The Final Experiment

[Tulos]

The whirring of the lift ascending through the tube, though rather quiet, filled Aska’s senses. For the first time in her life she was being brought to the surface of Coruscant. The excitement to see something beyond the lab that she has spent the last twenty-four years occupying was difficult to suppress, and yet she remained standing perfectly still, keeping her hands held at her waist with her right hand grasping her left wrist. She was wearing one of her standard skin-tight jumpers which were such a bright white that they were almost blinding, aside from the baby blue accents that reached from the inside of her biceps to about half way down her thighs. Her sneakers, which also were a blinding white, were cinched up tightly. These clothes were all she was ever allowed to own, and even then, they were still technically property of Trench.

Trench. The lead scientist who was responsible for her creation. Or was it her birth? To this day, Aska was still unsure of the details and specifics of her life. The scientist was a middle-aged man with hair that was as deep a red as the descending evening twin suns of Tatooine, spackled with traces of grey wisps along his side burns. His face was heavily wrinkled for his age and the best description of his body type that the young clone could come up with, which was draped in a stark white trench coat, was a man who had never considered physical activity as a priority but instead focused all his efforts into developing the woman he had created. The scientist had a name, but Aska never cared to remember it. For as long as she could remember, he was Trench and he always would be.

“Come, girl. Let us begin your test,” he said softly as the lift finally came to a stop, the doorway sliding open with a metallic rush. Trench stepped out of the elevator accompanied by one of his colleagues, a human woman, with Aska bringing up the rear. Finally releasing her wrist, she was drawn into a sense of wonder. Speeders rushed by at incredible velocities and different elevations. Even in those few seconds she had experienced, Aska could almost have sworn that many of the vessels would have collided into a fiery crash, twisting metal and flesh until neither would be recognizable before descending down towards the sublevels of the world. “Aria, have you made contact with our associate?” Trench asked one of his colleagues as he tapped away on a holoboard.

“Yes, Doctor Ryun. He insisted he would be here on time,” the short and stout woman replied. Her shoulder length brown hair was greasy and straggly, indicating to Aska that this woman had been so involved with her work these recent days that hygiene was completely disregarded. Or perhaps she was just a filthy slob. Who knew.

“And you’re positive you gave him the correct co-ordinates?”

“Yes, doctor,” Aria replied with exasperation. As soon as Trench had looked up from his holoboard to meet Aria’s gaze, a blue and gold speeder swiftly descended from the flowing traffic and came to a rest on the platform before them. From the driver seat, an alien creature hopped out and began to confidently stride towards them. Aska took in his appearance, evaluating everything she could. He stood a few inches taller than her, likely exceeding six feet and his muscle tone was incredibly defined. He was dressed in drab clothing, primarily run down clothe draped over a ragged orange tunic. Aska couldn’t help but smirk as she thought that his face looked like a mountain of gizka dung that had been stomped on repeatedly. ‘A Nikto,’ she thought to herself, remembering the studies of alien species that Trench had subjugated her to in the past.

“Ah, you must be Dur’Agu,” Trench spoke loudly, proceeding towards the new Nikto visitor. Dur’Agu began to reply to Trench but spoke a language that Aska was unfamiliar with. Despite the extent of education she had received in her isolation, learning alien languages always proved difficult for her. “Yes, that is correct. Five hundred credits will suffice?” the scientist responded before handing Dur’Agu a small satchel. The Nikto opened it and poured the currency into his scaled hand before smirking and tossing it back into the speeder before nodding in agreement to whatever it was that he and Trench had been discussing. Dur’Agu then proceeded to remove the drab cloak from his shoulders and revealed chiseled arms and a very wide set of shoulders before turning back to Aska and cracking his neck.

“Trench,” Aska began cautiously. “You never did tell me what this test is, exactly,” she finished as she began to take a couple steps backwards. Dur’Agu began to advance on her, meeting every step of hers with one of his own. “Do you expect me to fight that thing?” she continued, turning her eyes towards the scientist. Trench remained emotionless and pulled his holoboard back to his view. “Aria, what is this?” Aska cried out but was met with cold silence. By now, Dur’Agu begun to increase his pace. Each step grew to a stride and he was soon set in a dead sprint towards the significantly smaller human woman. He let out a loud grunt as he lowered his right shoulder and braced himself to collide with her abdomen. Reacting by instinct, Aska bent her left knee while swinging her right leg away from her and back, using the momentum to pull her body from the path of the barrelling alien brute. Missing his target, Dur’Agu slid to a stop which was assisted by colliding with the now closed lift door.

“Schutta!” the Nikto wailed as he rubbed his forehead before standing at his full height, turning his body to face Aska once more. Blood trickled from a small cut above his right eye, dripping down to his ridged cheek bone. Dur’Agu puffed his chest outwards and beat it with his closed fist, locking his beady black eyes with Aska’s.

“Trench!” Aska wailed, though she didn’t expect a reply. By now, the Nikto had once again began to rush his opponent. The young woman, now realising that her foe was a man of impulse and angry outbursts, prepared herself by slightly bending both knees and locking her gaze on the advancing tank. As he grew closer and closer, Aska pushed herself up and placed her right hand on his lowered broad shoulder, rolling herself across his back to finally come to a stop on her right foot behind him. Locking her left hands grasp on the folds of his tunic, she then proceeded to bring her left foot to the inside of his right knee and pushed with all of her weight. The man, unprepared for retaliation, dropped to his knee but before he could react and bring himself back to his feet, Aska brought the palm of her right hand to the back of his head, connecting where his spine met the back of his skull. Dur’Agu fell forward, landing on his chest before Aska rushed herself up his back and bringing her heel down to the back of his skull. She was met with a sickening crack and as she looked down, she saw blood had begun to pool around his mouth. Had she just killed this man? Aska fell to the ground and scrambled away from the twitching corpse as she tried to put as much distance between her and Dur’Agu as she could.

“Fascinating,” Trench said excitedly as he dropped his holoboard to his side before rushing over to the now crying woman. “Aska, that was simply fascinating!”

“FASCINATING?!” Aska cried. “I just killed him! And that’s all you can say is FASCINATING?!” Trench attempted to put his arm under Aska in an effort to lift her to her feet but he was met with a cold and angry shove. “Don’t touch me, slug!” she wailed. “Just… Just don’t!” Her mind was racing over what had just happened. She couldn’t believe what she had done and then it began to dawn on her that not only had she killed this brute of a Nikto, but how easy it was as well.

“Don’t you see, Aska? This is proof! You truly are a perfect clone of my ancestor!” Trench exclaimed, waving his arm towards the finally still corpse.

“Again, Doctor, how can you be sure?” Aria said calmly as she walked over to Dur’Agu’s speeder to retrieve the payment he had received. “The original Aska was a cold-blooded murderer, and a skilled one if the records are to be believed. Who is to say that these mannerisms aren’t simply inherited from the host?” the woman said as she made her way to the doctor and the crying clone.

“Enough, Aria! You’re ignoring the obvious fact that your thug should have been able to tear any normal person to pieces! And, if I might remind you, my ancestor was able to harness the power of the Force! She could perform acts that you or I could never even dream of!” Trench exclaimed before turning his gaze back to Aska. Her sobbing had calmed slightly, but her eyes remained red and puffy as tears streamed down her cheeks. “But you, my dear… You are the epitome of my life’s work,”

 

[Aska Ryun]

Curled on the small steel cot as the dormitory lights faded to darkness, Aska laid awake with her blanket covering half of her body. It had been three days since she had killed Dur’Ago on her first trip to the surface and the man’s crushed skull haunted her every time she closed her eyes, even for a moment. Pulling the blanket tighter to her chest, the clone tried to push the thought from her mind but with every ounce of effort she put forward, she was met with disappointment as his beady, soulless eyes returned to the forefront of her mind. She let out a soft whimper before sitting up, tossing the blanket back and rubbing her face with palms of her hands. Aska continued replaying the events through her mind trying to come to an understanding as to why Trench would throw her into a situation like that with zero warning. There was no test he had ever asked her to complete that was even remotely comparable. Then, as though a switch had been flipped on her psyche, she began to ponder a question she hadn’t asked herself in years.

“What is Trench’s end game?” she whispered to herself as she wiped what would be the last tear she would shed for Dur’Ago away from her cheek. “He made me for a reason… And I need to know what the reason is,” Aska pushed herself up from her cot and made her way to her dresser to pull out another jumper. She slid her legs into the outfit before pulling it up her body, pushing her arms into the torso before zipping it up on her side. Knowing the sensor for the lights of her dormitory scanned the center of the room for movement, she slowly moved to the side of the room and made her way to the door. Gritting her teeth, she placed her hand gently on the activation plate and prayed that the door would open silently but with a metallic whoosh, it slid open. She remained frozen for a moment in anticipation of someone wandering the halls coming to investigate but as she was met with further silence, Aska crouched down and made her way out into the hall. Turning her head to the left and then the right, she became satisfied that she was, in fact, alone and began to hurry down the hall to the lab.

As she snuck through the underground compound, Aska continued to wonder what it was that Trench had intended for her. He was testing her for something and in time, the testing would be over. Would she have expended her use and be terminated? No, his entire life would have been wasted if all she was bred for was to be surveyed and studied. The scientist had never displayed any sense of lust or desire towards her so she knew she could rule out any instinctual cravings. No, if she needed to be able to kill without mercy then there was a sinister motive that laid at the bottom of everything, and she would find it. Her thoughts were cut short as she finally reached the entrance to the lab itself, light shining from the surveillance windows illuminating the hall indicating that scientists were still inside, working through the night. Balancing herself on her toes, Aska moved tight to the wall dividing her from the lab and continued on with care, going so far as to even slow her breathing to shallow and silent.

“You can not deny that she did well, Aria. Doctor Ryun showed me the recording. The Nikto really didn’t provide the challenge you had insisted he would,” Aska recognized the voice. It belonged to a second doctor who went by Rahmier. He was an elderly man, a Twi’lek. He was always very kind to Aska ever since he had been brought on to Trench’s team when she was only about eight.

“She did, but the act shattered her. Did you not see the break down after Dur’Ago had been subdued?” Aria replied. “She isn’t the huntress that the Doctor wants her to be. She has retained much of what our records tell us the host was capable of, but she displays a much stronger conscience. The original Aska…-“

“Our records are thousands of years old, Aria. They’re spotty at best. And of course she broke down. She had just taken a sentient life, after all. Even the most hardened soldiers can tell you about their first kill and the difficulty that came with it,” Rahmier said softly. “You should not be so hard on her. She will surpass our expectations, of that I have no doubt,”

“Perhaps. I haven’t ruled her out entirely though I believe Ryun has far too much riding on this single clone. We have dozens of embryos and we’ve finally mastered the growth acceleration recovered from the Kaminoan records. I’m going to bring the suggestion forward formally that we put three new clones into development. The goal was an assassin with the Force in their arsenal. And in that, I know we have failed,” Aska could tell that Aria was moving around as she spoke, continuing her work through their conversation.

“Ryun seems to think otherwise,” Rahmier had stood as he spoke, though his advanced age caused his words to sound struggled as he did. “But I must say I do agree. Our dear Aska is no Jedi.”

“A Jedi was never the goal, Rahmier,” Aria said bluntly. “Their conscience is too strong a weakness. As is Aska’s”

She had heard enough for one night. Returning to her room, Aska removed the jumper and pushed it under her cot with her foot before crawling under her blanket, staring into the darkness as Dur’Agu returned to her mind.

 

[Aska Ryun]

When you live on the surface, the transition of day to night and night to day is a simple blessing that many seem to overlook and take for granted. The rays of the system’s suns illuminate your life and breathe activity to society while the glow of a system’s moons cast shadows and bring the less-than-reputable citizens out into the dark streets. But when you move yourself below the surface, everything changes. Your sense of time is essentially non-existent, you no longer know if it is day or night. Your sleep schedule gets blasted into the unknown regions. But when it’s all you’ve known, your body understands. It knows when it’s time to get out of bed. It knows when it’s time to return. Day and night no longer matter, but simply the needs of your body become priority. So, when Aska pushed herself up from her cot, forcing Dur’Agu from her mind as best she could, the lack of sleep from the night before weighed her down and made raising herself up difficult. She now knew that her creation was brought o be a murderer, but she couldn’t possibly be the person they wanted her to be… could she? Killing Dur’Agu almost came instinctively. Perhaps Rahmier was right. Perhaps in time, she wouldn’t have a choice.

Aska dressed herself and made her way out into the hall. A few scientists had already risen from bed and began to work. Or had they not slept yet? She didn’t know. She didn’t care. A ZDT surgical droid walked past the young clone, rotating it’s head and giving her a short nod.

“Good evening, AC-004. Are you finished you’re recharge? Our kitchen staff has just finished packing away everyone’s supper but would you like me to request a serving be prepared for you?” the droid’s voice had a rough echo to it telling Aska that it’s vocabulator was beginning to deteriorate.

“Uh, no. No thank you, droid,” she muttered. When was the last time she ate? A couple days, perhaps. She knew she was hungry, but she couldn’t bring herself to keep anything down. Even when she had her last meal, it was difficult and she had only ate since Trench demanded it of her. The droid nodded in response and began to continue down the hall. “Hey, droid!” Aska said loudly. “Have you seen Trench?”

“Ah, Doctor Ryun is in his office, ma’am. Would you like me to notify him you wish to see him?”

“No, I’ll just go. Thanks,” Aska turned and walked towards the wing of the lab that housed the offices. As she went along, she noticed that more and more scientists had begun to return to their dorms and instead were replaced by several droid units that continued to monitor the tasks their masters had been working on. It was like this every day. Aska’s routine kept her up through what would be night on the surface, and most of the workers around her were still running themselves on their surface schedule. Over time, some of them would begin to lose track of their patterns and she would have people around her to interact with but for the most part, Aska’s typical interactions were with the several dozens of droids around her. The one exception was her creator himself, who very rarely returned to the surface but instead poured all his energy into his work. Coming to Trench’s office, she raised her hand to the activation plate and the door slid open to reveal the doctor sitting at his desk, studying the notes on his desk projector.

“Ah, Aska! Come in! I haven’t seen you in a couple days, have I? I hope you’re feeling better,” Trench said politely, a small smile breaking across his face. “Have you eaten, dear?” Aska walked into his office slowly and sat herself in the chair on the opposite side of his desk.

“Yea, just came from the mess,” she lied. “I have a question though. I was hoping you might be willing to talk for a bit?” Aska continued softly. Trench leaned forward and deactivated the projector then rested back in his chair, opening his hands to indicate she may continue. “Look, before I ask, I want to remind you that I’m not a little girl anymore. I want the truth. I need the truth,” Trench furrowed his brow and brought his hand up to support his chin with his thumb and index finger.

“Of course. What is it, Aska?” The clone took a deep breathe and glanced over to the edge of the office to break the meeting gaze they had shared.

“What did you… Why did you create me, Trench?” Aska returned her eyes to meet the doctor’s. “I’ve wondered for years but I never really wanted to ask. Maybe I didn’t want to know. But now I do. You had me kill someone, Trench. Why?” Her heart raced as she asked the question, bracing herself for his response.

“Did I? Hm. I recall not asking anything of you. You killed the Nikto on your own, Aska,” Trench’s expression was straight and devoid of emotion. “Not that you should be concerned. I made sure Aria had selected someone the galaxy would be better off without. Is the death of Dur’Agu still bothering you?” Aska hadn’t considered that, but he was right. He did not ask her to kill the Nikto. Instead, it was her instinct that took over.

“You didn’t need to ask me, Trench,” she replied. “I know I did it on my own but it’s what you wanted. ’Fascinating’ you said. ’I’m the epitome of your life’s work’ you said. Why?” she leaned forward, placing her elbows on her knees. Trench smirked again.

“You are unique, Aska. Most people don’t have the traits you do. You’re a caring and compassionate woman. But you are also incredibly dangerous, as was my ancestor. Maybe you’re right. Maybe it is time you know,” Trench stood from his desk and walked towards the shelving unit to the far side of his office. After retrieving a small object, he returned to his desk and placed it on it’s hard surface. A datapad. He pushed it towards Aska. “Shortly after I had finished my schooling here on Coruscant, I had been granted clearance to work on a confidential project for the New Republic that was focused on duplicating the cloning process that was used to bring back a Sith lord nearly a century ago. It didn’t last. We were soon shut down, but somehow word had gotten out into certain circles of what we had been doing. I was approached by a man who offered me this lab, these people, to continue my work,” he explained slowly.

“Why did he want you to do that? Sounds like the Republic had the right idea. Some things are too dangerous for people to know, aren’t they?” she questioned.

“If they’re in the wrong hands, yes. But the wrong hands also pay the best. This man was a member of a cartel that is operating on Teth. Teth, as you might recall, is where your host was originally from. In a very loose sense, it is your homeworld. He had asked me to create him the perfect warrior, and I believe that I have done that,”

“So… It’s true. I am just going to be an enforcer for some sleemo on a back water world,” Aska looked to the ground as she learned the fate that was chosen for her. Trench stood from his desk once again and came to rest his hands on her shoulders. She cringed from his touch.

“It isn’t such a bad life, my dear. It’s one you’ve been trained for. And one you will soon be ready for,” But it wasn’t. And it wouldn’t be.

 

[Aska Ryun]

After leaving Trench’s office, Aska returned to her dorm and locked the door behind her. Spinning around, she leaned back against the cold metal and slid down to the floor. She couldn’t stay here. Not now. Not after learning what people intended for her and how little control over her own fate she had. No, she needed to leave and the sooner she did, the better. She stood and walked around her room in search of anything she may want to bring with her only to be reminded of just how little she owned. Most things she had laying around were for basic personal hygiene but could easily be replaced. Instead, she grabbed the small pouch from her night stand and clipped it to her belt. Nothing here in her room was worth carrying. As she was about to leave and search the facility for some more useful gear, the clone spotted the datapad that Trench had given her to record her thoughts. She stopped for a moment and moved away from the door. She would leave the scientists one last message before she embarked.

The halls became quiet with even the droids becoming harder to come by, an unfortunate fact as part of her escape plan was going to require the aid of one of them. But first, she needed some essentials. Approaching the door to the storage quad, Aska punched in the code she had seen the scientists use a million times and watched as the door slid open to reveal about a dozen shelving units holding miscellaneous contents. She walked in and began scouring through them all while keeping an ear for any approaching droids or scientists still learning to cope with life underground. A dirty piece of fabric caught her attention towards the back of the room and upon approaching it, she recognized it immediately. The cloak Dur’Ago had been wearing once he had arrived at the platform days ago was now in her hands as she rubbed the thick fabric between her thumbs and index fingers. It would be useful for covering the insanely bright jumper she was wearing so gritting her teeth, she tossed the cloak over her shoulder. Looking back towards the entrance, Aska spotted yet another incredibly useful item. She reached down and grabbed the SE-45 pistol she had been handed so many days ago. It once again felt perfect in her hand as thought it belonged there. Unzipping the jumper slightly, the clone stuffed the pistol snuggly into the opening after ensuring the safety was on and threw the three extra power packs into the pouch on her belt. Closing the storage quad door, Aska draped the cloak over her shoulder to help hide the pistol in her jumper. Her heart was racing again. This was going too easily and while she had not been under lockdown, she was only recently granted permission to walk the facility freely. Someone had to be watching her.

Aska walked calmly down the corridor back towards her quarters while trying to casually avoid contact with any of the scientists that may be wandering the halls in the wee hours of the morning. Pulling the cloak further ahead over her shoulder to conceal the blaster tucked into her jumpsuit, she directed her attention ahead. The turbolift to the surface was there, so within reach. But without the access codes, of which she had only been present for once and had no chance to memorize, it may as well have been ray-shielded. It was now that she needed that droid. She couldn’t spend time scouring for one throughout the compound, the chance of getting caught and locked down in her dormitories would be too great. Instead, the young clone crouched in front of a ventilation grate and surveyed each end of the hall to ensure she was alone before pulling it free from its place. She was just able to fit inside, bringing the steel grate back into place as she waited. The dust clung to her uniform and irritated the inside of her nostrils, but she remained silent.

Aska had lost track of time, though she was sure it was no less than an hour before the metallic foot steps of a droid walking down the hall brought her attention back to reality. ’Now or never,’ she thought to herself. She paused until the droid has passed her hiding spot before she pushed the grate out into the hall and scurried out behind the droid. With her left hand, she pulled the cloak from her shoulder and pulled the SE-45 from her jumpsuit with her right, aiming the barrel directly to the back of the droid’s head.

“Oh my!” the droid cried. “What is the meaning of this?” The droid’s voice was harsh, with a whirring echo. It was the same ZDT unit from earlier.

“Zedd?”” Aska whispered as she kept the weapon trained on the medical unit but slowly moved around to face his ocular sensors. “Zedd, I need your help,”

“AC-004! What do you think you are doing?” Zedd demanded, but Aska brought her left hand up and shoved the cloak over the speakers that he used to communicate.

“Be quiet!” Aska hissed. Determination in her eyes, she leaned in to the droid. “I need you to activate the lift, Zedd. I… I need to leave,” As the final words were spoke, the fire in her voice wavered but only for a moment. “I need to get away from this lab. This planet. Will you help me?” The droid, his hands raised in submission, didn’t respond. Aska took the cloak away from his mouth and prayed Zedd would not call for help.

“AC-004, why are you trying to leave? Do you require some fresh air?” the droid asked. Aska almost stammered as she responded.

“Y-yea, that’s it. I think the air scrubbers down here are malfunctioning. I just need some fresh air. Would you escort me to the surface so I can breathe? We won’t be long, I promise,” Aska pulled the pistol back and tucked it back into her jumpsuit. Zedd lowered his arms and bowed courteously.

“As you wish, ma’am. But should we not first inform the maintenance droids of the malfunction? And perhaps issue an evacuation or lock-down order for the other occupants?”

“Already done, Zedd. The maintenance droids assured me it’s not a lethal malfunction. Everyone is safe and they’re already started the repairs. Now come on, let’s go,” Aska draped her cloak back over her shoulder and pushed Zedd towards the lift and watched as he punched in the activation code, bringing the lift to life as the door slid open. They both stepped inside and began the long ascent towards Coruscant’s surface.

 

[Aska Ryun]

The lift hummed as it lifted itself further and further into the tower, but it felt different than it had days ago. Instead of the sense of wonder and curiosity that Aska had felt, she could only feel anxiety and fear. If she succeeded and she was able to escape Trench and his team, then perhaps she would be able to make her own choices and live her own life as she saw fit. If she failed, best case she would find herself murdering for some crime lord on this world of Teth. Worst case was decommissioning and more clones would be created to replace her. She gritted her teeth, knowing either situation would likely result in her death by the scientists or her own hands. She would not kill for someone else.

“AC-004, we shall be arriving at the surface soon. Are you feeling better yet? I can detect an increased heart rate and blood pressure,” the droid broke the silence between them.

“I’ll be fine, Zedd,” she replied. Taking the cloak from her shoulder, Aska tossed it across her back and slid her arms into the garment before pulling the hood over her head. In moments, she would be in the upper levels of Coruscant once again and she can continue her escape. Still, one last thing needed to be dealt with. Reaching into her jumpsuit, the clone placed her hand on the grip of her SE-45 and used her thumb to flick the safety to its off position. Slowly, she drew the weapon out and turned its barrel to the back of Zedd’s head. “Zedd, I’m sorry,”

“Sorry for wh-,” The droid’s reply was cut off by the ringing of blaster fire and a bright red light illuminating the dark lift. Zedd fell into a pile of smoking scrap on the ground just as the lift door opened to reveal the platform that days earlier, Aska had committed a murder. While Zedd was only a droid, his body brought back the memory of Dur’Agu. She needed to leave. Stepping out to the platform, the woman looked around for her next step but was surprised by what she encountered.

“Going somewhere, child?”

“Rahmier….” Aska hesitated. The old Twi’lek gave his same tired smile as he stepped towards her. Bringing her weapon up, the woman aimed the barrel at Rahmier’s chest. “Please… Don’t get in my way.” Her voice cracked with fear.

“Aska, my dear. You would do me harm?” Rahmier stopped and crossed his arms.

“I don’t want to hurt you but I can’t… I can’t go back. I need to leave,” The Twi’lek took another step forward. “Stop! Don’t get any closer!” Aska pushed the blaster further ahead of her and kept her finger on the trigger.

“I’m not going to stop you, child. Just… Please, listen to me,” the Twi’lek pleaded. Aska lowered the weapon slightly. Was he stalling her so security droids could come and recapture her? She hadn’t heard the lift descend back to the lab yet. She would listen. “I know you were listening to Aria and myself. I know the doctor had finally told you why you were created. Did you know that the doctor predicted you were going to run?” Aska took a step back. Was this a trap? “He did, and after Aria and him had discussed the possibility of creating more clones, he summoned me to speak with him. We both decided that this is to be your final test. You are free to leave. We will not stop you and you will always be welcome to return. You must go and live your life. Perhaps, in time, you will realize that your decisions will lead you to becoming what you are so afraid of despite any effort you put forth to change that. It is who you are, in every sense,”

“We’ll see about that,” she interrupted. Had it been Trench or Aria before her, Aska likely would have ran and forced herself off the platform by now, but she trusted Rahmier. Deciding to return the pistol to her jumper, she secured the zipper tightly and pulled the cloak across her chest. “If I’m free to leave, please… Get out of my way,” Rahmier bowed his head and stepped aside before motioning to the side of the platform. In what was almost a sense of déjà vu, a blue and gold speeder rose from below. The speeder of Dur’Agu.

“This speeder is for you. Take it. As well as these,” Rahmier tossed a small bag towards her, the bag landing before her feet. Keeping her eyes on the Twi’lek, Aska bent down and retrieved it. At her first touch, she knew what was inside. Credits. “There is five hundred credits there. The payment that was intended for the thug who attacked you. Now go. I am sure I will see you again,” With one last smile, Rahmier slowly walked past Aska, resting his hand on her shoulder as he passed. She had remained still during his departure, but the sound of the lift descending brought her back to reality. Her new reality. She was free. The night sky of Coruscant was illuminated by buildings, holo-ads, and speeders as they rushed in every direction. The sounds were almost deafening to her as she began to relax and soak in her surroundings. She was finally free.

END THREAD​