded, the fire within starting to grow once more. ”I’ve already had my friend’s lives threatened once… By you. I can’t keep doing this to them,” Boola chuckled slightly as she sipped the beverage in her hand.

”I suppose this I can understand. It’s a shame, of course. I felt you and I were finally bonding,” Though she said the words, both women knew it was sarcasm. Still, Boola profited greatly with Aska working for her and Aska also made away with a tidy profit. ”What do you need?”

”The ship I lifted from Nal Hutta. I need it refueled and the ID signature wiped, replaced with a clean code. I don’t need the slug tracking me down once I’m gone,”

”That’s all? Please, Aska. I thought you were going to make a real request of me,” Boola laughed as she leaned forward, pushing a button on her desk. ”Kayto, please come in here,” Soon after, the droid arrived in the office.

”Yes, Mistress? Ah! Mistress Aska! You’re still alive!” the droid exclaimed upon entering.

”Sorry to let you down pal but yea, I’m still kicking,” the clone joked.

”Droid, I would like you to head to Aska’s ship and ensure it is both refueled and given a new ID signature. Speed is of the essence. As well, I would like you to travel with the girl, keep her safe,” The final words caused both Aska and the droid to turn their full attention to the Rodian as she leaned back in her seat.

”Thanks, but no thanks. I’d rather just jump off the platform now,”

”I concur,”

”I’ve made my decision, you two. Besides, how else am I supposed to contact you in the future?” Boola’s narrow mouth curved into the same smug smirk she so often delivered. ”Now, get out of here before I change my mind on helping you at all,”
 

Aska Ryun

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”How is it coming along, droid?” Aska spoke into her communicator. The hangar bay bustled with life and while the pair worked away on ensuring the freighter was prepared for the long journey ahead, the woman watched every passerby with a critical eye. She had no indication of when, not if, Zugg’s men would appear. One of the beautiful things about the Smuggler’s Moon is that it served as a fantastic place for those who did not wish to be found to find refuge but even the most well hidden would be located, sooner or later. As she turned the wrench on the final connection under the ships thruster, Kayto came through the channel.

”Everything is set, Mistress. We can depart upon your word,” There was a pause while the comm crackled to signify that the droid was not yet done speaking. ”Do you think there is any chance Mistress Boola will reconsider this decision? I am not a nanny droid as she often likes to assume,”

”Look, I’m not happy about it either but you’ll be useful so I’m going along with it. Maybe I could just wipe your memory. I’m sure it’s something both of us would enjoy,” she joked as she closed the panel.

”I must protest,”

”That’s what I thought. I’ve got one last thing to take care of and then we’re burning sky until we see lines. Prime the engines and make sure Alisaah is prepared. I won’t be long,”



Saying goodbye to Quinri was the final task on Aska’s to do list and now that the time had come after all her procrastinating, her stomache twisted in anticipation. The last time the two had spoke was Boonta Eve, the night the two Togrutan women had been introduced, and Quinn had not taken kindly to the idea of Aska owning a member of her species. Of course, it was an enormous misunderstanding but considering how it looked and the fact that the waitress hadn’t allowed her a chance to explain, she understood her response. Had she been put in her shoes and drank as much as Quinn had that night, she likely wouldn’t be willing to listen to reason either. Still, leaving things the way they were between the two wasn’t favorable in the slightest. Quinri was one of her best friends, an enormous part of Aska’s life and one of the select few things that pushed her to return home after every job. Possibly the only thing. How she felt about the Togrutan was often confusing, but not once did she consider a life without her an option. Now, it was the only one… and she had put it off long enough.

As the lift ascended through the apartment complex Quinri called home, Aska stood amongst the crowd of strangers with her hood drawn and a cigarra in her lips, earning her a look of disgust from many of the civilians. She didn’t care, knowing fully well that no one would have the courage to say anything to her or to ask her to step the butt out. Such was the way of things on Nar Shaddaa. Finally, the lift doors opened on the thirteenth floor and as Aska stepped out, many of the folks who remained breathed a sigh of relief. She, however, did not feel the same. Instead, as she looked down the hallway towards the residence of her friend, a sudden gnawing feeling of dread grew within her. It wasn’t guilt that she felt now but instead a sensation that something terrible was about to take place.

”Do you sense that, child?” the voice returned, the heat of the holocron in her jacket emanating against her abdomen.

”Something is wrong…” she whispered in response, remaining still. The lift had closed now and continued its ascent, leaving her alone in the corridor with nothing but her own thoughts and the voice in her head.

”Indeed. Go carefully,”

Drawing her pistol from it’s holster, Aska slowly made her way towards Quinri’s door and with every step, the haunting shadow that hovered over her only grew darker. Everything appeared normal, nothing out of place or giving any indication that there was a legitimate cause for these terrible sensations she felt through out her entire body but she knew… Something wasn’t right. Approaching the door to her friend’s apartment, Aska took a deep breathe before activating the entry pad.

The door slid open to reveal Quinri’s apartment and as it did, Aska saw why she felt as she did. In the center of the room was the Togrutan woman forced on her knees by three Nikto men, one of whom had a blaster drawn and placed on the back of her head. Tears poured from Quinn’s eyes as she tried to plead for help but a gag was placed tightly in her mouth while her hands were tied together behind her back. Bruised and bleeding, it was clear she had been badly beaten by the men before being placed in her current situation and it all became clear to Aska. Why she had felt such unease approaching the building and why the sensations only grew stronger with every passing moment. Raising her blaster, she aimed it at the man who held Quinri hostage but was soon met with two rifles being turned on her.

”Let her go right now,” Aska demanded, stepping in to the apartment.

”Stop right there, schutta,” the man demanded, pushing his barrel harshly against the back of Quinri’s center lekku which bore a whimper of fear from the Togrutan. ”I have no issue burning this bitch here and now. She should already be dead but the boss demanded we wait for you,”

”Zugg?” Aska growled through clenched teeth. The man simply grinned, revealing a smile of missing and rotting teeth of his own. ”Let her go. She had nothing to do with Nal Hutta or the Embassy,”

”Lower the gun and I’ll think about it,” the man responded as he reached back into his pocket. Pulling his hand forward, he tossed a projector on the floor ahead of them which soon came to life, a glowing form of Hota Zugg appearing.

“Ah… Aska Ryun… Here at last,”

Not removing her blaster from the thug who held the Togrutan hostage, Aska allowed herself to look upon the Hutt’s hologram.

”Hota,” she replied simply.

“You do not seem surprised to see me,”

”Hard not too. Even as a hologram, you’re difficult to miss,”

“Ho ho, such a snide woman. But I know this must not come as a shock. You must have realised by now that your transgressions against me and my operations simply cannot go unpunished. The embarrassment you caused me at my own auction alone earned you my full attention, but you could not leave it alone. Had you, perhaps I would have settled for simply ending your own life and reclaiming what was rightfully mine. But no. No, you continued. You interfered with my operation on Nal Hutta. You killed a great many of my men,”

Zugg’s speech was all to familiar, much the same as Boola’s own when she forcefully recruited Aska to settle a debt she entirely disputed. But his words, the sinister tone of his voice… There was no other option available to her now and she fully recognized it.

“You’ve drug my name through such filth that my own family has turned their back on me once again. They believe me unable to retain whatever power I still have and I have been forced to prove them otherwise. There is only one way, I feel, that I can accomplish this,”

”Order your damn goon to let Quinri go and I’ll come to you myself. We can settle this, you and me. No one else needs to get hurt,” Aska pleaded, the sobbing of her friend held at gun point tearing her heart apart.

“That is where you are wrong. Everyone and everything you hold dear must suffer, I’m afraid… As I’m sure you already well knew. Why else would you have said your good byes to the Besalisk bartender? Oh yes, I know of him. I know you paid our dear Rodian friend a visit as well. They also are currently being… Dealt with. And soon, I will find my dear Alisaah and she too will pay for what has transpired. But I am glad you’ve decided to attend this moment, Aska Ryun. As now, I will get to watch as I take from you what you have taken from me!”

Every word from Zugg was bringing Aska to such a degree of anger that she had never before experienced. The room began to turn red as the Hutt threatened both Deskar and Boola, threats that she knew were all too real. Her grip on her pistol tightened, so much so that had she been in a state to notice, she would worry that she was about to crush it with her bare hands.

“One girl for another! Ki’var’ik!”

The room soon lit up as the Nikto followed through with his Master’s command, squeezing the trigger of the weapon placed on Quinri’s head. Then everything paused… Aska watched as the life faded from the Togrutan’s eyes, a burning hole between them. She watched as the hologram of Zugg laughed with satisfaction as he observed her pain. She watched as the sinister and toothless grin of the Nikto grew with Quinri’s murder. Then it all went dark…
 

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Picking herself up from the floor, Aska coughed as she tried to regain herself. The sounds of rushing winds and speeders could be heard and as she pushed her hand against the carpeted floor of the apartment, shattered glass could be felt on her palms. What happened? She couldn’t remember anything except…

”Quinn!!” Aska cried out as she crawled over to the lifeless Togrutan, pulling her close as she sat up. Looking around, the apartment was nearly destroyed as the furniture had been tossed around, papers and belongings of the dead Quinri tossed around. Windows were shattered and the two were alone. No Nikto thugs, no hologram of Zugg… Just Aska and Quinri. ”Quinn, no!” Aska sobbed as she tried to shake life back into her friend but to no avail. All she was greeted with was the empty stare of her green eyes.

”Rise, child! You must run!”

”For what?! They’re dead! All of them!” Zugg’s words hung in Aska’s mind. Deskar, Boola… and now Quinri. She knew very well that he was speaking the truth. All three were hit simultaneously. All three were executed. Once again, she was alone… ”Why should I run?!”

”Yet you live! On your feet!” the voice demanded. ”You must survive if you are to avenge their deaths!”

”And go where?!” Aska demanded, still clinging to Quinri as she sobbed. ”He’ll just track me down and kill me too!”

”Return to Coruscant! To your creator! Nothing has changed! You will get your revenge, but first you must prepare!”

Looking to Quinri one last time, Aska wiped the tears from her eyes before untying the gag that still remained in her mouth.

”I’m so sorry, Quinn… I’m so sorry…” Touching the Togrutan’s face, Aska closed her eyes and buried her face into the corpse’s shoulder. ”I should have came… I shouldn’t have waited… I’m so sorry…”

”Mistress! Mistress, are you there?!” Kayto bellowed through her comm. Still crying, Aska pulled away from Quinri and shared one final look into her eyes before closing her eyelids.

”I’m here…” she answered quietly.

”We are on our way to your location! We’ve locked on to your signal! We were attacked in the hangar but managed to escape!” Looking to her tracker attached to the communicator on her wrist, she saw the red light blinking as it broadcast her signal to the ship. How had it activated? It was not her doing… ”Mistress… Boola… She is….”

”I know, Kayto… I know…” Aska pushed herself to her feet and walked to the shattered window. What had happened here? None of it made sense…

”Your confusion… You do not remember?” the voice echoed in her mind. ”In your anger, you touched the potential I’ve always known existed within…” Looking down to the platform below, Aska saw the three thugs as they laid flat. Or rather, what was left of them… And then, just as she tried to begin piecing it all together, the freighter swooped in next to the building as the emergency hatch on the top of it’s hull swung open.

”Go. It is time to face the truth of who you are, child…”

Looking back at the devastated apartment once more, back at Quinri’s lifeless body, Aska knew the voice was right. There was only one thing left for her on Nar Shaddaa. Revenge. And when she returned, she would be ready…



END THREAD
 
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