Traitor

2.

I had managed to get a little sleep somehow before the landing. Shortly before, I had a visitor. I recognized the figure- Hayl Strun when I woke. He had been the one to manage to find me a pillow and blankets. I go to wipe the sleep off my face, but I'm met with a sharp metal, I somehow forgot I was cuffed up.

"We're fixing to land in Concordia." Hayl says in a sad tone. He takes a seat beside me, he hasn't taken off his helmet this entire time. I wondered if that was for a reason as he would always complain about how suffocated he felt in his mask to me. Maybe it was a humanized thing for him, where I wouldn't meet his eyeline.

"Great." I had a sarcastic undertone to my voice. I felt the tension between us, he didn't want to be the one to do this but knew it was best. Hayl and Cole were the only ones I would listen too. If it was anybody else, I would have probably kept running until I was shot down.

Hayl would always be my first love, for as long as I lived. He wasn't like the others. He was noble and kind, hard-headed as could be, but was simply caught up in all of the mess. I would never see him again, and that hurt the worst of any of this.

"Don't do anything rash when we get there." He tells, not asks. It goes quiet, awkwardly quiet. We almost never had these moments. Ones where he felt like he had to fill the void with words, "...Remember that night on the lake? Before the war? When everything was...at peace?"

Of course, that was the night we had our first kiss. Although our romance was short-lived, because of the war, I still had a mixed amount of feelings for him. I didn't always see eye to eye to him on his pacifist beliefs, but he still made me feel...okay.

"I miss that." He tells me, "I miss this. Just us." He takes off his helmet. His soft blonde curls sticking out, his blue eyes looking sad. Without warning, he kisses me with knowing passion, and I let it sink in. We pull away after a second, he looks at me, then looks away even faster, "I'm sorry." That stung my heart as he stood up. It wasn't ideal for him to do this right before I was forced to do the Empires dirty deeds. I wouldn't ever see Hayl again, and I would have to make peace with it whether I wanted to or not.

"We've landed." I hear Cole tell him over the intercom. I stand up. All of their helmets are back on as we walk to base camp, except mine. Death Watch members stood, watched, and whispered as they took me to Vizsla for what was probably going to be an interrogation.

Vizsla had a long scar on his face caused by a lightsaber burn. I stood in front of him, and to his right was Mars Strung. Hayls father.

My cheek was burning from how both quick and smooth the slap was that Vizsla inflicted on my face. Hayl flinched like he wanted to jump in and stop it. I could feel my cheek warming as it stung like a thousand tiny needles were placed in the area at once.

"You do not deserve my mercy for the atrocities you have committed against the Death Watch. Running from a battle has put your name as a traitor and a cowardly scum. You're lucky that I have grace on such a lowly creature as yourself. I'm sure your brother Cole has told you of your exile from Death Watch as well as giving yourself and abilities to the Empire." His voice was loud, but clear, every word he spoke, he meant.

"Yes, Master sir." I say back because that's all I was permitted to say. That's when Count Dooku and several clone troopers behind him stepped out of the tent.

Count Dooku sent a shiver down my spine, I hadn't ever seen him in person before. I tried my best not to show any fear in my eyes. I don't think anyone bought it. Fear brought power to them, and I was giving it by just looking at him.

"You'll make a nice pet for the Empire." Count Dooku smiled smuggishly, "She will do, but how will I know if she won't betray me as she so easily did you?" Vizsla seemed pleased with himself. He had got what he wanted, and that was leverage, but he did it as an apology. It was an inhumane way of neutrality in my mind.

"I believe with the right...training method. You'll have to keep an extra eye on her, but she's a great fighter, skilled in the ways of the true Mandalorian, and...durable." Vizsla then grabs me by the back of my neck and moves me towards him, "She is yours. Long Live the Empire."

Count Dooku, then unlatches my cuffs and hands them to Bren. He doesn't break eye contact with me.

"Put her on the ship, troopers." They then seize me. I look back at Cole and Hayl for what could be the last time. Hayl was looking down, not wanting to register what was happening around him. Cole was looking right at me, and behind his mask, I knew he was sad about seeing me go.

Once on board, it didn't take long for the ship to take off. We zoomed off Concordia to the Empire ships floating outside of the atmosphere. I had only seen one Empire ship, but this one seemed bigger than the last. I was immediately sent to Count Dooku, escorted by a pair of storm troopers.

"Mandalorian, come." We stood by a window that was showing off Concordia, "What is your name?"

"Y/N Nevan." I tried sounding as respectful as possible.

"From now on, you'll be known as Nevan Death. You'll be my own personal bounty hunter and spy if you will." Dooku smiles and looks forward, "Have you any good memories on Concordia?"

"Some, but not many, sir."

"I don't, either. Not very fond of your former Master, Vizsla. So, that's a thing we have in common- we don't have many good memories of Concordia... Send the ti-fighters and fleet." Dooku says to a general of his. I feel as if my heart has caught on fire.

"Sir, please don't I have family-" Three ti-fighters and three fleet ships zoom off to the moon, "Please." Images of Cole and Hayl flash in my mind. They would be overwhelmed - they would die. I felt my heart pumping faster, flooding my ears with the noise.

"It's time to let go of places we don't have good memories of. It's for the better." Dooku says, as the fleet and fighters disappear on the moon. Instead of my heart pumping now, it feels as if it's stopped, shattering into a million peices.