Revenge Of The Viper Part 4 Jax Heddon

REVENGE OF THE VIPER

Part four: Jax Heddon

\*\*\* Trigger warning \*\*\*

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Music: "時候" (Moment),  by 蘇運瑩 (Su Yunying)

https://youtu.be/CWFAPt6ir58

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Location: Depatar, City of Masks

Heart racing inside her chest, breath quickened, the petite Pantoran stepped through the exit of the Blue Sapphire Hotel. Under her hood, behind a mask, tears rolled down her pale blue face as she walked to the steps that lead away from the Hotel. In her bloodstained hand she held a bag with her belongings, with evidence of what she just had done. Nearly tripping over the long dress, she rushed down to the buzzing streets of Depatar where she disappeared between the crowd. Not once did she look back as she walked away from the hotel. There was no time to waste, soon they would find her father in the bathtub of his penthouse, drowned in his own blood.

After a couple minutes, a few streets away from the crime scene, Kimi slipped into a dark alley. Holding on to the cold wall she hid between the shadows and almost collapsed onto the dirty ground. Gasping for air she removed her mask, and leaned against the wall as she let out all her emotions. Killing her father was the reason she was in the City of Masks, but it wasn't the reason she was so distressed. It was the betrayal of her Master that had caused that. First he handed her over to Acer Knox, as payment for his Intel on Akira. Then he disappeared, leaving her alone at the penthouse to fight off the security that had been tipped off by someone, 'probably that double crossing Zeltronian; Knox'. Everything went sideways. Her father caught her, he knew exactly who she was and yet didn't even bother to talk to her. Instead he gave her to his head of security to do with her as he pleased. But the betrayal had fueled her anger, she was stronger than them and killed the Echani security head before she finally took her revenge on her father. The fool had been unaware of her powers, and awaited his death sitting in a bathtub. Kimi tortured Akira, confronting him with what he had caused, and what his second wife and their son had done to her. Telling him about the pain and suffering she had gone through to become who she was today. Finally she held him under the water, shocking him to death.

The sound of sirens in the distance startled her, making her jump up. Still with her back against the wall she glanced to the beginning of the ally. Kimi had to get off the street, fast. Hands shaking she tied the mask back onto her face and picked up her bag. Quickly moving towards the start of the alley. As she peeked around the corner she noticed police droids at the end of the street, obviously searching for someone. 'They can't be after me' she thought as it was still too early, 'but I can't take the risk.' She stepped out of the alley and turned in the other direction, then she took the first street on the right, away from all the noise and tried to remember the name of the hotel Jax had rented a room at. Despite the fact that he had betrayed her, right now he was the only one she could go to, she had no one else in Depatar, no one that could help her and she was certainly not going to Knox for help.

After walking for a few minutes she found a holobooth in a quiet street and decided to use it to find the name of the hotel. Making sure no one was following her, the young Pantoran crossed the street to access the booth. In the far distance she could still hear sirens, which made her rush to find what she needed. It took a while, but eventually she found the name "this is it" she whispered to herself as she read the name 'the Veil'. Droids could be heard entering the quiet street, "kriff" she muttered. Now she didn't have time to access the map of the city. With a quick pace she walked away from the booth, away from the police droids hoping they hadn't seen her. She had to find a map as she couldn't risk asking for directions, but the moment she turned around the corner she heard the droids call out to her "halt!, stop right there!!" But she didn't, instead she ran as fast as she could.

Turning into another busy street, with clubs and restaurants on both sides, Kimi hoped she could hide between the crowd and maybe find a map for directions. "You there!... stop!" an electronic voice called out from across the street. Kimi glanced without turning her head and saw a police droid moving into her direction. "Stop right there, you are under arrest" it said as she quickened her pace and began to zigzag between the masked public. Luckily, no one in Depatar wanted any trouble, no one would get involved and risk revealing their identity and therefore the Pantoran could easily move through the crowd. Still the panic rose when she heard more droids had joined in her pursuit, she had to get rid of them quickly. By sheer luck, a large hoload caught her attention as she rushed through the buzzing street. 'The Veil' it said and had a flashing pink arrow pointing into a side street. 'Yes…. But first I need to get rid of them' she thought and continued to run straight ahead, passing the side street.

Her plan was to circle back when she got the opportunity. "Stop, you are under arrest!" she heard the droids behind her again. Kimi noticed the street ahead had a bend, if she was fast enough she could disappear out of sight. Using the force the young Pantoran tried to speed up, giving it her all to reach the bend before they did. Despite being tired and on heels she succeeded and the moment she was out of sight she slipped into an alley to the right. She paused and hid behind a large trash container.

Panting she knelt down and kicked off her heels. 'Impractical and too noisy' she thought as she threw them in the trash.  Then she looked at her bag, 'and this is slowing me down'. She grabbed the blood stained Kanzashi hair pins and put them in her pockets. The rest she also threw in the container. "Release the probe droids" she heard the police droids say in the distance. "She must be near." "Kriff" she said and began to run down the alley, barefoot on the wet filthy stones.

To her relief the sound of the droids seemed to fade as she went deeper into the alley. Now was the time to try to get to the hotel. She took another right into a dimly lit alley they led back to the busy street. At the corner she waited, peeking to see if the coast was clear and to look if she could see the hoload. She could still see the police lights in the distance, but they were far enough for her to cross the street. The side street with the hoload wasn't far now. Not wanting to draw more attention she walked calmly towards it, letting the long dress fall over her bare feet.

Soon she stood at the corner, under the hoload, looking into the side street. There it was, on the end, the Veil with big tacky neon lights at the entrance. With a quickened pace she made her approach, relieved she would finally get off the streets. "Hey gorgeous" she heard someone say to her left. Kimi glanced over and saw a man smoking with his back against the wall. "Let me buy you a drink," he said smiling, when he saw her looking and stepped into her direction, pointing at a shady looking bar across from the hotel entrance. She continued to walk, trying to ignore the man. "Hey, I'm talking to you" he said, irritated as she passed by. "I'll be here when you change your mind" she heard him say when she reached the entrance of the Veil. It almost sounded like a threat, but Kimi didn't care, she had bigger problems than a drunk thug.

"Good evening" a woman at the front desk said as she saw the petite Pantoran enter the lobby. Kimi said nothing and walked straight to the elevators. Her heart still racing, she pressed the call button and waited for the doors to open. Once inside, she pressed the floor button and fell back against the cabin wall. The woman at the front desk looked at her with suspicion, Kimi couldn't blame her as she looked like a mess. Slowly the doors closed and she gasped for air. Tears began to flow again behind her mask, 'how could it have gone so wrong?' She thought as she watched the floor number change. 'How could it get this far?' A moment later the elevator slowed down and with a soft bing sound, it came to a full stop. She pushed herself off the wall as the doors slid open. With caution, the young Pantoran stepped into the long dimly lit corridor. It was quiet, apart from housekeeping pushing a trolley through the hallway. Kimi began her stride, the cheap carpet felt good under her dirty sore feet. As she passed the housekeeping trolley she snatched a keycard that hung on her keychain to the side and continued to the room Jax had rented for them.

In front of the door to their room she stopped to look if the coast was clear. Then quickly she used the keycard to unlock it and slip into the room. Closing the door behind her she now heard the familiar rhythmic sound of wood banging against the wall. Quietly she moved over the soft carpet to the lounge area, to the door that led to the bedroom. Skin slapping, loud moaning and grunting could be heard through the closed door and Kimi froze. She took a deep breath and reached for the door handle and pushed it open with force. Her heart sank in her chest when she saw Xeni, the Twi'lek that worked for Knox, naked on the bed with her legs up in the air, and her master on top of her pounding her. Xeni let out a scream the moment she saw Kimi standing in the doorway. Jax, turned and froze, obviously surprised to see her. "Kimi…" he said as he quickly got off the Twi'lek, who quickly grabbed her dress off the floor to cover herself. "Back already?" He asked, looking her up and down as he grabbed his robes. Saying nothing she removed her cloak, dropped it on the floor and walked to the bathroom..

She slammed the door shut, locked it and dropped down onto the tiled floor. She could hear them talking, Jax telling her to get dressed. "What is she doing here?" the girl asked, irritated. "I don't know.. just get dressed and get out" he responded. "But…" "we will continue this another time" the Chagrian said. Kimi picked herself up from the floor and removed her dirty clothes to have a shower.

An half hour later, with a hotel towel wrapped around her bruised body, Kimi stepped out of the bathroom. Jax sat on the edge of the bed waiting for her "she's gone" he said when he saw her peeking out of the bedroom. "What happened?" he then asked. The young Pantoran furrowed her brow "what happened?" she repeated agitated "Akira was tipped off, he knew who I was" she replied without moving from her spot. The Chagrian shook his head, "No.. how? He must have recognized you." "He didn't.. not until he got a call from someone.. It must have been your pall, Knox." Her voice was sharp and full of anger. "No, he would never go behind my back" Jax stood up. Kimi yelled "Then who? You!?.. where were you?" "Don't be ridiculous, girl, don't forget who you are talking to. I'm still your Master" he responded with a cold stern voice. Instantly she bowed her head "forgive me Master… I.." once more tears began to flow, trickling down her pale blue face. Jax moved closer and placed his hands on her bare shoulders, slowly sliding them down her arm. "They wouldn't let me stay, I was told to wait downstairs in the lobby. I had faith it would all go as planned so decided to go back and wait for you here" he said and pulled her close. The scent of Xeni was all over him, making her doubt everything he had just said but she was too exhausted to fight.

~\*~

Location: Heddon's ship

The next morning, they left Depatar behind. It was a long trip back to Kodai, from the Thaere sector in the Expansion Region to the Belderone sector in the Outer Rim Territories.

Quietly, the Petite Pantoran sat in the Co-pilot's seat, lost in thoughts. Since her return to the hotel she had not spoken to her master about what had happened. She had her suspicions but felt she couldn't trust him with them and tried her best to shield her thoughts and emotions from him.

Glancing at the large red skinned Chagrian, her mind wandered back to the night before, to when he left her at Knox' office as payment, to do with her as he pleased. Kimi didn't realise it until it was too late, he was just going to leave without telling her anything. It was for the first time since he took her in, that she really felt alone and realized she meant nothing to him. Kimi didn't remember much of what happened when Jax left. Like she used to do at the brothel, she dissociated herself, disconnecting herself from her body. All she remembered was the sound of him panting and grunting, the sweet scent of his pheromones and the music coming from the club beneath the office.

A tear broke free from her eye and trickled down her face. Quickly she turned away, not wanting her Master to see her weakness. 'Knox tipped off my father' she thought gazing out of the window as she remembered Akira saying he was expecting a call the moment he arrived at his penthouse. 'Knox does business with the corrupt, people like my father and he knew the plan, he knew I would be there. He is the traitor, who else?' Kimi looked at the window, at the reflection of her Master. Part of her suspected him, 'but it doesn't make sense.. He wouldn't, why go through all the trouble?' She thought as she remembered how he took her to the Blue Sapphire pretending to be her pimp 'but… he left her. He didn't even wait for her at the Lobby… no.. he went back for... for that Twi'lek.' Her nose wrinkled in disgust as she remembered catching them in the act. 'But she works for Knox.. he sent her to distract him, knowing they had a history.' She thought with her eyebrows pulled down. 'Or maybe she was the one tipped off Akira, so that she could have Jax to herself'.

Many hours later, they dropped out of hyperspace in the Kodai system. "Almost home" she heard him say. Kimi looked at him, wondering if he knew what she had been thinking about as he usually was able to read her like an open book. But somehow, the disaster on Departar made her feel stronger, maybe she finally was able to keep him out of her head.

~\*~

Location: Kodai, Heddon's fortress.

"When are you going to start talking to me?" The large Chagrian looked at her from across the table. Kimi didn't move nor did she look at him, she hadn't spoken to him since their return. "It's been three days, you can't stay silent forever" he continued, his voice was agitated "What happened was unfortunate. But you eventually got the job done, you had your revenge on your father after all." Without moving her head she looked at him from under her brows, eyes burning with anger. "Don't look at me like that girl" he growled at her. "You left me.. at Knox's office." She softly said. Jax smirked "that was business, payment for the intel he gave you." "He raped me" she continued and raised her head. "Don't be stupid girl, you agreed to it. You know nothing comes for free and you wanted that information whatever the costs." Kimi shook her head, she never agreed to that, she didn't even know that she was part of the deal. The Chagrian chuckled and pricked his fork into a piece of meat "besides you enjoyed it, Ace told me you were moaning the whole time" he popped the meat into his mouth and leaned back into his chair, chewing. "No!!" She yelled. Jax laughed at her "but he showed me you did." Her eyes widened in shock. "Come on, you think doing you was the only thing he wanted?... he recorded it, to make the payment more... permanent" Kimi shook her head in disbelief. The towering male grabbed his glass, "now… eat your food before it goes cold" and took a swig of his wine. "How could you defend him? He tipped off my father after I paid his price." Jax threw the glass into the wall "ENOUGH! No one tipped him off!! You kriffed it up yourself!" "Someone called him when he arrived at the penthouse," Kimi cried. Jax slammed his fist onto the table "I said enough" he hissed at her. "It could have been Xeni" Kimi continued, she couldn't let it rest.

The Chagrian jumped up, pushing his chair back with force and reached out with his hand. Kimi felt his grasp around her neck, squeezing it tightly as he lifted her off her chair. "You insolent whore!!" He yelled at her as he walked around the table towards her. "Listen carefully girl" he said as he held her suspended into the air "this is your final warning.. I don't want to hear about it again, do you hear ME!!!" Fighting for air she managed to nod. "Good…" he said and removed the force grip from her throat. Kimi dropped down onto the cold floor, hitting her head onto the corner of the table. Coughing and gasping for air she looked up at him, fear in her eyes, warm blood flowed from her forehead. He had never been this violent with her before. "I think you forgot what you are" he said as she knelt down next to her. The look into his eyes told her to run, still coughing she tried to crawl away but he grabbed her by her hair. The young Pantoran screamed as he pulled her up "you are my property" he whispered into her ear and threw her onto the table.

From that day on, everything changed. Jax was her Master but she was no longer his apprentice. The training stopped, he took away her weapons and armour. No longer would he take her on missions nor would he tell her about his own. The young Pantoran was nothing but a slave now, locked up in his fortress to please him when he'd return. But the Sith warrior didn't return, days turned into weeks, weeks into months. The Empire was in turmoil, seeds of treason had been planted and began to sprout. The Chagrian was sent to hunt down the traitors that had caused the uproar and bring them back to be made an example off.

~\*~

Left behind on Kodai, with just the guards to keep her company, the young Pantoran felt like she was withering away. Every day she pondered about where it went wrong, what she had missed. Heddon had promised her freedom and yet he never truly gave it to her, still he kept his promise to train her. He took her on missions and even helped her have her revenge on her family. In a way he had been good to her, but suddenly all that changed. Why did he snap the night she confronted him with her suspicions? Why did he protect Knox? What did she do wrong to deserve the way he treated her ever since she kept asking herself.

But one night moonless, the pieces of the puzzle finally began to fall together. Late, the petite Pantoran lay on her bed. As usual, not able to sleep, she listened to the guards chatting down the corridor. Often she would listen to them at night, that was how she learned about the state of the Empire and her Master's mission. Their conversations made her smile, as the bored guards would joke about things, but not this time.

"I'm sick and tired of this job" Kimi heard one of them say. "Why are babysitting a sexslave?" The guard continued. Another guard replied but she couldn't make out what he said. She turned on her side, facing the door trying to focus on their voices. "We could be out there", "Stop complaining Drax" the other responded agitated. "No, come on.. you like being here? Watching Heddon's pet?" "No, but orders are orders" the second guard replied. His voice sounded younger than the other. "Orders?" The guard scoffed, and for a moment neither said anything. It wasn't the first time she heard the complaint about their job. She could imagine how degrading it was for them to watch her, a slave while others served the Empire in more honorable ways. "You know what I'd like to do?" The guard broke the silence. The younger one said nothing in response. "I'd like to have a go.. you know.. to find out what's so special about her.." he chuckled. "Drax, just shut up." "Don't you want to have a go?.. I think you do. You got all flustered when you had to watch her the other day" Drax laughed loudly, the sound bounced off the stone walls. "You were practically red when you removed your helmet." "No I wasn't… I… I was ju.. just warm." He stammered. "Yeah we could see that… don't worry about it boy, I don't blame you, she's a looker that little Pantoran" Drax grunted, but then continued with a more serious tone "So.. you want to have a go at her? We could take turns." "No.. no.. We can't… Heddon would kill us." "Heddon is not here and he won't be back any time soon… besides, he wouldn't mind.."

"Mind what?" A third voice asked. Heavy footsteps echoed down the corridor, approaching them.  Both guards went silent and Kimi could hear they quickly straightened themselves. "Well? Drax?... Ezra?" The footsteps stopped in front of the door. "Nothing sir, just harmless banter" Drax responded. "Ezra?" "Just joking about sir" the younger one replied. "Good, because you're staying out of that room.. I don't even want to see you looking at her the wrong way. That girl is Heddon's property.. we…" but we couldn't continue as Drax interrupted him. "My apologies sir for interrupting, but I overheard you and the officers talking the other day, saying that Heddon tried to get rid of her on Depatar… I don't understand why we are still watching her."

In shock at what she just had heard, Kimi gasped and sat straight on her bed. Despite her suspicions she couldn't believe it. The third guard had moved closer to Drax, she could hear him grabbing the man by his uniform "What Heddon does, is none of our business, especially not yours Drax" the third said sternly and stepped back. "You're dismissed... for now, follow me" he added and walked away. Drax mumbled something before he followed his superior but Kimi didn't care, all she thought about was what she had just heard. She had to know, she had to find proof of her Master's betrayal and there was only one place where she could find it… his office.

~\*~

A few nights later, the Purple haired warrior waited patiently for the guard to change. Dressed in a black velvet bodysuit, she lay on her bed, listening. The moment she heard him walking away from her door she jumped up from her bed and rushed to her dressing table. She only had a few minutes to get away unnoticed before the new guard would take his post outside of her door. Quickly, she pulled the chair out and used it to step up onto the dressing table. The past couple of nights she had used the changing of the guard to loosen the bolts on the ventilation hatch, with only a nail file as Heddon had taken everything else from her. As quiet as possible she reached out, and grabbed hold of the hatch, lifting up to remove it. Carefully she placed it onto the soft chair. Next she pulled herself up into the ventilation shaft. The velvet of her bodysuit allowed her to move smoothly and therefore quietly.

It took almost twenty minutes for the young Pantoran to make her way through the metal maze, crawling and climbing until she finally reached Heddon's office two floors up. Unlike in her room, the hatch wasn't bolted shut so she could easily lift it up and push it open. With telekinesis she lowered it onto the floor before she climbed out of the shaft herself.

With her feet back onto the ground, she tiptoed to Heddon's desk. She had been here often so she knew her way around and also knew his passwords. Her heart  raced in her chest as she switched on his computer terminal and waited for the login screen. She knew there was a chance that he had changed his code by now, but she had the feeling he never bothered assuming she would be too scared to disobey him. A moment later the login screen popped up. Letting out a nervous sigh she leaned forward and typed in the long numeral code she had seen him use last, checking it twice before pressing enter. For a moment she worried it was wrong as the computer didn't respond at once but to her relief the home screen suddenly popped up. Kimi sat down behind the computer, and began to search for the proof she needed.

To save time she searched for her father's name; Akira Sheiko, which immediately got several hits. The first message dated back over a year ago and was sent to multiple recipients, including Acer Knox. Kimi opened it and scanned through, it was a short message requesting for information about her father.

[ Greetings friend, I call upon you because I am in need of your assistance. I am searching for a man named Akira Sheiko, a corrupt Senator of Pantora who is involved with the KSC. If you have any information about his whereabouts please contact me… signed Jax Heddon ]

Knox was the first to respond, only a few hours after the first message was sent. Quickly she opened it and skimmed the message "I am familiar with Senator Sheiko, he often visits Depatar for business as well as pleasure" she softly read the message, "I hope your business with him won't interfere with mine, I'd rather not lose a good paying customer." She continued to read and immediately realized he had the motive to tip her father off. She searched for the reply of Heddon, but there was none, 'strange' she thought.

Kimi continued to scan the list of messages as fast as she could until she found the one Heddon had used to 'surprise' her. "Greetings Jax, I have good news. Akira Sheiko is coming to Depatar." The rest of the message contained times and places for their meeting as well as a reminder of the laws at the City of Masks. But then her eyes fell on the last sentence "I do encourage you to reconsider, Sheiko pays good credits, we could make a deal. See you soon." Anger began to rise inside of her like a tide "a deal?" she whispered to herself as she clenched her fists. It still didn't make sense to her, why he would have gone through all the trouble to help her get her revenge and then try to have her killed.

She opened the message Heddon had sent only a few hours before they'd left for Depatar. Again she skimmed through. "The girl has become too much of a liability... Willing to talk business when I'm there." Shaking her head in disbelief she clicked the message away "liability?... I did everything you asked…" Footsteps down the corridor startled her, she was surprised as the guards usually didn't go near the office. Panic rose, quickly she opened the message Knox sent the morning after she had killed her father. "What happened Jax?, Akira is dead, that wasn't the deal." The footsteps came closer, Kimi clicked onto the last message Knox sent to Heddon. "You caused me a lot of trouble Jax… Not only did I lose one of my best clients, the local authorities also traced the money Akira sent, an hour before his death, to me… I also got the KSC on my back… what are you going to do about it?... I want the girl…" the footsteps stopped in front of the office as she opened the last reply of Heddon before he had left Kodai the last time. "The Empire needs me… but when I return I will send you the girl…"

Kimi found all she needed and quickly switched off the power to the computer. She could hear the guard outside using the control panel to unlock the door. She rushed to the ventilation hatch and pulled herself up. Once inside she used telekinesis again to lift the hatch off the ground and close it behind her with only a second before the door of the office opened. Her heart was racing, her breath quick and shallow. "see..  nothing" a voice said as footsteps entered the office. Kimi peeked through the hatch and saw two armed guards. "I swear, the sensors picked up movement…", "was probably a rat.. let's get out of here, Heddon will kill us if he finds out we were in his office."

As the guards left and closed the door behind them Kimi began to crawl back towards her room. Knox had convinced her Master to give her up for money, and now he was going to hand her over to him as repayment for their failed plan. 'No, that's not going to happen' she thought to herself, determined to put an end to it. It took fifteen minutes for the young Pantoran to get back to her room. As quiet as possible she lowered herself onto her dressing table and grabbed the hatch from the chair to place it back.

The rest of the night she was unable to sleep, she didn't know when her Master would return to Kodai and therefore had no idea how much time she had to plan her escape. One thing was sure, he had to die, because as long as he was alive he would hunt her down.

By sunrise, Kimi had a plan. Knowing him, she expected Jax would request her company when he'd return home. Despite his intention to hand her over to the Zeltronian, he'd still want her at least one last time, that would be her chance to strike. She still had the Senflax she stole from Knox. The sedative would be strong enough to paralyze the Chagrian Sith as well as numb his ability to use the force whilst still remaining conscious. But there was one problem, how would she administer it without him knowing? He would notice if she'd try to smuggle it into the room…. 'Unless, It is already there'.

Getting into Jax's room unnoticed was going to prove difficult. He kept her close in case he's suddenly in the mood, his private quarters were on the same floor as hers and that meant there were guards. Sneaking through the air vents was too risky, if they'd catch her they would take the Senflax from her and then she definitely wouldn't stand a chance against her Master. 'No..' this time she needed help and she knew exactly from whom..

~\*~

One night later. Dressed in a short silk night dress, the young Pantoran lay in her bed. Once again waiting for the guard to change but this time not sneak out of her room. This time she wanted the attention of the guard that would be posted outside of her door for the rest of the night. After several minutes she heard his footsteps down the corridor and moments later saw two small shadows under the door. She waited a bit longer to be sure that he was alone and then she began to scream pretending she had a night terror.

"Noo noo please!!!! Noo!!! No!!" At once the guard responded, quickly unlocking the door and rushing inside. "Miss what's wrong?" He asked with panic in his voice and flipped the lights on. But Kimi didn't respond, she screamed with her eyes still closed and she kicked the sheets off her. The guard stepped closer "miss wake up!" and grabbed her by her shoulder, "Wake up!" he repeated. Finally the young Pantoran opened her eyes and froze as she stared at the guard. He was still wearing his helmet, not once had she seen any of them without. She only recognized them by their voices. Again she screamed, this time pretending to be scared of him. "Please don't… don't hurt me!" She cried and backed away from him. " Please" she begged with tearful eyes. The strap of her night dress purposefully slid off her shoulder, revealing part of her bare chest. The guard backed away, holding his hands up "I'm not gonna hurt you" he said and removed his helmet. "You're safe" he added as he looked down on her, trembling with her back against the headboard of her bed. Kimi stopped screaming and looked at him, he was young, younger than she had imagined. "It's ok, it was just a dream" he said as he slowly moved towards her again, his green eyes glancing between her face and partly exposed chest. He licked his lips and asked her if she was ok. Nodding she looked up and replied softly, "I am now." At once she looked away, in shame, the young Pantoran was an excellent actress, it was a skill she had learned on Keyorin, to hide her true feelings from the customers. "Are you sure?" He asked as he knelt down beside the bed, trying to make eye contact. Kimi glanced into his eyes and smiled ever so slightly,  "yes" He returned her smile and reached out to her, Kimi flinched, expecting he'd pull the dress further down as her Master would have done. However, instead he grabbed the strap and pulled it back over her shoulder, covering her again. Now the young Pantoran felt genuinely embarrassed, having underestimated the young man kneeling before her.

Heavy boots down the corridor made the young guard jump up and put his helmet back on. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be in here" he said and rushed out of her room, closing the door behind him. "What is the meaning of this, Corporal?" Kimi heard a voice say, it was the same stern voice she had heard the other night. "She was screaming sir, I was worried she'd hurt herself." The young guard responded. "Well, was there any damage?" The officer asked coldly as if he was speaking about a piece of furniture. "Ehm… no sir.. It seemed to have been a bad dream."

After a short conversation about their duties, the officer left. As she heard the sound of his heavy boots fade away in the distance, Kimi climbed out of her bed and walked to the door. From the shadow casted under the closed door, she knew the young officer was still on the other side. "Ezra?" Her voice was soft, but loud enough for him to hear, yet he did noy respond. She assumed because he was surprised that she knew his name. "Forgive me" she continued as he kept silent, "it gets lonely here, I've been listening to you talk" she explained as she leaned her back against the door between them. Still he remained silent. "Thank you.. for coming to see me" she added and then he finally opened his mouth "It's nothing miss, I'm glad you are alright". For a moment they were quiet until Kimi spoke again, "you seem very young to be a soldier… you can't be much older than I am." At once she heard him let out a chuckle, "I'm nineteen, miss". The boy was even younger than she expected, "oh very young indeed… where are you from?" She asked genuinely curious, "you don't have to answer if you don't want to.. it's just.. you're the first person that I've spoken to since.." she paused as it was true, no one had talked to her since her Master left her on Kodai. "I'm from Kuat," Ezra replied before she could finish her sentence "well technically the Drive Yards" he let out another chuckle "I never actually set foot on the planet." "I'm sorry to hear that" Kimi responded as she sat down with her back against the door. "How come you chose to join the Imperial military?"

For more than an hour they talked. The young Pantoran was surprised by his openness, as he told her about his dreams to become a pilot but how his parents weren't able to afford his education despite their long days working at the dry docks. He told her that when the Empire came to Kuat to recruit, they saw a better life for him, one where he could follow his dream to become a pilot.

The following nights, they continued to talk and he began to ask about her past, questions she would answer with lies, the truth was too painful and she felt too ashamed to share. Everything went as planned, she could tell that Ezra started to like her. Despite that she enjoyed their conversations as well, Kimi felt bad at the same time as she began to like him in return. But she needed him, he was merely a means to an end. All she had to do now was to convince him to get her into her Master's quarters.

~\*~

"I want to show you something" Kimi said a week after they had started talking. "But.. it's in my Master's private quarters." she added. "What is it?" She could hear the confusion in his voice. Leaning against the door she told him it was something that belonged to her, something her Master had taken from her. "I think you will like it" she added with a smile. For a moment he didn't respond, it was obvious he felt hesitant about the idea. "I'm sorry.. but.. I can't take you there.. I'd be in a lot of trouble if they find out.. and I don't want to know what your Master will do to you." "It would only take two minutes, just a look.. It would mean a lot to me as well.." again he remained silent, thinking about it and Kimi began to worry that he wouldn't agree to help her. The fact that she didn't know when Heddon would return to Kodai made it even more stressful for her. "Ok, but it has to be quick" "of course" she responded with relief and excitement.

She had already prepared the syringe, and grabbed it from the nightstand to hide in the pocket of her purple silk dressing gown. Ezra unlocked the door and motioned her to come. Barefoot, she tiptoed through the corridor, around the corner to the doors of Heddon's private quarters. The young guard accessed the control panel to unlock the door and as they opened both quickly slipped inside. "Over here" Kimi said as she went ahead, walking across the sitting area towards the bedroom door. With wariness, Ezra followed Kimi closely, reminding her they had to be quick. "I know" she said and she stepped into the Master bedroom and flipped the lights on as Ezra entered behind her. "That is what I wanted to show you" she said with pride in her voice, pointing into the corner of the room, where her Pantoran Karuta stood on display. "Wow" the young guard said as he removed his helmet to take a better look. "That's yours?" He asked with disbelief and glanced over his shoulder at her. Kimi nodded and sat down on the edge of the large bed. Whilst the  young guard approached the armour, she took the syringe with the Senflax from the pocket and slipped it between the mattress. "It's beautiful… is that. Is that what I think it is?" He pointed at the Katana lightsaber hilt that was attached to the owa-obi sash. "It is" she answered with a smirk. "Seems you left out the part that you are a warrior." "Would you have believed me? a slave?" "I probably wouldn't have" he said honestly and turned towards her. Then he suddenly froze and his eyes winded "eh.. is… is that you?" He stuttered. Kimi looked over her shoulder, at what he was looking at. It was a large portrait Heddon had commissioned when she first arrived on Kodai. "Yes.. that is me" Kimi said feeling a little embarrassed as the young man became flustered as he stared at the painting. "I think we should go, before they find out" Kimi said as she rose up from the bed. "Eh.  Yeah..  yeah we should" he responded with a nervous chuckle at the end of the sentence.

Moments later, they returned to her room. "Thank you for showing me" he said as she opened the door for her. Kimi turned around, she smiled and thanked him for taking her. She was really thankful, at least now she stood a chance against her Master. Kimi reached out with her hand, cupping his cheek as she moved closer. Standing on her toes, the petite Pantoran pressed her lavender lips onto his. It was a gentle kiss, it only took a second before she drew back and lowered herself again. Overwhelmed, the young man stared at her, obviously he had not expected her to do that. "Sorry" she softly said and stepped away from him. "Don't be" Ezra replied and licked his lips as if he was trying to taste her kiss.

Motionless he stood before her, staring at her as he had looked at the portrait in Heddon's room. "Do you want to stay?" She asked, wondering why he didn't return to his post. With small nods he told her he did. Of course the young Pantoran asked if he wasn't worried about his superiors finding out, but he said that he felt lucky and was convinced that no one would come check on him that night. Kimi walked to her bed and sat down on the edge. Tapping on the mattress she motioned to him to come sit next to her. Slightly nervous, Ezra approached and sat down, then he looked at her before he leaned in and kissed her on the lips. Like hers had been, his kiss was quick and gentle as well. With a nervous chuckle he drew back and stared into her eyes.

"You may touch me... if you want" she whispered as she could tell he was inexperienced. A little hesitant, Ezra placed his hand on her cheek, like she had done to him, and then slowly began to make his way down. Brushing over her slender neck he leaned in once more to kiss her on the other side. Again he was hesitant to move further, so Kimi untied her dressing gown and let it slip off her shoulders. He pulled back to look at her, she was wearing a sheer nightdress underneath. "You're beautiful" he said softly as his eyes moved over her body. She had heard those words so often before but for the first time they felt genuine. Gentle, his hand moved to her shoulder, grabbing the strap of her night dress he looked into her eyes, asking if it was ok to continue. Kimi said nothing, she only gave a nod and with her approval he proceeded by slowly pulling the strap down, exposing her chest. Letting out a gasp he gazed at her whilst his hand continued to follow her natural curves, gently caressing her breast. Kimi's breath began to quicken as she felt his gentle touch. Again he moved closer and planted his soft lips onto her glowing skin. She gasped and looked down at him with a smile not wanting him to stop…

~\*~

Only four days after she had planted the Senflax in his private quarters, Heddon returned to Kodai. Just as she had anticipated, her Master requested her company the very same night. So as she would have done in normal circumstances, the young Pantoran followed her beauty routine. After selecting the perfect outfit she took a bath, washing herself thoroughly for her Master but also to calm her nerves. Then after drying herself she put on traditional Pantoran makeup, making her skin paler than it already was due to the lack of sun and gave her eyes and lips a pink hue. She slipped on her best kimono dress, and wore her hair up using the two Kanzashi hair sticks Knox had given her back on Depatar. Finally she sprayed herself with a sweet seductive perfume.

When the young Pantoran was done she stood before her mirror, looking at the result. She looked perfect, like the Oiran he expected her to be. Kimi couldn't believe how lucky she had been, had she waited any longer she would have lost her chance to plant the sedative. But despite that her plan was set in motion, she felt nervous to face the man who had broken her.

A knock on the door startled her. "Are you ready?" she heard the young guard ask. "Yes" she responded softly and turned towards the door waiting for him to open it for her. She did her best to remain calm, which was difficult especially when he stepped inside and took off his helmet to look at her. Looking her up and down, "you look so different" he said softly. "That is the whole purpose, tonight I am someone different" Kimi responded with a pained smile. "Better not keep my Master waiting," she added and walked towards the door without looking at Ezra. But as she passed him he touched her hand, making her stop and softly told her he hated she had to do this. Their eyes met as she looked up at him, "it will be over soon" she said knowing in her mind that there were only two outcomes of the night; either she would be successful in killing her Master and be free at last, or he would catch her and kill her instead. Both were better options than being sent to Depatar.

Moments later, they stood before Heddon's quarters. Kimi took a deep breath to compose herself and nodded to the young guard that she was ready. Without a word, he pressed on the door chime. Kimi wasn't able to see his face but she could sense his sadness which didn't make it easier for her. She looked at him as the doors opened, realizing this could be the last time they would see each other. "Goodbye" she mouthed at him and then stepped over the threshold. As the doors closer behind her she walked towards the bedroom where her Master was waiting for her.

"You took your time, girl" Heddon said with his back turned towards her as she stood in the doorway. "I wanted to look my best, Master" she responded softly. The Chagrian turned around, glancing briefly at her as if he did not care about the effort she put in her appearance. "If you think that's going to help you, I have to disappoint you. Nothing will change no matter how hard you try to earn my favour." With a smirk on his face he walked towards the bed and sat down on the edge. His robes draped loosely over his muscular body. "Now come here" he said, pointing in the spot in front of him. "Yes Master" Kimi said obediently and approached. He reached out, grabbing her by the Kimono obi. He pulled the sash loose and watched as the kimono folded open, revealing her slender naked body underneath. Satisfied he smiled, "much better." The young Pantoran said nothing but let the kimono slide down her shoulders onto the floor. "Good" Jax said and spread his legs as he leaned back onto the mattress, "now do your job" he said coldly as his robes fell open. "Yes Master" Kimi said and knelt down between his legs to satisfy him. The Chagrian fell back onto the bed, moaning as she did what he ordered her to do. But at the same time her hand slipped between the mattress, reaching for the syringe she had hidden a few days prior. "Yes.. good girl... the only thing you're good at" he moaned as he lifted his head to look at her. Making eye contact, she removed the cover of the needle and smized at him. He let out a chuckle, "yes… you missed it didn't you, you little schutta" he softly said as he fell back again onto the mattress. When finally closed his eyes, Kimi raised her hand holding the syringe and struck down.

The needle plunged into his abdomen, squeezing the sedative into his body. He let out a growl and slapped her so hard she flew against the wall. "What is the meaning of this!!" He yelled, but his voice immediately began to weaken as the Senflax instantly began to work. "What is this, you double crossing whore" he reached out with the force, attempting to grab her by the neck, but his grip was too weak. "I'll kill you" he finally said as he dropped to the floor.

Breathing rapidly she sat against the wall. Blood trickled from her nose, down onto her bare chest. For a moment she sat there, just looking at the large male that lay on the floor. Apart from the rising and falling of his chest, he didn't move, but his eyes were still open. Slowly, Kimi pulled herself off the floor and approached him. As he looked up at her, she could see his anger but also something she hadn't seen before; a hint of panic in his eyes. Pleased she smiled, but at the same time tears came pouring down from her eyes.. "Now it's my turn" she said and stepped over him. "Master" she added with contempt as she lowered herself onto him. "So, I've become a liability… that's why you wanted to get rid of me?.. instead of granting me the freedom you promised me, you wanted me dead?" Her hands rested on his chest, she felt his heart pounding beneath them. "Why? Just why?" She cried out as she dug her nails into his flesh "You used me, humiliated me and I still did everything you asked of me… you abused me and broke me and yet I loved you." Due to the sedative he wasn't able to respond, but his eyes told her enough; he was shocked. "You were my world, I'd have done anything for you, I gave you my heart.. but I meant nothing to you" she continued more calmly and let go of his chest. "Instead, you took what little there was left of me and crushed it" she wiped away her tears and added with a sharp cold tone  "but now.. now it's my turn."

She got up and walked to the corner of the room where her Karuta armour stood with next to it a small chest. Kimi knelt down and opened it, inside she found her most precious belongings included a set of bronzium Kyuzo Petar. She grabbed one of the double bladed knuckle guards and rose up again. "You remember these?" She said, looking down at him. "You gave them to me, it was one of many gifts you brought me.. but I never got the chance to use it… not until now" again she straddled him and switched the curved blade on. Glowing red the blade hummed softly as she held it above his face. "You took what was mine and shattered it.. now I'm going to take yours instead" the corners of her lips curled up into a vicious smile, knowing that the Chagrian had no idea what she was going to do.

For a moment she just stared into his eyes, and then she turned the blade down and pushed it into his chest. Jax's eyes grew bigger in shock and panic as he saw how she carefully cut his chest open. The powerful energy cord easily cut through the cartilage, separating the ribs from his sternum. But the young Pantoran made sure she didn't cut too deep as she didn't want him to die just yet. She threw the blade aside and pushed her small hand into the wound. Carefully feeling around until she felt his pounding heart. Her eyes locked on to his as she wrapped her slender fingers around it. His heart was huge compared to the petite Pantoran's hand, but using the force she began to crush it. The large muscle struggled to keep pumping and despite the strong sedative his body began to fight for its life, convulsing uncontrollably as she began to pull. "Farewell Master" she whispered and pulled harder, ripping his beating heart out of his chest.

Holding the bloody muscle in her hand she looked into his eyes, watching the lights go out. After a couple of moments, Kimi pulled herself together and got back onto her feet. Her Master was dead, but she still had to get off Kodai. However, first she pulled one of Kanzashi hair sticks out of her hair and walked over to the nude portrait of her on the wall. Filled with anger and disgust she nailed Heddon's heart onto the painting. Then she pulled out the other hairstick, and japped it into the bloody heart as well, to make sure it was stuck. Blood dripping down, "There, much better, don't you think?" she said as she stepped back, looking at the blood stained portrait.

Taking her armour off the display and putting it on she then took everything she could carry from the chest on the floor, her weapons and jewels he had given her. Finally she left the bedroom and walked straight to the door. But she had forgotten that Ezra was on the other side. He stared in shock at her when the doors opened "what's going on?" He asked. "I'm leaving, Ezra" Kimi responded, not knowing what else she could say. The young man noticed the blood on her face, "what happened.. Did he hit you?" She didn't respond, so Ezra stepped inside to look for himself. Kimi stood frozen on the spot as she heard him walk towards the master bedroom where Heddon lay dead on the floor. "Oh kriff!" He exclaimed and walked back to her "what… wh.. what did you do?" He stuttered in disbelief. "I had to end it, I couldn't go on like this" with a tearful gaze she looked into his green eyes. "I have to go now" she wanted to walk away but he grabbed her hand, pulling her back to face him. He shook his head, he didn't want her to leave. "Please.. I can't stay.. they will execute me" she cried. "Will I ever see you again?" he asked when he finally let go of her hand. Shaking her head, she told him she thought they would ever see each other again. "Give me five minutes head start, then sound the alarm" she said and for one last time she gently touched his cheek again. "Thank you" she said as tears poured down her bloodstained cheeks and let go of him.

Kimi ran down the corridors. With Heddon back, there were fewer guards she had to avoid and she easily made her way to the landing platform. After five minutes, just as she had instructed Ezra, the alarms went off. Her Master's ship stood on the platform, but to her surprise the doors were open. Holding her Katana lightsaber in her hand she stepped abroad, expecting company, instead she found a large chest. When she looked inside she saw it was filled with all her clothes. "Wow.. you really were in a rush to get rid of me" she said, realizing Jax would have taken her to Depatar the moment he was finished with her. She rushed to the cockpit and sat down in the pilot's seat, flipping the switch she locked the doors and started the engines..

Kimi left Kodai behind and she would never go back. She was finally free of her Master but in return she had become a fugitive of the Empire….

~\*~

To be Continued...