Chapter 10: A Vessel

The air on Diyu tastes like metal and misery. My breath filters through my helmet in shallow gasps as we approach the slave camp, a sprawling complex of prefab buildings surrounded by electrified fencing that shimmers like a mirage in the industrial haze.

My fingers twitch against my holstered blaster. I've been a bundle of raw nerves since we landed on this hellhole of a planet six hours ago. The constant thrum of mining equipment in the distance plays a perfect soundtrack to my anxiety.

Vae walks beside me, her black robes concealing her crimson skin and horns, making her look like a mysterious shadow rather than the deadly Sith she is. The fabric billows around her despite the lack of wind, moved by some invisible current of the Force that seems to follow her everywhere.

"Remember," she whispers, her voice carrying easily to me despite the ambient noise, "we're here to kill Morvis Dreeg. No one else matters, so it's no problem if they all die."

I nod, trying to keep my focus on the mission and not the potential upcoming blood bath. According to Nubs' intel, Dreeg is a mid-level criminal who specializes in slave trafficking.

"So his bounty," I say, clearing my throat as we pause behind a rusted-out hauler for cover, "it's for kidnapping people and enslaving them, right?"

Vae's laugh cuts through the industrial din, sharp and genuinely amused. "No, my sweet husband." I can practically hear her rolling her eyes beneath her hood. "He stole slaves from another slaver and killed him. The bounty is for property theft and murder."

"Property theft?" My stomach churns as the implications sink in. "So no matter what happens here, the slaves will stay slaves?"

"Precisely," she confirms, checking her datapad one more time before tucking it away beneath her robes.

"Shouldn't we, I don't know, free them?"

Vae laughs again, the sound gentler this time, almost fond, like I've told a particularly endearing joke. But when she turns to face me and sees my expression through my visor, her demeanor shifts.

"Oh," she says, genuine surprise in her voice. "You're serious?"

I nod, feeling suddenly foolish but unable to back down. "Yeah, I am."

"Love," she says, placing a hand on my armored shoulder, "I'm a Sith, and this is Hutt space. Slaves are legal here." Her voice drops lower, more intimate. "We might even need our own slaves in the future."

I sigh, my shoulders slumping beneath her touch. "Alright."

The disappointment must be evident in my voice because she gives my shoulder a squeeze before releasing it. "Focus on the bounty, Ty-Lar. Morvis Dreeg's pay out is mediocre at best, but he's the best we'll get for now."

I nod again, pushing down my moral objections. This is the reality of the life I'm living now. The sooner I accept it, the easier things will be.

"What's the plan?" I ask, refocusing on the mission.

Vae's lips curl into a smile beneath her hood. "Well, I'll simply tear the blast door down. That should trigger the alarms, creating the perfect amount chaos." Her eyes gleam with anticipation. "Then I'll start restraining targets with the Force while you shoot them. Clean, efficient."

My stomach drops. "So I'm going to have to kill... a lot of people?"

"Yes," she says matter-of-factly, like she's discussing dinner plans rather than mass murder. "But you'll be fine. You told me you killed before, remember?"

I swallow hard, my throat suddenly dry. "That was just once, Vae. Just Jo-bali. That was him or me."

She steps closer, her gloved hands cupping my helmet before lifting it just enough to expose my lips. Her mouth finds mine in a kiss that's both tender and possessive, her warmth a stark contrast to the cold metal and misery surrounding us.

"I'll be right here for you, okay, my little star?" she whispers against my lips, her voice uncharacteristically gentle. "You'll be killing a lot from now on. It's part of who we are."

I pull my helmet back down, trying to steady my breathing. "Shouldn't you just use your lightsaber? You'd be more effective than me fumbling with a blaster."

She shakes her head, adjusting my armor with small, precise movements. "I don't want to leave any evidence a Sith was here. We can't afford to be found yet."

I nod, understanding the strategy even as my conscience screams in protest. We're trying to build my reputation as a ruthless bounty hunter, not announce to the galaxy that a presumably dead Sith apprentice is still very much alive and partnered with me.

"Ready?" she asks, though it's not really a question.

My stomach twists into a knot. The weight of what we're about to do crashes down on me like a physical force. I've been trying to compartmentalize, to accept this new reality, but suddenly I can't ignore the moral implications anymore.

"Wait," I say, my voice cracking slightly. "Are we... are we going to kill the slaves too?"

Vae tilts her head, regarding me with those piercing red eyes. "Only the ones who see me," she answers matter-of-factly. "Can't leave witnesses of a Sith, remember?"

A cold wave of dread washes over me. These people are already victims, already suffering. And now we're going to execute them just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time?

"Just... give me a second," I manage, turning away from her.

I press my hand against my helmet, the cool metal doing nothing to soothe the turmoil inside me. My breathing comes faster, more ragged. I start tapping my knuckles against my helmet, a rhythmic sound that helps me focus.

"There is no escape," I whisper to myself, the words feeling like a mantra and a prison sentence simultaneously. "There is no escape."

My heart races faster. Panic rises in my chest, threatening to overwhelm me completely. Bile rises in my throat. The need to vomit is overwhelming.

I just barely stop myself. I need to get control of this. I close my eyes and start counting.

"One..." Inhale deeply.

"Two..." Hold it.

"Three..." Exhale slowly.

"Four..." Another deep breath.

"Five..." Release.

With each number, I feel myself detaching, compartmentalizing, building walls around my emotions. I'm not Tyler Walsh from Boston anymore. I'm not even Rax Orlen, reluctant bounty hunter. I'm just a body performing a function. Nothing more.

"Alright," I say finally, my voice hollow even to my own ears. "Let's do this."

Vae studies me for a moment, her expression unreadable beneath her hood. Then she nods, seemingly satisfied with whatever she sees.

"Stay close," she instructs, turning toward the compound.

We approach the front entrance, my hand unholstering my blaster with mechanical precision. Each step feels disconnected from my consciousness, like I'm watching myself from somewhere far away. The weight of the weapon in my palm isn't comfortable, but it is necessary.

Vae extends her hand toward the massive blast door, fingers splayed like she's reaching for something only she can see. The air around us vibrates with unseen energy. Then, with a gesture that seems almost casual, she rips the reinforced door clean off its frame.

The screech of tearing metal is immediately drowned out by blaring alarms. Red emergency lights bathe the entrance in a hellish glow as the security system wails its warning. The sensory assault hits me like a physical blow, and for a moment, I'm paralyzed.

But that's Tyler's problem. I'm just a vessel now, a tool for survival in this unforgiving galaxy.

"Move," Vae commands, and my body responds automatically.

We're barely inside when two guards come sprinting around the corner, weapons already drawn. Before they can fire, they're suddenly airborne, limbs flailing as they hang suspended several feet above the ground.

"Ty-Lar, now!" Vae calls, her voice steady despite the strain of holding both men immobile.

I raise my blaster, aiming at the first guard. My hand trembles slightly as I squeeze the trigger. The shot goes wide, scorching the wall behind him. I fire again at the second guard, but this shot misses too, sailing harmlessly into the ceiling.

Panic rises in my throat. I'm failing her. I'm failing myself.

"It's okay," Vae says, her voice surprisingly gentle amid the chaos. "Focus, husband. Take your time."

I draw a deep breath, forcing myself to slow down. The guards are still suspended, struggling uselessly against Vae's invisible grip. I raise my blaster again, steadying my arm with my free hand.

'Don't think. Just aim and shoot.'

I squeeze the trigger. This time, the bolt hits the first guard square in the chest. He jerks violently, then goes still. I shift my aim slightly and fire again. The second guard's body absorbs the blast, his struggle ending abruptly.

Vae releases her hold, and both bodies crumple to the floor with dull thuds. She turns to me, a smile spreading across her face as she lets her hood fall back slightly.

"Great job," she says, pride evident in her voice.

Something twists in my gut at the compliment.

"Thanks," I manage, my voice sounding distant even to my own ears.

*****

My lungs burn as I lean against the burnt wall, trying to catch my breath. The last thirty minutes blur together in my mind, a nightmarish slideshow of suspended bodies, blaster fire, and the dull thud of corpses hitting the floor. I've lost count of how many I've killed. Twenty? Maybe more?

The facility's emergency lights still flash, but the alarms stopped working after Vae crushed the control panel. Now there's just an eerie silence punctuated by our footsteps.

"You're doing beautifully," Vae whispers, her crimson fingers trailing along my arm. Despite the carnage surrounding us, she looks energized, almost glowing with satisfaction. "Just one more room."

I nod mechanically, my body moving on autopilot.

We approach the final door at the end of the corridor. According to the facility's layout, this should be Dreeg's private quarters. Vae extends her hand, and the heavy metal door crumples inward like it's made of paper.

Inside, cowering against the far wall, is our target. Morvis Dreeg isn't what I expected, a skinny human with thinning hair and panicked eyes. Beside him stands a woman, her swollen belly jutting forward beneath her simple dress. His wife, obviously pregnant. Her arms are wrapped protectively around him, her body positioned slightly in front as if she could somehow shield him from what's coming.

"Please," she begs as we enter, her voice cracking with desperation. "Please don't kill us."

The couple's desperate pleas hang in the air for only a moment before both of their bodies suddenly lift off the ground. Vae's outstretched hand holds them suspended, their limbs tightly struggling like marionettes with invisible strings.

"Don't shoot him in the face," Vae instructs calmly, as if giving directions to a restaurant. "We need his features intact for identification. The woman..." She shrugs, "I don't care where you shoot her."

I raise my blaster, trying to ignore how the man's legs kick feebly in the air. His wife's sobs echo through the room as she tries to reach for him, her fingers don't make it far before they're stopped, both of them powerless in Vae's grip.

The shot is easy, too easy. I pull the trigger, and Dreeg's body jerks violently before going limp, a smoking hole in his chest. Vae lets his corpse drop to the floor with a sickening thud.

The pregnant woman's wails grow louder, more hysterical as she remains suspended in the air.

I lower my blaster, my arm suddenly feeling like it weighs a thousand pounds.

"I... I can't do it," I say, the words thick in my throat.

Vae turns to me, her head tilted in genuine confusion. "Of course you can. You just pull the trigger, same as before."

I holster my weapon, shaking my head. "Vae, I can't kill a pregnant woman."

Her brow furrows, those scarlet features arranging themselves into an expression of puzzlement rather than anger. "Oh, because she's pregnant?" She says it like I've pointed out some trivial detail, like the color of the woman's hair.

The woman hangs there, tears streaming down her face, her eyes wide with desperate hope as she listens to us discuss her execution.

"Yeah," I insist, my voice growing stronger. "I can't do it."

Vae sighs, the sound somehow both exasperated and indulgent. "I can simply strangle the baby with the Force," she offers, as if proposing a helpful solution to a minor inconvenience. "That way, you'll only be responsible for the mother's death, not the child's."

My stomach lurches violently. The casual cruelty of her suggestion hits me like a physical blow. "What? No! That's even worse!"

The woman's sobbing grows more frantic, her hands clutching her belly tighter as she understands what Vae is suggesting.

"Vae, please," I beg, stepping closer to her. "Just let her go. She's not the target. She's not even on the bounty. There's no reason to kill her."

Vae's eyes narrow, the crimson irises shifting to that dangerous yellow-tinged red that always signals trouble. She steps closer to me, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper.

"She's seen my face, Ty-Lar. My uncovered face." Her words are calm but carry the weight of a death sentence. "No witnesses. Thats what I told you."

I glance back at the terrified woman still floating in the air. She's seen too much, seen what Vae really is.

"But she doesn't know who you are," I argue desperately. "She's just some random slave trader's wife on a backwater planet. Who's she going to tell?"

Vae's expression doesn't change. "The Sith Empire has eyes everywhere. One rumor of a red-skinned Sith working with a bounty hunter, and we're both dead." She steps closer, her voice softening. "I won't risk losing you. Not for her. Not for anyone."

The pregnant woman lets out a choked sob, and I feel something crack inside me. I've already killed so many today, their faces already blurring together in what will surely become recurring nightmares. But this, this is different.

"There has to be another way," I plead, my voice breaking.

The words have barely left my lips when Vae's expression hardens into something terrifying. Her face contorts with fury, the yellow in her eyes flaring like twin suns about to go supernova.

"Give me your blaster, Ty-Lar," she hisses, her hand extended toward me, palm up. Each word dripping with barely contained rage.

I instinctively step back, my hand moving protectively over my holstered weapon. My heart hammers against my ribs as I look into her blazing eyes, then at the terrified woman.

"Please don't kill a pregnant woman, Vae," I whisper, my voice breaking. "I can't live with that."

Vae's eyes bore into mine, fury battling with something kinder. For a terrifying moment, I think she'll kill the woman anyway, just to punish me for questioning her.

"Fine," she says finally, the word clipped and cold.

Relief crashes through me like a tidal wave. My knees nearly buckle with it. "Thank you," I whisper, the words inadequate for the gratitude flooding through me.

Vae lowers her hand, and the pregnant woman descends slowly to the floor. As her feet touch the ground, I expect her to collapse in relief, to cradle her belly and thank us for our mercy.

Instead, her face transforms. The terror vanishes, replaced by a hatred so pure it makes my blood run cold.

"You took EVERYTHING from me!" she screams, her voice raw with grief and rage.

Before I can react, she grabs the hem of her dress and yanks it upward, revealing her swollen belly, except it's not that at all. Strapped around her midsection is a cluster of thermal detonators, their activation lights already blinking red.

"VAE!" I scream, my body lunging toward my lover without conscious thought. I need to shield her, protect her, save her from the blast I know is coming.

But I'm too slow, too human.

Vae's hand flicks outward in a casual gesture that belies its devastating power. The woman flies backward as if struck by an invisible speeder, her body hurtling through the air toward the far wall. Simultaneously, Vae's other arm wraps around my waist, yanking me against her with such force that the air leaves my lungs in a whoosh.

She spins, putting her back toward the woman, and covers my body with hers. The movement happens so fast, I barely register it before the world explodes into light and sound.

The blast wave hits like a physical force, even with Vae shielding me. Heat washes over us, and debris rains down from the ceiling. My ears ring painfully as smoke fills the room, acrid and thick.

"VAE!" I scream again, pushing against her chest to see her face. "Are you okay? Are you hurt? VAE!"

Panic claws at my throat as I frantically check her for injuries, my hands moving over her body, searching for wounds, for blood, for any sign that she's been harmed because of my stubbornness, my weakness, my misplaced mercy.

But she stands there, unharmed, her robes not even scuffed. She looks down at me with a smile.

"I'm fine, Ty-Lar," she says, her voice steady. "I pushed her far enough away that the blast radius barely reached us."

My vision blurs as emotion crashes over me like a tidal wave. I throw my arms around Vae's waist, burying my face against her chest. The sob that escapes me is raw and uncontrolled.

"I'm so sorry," I choke out, clinging to her like she's the only solid thing in a universe spinning out of control. "You could have died because of me. Because I wouldn't... because I thought..."

My words dissolve into incoherent mumbling as I squeeze her tighter, my fingers digging into the fabric of her robes. I can feel her body stiffen with surprise at my sudden display of emotion.

After a moment of hesitation, her arms encircle me, one hand coming up to hold my head through my helmet.

"Shh," she whispers, her voice gentler than I've ever heard it. "I'm fine, my star. Nothing can hurt me. Just make sure you listen to me next time."

"Okay."