"Ben!" she shouted, running towards the tent. "Ben!" she called again as she burst through the entrance, crashing into him.
"What's wrong?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her.
"Snoke knows where we are," she replied breathlessly.
"How?" he asked in surprise.
"I fell outside the barrier," she replied. "I heard him in my head."
"Then we don't have a lot of time," he said moving to the tent opening and looking outside, scanning the sky, then turning back to her.
"It was only a second," she replied apologetically. "I… I don't know if he knows you're here."
"He's smart enough that he's going to assume so," Kylo replied softly. "How else would I have been able to disappear so effectively?"
"We have some time," she muttered. "They can't get into the wards."
"Yes, but once they're here we can't get out, either," he replied. "We could last, what, a few weeks on the food we have here? He's patient. He'll wait. And he'll park a Destroyer above the planet to kill anyone who tries to come help."
"Then what do we do?" she asked.
"Will you leaving break the wards?"
"No. They're designed to keep people out, including by magic. That won't end with me leaving, unless I do so by death. But even the strongest wards will fail against enough power. I don't know how powerful Snoke is, but if he is powerful enough and relentless enough he could probably get through."
"Then you run," he said softly, running a thumb over her cheek. "Leave me in here and go."
"What about you?"
"If he wants me he'll have to come down and get me. That'll give you enough time to get somewhere safe and hide again."
"And if he doesn't come down? Or if he can't break the wards? Do you just die in here?"
"It's a risk," he murmured, but doubt crossed his mind.
"What if we both run? I'll have to take down the wards to get you out, but…"
"If you take down the wards the rebels will make you for a traitor and they'll kill you if you ever return to them," he said firmly.
"Then we run away!" she snapped. "We run, find somewhere else, and hide together. You don't need to go back to Snoke."
"So we can go through this again and again, moving every time we run low on food or supplies? Constantly trying to stay one step ahead of Snoke and the rebels when they find out you've run off with me? I will not live that life, Hermione."
She bit her lip. "I am not going to just give you back to Snoke," she said determinedly. "There has to be another way."
"Another way?" he scoffed, moving back to the flap of the tent, looking out, then up. "Come here, Hermione," he ordered.
Cautiously she walked forward, sticking her head out of the tent.
"Look up," he demanded.
She did so, and her stomach dropped as she saw a ship sitting high above them.
"We're going to be surrounded in a matter of minutes," he muttered. "They may not be able to get in, but they'll have us effectively trapped. We can survive some time, I'll give you that, but how long do you think before we run out of supplies? You can stay, you're committing a very slow form of suicide. If you run now, while he is still far away and still dealing with the fallout from Starkiller, you can get away. Make it so they know I'm still here and he'll focus on trying to get me, and that'll give you time to escape."
"That seems insane," she replied softly, pulling them back inside the tent and crossing her arms while staying close to him. "It would be just as easy for me to hide both of us."
"But if he gets me I can convince him that you're not worth looking for. You can go back to the rebels, they could use someone of your talents right now."
"But if you die he'll hunt me down and kill me for the effort."
"Then break the wards once you're free of them," he replied. "I'll go back and convince him you're not as big a threat as you appeared, and he'll leave you alone."
"I doubt that," she replied. "And as soon as I make trouble for the First Order he'll know you were lying, and I can't imagine that ending well for you."
"You don't need to worry about me," he shook his head.
"I'm going to," she said softly. "Because I still believe that you could change the tide of this war."
"Neither one of us will if we're both dead," he pointed out.
She bit her lip as she remembered something, and reluctantly she pulled his lightsaber out of her bag. His eyes went wide as she did, and he looked from the weapon to her face.
"We could fight," she said softly. "Between my magic and your abilities I'm sure we could take down whoever comes down here to get us."
He didn't say anything, but slowly he held his hand out, palm open and up. For a long moment she studied his face, locked eyes with him, looked for any sign that she was about to make a monumental mistake, but hesitantly she lifted the lightsaber and placed it into his hand. For a moment he just looked at it, then his fingers closed tightly around it, he lowered it to his side.
"To what end?" he asked softly. "Say we do fight and take down the first wave that comes down, then what do you want to do? That's a declaration, that both of us are willing to fight the First Order, and I can promise that we would not be able to fight the next wave he sends at us after that. He won't even bother sending soldiers, he'll send something like a Dreadnought to completely scorch the face of this planet until everything on it is dead. I can stop some fire, but nothing of that magnitude, and I'm assuming you have a similar limitation."
"The resistance…" she started.
"Will never trust me," he interrupted.
"I'll reason with them."
"They barely trust you, and if you show up with me in tow claiming I've seen the light and I'm fighting for them now I'm sure they would trust you even less, or they'll consider you an easily deceived fool." He closed his eyes, pulling her to him so he could press his forehead to hers, and she closed her eyes as well and placed a hand on his chest. "I admire your spirit, Hermione. You have fought to your end before, and I don't doubt you would do it again, but I am not worth your death. I will not pick an option that has a high probability that you will die."
"Then what should we do?" she asked in exasperation.
"You run," he ordered. "Break the barriers when you do."
"No!" she nearly shouted, pushing back from him so she could look him in the eye. "You want me to just let you go back to the First Order?"
"Do you trust that I have a plan?" he asked.
"No!" she shook her head.
He chuckled in spite of himself. "I have an idea, but I need to know you're safe. If I'm distracted worrying about you Snoke will know it and I'll never stand a chance."
Her mind raced, mostly thoughts of how she shouldn't trust him at all. Anyone with eyes could see this as merely a ploy to get back to the First Order and back to his former station. But part of her felt a strong desire to trust him. She had given him his weapon back. He could have tried to fight her. She had told him that her death would break the wards. He must not have been lying when he said he wanted her alive. A sound outside drew her attention, and cautiously she walked out of the tent flap. The wards extended far enough into the woods that she didn't see anything immediately, but a moment later three ships passed slowly overhead, landing not too far from the spot where she had fallen through the wards. Glancing back at Kylo she saw his jaw set as he watched the craft. Slowly and silently she crept forward towards the edge of the wards, and stopped when she saw the three craft come into view. Just on the other side, where the planet was still alive and beautiful, dozens of the white armor clad troopers were exiting the craft and starting to move through the forest. She watched as one walked directly towards them, running into the barrier and falling back. Another quickly came forward, reaching out until it's hand was stopped by the wards. It moved its hand back and forth, running along the barrier as if it were a physical wall, and it started walking towards her right, hand pressed against the barrier. Mechanical chatter sounded around them, letting Hermione know the Troopers had figured out how they were hiding, and within seconds one shot their blaster at the invisible barrier, the blast causing a wave effect upon impact with the barrier.
"You're going to have to make it look like there was a fight," Kylo said softly.
"Why?" she asked.
"If you just left and dropped the wards and I am standing here alone with my weapon it's going to be suspicious. As you said we have enough food to last for a while. Those wards should hold against their firepower. You have time to get a signal out to the rebels if you want, they'll be expecting it and listening for it. But if there was a fight, if I managed to overpower you and you fled to save your life, it would be realistic that you didn't send up a call for fear of getting someone killed or of drawing them to you. But no one will believe that unless it looks as though there was a struggle. There's no way you could have contained me even this long without being very powerful, and there's no way you would flee before fighting."
"Right," she sighed, turning and heading back towards the tent. She waved her wand as she approached, ripping a large hole in the side and causing the whole thing to lean precariously before she entered.
"What after?" she asked as she pocketed the communicator Poe had given her before upending a chair and smashing the table.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"This plan you supposedly have? What happens after you go back to Snoke?" she said, swiping her wand and destroying the kitchen, sending smoldering food packets scattering across the floor. "Use that, by the way," she added, nodding towards his weapon. "Not much, enough to make it obvious that you getting that back is what caused me to run."
"I'm not sure," he admitted. "There's a very good chance it won't work, and I'll wind up dead."
She turned and looked at him, but he wasn't looking at her. Instead he activated his lightsaber and swung it into the wall, leaving a long, burned gash, before he used it to slice a chair in two.
"So you're going to go die?" she asked.
His hand holding the saber lowered. It scorched the floor, but he didn't seem to notice. "Don't concern yourself with my death, Hermione."
"I obviously have already," she shot back.
"If I promise I'll try not to die?"
"I won't believe you, but I don't have much of a choice here. I've already destroyed much of our remaining food," she replied sadly.
He watched her for a long moment, then stepped forward, pressing his fingers to her temple. She felt him pull at her thoughts, looking for something, but not trying to force it to the forefront. She relaxed her mind, let him look, and when she closed her eyes she could see the two of them standing in a dark stone room that looked oddly familiar though she could not place the vague shapes around them.
"You still believe I'm worth saving," he muttered matter-of-factly.
"There are very few people I ever would think are beyond saving," she replied. "But, yes, I do think you still have a chance. I still feel the light inside you."
He ran his thumb over her cheek. "I shall do my best by you," he promised.
She sighed and swallowed hard, wanting desperately to believe his words. She felt his lips ghost hers one more time before the sounds of several blasters rang out and she could feel their impact shake the air inside the wards.
"Go," he ordered.
She looked into his eyes and nodded one more time. She tapped the top of her head to cast a disillusionment charm, and felt it trickle over her. Then she pictured a small copse of trees she had seen as she had been setting up the outside wards, turned on the spot, and appeared in the midst of them. The 'pop' of her Apparation drew the attention of a couple Troopers nearby, who scanned the area before moving on. She took a few deep breaths, then with a slashing motion she shattered the wards. Visible cracks appeared, through which the brown, lifeless forest could be seen, and as they widened eventually the tent became visible through the trees. The Troopers called out for each other as they moved into the suddenly-accessible area, and a moment later Kylo, who had mussed up his hair and clothes a little, came storming from inside the tent, lightsaber still active by his side.
"The girl is gone!" he announced harshly, and at the anger in his words the Troopers wisely slowed and kept a wide berth.
"Shall we go look for her?" one asked, hesitation evident even though the mechanical filter in his helmet.
"No, that rebel scum has ways of getting away, and she'll have fled as far as possible already," he nearly growled, and she wondered if she was imagining the strain in his voice as he tried to make it convincing. He turned back to the tent and brought the saber down in a violent arc, cutting the support and canvas near the front in two. A couple more swings and the tent was reduced to debris in the middle of a dead field, and she realized he was destroying evidence. If those Troopers had entered the tent they would know that there was much more to her than just someone who was strong with the Force.
"Take me to Snoke!" he commanded sharply, and the Troopers made way as he stormed through their midst towards their transport ship. Hermione remained perfectly still as she watched the other Troopers hasten to comply, climbing aboard after him and lifting up into the sky. She sat, back against a tree, and watched the transport climb ever higher until it was out of her sight. A few minutes later the giant ship turned, moved slowly forward for a moment, then disappeared into a streak of light. She waited a few minutes, making sure no other ships would suddenly appear in the sky. She wondered if the rebels had any way of intercepting First Order communications, if they knew she had failed and that Kylo Ren had returned, but no ships appeared in the sky to come looking for her, so she assumed that if they did know they were disappointed enough to not want to come to her rescue.
Tentatively she got out the communicator and pressed a button on it. "Poe?" she asked, surprised how scratchy her voice sounded and realizing how tight her throat and chest had been since she heard Snoke's voice again.
For a long moment nothing happened, and she was becoming more and more convinced that the rebels knew and wanted nothing to do with her, before finally there was a burst of static followed by Poe's voice, "Hermione?"
"Yes, it's me," she replied.
"Are you alright?" he asked, concern evident in his voice.
"Not really," she confessed. "Kylo Ren is… he overpowered me," she said, stomach dropping at the lie. "He got away and got back to the First Order. I had to flee."
"Are you hurt?" he asked.
"No. But the tent and supplies have been destroyed."
"Damn. Well, I'm going to need you to hold tight for a little bit, we're having a bit of an issue up here."
"What's going on?" she asked.
"The First Order is right on our heels," he said bitterly. "They managed to find a way to track us even during light speed. There's not much left of us right now, and we're running low on fuel."
"Oh, my God," she whispered.
"Don't worry 'bout me, Granger," she could practically see his lopsided smile. "I'm going to try to contact a friend to come pick you up. Is it safe to go back to where your tent was?"
"Yes, they're gone."
"Alright. I'll do my best. Stay hidden until then, and I'll send word for you once we're out of this mess, alright?"
"Be careful, Poe," she replied nervously.
"Don't worry about me," he repeated firmly. "I've gotten out of worse messes than this."
"I'm still going to worry. That's the kind of person I am."
"I know. I'll see you soon, Hermione."
"See you soon, Poe," she muttered before stashing the communicator back in her pocket. She went back to the tent and started shifting things around with her foot, seeing what survived the fake fight. She managed to scavenge a tin of biscuits and a couple of fantasy books Bill had left inside, but most of what she could find was damaged. The tent hadn't been designed to have a weapon like a lightsaber run through it from the outside. She took the largest bit of canvas she could find and pulled it back into the living part of the forest, fastening it to a couple trees for a makeshift shelter as she sat to wait for Poe's friend.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Snoke watched as Kylo stormed from the room. His view inside his apprentice's mind had been enlightening, but also very concerning. He was highly disappointed in Kylo, first getting defeated by a girl with no fighting experience on Starkiller, then having another girl take him prisoner and hold him so effectively. Had that girl, Hermione he discovered her name to be, not made the mistake of leaving the protection of her hiding spot there was a good chance he might never have found Kylo, though at the moment he wasn't sure that getting his apprentice back was a good thing. He had lost part of Kylo to Hermione, he knew that within moments of being connected to him once again, but it was only when Kylo returned to his throne room that he realized the depth of the young man's connection to her. Snoke had drawn young Ben Solo away from his parents and uncle by offering understanding and a place to explore and gain his power. Just a little taste of that had hooked Ben, but he still fought for some time until, much to Snoke's pleasure, Luke Skywalker had made his epic mistake. From that moment on Ben became Kylo, and he clung to Snoke's teachings, desperate for any kind of connection with someone who would be willing to nurture his connections to the Dark Side. And, until the events on Starkiller, that connection had been enough. But this girl, this powerful outlier who seemingly appeared out of thin air, was now threatening Kylo's ties to Snoke, because she offered something Snoke never could: compassion, and a physical connection. There was no way Kylo could hide his physical desires for the girl, though he tried to present them in such a way that made it appear that he merely wanted her for the power she could bring to their side. No, there was a tie there, much deeper, something he could not sever on his own except in one way.
The girl had to die.
He was sure Kylo expected this from him, and would keep her away until he thought it safe. It would take a long time to convince his apprentice that he meant no harm to the girl, and the longer he took the stronger the bond between Kylo and Hermione would grow. No, he would have to find a way to get to the girl and kill her soon, while their bond was still young, tentative, and weak. He would ask General Hux to send out his best men looking for the girl, to find her and dispose of her as quickly as possible, though he knew that the girl's power was strong enough it would take a large group to take her down. His only other hope for her quick death was that she cared enough for the rebels they were currently after that she would come to assist them, and die with them. It was frustrating to him that he wasn't entirely sure what she thought because she was so skilled at blocking him from her mind, another reason she needed to be quickly eliminated. He could not have such a wild card running around on the loose to attack without warning. Still, he had to make a backup plan lest Kylo become unpredictable with the thought of her getting killed.
So he quickly settled on connecting his apprentice's mind with that of the other young girl, the one who couldn't keep Snoke from her mind. Kylo's weakness was a need for a connection, and perhaps this other girl would provide it, or at least enough of it to deter his mind from his thoughts of Hermione. If there was another viable option for him to form a bond he would unconsciously hold tight, and when he did Snoke could manipulate the two of them together.
And so he set forth on his plan, reaching out to the young girl's mind and carefully tying it to Kylo's, giving just enough of a connection that something may build but neither would suspect. Once he had done that he reached out, looking for Hermione's mind, and was frustrated when he could not find her. She was dangerous, and she needed to be taken care of, though he supposed it wouldn't hurt to wait until he had finished off the rebels they were pursuing. They were so close…
