Hunted

Chapter 3: The Prisoner

What time is it? The room was dimly lit by runner lights along the ceiling. You awoke in a daze, almost forgetting where you were. 11:00, according to your Comlink. Hmm. They must not have a schedule for me yet to let me sleep this late. Good, I'm going to stay in here and away from them as long as possible. Almost as if someone had heard your thoughts, your Comlink received a message.

"Commander Ren has requested a meeting with you at 11:30. A Stormtrooper will be there to escort you shortly."

You breathed a loud and irritated sigh. After a few minutes of staring at the ceiling in dread, you rose from the sheets and sought out an outfit for the day, simple and comfortable. If you were going to have to be here against your will, you weren't playing dress up for anyone. Even the Commander. You threw on your black pants and a black compression tank top with a utility belt that held various weapons. Even though you knew you likely would not need it, you added your arm bands that housed small knives and throwing daggers. Your boots went almost all the way up to your knees, as this made it easy to hide even more weapons, poisons, your standard hunting gear. You figured it wouldn't be wise to hide any weapons today, so you left the sheaths inside your boots empty and only clipped a small blaster to your belt, making sure it was visible to everyone. Just in case. You pinned your hair up, with only bangs and a few short strands of hair in the front left loose. You paused in front of the mirror for a moment. God, you looked awful. You had forgotten to remove your makeup before sobbing in the shower last night and your face was streaked with black. Even after removing the strayed makeup, you had apparent bags under your eyes. Being held captive will do that to you, apparently. You added a bit of concealer to them and lazily coated your lashes in mascara before hearing loud knocks on your metal door. With another long and exacerbated sigh, you went to join the Troopers so they could walk you to a meeting with your captor.

You sucked in your breath sharply as the sight of what this room held caught you off guard. There was a man, dangling from a contraption meant to restrain him. He was limp, swollen, and bloody. You weren't even sure if he was alive. He looked familiar but was overall unrecognizable. This sight took you so much by surprise you had not even seen the towering, masked individual in the corner that was staring at you.

"This, bounty hunter, is what we do to prisoners. Keep that in mind the next time you think of me as your captor." The mechanical voice made you jump as you straightened your posture and met its gaze.

"What can I do for you, Commander?" You tried to act unfazed by the hostile vibes that were emitting from the masked entity.

"This is the man you brought me yesterday. He's been selling weapons to the Resistance. He's also been helping them orchestrate attacks on First Order allied planets and spaces." The Commander started circling the mangled man like a dangerous predator, waiting to finish off his prey.

The man let out a soft groan of both pain and defiance.

"I have uncovered that there are a few in his little crime syndicate that have decided their allegiances are better sided with the Resistance." The mask continued.

"Commander, pardon my ignorance, but does the Resistance not pride themselves in operating without the aid of syndicates? Isn't that something they want to wipe out for... what they consider a better galaxy? Every Resistance member I have ever met certainly makes it their entire personality." You had cautiously stepped forward into the room, but still maintained a few feet between yourself and the others in the room.

The Commander laughed. "You must not understand hypocrisy. They will do whatever necessary to advance against an enemy. Then, if they succeed, they will then crush those that came to their aid if they deem them morally inadequate. There are also many criminals that would like to see the Resistance succeed, as they view them as order-less and not a threat to their dealings. The Order would mean too much control."

You nodded your head in understanding, brow furrowed in thought as you gazed at the crime boss. "You want me to track down his accomplices?"

"Yes." The Commander was closing the gap between the two of you, stomping across the room. Only inches remain between you and him. He was taller than you. Much taller, probably almost an entire foot. You knew he was broad, but seeing how his width encapsulated your own was impressive. You weren't sure if he was a man or a machine, but either way he was clearly deadly. He didn't scare you, though. You knew you should proceed with caution in his presence but you had been in so many deadly situations in your life that there was little that actually scared you. This is what made you successful.

You looked up at the mask, seeing only the black void but feeling a sense of urgency and aggression. You nodded in agreement. "What information were you able to obtain from him?"

"Follow me." The Commander started to storm out of the room. For a moment, you looked back at the man that was formerly a leader of a cell of the Black Sun. He was broken, both body and soul. You heard him muster a small laugh, interrupted by a gargling sound as he spit blood onto the floor.

"You'll never... s-survive..." he sputtered out.

You smiled. The doubt and challenge fueled you. You walked over to him and leaned down to meet his gaze. His eyes were barely open from being so badly beaten, but you knew he could see you. You placed a hand on his blackened and bloodied face, narrowed your eyes and continued to smile sweetly at him. "You never stood a chance. Neither do they."

You turned on your heels, his blood staining your hand. The Commander had stopped to observe you but did not say anything. You followed him out of the room, ready for your next mission.