Private The Prequel

[Akari Yui]

Akari had been told she'd arrived like the others. Too young. A haunted look in their eyes. Hungry. Dirt streaked.

With a scrappy edge.

There had been rumors and whispers of darker things that had awaited others. The ones that weren't lucky like them. Off to other sith worlds or sith space. Placed as servants, or worse, to certain sith warlords. The Zambrano name whispered among the kids like a nightmare.

Akari didn't remember anything before. She just remembered arriving with others on Stwejon. What would become her new home.

Years later...

It was Akari's birthday eve. Tomorrow she'd be 16. Old enough to start the trials of the Dreadborne. And tomorrow happened to be the opening day of the trials. She remembered being younger and watching the older kids. She and the others dreamed of joining their ranks. To serve someone like Gerwald Lechner himself. The one who'd saved them in the first place. There was no higher honor. And of course there was competition. Her own class was full of eager recruits. And Akari had made a few enemies. There were two boys in particular who'd alway seen Akari as less-than. They'd grown-up on Stewjon their entire lives. They'd always called the other orphans outsiders. The strays. The ashwalkers. The starfalls.

It only infuriated them more that Akari was actually good. Skilled. Rank the top of their class. She could fight. She had remarkably fast reflexes. And she had a brain.

She just hadn't seen coming what their jealousy would make them do. Perhaps lulled into a false sense of security for too long. She should've let that side of her brain stay more active. That side that told her to always be on guard. The side that made her into a survivor so long ago.

Akari had no warning as grubby hands grabbed her. Something dark went over her head. She thrashed and bucked, trying to shake off sleep. That earned her a few punches. With the wind knocked out of her lungs, she felt herself being tied and dragged. Then hauled out of her window and into the woods outside. Breath came in pitched gasps as she tried to throw her weight. Drag her feet.

Anything.

"SHUT UP!" A harsh whisper in her ear. Hot breath down the back of her neck. She knew it was Xander.

"Let's take her to the lake." That was Mecha. He was just as cruel.

"Drown her?" That was Locke.

She threw an elbow. "FECK." A quick grin beneath the hood before she got another punch to her ribs. Pain flared up her side. "Oof."

"HOLD. Her," Xander swore.

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

WEARING: This
WEAPONS: Ferrum Solus | Blodmåne | Strømafbryder
SHIP: Vigfjall
TAG: Akari Yui

The forests of Stewjon were familiar to Gerwald in ways few could understand. He knew their paths, the movements of the creatures that inhabited them, and the subtle differences between the sounds of the wilderness and those made by someone attempting to conceal their presence. Tonight, something had disturbed the natural order of things. The Dread Wolf stopped, his golden eyes turning toward the trees as he listened to the unmistakable sounds of a struggle.

The Dreadborne trials were set to begin in the morning. It was an important occasion for those who had spent years preparing to earn their place among the warriors of Stewjon. Gerwald had returned to oversee the opening ceremonies and observe the candidates for himself. The trials had become something of a tradition, one he took considerable pride in. Their purpose was to produce warriors capable of carrying the legacy of his people into a galaxy that had long underestimated them.

A sharp voice carried through the trees, followed by the sound of someone struggling against restraint. Gerwald changed course, moving quietly through the undergrowth until the voices became clearer. There were several of them, young by the sound, and one seemed considerably less willing to be there than the others. His expression darkened as he approached, the Force already stirring around him in response to his growing displeasure.

He emerged from the trees to find three boys surrounding a fourth figure. A girl, judging by her size and movements, had been bound with something covering her head. The boys were occupied with keeping her under control, though Gerwald could see she was making their task difficult. He recognized the three as local youths, all nearing the age when they would be eligible for the Dreadborne trials. Whatever had brought them into the forest at this hour, the circumstances hardly suggested an innocent excursion.

"Enough."

The single word carried the unmistakable authority of someone accustomed to being obeyed. Gerwald stepped into the moonlight, his imposing figure framed by the trees behind him. His gold eyes moved across the gathering before settling upon the boy holding the girl. He waited, allowing them an opportunity to recognize him and reconsider whatever they had intended.

"Let her go."

Gerwald folded his arms across his chest as he regarded the three boys. He had no intention of offering them an explanation for his presence, nor was he inclined to entertain excuses before the girl had been released. The situation was already troubling enough without making assumptions about their intentions. He could see the restraints, and he had heard enough of the struggle to know she had not come willingly.

His attention shifted briefly toward the girl before returning to the boys. The Dread Wolf's expression remained impassive, though there was little warmth in his golden gaze.

"Now. Which of you wants to explain this?"

 

[Akari Yui]

Gerwald Lechner

Xander froze as Gerwarld's voice reached them. Then his daunting presence lit by the moonlight high above. Akari felt a sharp, shove to her back. She stumbled forward, barefoot catching on a root and she went down on the ground, hard. Someone behind her had the audacity to chuckle. Her head tilted, still blinded by the sack.

Wrists tied behind her back.

She made the tactical decision to stay down. That voice weaving enough authority behind it for her to guess who it might be. But she wasn't sure.

"Um," Xander spoke first.

"It's just a game." Locke cut in. Akari could hear the fear in his voice.

"Just having a bit of fun, sir," Mecha said. "Right Akari?"

Akari shifted on the ground. A wince drawing through her body, knowing she had some bruising going on around her ribs. "They were going to drown me," she spat blood from her mouth. Voice muffled behind the sack. She'd thought about remaining quiet. That thought hadn't lasted long.