The Enigma

The Training

The room was pitch black. Her eyes caught a movement across the room-flash of white and a calloused hand gripping something sharp and pointy, she resentfully sat up to look. A brutalizing force pinned her back down and the flash of white morphed into a figure of a man. An all to familiar man. Her body burned  from the excessive amount of weight holding her down and chills ran down her spine like rats escaping. As she dared to look, the darkened face zoomed closer until he was a breath away. She briefly darted her gaze to someone else who had now appeared. Across the room, someone watched her as she struggled to escape the unseeing force around her; though the moon lit the flowing of a cloak, once they stepped forward out of the shadow, the figure disappeared. Time seemed to skip half a second and the white clad figure was sticking his sharp, pointy syringe in the tender spot of her left arm. She tried screaming but nothing came out just the loud laughter that was now echoing off the walls in an attempt to confuse her. With every twist and turn her body made in hopes to wiggle free her invisible restraints only tightened giving the figure room to do his dirty work. Time quickened and she could barely see the black liquid he was about to inject. Not again. Not again. Not again. She searched deep within her gut and got ready to scream in one final chance to escape the torturing pain-a hand slid around her mouth, stopping any noise she could make. But this time it wasn't rough. Instead she felt herself being lifted off the bed, not by an unseen force but by a pair of arms. The hand was removed from her mouth and she no longer felt the need to cry out. She caught a glimpse of the syringe still sticking out of her arm but she did not feel the pain any more. "You're safe now"-she could make out the comforting words. Weather they were coming from the unknown handler or her own head, this she could not tell. But it was in those three simple words she managed to feel peace and everything around her fade back into a calm  blackness.

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Bright light shined through the open door to the hut causing Ember's eyes to slowly adjust. She sat up balling her fists and rubbed the tired from her eyes. How long had she slept? She turned her head where the Mandalorian had slept and found it empty, along with his weapons and gear. Her eyes then landed on the lonely tray of food sitting on the chair in the corner. Assuming it was for her she jumped out of bed and took the tray immediately devouring the substance like a starving pup. Thankfully no one was watching her so she could eat in a very uncivilized manner. She was suddenly interrupted mid bite by the commotion of villagers making there way from their huts to the center of the village. Where was the Mandalorian? Her curiosity was peaked and shoved the last bite of cheese down before making her way to the door to see what was going on. She followed the crowd of people and stopped when they did. Their attention was on the two standing in front of them getting ready to speak. Ember quickly recognized the shiny armor and shock trooper. 

"You can't live here anymore," the Mandalorian called out among the crowd. He stood on a platform making himself look bigger than he already was. His stance was stiff and poised matching the tone in his statement. The crowd began to chatter among themselves clearly angry and confused by his words. He was telling them to leave the village they had been born and raised in, forcing them out with no other option. She thought of the kids the day before running happily around to memories of her and her aunt being cast out of Corella years back. Even though those were different circumstances, she could feel their pain and confusion like it was her own. 

"What? Why?" The villagers yelled back. Cara stepped up in front of the hunter and whispered something into his helmet. She then turned her attention to the crowd who seemed to quiet themselves in anticipation for her to speak. 

"I know this is not the news any of you want to hear, but there are no other options." 

"You took the job!" A man pointed out.