Leia was working on the Resistance's next move. With most of the Republic gone, the Resistance was going to struggle, with or without the First Order lurking about. Many of her friends told her to get some rest and that she was working too much, but she disagreed. She didn't want to go home just so she could be reminded of how empty it was. Her husband killed by her self-exiled son. How much worse could it be? Work was the only thing keeping her going, that and the hope that Rey would bring Luke back. Chewbacca came back after dropping Rey off, but even he started working endlessly on the Falcon until Rey or Luke would call him.

"General," a soft voice called out, pulling Leia from her day dream. She turned and smiled.

"What is it?"

"There's a freighter wanting to land. They say they're carrying something important on board that can only be discussed in person," the lady informed as Leia gave her a curious look.

"Give them permission to land as long as there are no red flags about the freighter. I'll go out and meet them," Leia informed as the woman nodded and left to relay the message. Leia called Chewbacca over to follow her as she stepped outside. The Wookie roared, but obeyed with weapon in hand. The freighter came into view, looking rather ordinary and almost antique. Leia kept an open mind about it and allowed the ship to land.

"General!" Poe exclaimed, running up to Leia. He had seen the unfamiliar ship and wasn't sure what to think of it. Leia nodded as he joined her side.

"They're carrying something important, they say," Leia informed as Poe squinted at the ship.

"That thing looks like it hasn't flown in ages," he mentioned as she sighed.

"It must be pretty important if they flew it all the way here," Leia whispered as the young woman came up behind.

"There are no criminal records tagged to the ship or original crew," she informed before Leia nodded and dismissed her. Poe touched the blaster on his belt, ready to fire at whoever decided to disembark. Leia stared at the ship as others began to take aim, worried for their general. As it landed, Chewbacca walked up to it ready to fire.

"Stand down, Chewy!" Leia informed, getting familiar vibes from the ship. Something told her that she would regret it if the Wookie fired even a single shot. Chewbacca protested, but backed up. The ramp lowered to reveal two figures, wrapped in old clothing, but only one held a blaster. The other seemed to be bound at the wrists. They wore cloth around their faces with goggles, giving a hint to a desert background.

"I have something for you, Princess," one of the figures shouted as Leia lifted her chin, not used to being recognized by another title.

"And what is that?" Leia yelled back as Poe took out his blaster. He had a bad feeling about who the second figure was.

"My prisoner. I feel it would be better if we took this somewhere private. It seems a bit hostile here," the first figure negotiated as Leia shrugged.

"It seems perfectly fine to me," the General informed as the first figure sighed, but nodded. The figure took off the desert mask to reveal a blonde woman. "You may walk off your ship, if you wish."

"Thank you," the woman whispered, doing as she was told, pushing the second figure.

"Who is that?" Leia asked as the duo came closer before stopping a few yards from the General. The woman pulled the cloth and goggles off the prisoner, revealing a hauntingly familiar face. Within a second, everyone had their weapon drawn, pointing at the prisoner. "Stand down!"

"General! That is the man that killed Han Solo," Poe hissed as Chewbacca roared, ready to shoot if Kylo moved even an inch. Leia silenced Poe with a stern look and shouted again to Chewy to stand down.

"That man is my son. Do not shoot!" Leia informed before leading the woman and the captive inside to their interrogation rooms. Poe kept up with the General as Chewbacca and a few others tailed behind. Kylo said nothing, watching everyone's move.

"We cannot keep him here," Poe insisted as Leia looked up at him.

"We need to know what he knows," she muttered.

"I don't see a plausible way we can do that. I've seen what he can do. He is not going to cave easily. This is a huge risk," Poe replied.

"That is my son," Leia repeated, turning toward the pilot. "We need to know what happened since Starkiller and see if we can take down the First Order. He has that information. This is the best shot we have, and I am not going to squander it because of plausibility."

"But General-"

"Mr. Dameron, please continue training the new recruits in case we find another week spot in the First Order Defense. And see if Finn is fit enough to walk, and possibly train. He could at least attend a few classes," Leia commanded before Poe reluctantly obeyed, leaving the parade immediately. Leia continued down the hallway to a door that led to the level below.

~~C~~

Poe ran out of the command building and into the hospital, thinking that the General was making a huge mistake and that she was showing too much compassion in front of the enemy. She could be exploited for it, and he hated that. He ran into Finn's room, startling his friend.

"Poe? What's wrong?" Finn asked, concerned for him.

"Kylo was just delivered to the General," Poe explained with an angry smile as he sat down next to the hospital bed. Finn narrowed his eyes.

"Delivered? What do you mean?"

"I mean that he was bound and delivered to the General. There was a woman with him, keeping him prisoner. I don't know why she had him in custody, and no one seems to want to ask. The General blindly accepted the gift and led them downstairs," Poe hissed, running a hand through his hair. Finn shook his head.

"Do you think the General is thinking straight? I mean he killed Han Solo!"

"That's what I said! But she seems to think that everything will be alright because she's the General and that is her son," Poe grumbled, setting his helmet on the floor. "She is making a huge mistake."

"Massive. At least she's got that Wookie," Finn whispered, rubbing his eye in exasperation. Poe nodded, giving a little chuckle. "Do you think Rey will come back after this?"

"Do you think she'll find out? She's systems away," Poe reminded as Finn nodded.

"Right," he whispered before Poe put his arm on Finn's shoulder.

"She'll be back one day, and we'll have a huge celebration. How about that?" Poe smiled, lifting his friend's spirits. Finn grinned and nodded back. "Let's just hope that the maniac doesn't destroy the place."

"Agreed," Finn sighed and shook his head. "I wanna know how he was captured, though. He isn't someone that would be taken off guard or couldn't hold his own."

"It looked like he was on a desert planet. Maybe he fled or something after Starkiller. Rey said that she beat him ragged, so maybe he left in embarrassment," Poe laughed as Finn smiled.

"Well, the General better tell us or I'm going to ask him myself," Finn shook his head.

"Speaking of which, are you able to walk yet?"

"Not quite. I can move my legs, though. That's an improvement," Finn replied as Poe laughed and patted his arm.

"That is indeed an improvement!" Poe agreed and shook his head. "The General just wanted you to start training as soon as you were feeling better."

"Sounds good to me," Finn agreed as Poe patted his shoulder and stood up.

"Let me know if you need anything."

"I will. Just keep me updated on that situation," Finn answered before Poe smiled, promising, and left with his helmet.

~~C~~

Kylo sat in an empty room, tied to a chair. His mother and Phasma had left to discuss compensation or whatever. He examined the room and found it much older than he would have thought. Maybe fifty years old. Maybe seventy. Either way, this bunker could hardly stand the force of the First Order. His mother seemed weaker than he had initially anticipated, both in person and institution. He would have thought she could do better than this. Of course, she fell in love with Solo, who flew around in a vintage Millennium Falcon, which was older than Vader himself!

After a few minutes, Leia, Phasma, and Chewbacca entered the room. Kylo stared at the Wookie, remembering the torso wound the creature had given him. Leia brought in a chair and sat next to him and stared. Just stared, as the Wookie stood guard and Phasma counted the money, pretending to be interested in it. Kylo returned his gaze on his mother, remembering to look apologetic and regretful. He wanted to play on his mother's emotions and weaknesses toward him, in hopes of getting what he wanted. It wasn't a new tactic, as he used it on her when he was younger, but this time it had to be more convincing. More realistic. He had to believe in what he was doing.

"Welcome home," Leia whispered with a smile. Kylo could feel tears gather, but he could not determine if they were out of anger or relief or sadness. However, he let them flow, knowing that it would help his cause. He bit his lip for effect, trying to control his emotions a bit better. "How did you end up here? How did you end up with this scar?"

"The girl gave me the scar. We were battling in the forest," Kylo muttered, thinking he sounded like a child, laying blame on another person. He blamed himself for the scar, for being reckless. Thinking that Rey couldn't possibly touch him. "After the base was destroyed, I ran. I got a ship and started to come here."

"You flew a ship?" Leia asked, her belief in the story slipping. Kylo was notorious for his disastrous flying skill. He couldn't even fly a speeder on a calm day across flat land. Kylo gave a fake laugh, irritated by her tone of voice.

"I tried. I crashed into a nearby desert planet. The craft was destroyed. I wandered for about a day before the bounty hunter discovered me in an abandoned village. I was dehydrated and delusional. She promised me transportation," Kylo falsified, looking down at his lap, pretending to be defeated and discouraged. Leia sighed, regaining her faith in the story.

"To where?"

"At that point I didn't care. I wanted to get as far away from the First Order that I could. I thought about coming here, but I knew you would never forgive me. I never told the hunter where I wanted to go. I just knew it would off the planet. When I got on the ship, I was drugged and tied up all the way here," Kylo explained as his mother brought a hand to his face. Something told her that he could be lying, but she didn't care. Her son was back in her vision, appearing to favor the light instead of the dark.

"I'm just happy you're home," Leia whispered as she started to cry and hug her son. Kylo dug his face into her shoulder in an effort to blend in, trying not to cry too little or too much. He just wondered why he was able to cry at all.