Across the Stars (Reylo fanfiction)

Shepherds and Wolves

Rey groaned. What the -- she tried to move her limbs but couldn't. Slowly, she opened her eyes. The room was shaded in a red glow. Looking down, she groaned again. What was it with dark side desperados and slightly bondagey upright restraining tables?

"So sleeping beauty finally rises," she heard a voice say.

Instinctively, she looked for her weapon. It wasn't there. Of course not. She turned her gaze to where the voice had gloated from and saw a circular sofa chair and a human woman sitting in it. The woman had burgundy hair and wore black robes. In her hands she held Rey's sabre.

Rey called on the force to try and pull her blade towards her. Suddenly, an electric shock throttled her body. She grunted to avoid screaming.

"I wouldn't do that," the woman said, still examining the weapon, "Your bonds are built to contain force users."

Rey glowered at her. "Where are my companions?"

"Safe," her captor replied, "so long as you are cooperative. It's an impressive piece," the woman said of the sabre. She put it down on the table beside her. "I do believe introductions are in order. I am Cresta Ren, grand lieutenant of the Knights of Ren."

"And what's your real name?"

The woman smiled without warmth. She stood. Before Rey could think, she had crossed the distance between them. The sound of the slap that she backhanded across Rey's face echoed around the room. She gripped either edge of the upright board and leaned down to Rey's eye level. "You'll soon learn that I do not suffer insolence, Rey of Jakku."

Rey's gaze narrowed even further, "Where did you hear that name?"

Cresta laughed, turning and gesturing widely, "Oh, we all know it. Lord Ren has given specific instructions to his knights regarding your person."

Ben. "He was here, wasn't he?"

"Of course. Considering the nature of this ... facility, he thought it warranted personal attention." She smirked, pouring herself a short stemmed glass of blood coloured liquid, "He has a special distaste for those who betray him."

"And you were left behind afterward to babysit a ruin on a death world on the off chance the Resistance sent someone to investigate."

Fire flickered in the knight's eyes, "I would happily snap your wretched scavenger neck right now. Be grateful Lord Ren wants you undamaged."

"I'll be sure to tell him about that slap then."

Cresta broke the glass in her grip. "Regis!" She yelled.

A door at the far end of the room swoshed open as a tall silver robot emerged.

"Get me a cloth and clean this up."

"Yes, mistress," it said in a deep mechanical hum. It was gone for a few minutes as the silence hung thick between the two women. Cresta pulled off her ripped black leather glove and threw it into the glowing red fireplace.

When the droid returned it had a white tea towel in its hand and a metal bucket. Cresta snatched the cloth out of its hand and wrapped it around her injured palm. A scarlet stain seeped into the fabric. The droid began removing the glass from the floor and scrubbing the carpet. Just as it stood, a crash, bang, and zapping of blasters broke through the atmosphere.

"What is the meaning of --" the knight of Ren was cut off as someone forced open the door via which the droid had entered. Out from the dark hallway emerged Janna holding her lit sabre daggers, the light of a prowling lioness in her eyes. She slashed through the droid. Kol came in behind her with his blaster in one hand and his lit emerald coloured lightsabre in the other. Back to back the padawans stood -- Janna stalking Cresta and Kol holding off laser bullets.

The dark knight lit her sabre whip and ran behind Rey. Janna flickered her gaze to her master. In that moment, Cresta force pushed Janna onto her butt, and then ran out the opposite door.

"Rey!" Janna said, jumping to her feet.

Kol closed the door through which he had come and made about barricading it.

"How did you?"

"No time," Janna said. After looking over her restraints, she took a deep breath and made seven precise cuts in one smooth flury of motion.

Rey rubbed her wrists as she dropped to the floor. But there was no time to celebrate her freedom. She summoned her sabre-staff and ignited it. "Come on." Not needing her to tell them twice, her padawans followed her in pursuit of their former captor. They made their way through the corridors of the ship, fighting off silver droids and catching glimpses of Cresta's flowing cape disappearing around corners, until they stood at the ship's hatch. Rey inhaled deeply, "She's out there."

"Then it's about time we formally introduce ourselves, right Janna?" Kol spun his blaster around his finger and put it back in its holster. He gripped his lightsabre with both hands.

The togruta woman smiled, her eyes narrowed. "High time."

Rey hit the button. A hiss of decompression filled their ears as the hatch lowered to the ground. As soon as it did, blaster shots sprang out at them. They deflected them as fast as they could, making their way to where droids were hidden behind boulders.

Janna growled as a stray shot grazed her thigh.

"Steady!" Rey called, slicing through a droid's torso. It fell in a hunk of scrap metal. Together the trio carved their way back to the spot where Rey had cut scars into the seaside rock before their imprisonment. "There!" She yelled, pointing up at the stairs to the castle. About halfway up stood Cresta with her robes flowing around her in the wind. The jedi master could feel the rage fuming from the very soul of her adversary. Suddenly a force field zapped into life behind Rey, stretching as far as the eye could see, cutting her off from her students.

"The barrier remains as long as a single droid lives," Cresta called from her high place. "Come up if you dare, scavenger scum!"

Rey looked behind her; Janna and Kol battled robot killer after robot killer. The machines seemed to be springing out of holes in the ground.

"We shall take care of this!" Kol yelled.

"Yeah," Janna panted, "We'll catch up with you."

Rey continued staring back at them.

"Go, Master!"

"Give her a nice scar like Kylo!" Janna winked, even as she force pushed two droids into each other.

"I'll see you soon," Rey promised as she turned and ran towards the foot of the stairs.