DYAD

THIRTY

"It's so hot here." I complain, sweating underneath my thick black clothes.

"We only need to wait here for the Jedi, and then we can leave." Cardo says, shifting on his feet. "And for the record, I hate desert planets."

"Shh!" Ushar smacks him on the arm, pointing at the old abandoned ship. "There they are." I step forward, yanking my mask off to get a better look.

"Poe." Vicrul places a hand on my shoulder.

"You can go back to the ship if you want."

"No." I palm my lightsaber. "I'm staying with you." We crouch as the girl glances in our direction. "I'm all for the dramatic look of us standing up here, but she's going to see us." I mumble, watching her walk further away from the ship. Kuruk takes my arm, helping me down the ridge and onto the sand. Not even a moment passes before we hear footsteps. He pushes me back against the stone, but I still see who it is.

"Cardo. We've got one target." Kuruk says quietly into his comm.

"That's Chewie." I push free. "I haven't seen him in years."

"Yeah, well the reunion will be soon, because he's coming with us." Ap'lek tells me. I furrow my brow, glancing back at the girl.

"What is she-" I stop as the signature whine of a TIE fighter fills the valley and Kylo's TIE flies into view, flying inches off the ground. "Kuruk." He glances at me. "I'm going to kill him." The warrior laughs, causing Chewbacca to look at us. While his back is turned, Ap'lek and Cardo come up behind and stun him.

As we load Chewbacca into the transport, I hear an explosion, and my stomach drops. "No." I snap my head towards where there's now a pillar of fire. "No!" I sprint towards the wreckage, tears springing to my eyes. "Kylo!"

"Luella!" Poe's voice only angers me as grief once again shreds through me.

"Kylo!" I reach the wreckage, heat tearing at my skin. "Kylo please!" I use the force to pull debris off the TIE, sobbing uncontrollably. After around the fifth scrap of metal, a hand reaches up, and I grab it. "Kylo!" He stumbles out of the fighter, mask still on, collapsing in my arms. He stands, pulling off his helmet. I look up to see Chewie's shuttle frozen in the sky, and the scavenger girl holding it with the force.

"Luella!" Poe's voice calls again.

"Luella, get back to the Night Buzzard." Kylo orders.

"But-"

"Now." He growls.

"Fine." I say, lip trembling as he steps forward, lifting his own arm to counter the girl's force. I jog back towards the Night Buzzard. Before I can board, I hear another explosion, but I don't look back.

—

"Search the city again." Kylo orders. "She's close." I try to get his attention, but he turns away.

"Luella, with me." Vicrul says, grabbing my elbow. I nod, gripping my lightsaber.

"Hey! First Order scum!" I pull Vic down as a blaster bolt flies toward us. I ignite my saber, pointing it at the girl who's aiming a blaster at us. "You took my daughter from me." She loads her weapon. "And my husband. You've taken everything."

"I don't even know you." I snap, tilting my head and spinning my lightsaber.

"Luella-" Vicrul stands behind me.

"Go. I've got this." I snap.

"Luella." I snap my head towards him, seeing a man holding a knife to his neck

"Drop your weapon, and get on your knees or the brute dies." The girl orders. I do, and she approaches me, crouching and pulling my helmet off. "A female Knight of Ren? Let me guess. You have no skill, Ren just lets you be a part of his club as payment for warming his bed." Vicrul growls behind me, and she catches my chin in her gloved hand, tracing my scar with the barrel of her blaster. "I have a few requests for Ren's whore."

"I'm not his whore." I snap. "But he will kill you if you hurt me."

"I wonder how long your strength would hold up if tested by the Zygerrians." She muses. "They're still after me for escaping as a kid, maybe I could give you to them in exchange for my freedom."

"No!" Vicrul struggles against the bonds now tied around his wrists. "Please, she can't go back there." The girl opens the front of her mask to reveal her eyes.

"How'd you escape?" I look up at her, making my face emotionless.

"Kylo Ren killed the Zygerrian Queen and then killed my master. He came for me then, he'll come for me now."

"Zorii, we have to go!" A voice says from the roof. "It's Ren!" I grin up at her.

"I can still hear the Zygerrian's screams in my sleep. I wonder if yours will join his." She lets go of me, stepping back.

"Come on, guys. It's not worth it." As soon as they step away, I stand, turning on my heel to unbind Vicrul, who shoves me behind him. Before the girl leaves, she turns back to me.

"You know how it feels to be enslaved. My planet is enslaved to The First Order. Please, help us." 

—

"What do you mean you're busy?" I ask Kylo, who walks past me. "Hey!" I grab his arm and he stops, eyes ablaze.

"If you were smart you'd let go of me." He says, face inches from mine.

"Good thing I'm an idiot." I tell him with a grin.

"What do you want?"

"I want you to stop ignoring me, Kylo." He pulls away, but I step in front of him.

"I'm not ignoring you, Luella."

"Then why are you being standoffish?"

"Don't push me."

"I'm not the one who's pushing."

"What's that supposed to mean?" He glares down at me, and for the first time, I get why people will do anything he says. He's scary.

"You're pushing me away, Kylo. I can't stand by you through everything if you don't let me."

"Well maybe I don't need you standing by me. Have you thought about that?" I step back, feeling my eyes dull, and tears rise. He reaches toward me, but I move away. "Luella, I-"

"No, I'm sorry. It won't happen again, Master." As I walk away, the tears fall silently, and I brush them off my face with a shaking hand. Maybe that Zorii girl was right, and he only kept me around to be his whore, but when I didn't want to be with him- I was stupid to think that the Supreme Leader of the First Order, a bloodthirsty killer, would care about me beyond what I could offer him.