Oasis

[Milo Ren]

Milo sat down in his creaky chair, relieved to be out of the heat at last. It had been a long trek through the Dune Sea to get back home, but it didn’t matter anymore. He had done what he needed to do.

The former Ren has found solace back in the very last place he thought he’d come to: Tatooine. This giant sand dune of a planet housed so many terrible memories; it was hard for him to control his emotions. But it was here that the exiled Ren would find refuge from the First Order’s relentless trackers and assassins. But there was more than that. There was a conflict in Milo, a conflict that he had to heed. The darkness in him had caused others too much pain. His lover, Zesiro. His ward, Freya. Even himself. Milo’s body was just barely now recovering from the effects of dark side immersion. His skin’s pallor no longer resembled that of a ghost, and his grey hair had started to go back to its natural white sheen. Yellow eyes were replaced with green ones. While externally he appeared to be normal again, internally, the man was still struggling with the darkness within. The morning hadn’t helped much.

Milo had paid the Hutt who had enslaved him a visit. Plumes of black smoke where the worm’s castle once stood were visible from his hovel. It had been too easy, cutting down her guards with his violent red blade and choking the Hutt until she breathed no more, then setting the place ablaze. The exile thought it would bring him peace to know that she had been made to suffer as he had once. It didn’t.

“Father!”

Freya ran into the living room, wiping the sweat from her brow. Milo smiled slightly. She was no longer the child that he had taken from The Unknown Regions. She had grown to be a strong young woman, helping in the moisture farm that surrounded the hovel. More than that, she was Force-sensitive like her father, the famous Jedi Knight Cinnic. Milo had been hesitant to teach her the ways of the Force at first, but he had just started recently instructing her on simple techniques.

“What is it, Freya?”

“One of the moisture evaporators is broken.”

“Fix it, then. I taught you how.”

@Ra’a’mah

 

[Riamah]

Knowing Tatooine was well known for its slave markets and not approving of it, Ra would sometimes visit the place with the intention of freeing them. That was her purpose here. That was replaced quickly when a fire broke out nearby and the facility was evacuated. The slavers didn't want their precious goods damaged and the sale was cancelled.

Initially she didn't think too much on the cause, but then she felt him. A dark side user that had been here hell bent on revenge. She didn't know about the revenge, but the anger was clear to her through the Force. One didn't need to be empathic to pick up on it. If whoever it was felt for another Force user, she would come across as somebody that was a neutral apprentice in level and skill.

She was too far away to fully know what happened, but Ra had her theories and decided to follow her hunch. The feeling that a catalyst had just happened to him, she wondered if there was more to the situation. Instinct warned her to be cautious, but for once she choose to ignore it and started to follow him. Allowing her force presence to remain open with its façade, she didn't hide or obfuscate her physical form either.

Keeping far enough behind, she shouldn't be seen by him unless he was really looking. His presence in the Force was enough to draw her like a beacon did to a sailing ship. His path lead him to what appeared to be one of the many farms that dotted the landscape of the planet. The desert dwellers needed water and these farmers collected and hoarded it. What was such a strong Force user doing hiding out on a farm?

Her curiosity now really up, Ra finally reached what would be considered the start of his land.

[member="Milo Ren"]

 

[Milo Ren]

Freya rushed outside, hydrospanner in hand, to the broken moisture evaporator. She was struggling to remember what her adoptive father had taught her on how to fix these machines. Mechanics were never a strong point for her. Wiping the sweat from her smooth forehead, the 16-year old took off a panel and looked inside the evaporator. Freya was dressed in simple farmer clothing, a loose, white tunic and a pair of baggy pants stuffed into knee high work boots. Her black hair was down and to the back, and grey eyes studied the interior of the machine intently as she began to hesitantly work.

Milo took a long sip of water from his canteen and sighed in relief. The exile furthered studied his emotions internally. Why hadn't his act of revenge given him any satisfaction? His former captors were dead, currently smoldering in the ashes of the Hutt's once-great castle. Why didn't he feel better?

Revenge is not the Jedi way.

I am no Jedi.

No, but has to be a balance in the Force. To be completely devoted to the Dark Side is foolishness, and to be a servant of the Light is stupidity. What is in between?

The former Ren rested his head on his hands, mulling. If he had not been so distracted internally, he would have no doubt sensed the trespasser upon his land.

A chill ran down Freya's back. Putting the hydrospanner down, she looked about. Long ago, she would've brushed the feeling aside as a random jitter, but with Milo's teachings, she now knew better. Something was off.

Taking a look about her surroundings, Freya spotted a lone figure in the distance, too small to be distinguishable. Perhaps it was a lost traveler, seeking refuge. The Sand People didn't come to the farm anymore, not after what Milo did to the last raiding party. Who was it?

@Ra'a'mah

 

[Riamah]

The churning emotions of the man were unknown to the secret sith. As she walked ever closer to the actual farm, she saw a young girl run from the building to one of the harvesters on the property. The girl looked up and appeared to sense or maybe even see her, it wasn't like Ra was going out of her way to hide herself.

As she got ever closer, she knew the girl could also use the Force, but to a lesser extent than the man. Father and daughter perhaps? Her view of them had been at a distance so she had no real good guess of age.

Ra kept walking, keeping her Force signature to the low level. She wore something that didn't really fit well with the desert, but it did well in combat. The shirt fit her torso and showed off her figure, but the sleeves were loose enough to hide her short saber hilts. Her pants were tucked into her boots which went to just below her knees. On one hip there was a blaster and on her other, she openly wore a double lightsaber hilt. Walking with a confidence that belied her façade, it might be picked up that Ra was more than she appeared.

Her approach was not hostile though, but cautious certainly. What she sensed inside the house from the man was dark, but not quite fully chaotic. There was a small hope within her there would be no violence, but almost expected it would happen anyway.

[member="Milo Ren"]

 

[Milo Ren]

Freya continued to stare at the figure approaching the hovel. She was tempted to go out and see exactly who it was, but caution dictated otherwise. She instead ran into the hovel and called out,

"Father! Someone's on our land!"

Milo immediately stood up, his full attention on the girl.

"Just one? Armed?"

The teenager shrugged, shaking her head with nervousness.

"I couldn't tell. Too far away."

The exile reached out with the Force across his land. Sure enough, there was one person trespassing. Female Human, at least from what he could tell. What was intriguing was that the female had a small, yet distinctive Force signature. Strange. It wasn't a First Order team. They always traveled in numbers to overwhelm their opposition. It was intriguing enough to warrant the former Ren's attention.

"Stay here."

"I can help you."

"....very well. Circle around her. Make sure you aren't seen, as we practiced before."

Checking that his lightsaber was still concealed beneath his loose robes, Milo stepped outside into the scorching heat. Momentarily blinded by the two suns, he could then make out a figure, growing larger with each passing second. He began a brisk walk towards the woman.

As Milo got closer, details began to surface. The loose clothing. The red hair. The blaster and lightsaber. The fair face. Stopping far enough to be heard but not close enough for an easy strike, the man spoke out, his voice matching the howling gusts of dry desert air.

"This is private property. What do you want?"

@Ra'a'mah

 

[Riamah]

Ra continued her approach even after the girl ran inside. Out of the hut came the man and while the girl attempted to keep herself hidden, she didn't obscure her Force presence so Ra knew where she was as well. There was certainly potential there. A wave of memory filled her, a younger version of herself in this almost same situation. The people of her home were coming to kill her master, they accomplished their mission in the end and she had escaped.

That was the day she had learned she was sith and at the death of her master, he had granted her lord. Now that memory faded and she stepped closer to the farm. There was no intention to do harm though and she expressed none of this. Nor did she display she knew where the girl was moving.

The Force dark man with the fair hair stopped when she could hear him. Not wanting to set him off or give him cause to attack, Ra halted when he did. Her hands she held open at the sides of her legs to show she wasn't holding her weapons. That could change in the blink of an eye though.

"I'm going to be blunt and to the point. No reason to hide things behind words, I don't think. I thought I was drawn to Tatooine today for a reason and I was. You drew me here."

Even if what she said was true, it could still be implied she was more than she appeared. Not yet revealing her alignment, that would come eventually though.

[member="Milo Ren"]

 

[Milo Ren]

Milo stared down the woman before him, arms in a submissive pose. He didn’t sense any malicious intent from her, although it was difficult to tell exactly what her motivations were. For all he knew, she could be part of the First Order, or a bounty hunter looking to make her mark.

“Drawn here. I see.”

The exile cocked his head, trying to decide what to do.

“Who are you? Who do you work for? First Order? The Empire? Or are you a freelancer?”

Meanwhile, Freya slipped into the background of the churning sand dunes, poised stealthily about 50 meters away, a long knife in each hand, ready to pounce forward at a moments notice.

 

[Riamah]

His posture wasn't hostile to her intrusion and Ra stayed where she was. He asked who she was and who she worked for. The first part was answered easily, but not so much the second. She had no real loyalties to the Sith, wasn't part of the Empire or had much dealing with the First Order. However, she did have a major role within the Metal Lords. So as she considered what answer to provide, Ra gave him her name.

"I am Ra'a'mah Numare. Working for neither the Empire or First Order, that much I can guarantee. I'm not here hunting you, if that is what you're concerned about."

If he could tell if a person was lying or telling the truth through the Force, he would know what she said was true.

"If you want to get technical, I suppose you could say I work for the Metal Lords as the leader of their Merchant Fleet. However, it wasn't for them that I'm here. It was a calling through the Force, I think."

Not giving away she knew where the girl was, it would appear her full attention was on Milo in front of her.

[member="Milo Ren"]

 

[Milo Ren]

Milo sternly glared at the red-haired woman, now given a name. Ra'a'mah. The sand continued to gust around the two as they conversed, while Freya waited patiently for a signal, not knowing her position had been given away already.

"The Force. I see. What did the Force tell you to do, exactly, besides trespass my property?"

The exile made sure subconsciously that his lightsaber was positioned well enough to grab at a moment's notice. He was beginning to grow more and more cautious with this heavily-armed woman that appeared on his land. Freya was a tightly-coiled spring, ready to fling forward in a blur of steel.

"Why did the Force call you to me?"

@Ra'a'mah

 

[Riamah]

"Well, actually I was here to see about freeing some slaves, but then a large fire happened and the sale was called short."

Ra spoke slightly dismissively and shrugged her shoulders slightly. The statement was all true though, her original purpose had been that sale. It was once the fire was started that she even noticed him and then followed.
​
"I apologize for trespassing. However, after that fire started, I noticed you walking away. That is what prompted me to follow you."

If he thought she was heavily armed with only her saber and blaster showing, he had no idea about the other weapons she had hidden about her body. Along with the fact she still kept her Force alignment hidden, he really had no clue just what he could be facing. Even with the help of his companion, she felt confident enough that if the need arose she could handle herself in battle. However, the unconventional sith didn't actually want to fight.

[member="Milo Ren"]

 

[Milo Ren]

Milo shook his head and sighed. He was tired of being alert, of having to kill or be killed. His wary expression turned to one of fatigue, and he gestured to Ra'a'mah to follow him.

"Come. Freya, stand down."

The young woman sheathed her knives and walked past Ra, giving her a cold glance before speeding up to catch her adoptive father.

'If she kills me, so be it,' thought the former Ren.

@Ra'a'mah

 

[Riamah]

It took the man a few moments, but his guard was repalced by the visage of somebody that was just worn out. He called the person to come out of hiding and Ra relaxed herself. The girl moved from her hiding spot and fell into step with the man, but gave Ra a cold look in passing.

He motioned for Ra to follow him and once he started walking, she fell into following him. Glancing around, she could tell this place had been his home for a while. The wear and tear on the machinery indicated he may not have picked it up new. Not a bad thing in her eyes and kept people in business and she was a businesswoman. Business before sith unless that business was being sith.

There was still a point to maintaining the mask on her Force though. He may react in an odd way if that veil dropped suddenly with his back turned to her. Better to do it gradually and when the time was right.

"You never told me your name."

[member="Milo Ren"]

 

[Milo Ren]

"My name is Milo Zett."

He paused a second, looking behind him to gauge Ra's reaction to this. To those who paid attention to current events in the galaxy, the name would sound familiar. Milo Zett was the infamous son of a Republic senator who ran off to explore the galaxy and ended up in the service of the First Order. But that naïve young boy was no more. Now all that was left was a burnt out man who was content to live in relative solitude for the rest of his life.

"This is my daughter, Freya."

The young woman likewise glanced behind her, although with a less than pleasant expression on her face.

The three entered Milo's hovel, and the former Ren gestured towards the few furnishings and sparse amenities.

"Don't break anything. Freya, get back to work on the moisture vaporizer."

Freya looked to Milo with a slightly bewildered expression, as if she were questioning his statement.

"Go."

Casting one last look at Ra'a'mah, she grudgingly obeyed and went back outside. The former Ren took a seat next to a weathered table and gestured for Ra to take the opposite seat before sliding a canteen across the tabletop.

"Make yourself at home."

 

[Riamah]

The name meant nothing to Ra when he spoke it. Her time with Dominion intelligence had happened after his days of infamy. Now as a merchant, she had little need to look up the history of people. Even if she wanted to, she didn't have the option to do it right now.

Giving him a nod as he said his name and that of his daughter, she remained silent. He led them into the house and sent his daughter back outside to finish her work on the vaporator. The girl appeared to question his request, but ended up leaving anyway. Once Freya had gone, Milo took a seat and motioned for Ra to join him and make herself comfortable.

Taking the offered seat, Ra was silent for a moment before speaking.

"Why hide here?"

Very blunt, but she didn't feel like having a spar of words, wills or playing of games.

[member="Milo Ren"]

 

[Milo Ren]

Milo sighed deeply, running a hand through his long hair before answering.

"Believe me, it wasn't by choice. Tatooine is remote. The desert can kill a man in less than an hour. Even relentless forces are hesitant to send a man into the Dune Sea. It's the perfect hiding place."

There were other reasons, of course, personal reasons that the former Ren wasn't about to disclose. Those could wait. While he had invited this woman into his house, he wasn't completely comfortable with her yet.

"So the Force called you here. Interesting. Look, if you're trying to recruit me for something, it's not going to work. I'm done with the galaxy. I've done enough damage, seeded enough chaos, murdered enough innocents, and quite frankly, I'm tired."

His handsome face focused on Ra'a'mah, he asked,

"What do you want from me?"

 

[Riamah]

She listened and watched Milo closely. He came across to her like a tired and broken old man. His age though was close to hers and made Ra wonder just what had brought him to being like this. The words he spoke told her he had a past that might come back and haunt him. Another option was he was running from that past on his own. To escape something or somebody, maybe even more than one person. Not one to judge on without information, she didn't know and couldn't tell what had happened to him.

"Actually, the slave sale brought me here. I am going to assume it was your fire that ended that. Thus in that way, I followed the call to come and speak to you. No, I won't try to recruit you for anything."

Ra might be a sith, but she was business before anything else. He mentioned had caused enough chaos, murder and that he was tired of it. So he came here to escape. Giving him a nod in understanding, she thought about how to address that as well as what she might want from him.

"If you believe it, I've seen my share of chaos and destruction. However, instead of running and hiding from it, I changed my life. I didn't run or hide from what I did, simply turned my back on that old me. You ask what I want from you. I'm going to answer you honestly."

Shaking her head for a moment before continuing on.
​
"Nothing. However, I think I can offer you help. Not training or a calling, but maybe a purpose. Something to focus on. Instead of dwelling in the past, look to the future. For yourself and or your daughter if there is nothing else. She is the future of the galaxy, when we are gone, they are the ones that are going step up and lead. You might be tired, but she has her life. Do you want her to have a future of a farmer when she could be so much more?"

Honest and straight up. Her thoughts were spoken. If he read between the lines, Milo could pick up on the fact she offered both of them a future.

[member="Milo Ren"]

 

[Milo Ren]

Milo glowered slightly at the mention of Freya. The words Ra spoke were true. It was unfair to have her stuck with him in the middle of nowhere, with no future. He took a few seconds to ponder this before speaking in a slow and deliberate tone.

"The fire you mention. That was my doing, yes. I burned down the palace of my former master after...eliminating...the worm and her men. I've served all sorts of masters, from the First Order, to the Knights of Ren, to the code of the Sith. But never myself. Never. And now, with Freya...she doesn't deserve to pay for the penance of my sins. I've done enough to her already."

The former Ren looked back up at Ra, but with a more determined expression.

"We'll join you."

@Ra'a'mah