The New Empire

Chapter 3 - Wanting Vengeance

Liv's constant tossing and turning has scared off the blessing butterfly of sweet lullabies. Her head was too much full of promising hopes and dreams. She always woke up before the chilly sunrise and she didn't want to change that habit. At last she had enough of just aimlessly staring at the blank ceiling tiles and decided to stumble to her tiny bathroom. Shivers ran down her spine as the cool water hit her pale face, washing away the last remains of her failed sleep. She grabbed onto the edge of the sink with both of her hands, as her deep and shaky breathing echoed in the small chamber. She had much to understand and even more problems to solve. At last her eyelashes, still glistening from the fine droplets, fluttered upwards only to find a pair of round, deep hazel eyes staring back at her. Those eyes swirled with determination, almost mirroring her brother's ambition. She flinched as her brother's image had poisoned her mind, but the fact that they share the same set of eyes chilled her to the bones. She had to forcefully tear her gaze away from her reflection. This is not the time to chew on the past, but before she left she hissed a curt revenge on that murderer under her breath.

She didn't think a lot about her hairstyle, just practically made up a messy ponytail from her coal-coloured hair. At last she grabbed her fuzzy pelerine and took a deep smell of its aroma before shoving it on her shoulders.

Her door opened with a faint hiss, only to reveal a corridor still shrouded in warm darkness. Her eyes slowly scanned through the mystery filled base, but she couldn't find the courage to explore them herself. With a disappointed sigh she retreated to her chamber, thinking about something she could hit her time with. Her eyes hooked on her new datapad, but she had no clue on how to use it. It was so early and she's already bored. She suddenly whirled around and stormed out of the room. She gladly realised that her soft boots didn't cast the expected echoes, this only helped her to sneak. Her eyes kept jumping from one pioneering invention to the next exciting machine. Unfortunately she found almost every room to be carefully closed down before her unexpected visits, so she continued her journey until a distant rumble of crashing and fighting has hit her ears. She followed the wrecking noises, which had led her to a two-winged door. She pushed the button and as the fighter noticed Liv awkwardly standing, she froze. She lowered her staff between her heavy panting. Her eyes first mirrored surprise, then a hint of badly masked annoyance. She ran down her fingers through her sticky locks and was clearly waiting for Liv to start breaking the ice.

"Good morning." Liv gently waved and ventured a little closer to take a better look at the training room.

She noticed the quickly, and maybe a bit poorly set up walls, but the highness of the dimly lit hall mesmerized her. Then she lowered her gaze down at the various kinds of training droids that kept their faint chirpings at Rey's legs.

"Uh, yeah good morning to you too." She numbly responded, her eyes still housing annoyance.

Awkward silence descended on the room yet again. This sparked the idea in Liv to try if her sense for people, that the townspeople swore by, worked on foreigners.

"I like your staff." Her voice rang with praise, yet sorry at the same time. "I can see you like it too."

Rey glanced at her beloved staff as her fingers ran along its rough curves. "You should see my lightsaber." She didn't know why she told her that. Oh, if she could take it back!

"Your what?" Liv wanted to know everything about the new things she heard.

"It's like a sword, but its blade is laser-like and it cuts through literally everything. It's the most beautiful blue I've ever seen, and that beautiful silver grip." She mostly said that to herself, with awe in her now soft voice, while her eyes were wandering into the past. "I can show you a holo of it."