Crimson Guard

8 - Fix

            When she opened her eyes again, something felt strange. Different. No wrong so much as just changed. The med-bay was still bright and blindingly sterile, still kept that distinct smell, only Tarkin had moved, seemingly to walk the length of the floor, while Vader remained precisely where he had been before. So what was that feeling? Tarkin looked back and smiled, coming to her side as she sat up.

      "How do you feel?" Her face shifted into a minuscule puzzled frown for a moment.

     "Different." Tarkin chuckled, but neither of them missed Vader's sudden attention. 

     "Bad different? Or good different?" She tilted her head slightly, thinking.

    "Just... different." Tarkin shrugged.

    "Well I suppose that's hardly a surprise. There were some old injuries the droids were able to fix for you, I imagine some old pains you've become accustomed to are no longer there. How on earth did you manage to end up with so many badly healed bones?" Her face hardened for a moment then, something Vader took a great interest in, and Tarkin seemed to regret the question even though she gave a vague answer.

     "A lot of fights. Little to no medical care." Some look of understanding Vader barely caught passed over Tarkin's face as he looked at the girl, a look that seemed to convey an apology for his question that the Sith did not fully grasp. The governor turned then to Vader.

      "I suppose you already have her quarters chosen, lord Vader?" The Sith nodded, and noted the look Yazasha had given the governor at the way he addressed Vader. Like someone who worked for or with him. Good. She was intelligent. She had at least some idea of what he was capable of then, very different compared to the general officers who dismissed him with rolled eyes and whispers about superstition and cheap tricks. Infuriating, but they had their uses. Yazasha, on the other hand, intrigued him. Impressed him even, something that was very hard to do. 

       He looked at the girl, gesturing for her to follow him and then leaving the room without looking back to see if she had done so. The sound of her footsteps was quieter than he had thought it would be, but it indicated her presence behind him. Her silence was appreciated, he was used to new recruits of any caliber either attempting to speak to him or muttering reassurances to themselves, both of which irritated him greatly if done by anyone but a close friend, something he did not have anyway. And for once no one was looking at him as he passed, all eyes focused on the woman beside him. It was interesting really, fading into the background. He had never been good at it really, even without all the cybernetics, yet he had a feeling the same was not true about his new apprentice. He had seen her because she wanted to be seen, had wanted to be found. It hadn't been a mysterious whim of the Force, it had been her. Reaching out and pulling his attention to her from star systems away. 

    That in itself was enough to hint at the immense potential she held. Potential he had lost years ago when most of his body had been replaced with machines. That was also why Palpatine had taken such a liking to her, he was not oblivious to that. That was why he had been instructed to allow her the full knowledge and training of a Sith. Palpatine no doubt hoped for Yazasha to take his place as the Emperor's favored apprentice, following the rule of two that Vader held such disdain for. All he could hope was that the Emperor had not realized that Vader himself had caught on to the scheme. He would start by training his apprentice in the ways of the Force, as well as with a lightsaber, and take her with him to deal with disputes that would need those skills. Then, once he knew she was trustworthy and that she trusted him, he would teach her how to guard her mind from even the Emperor and explain the situation to her. He could show her the darker side of the Emperor, the one hidden behind his hold of the Force that cared nothing for anyone or anything, and she would side with him. Alone he could never defeat the Emperor, he knew that. Anakin Skywalker could have perhaps pulled it off, but not Darth Vader with machines keeping him alive. But with Yazasha at his side, trained and strong and loyal,  they could overthrow the Emperor and claim the galaxy, fix it.

       Not many minutes later, Yazasha followed the Sith's lead and stopped outside a black blast door. The Sith waved his hand and the door, apparently not locked, opened to reveal the room within. When she did not move, Vader gestured expectantly for her to enter, and she walked in only to stand in surprise as she beheld the largest room she had ever seen in her life. From where she stood in the center, there was a large closet, bathroom, and even a space with a desk in part of the room. All had ample space between them, and the bed was enormous. Vader stood in the doorway as his apprentice stared at the room, and something pulled at his locked-up emotions when he saw the widened eyes. Barely noticeable, but from what he had seen she might as well have been slack-jawed. The room itself was nothing impressive to him, but the expression she wore reminded him of a young Anakin at the Jedi Temple, gazing around at his new home in amazement.

     "The keypad to lock the room does not yet have a code. You may add one of your choosing, one you will remember. If you do not wish me to know the code I will not insist. Your training starts tomorrow, there will be clothes waiting in the morning, to which you will be alerted when it comes. For now, I recommend washing and getting some rest." She nodded, fixing her expression.

   "Thank you." He made no other response besides a small bow before he left the room, the door closing behind him. Yazasha turned back to the room, allowing herself a true expression of amazement now that there was no one to see it. There were, after all, no cameras in her room. 

     The closet was enormous, the fact that it existed was enough to intrigue her, but she could stand comfortably inside it despite her height and muscle. The bathroom held the necessities, but once again she could stand properly and move without hitting everything in sight, something she greatly appreciated. The desk accommodated her as well, and even the bed was long enough and wide enough that she would have no fear of falling off in the middle of the night or being cramped into a space meant for someone half her size. Standing and walking and lying down in even relative comfort may have been common to everyone else, but it was not something Yazasha took lightly.

    She stared at the keypad for some time before choosing a date. She didn't know her birthday, could only vaguely guess at a month and her own age. She wasn't going to choose the date of her first fight or the beginning of her time with Jabba. Only one date stood out in her mind as one that meant something to her. 623053. By the Coruscant Standard Calendar, that was the date she gained her freedom from Jabba, the day she made the first choice ever offered to her, the day the Empire gave her a place in the Galaxy. The day she was no longer a slave. 

    Finally, after she had scrubbed the blood and grime from her skin and changed her clothes into softer garments than she had ever felt in her life, Yazasha allowed herself to drift off to sleep without thinking about how she would react if the guards decided to mess with her or the slaves around her. She was free, far away from anyone who wanted to kill her. By the very low standards she had, Yazasha was safe.