Daughter of Mortis

Promises (4)

This story features my character, Kein Rei, and Ruby, who belongs to ValarousDenivene . This is a collaborative story between the two of us, and it will span over a series of parts.

Cantonica: 3 BBY
Grasslands
Kein Rei

Ruby rested her head in his lap as he absentmindedly stroked her montrals. A million thoughts ran through Kein's head, but one question was prominent among them. How am I going to explain this to Vader without winding up dead? He asked himself once more. He'd already thought up a multitude of ideas, but none of them guaranteed that he'd remain alive.

"I have a question," Ruby's voice broke through the storm in his mind.

"Hm?"

"Why do you work for Vader?"

"I didn't really have a choice," Kein replied.

Ruby sat up and leaned back against the wall beside him. "Tell me."

Kein furrowed his brow, feeling rather unwilling. It was something he never spoke of, not even to Ania or Cy back in the day. At last, he nodded. "I was thirteen, I think. I believed that my family had been killed on Ryloth during the Clone Wars. I had taken to scavenging the battle wreckage. I'd find some parts that were worth a little bit and sell them for food and weapons."

Ruby remained silent, simply listening. "When the Empire came to Ryloth, I thought I might be able to steal some of their equipment and use it to buy myself passage off the planet. I greatly overestimated my skills..."

"No surprise there," Ruby snickered.

Kein rolled his eyes and continued. "And I was captured. They were going to kill me, but for some reason, Vader ordered them to keep me alive. He had me taken to Centax 1 and I was trained as a bounty hunter. I never thought to try to escape. I knew if I did, I'd be killed and besides, running with the Empire was bringing me some level of safety and a nice amount of credits."

"I remember training with Cyana Otsan for a year or two before Ania came along. Before either of them showed up, Vader sent me out on my first assignment. I tracked down a Nautolan rebel who had been causing a lot of trouble on Coruscant. I found her with ease and killed her, as Vader had ordered." Kein released a sigh and closed his eyes for a moment. "All he wanted was her head as confirmation. When I took her mask off to collect it, I saw the face of my sister."

"Did you confront Vader about it?" Ruby asked. She wrapped her hand around his and squeezed it gently.

"I did and he knew who she was when he sent me after her. Ansel apparently had a Force Sensitive son but none of Vader's agents had been able to retrieve it. With her dead, they found my nephew and took him. I don't know what happened to him. I imagine they turned him into an Inquisitor or he was killed."

"You never looked?"

"I was too busy hunting."

Ruby tilted her head and gave him a disbelieving look. "You stayed there after they made you kill your sister?"

"I had two choices. I could leave and inevitably be killed, or I could stay and appease Vader enough that he'd leave me alone." Ruby opened her mouth to speak, but Kein held up a hand, stopping her. "Don't bother saying there was a third choice. I stopped believing that a long time ago. When it comes to Vader, there are only two choices. Obey or die."

Ruby lowered her gaze and nodded. "So Cyana and Ania. Who are they?"

"They trained with me for a while. Cyana still works for the Empire, I think, although I don't know where she is." Kein smirked to himself and added, "She was a very pretty Twi'lek. We were together for a while."