Red Opus

Chapter 2: Awakening

The first thing you noticed about eternity was how very quickly it seemed to pass. The years spent floating between a state of suspension and awareness had passed in the blink of an eye. Like falling asleep, you mused, only more long term. Your connection with the force allowed you to filter through some occasional moments of conscious thought process, however the state of torpor you currently endured gave you little chance to grasp any tangible meaning from a thought.

The first thing you ever noticed was a change in the brightness behind your eyelids. The dull egg white colour was suddenly replaced by a dark shade of tan, and then another, even darker shade. What was it called again? Oh, black, of course. Like waking up from a long sleep, the awareness hit you like a soft pillow. Then suddenly, pain. Somewhere in the expanse away from your inner mind, your body was in pain. It started in what you assumed was buzzing in your fingertips, slowly spreading over your physical self until you felt pulled to the mortal plain by immense gravity. Your body felt heavy and slow, and then suddenly it was LOUD. VERY LOUD.

You winced in pain at the sudden onslaught to your senses, and when you were sure you had gained full awareness of your surroundings, you slowly opened one eye. It was far too bright, and your face contorted in pain as you moved. You went to place a hand in front of your face but found your arms unable to move. A deep voice informed you that you had been successfully awoken from cryofreeze. You squinted to look at the medi-droid.

Cryofreeze. Of course. Your memories of your time with Snoke slowly filtered back into place and you became aware of your purpose once again, the visions and memories sliding back into place beside the peaceful vacation spot of your time in cryostasis. The pain in your arm intensified as the medi-droid pinched a small IV into your elbow joint, with the pain in your body lessening to a feeling more akin to pins and needles. You hadn't noticed the medi-droid before, and now your eyes had become used to the light again you gazed half-heartedly around the room. White walls, grey floor, grey door. Nothing new there. Slightly behind you to the right was a window looking over the stars. You craned your neck painfully to glance outside and your breath hitched. You were on some form of massive space cruiser, surrounded by others of the same. Fleets of TIE fighters and other small craft flew past, you briefly registered the life force of hundreds of thousands of souls but closed it off quickly before you became overwhelmed. Your head rested back onto the table and you suddenly realised you were wet. Glancing down, light blue liquid oozed from your skin, evidence of your time in the cryofreeze. The medi-droid completed final checks and cleared you to be discharged.

You opened your mouth to speak, yet no sound emerged. The medi-droid tilted its head at you.

"ah..H-how long?" you asked, voice croaking and hoarse from disuse.

"The records for your stasis chamber are high level access only, I'm afraid I cannot access that information", the droid replied.

"Okay, then what year is it?"

"34ABY."

Not as long as you thought, it had been 19 galactic standard years. You allowed yourself a moment to process that information. You looked down again and touched your naked body, still grateful to have the supple frame and muscle you'd built up rather than the ageing form of a decrepit old woman. You touched the strong muscles of your bicep, trailing your fingers across bumpy skin, textured by scars, before bringing your hand up to your face. You admired it, the callouses and freckle marks unaffected by the passing of time.

The steady burning in your muscles fuelled your desire to move, as you gingerly placed one foot off the bed, followed by the other. You stood, wobbling slightly, muscles complaining from lack of use. You felt like you had concrete running through your veins instead of blood, limbs heavy. Turning your head to the medi-droid, you issued your first order in almost 20 years.
"Get me my robes."