Love and Vengeance by BynWho

Chapter 11 – I Am Vengeance

Last month. Energy Conversion Lab Ruins. Eadu.

Abby and Poe had been sent on an assignment to the old energy conversion laboratory, on the planet Eadu. General Organa believed that a man called Zephan, who held information on the whereabouts of a lost First Order battalion, was hiding in the ruins of the lab. They searched the hanger bay and a couple of the labs. There wasn't any evidence of anyone living at the station, much less being there. The labs were unstable, with chunks of the ceiling and wall scattered on the creaky floor. As they walked through the labs, the floorboards bounced. It felt as if the room would give way at any moment.

Abby and Poe left the labs and went up to the control room to see if any of the station's computers remained intact. Perhaps their contact would be in a more stable area of the building. Unfortunately, they never did find Zephan. Instead they ran into a First Order officer, who was as surprised by their presence as they were of his. Abby recognized the officer and promptly knocked him to the floor.

The man's ginger hair was long and unkempt, his uniform untidy. He had several days' worth of stubble on his face. She knelt over the uniformed man, a First Order General, her knees holding his hands to the ground, her hands around his throat squeezing. A look of confusion passed over his pale face. Who was this woman?

"Abby, stop," Poe spoke softly. "Let him go."

Realization dawned on the General, "You're Tabitha Nemec, Organa's pet assassin. Ironic, isn't it? That a woman who champions peace and light can create a monster like you," he sneered.

"Don't you dare credit General Organa with the monster I've become. That's all on you, Hux. You murdered my family when you destroyed my planet," her voice rising with every syllable, "YOU KILLED MY DAUGHTER!"

Abby squeezed Hux's throat harder, his face turning a dark shade of red, veins popping up on his forehead. His body seized as his legs flailed wildly behind her. He was too frail to fight back. Hux was enraged that he could do nothing to prevent his own death. That he, Armitage Hux, General of the First Order, would die at the hands of a rebellious sewage rat. Abby looked into his eyes as they began to bulge slightly. She thought she could see the light in them begin to dim. She felt a gentle touch on her arm and looked over to see Poe's hand on her, coaxing her to let go. "Abs, this isn't what Sage would want."

At his words, she looked up and saw her daughter's ghostly image haunting her. She heard Sage's sweet voice in her mind.

Mommy, why are you hurting that man?

Abby let go of Hux's throat as if it had burned her hands and fell backwards. She stared at the General's unconscious body with wide eyes. "Is he-? Did I-?" she whispered.

"No, he's alive. But barely. His people will be here soon enough. We need to leave." Poe stood and held his hand out to Abby to help her up. Once they were eye to eye, he could see the anguish and unshed tears. Part of him wanted to hold her and tell her everything would be okay. However, a bigger part of him was fearful for her. She was continuing down a dark path that he wouldn't follow. He kept her hand in his and tried to pull her along to the hanger bay.

"We can't just leave him! He has to pay for what he's done!" She pulled her hand away and started toward Hux. Poe grabbed her arm and pulled her to him.

"Let go, Abby. It won't bring her back. If you do this, then you're no better than him."

"NO!" she sobbed and tried to pull her blaster. Poe wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled as hard as he could. Abby was flailing wildly as he dragged her to the Endeavor. He could hear voices and footsteps behind them.

"They found us! It's too late, Abby! You're... getting... on this... SHIP!" Grunting with each word, he made it up the ramp with her and into the ship. Abby pushed herself away from him as he hit the button to close the exit ramp. She crumpled to the floor in tears as he went by her toward the cockpit. She'd had the chance to kill Hux, to right the wrong, and she couldn't do it. Poe wouldn't let her do it.

The ship took off from the hanger and they made their way out of the atmosphere. BB-8, having heard the commotion, had already input the coordinates for hyperspace as Poe and Abby boarded. Poe flicked a few switches and the ship left the system. He could hear Abby's sobs coming from the passageway and sighed in defeat. BB-8 rolled to the door to look for her, but he didn't have to look far, she was only a few feet away. He turned back to Poe and asked if she was okay.

"I don't know, Buddy. I sure hope so," he ran a hand through his hair in exasperation.

Neither spoke the rest of the trip home.