Reunion (#3 Post-Order 66 Series)

Reunion - Part 2

Senna walked through the abandoned Venator, the only sound her bootheels clicking against the durasteel floors in the darkened corridors. She didn't know where she was going, but she knew what she'd find, no matter how many twists and turns she'd make. It was always the same. She gripped the hilt of her lightsaber a little tighter.

Finally, she turned the last corner and came face to face with what she'd been dreading. Rex's hands were bound behind his back, his head hanging limply against his chest. His armor was spattered with blood that flowed from a wound on his head. The only illumination in the room came from the emergency lighting on the walkway and the red glow of her opponent's lightsaber blade.

"Hello again, Master Aven," the Grand Inquisitor greeted her, his voice dripping with venom.

Senna walked towards him calmly. "Please. You don't have to do this. I'm the one you want."

"You would trade your life for his?"

"Gladly." She tossed her lightsaber to the ground, and it skidded to a stop in front of Rex's knees.

The Inquisitor appeared to ponder this, and for just a moment, Senna thought perhaps the outcome would be different this time. But it was not to be so.

With a wicked grin, the Inquisitor drove his saber through Rex's back, the red blade slicing easily through his chest plate. Rex gasped and shuddered, his eyes finding hers before he mouthed her name using what breath he had left. Senna screamed, racing forward as the Inquisitor deactivated his saber, letting Rex's still form slump forward onto the floor. Senna was on her hands and knees, pulling him towards her and cradling his head as she sobbed.

"Rex. Rex, please. No. No, please don't leave me."

She felt the Inquisitor raise his blade for the fatal blow and she closed her eyes.

Senna sat up, gasping and whimpering in the darkened bunk. It took her a few seconds to remember where she was. I'm on a ship with Rex. We're heading to Pantora. With trembling hands, she cracked the door of the bunk open just enough to see the cockpit. Rex's back was to her, rigid as always, his hands gripping the controls. She watched him for a few more moments to cleanse her mind of the recurring nightmare. His shoulders rose and fell with his breathing, and when he turned his head to glance at something else on the control panel, her eyes traced his cheekbones and the sharp cut of his jaw.

She laid back down, clutching her chest as she inhaled and exhaled deeply, trying to steady her racing pulse.

I am one with the Force, and the Force is with me.

Senna had repeated the mantra often enough to recover from her nightmares, but this time, she only mouthed it, not wanting Rex to hear her. He'd know what it meant. He'd held her plenty of times as she tried to calm herself from her nightmares.

Finally, she felt her body relax as her breathing steadied. She stared at the ceiling of the bunk for a few more moments before she felt the ship shudder. Peeking out once more, she noted that the blue and white streaks of hyperspace had faded to the black of space. We're there. Quickly, she threw her boots back on and re-braided her hair before stepping out into the hold of the ship, carefully closing the bunk doors behind her. I should have made the bed for him.

He glanced over his shoulder. "We're coming up on Pantora now."

She nodded. Too late to make the bed now.

"You alright?" It was the first question he'd asked about her, the first sign that perhaps the ice was melting slightly.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine," she lied. He appraised her for another moment before apparently deciding her answer was satisfactory and turning back to the controls.