Poe put the data card into the viewer, then turned to Lieutenant Connix and Captain D'Acy. "I didn't learn as much as I should have from General Organa and Admiral Holdo, but I thought it would be best for us to control the flow of information a little better than my first impulse. I was going to go over this with everyone. Then I thought, no, we have a few days here. Let's look at this ourselves. I trust Rey and Finn and those other guys a little bit, but, uh, they're kind of volatile and that's coming from me."
"I've heard," Lt Connix said. "I've also heard … that the First Order would have never simply let Kylo Ren and the knights leave if they had turned against the Order. Just like they set out bounties on Finn … Kylo would be a traitor if he was to leave the Order and the Order knew he was coming directly to us."
Poe looked at her, his expression unchanging.
She went on. "Are they … still … working for the First Order?"
Poe rubbed his thumb along his forehead. "This is a humanitarian mission. To First Order worlds. Hux is in charge of the Order now and obviously he knows exactly where Kylo Ren is. He told me once Kylo is no friend of the Resistance. But," Poe paused for a moment, "I want to make peace out of this. Hard as it is to believe, that's what the First Order wants, too. Even if he's an agent of them, we're working towards the same thing."
He could tell from the way she looked at him that she had misgivings. Poe didn't know what to do about that. Kaydel Ko Connix had sided with him during the disastrous mutiny that had led to the deaths of more than three-quarters of the surviving Resistance. It had shaken their faith in him and even Leia's deathbed promotion of him, or him getting them off Naboo safely with a First Order armada overhead, hadn't restored it.
Sometimes he wondered if the lukewarm reception the Resistance had these days was due to his presence as the leader. It seemed more likely it was a reflection of the continuing uncertainty after the First Order victory and possible new government. He reminded himself that even Leia's personal code hadn't brought many around on and after Crait. But it still felt like it was him.
"I appreciate your concerns," he said, thinking about how Holdo's treatment of him had set him off on the wrong path. "That's why we're meeting now. Just us. I trust you guys more than them. You're proven yourselves more often than anyone should have to. Let's see what Hux thought was important enough to send an update."
Poe activated the data card. Much of the information that scrolled up were things they'd already seen, but it was summarized a bit better than before:
The remnants of the Empire came to the district of space called the Unknown Regions in force about thirty years ago. It was mostly uninhabited by sentient beings at that point, or at least the 20-30 particular planets the Imperial remnants claimed were. A dozen of them were rich enough in resources to eventually become 'core' worlds, more developed, settled, and industrialized than the rest. Seven core worlds are in insurrection. Five are in at state of orderly peace under the High Command.
"Where did they get all the equipment and the people? Captain D'Acy asked. "Mining, extraction, droids? It had to come from somewhere."
Lt. Connix answered, "General Leia formed the Resistance because she'd discovered the activity – such large-scale purchases of material weren't … unnoticed. The Senate refused to act on it. Some, obviously imperial or First Order sympathizers, claimed they were legitimate purchases that the New Republic Senate had no right to interfere in. The records Leia found showed it had been going on for decades. At least the thirty years this data card indicates. Maybe longer, all the way back to Emperor Palpatine."
Cpt. D'Acy frowned. "I don't understand how this could have happened."
"The Senate was on Hosnian Prime," Connix said. "Most of the records are gone. But the people they were buying from are right here in the New Republic. They were being paid and at least at that point, the First Order wasn't hurting them. I'm sure the ones who are left feel differently now, but it's too late."
Poe nodded. "That's where the slaves are coming from, too – our planets, the New Republic worlds. Even the stormtroopers. All of them. Elements of the New Republic bought and paid for the First Order. The First Order is us, in a way."
The First Order has two planets in their core worlds set up for raising acquired children to a useful age. These are Lanson Down and Epel Down, also called the Downs, a downworld, or a downplanet. They are a binary planetary system in orbit around a single star. Children get primary education up to twelve years of age, at which point they're given proficiency tests. Children are sorted into three groups based on test scores: highest scores are trooper cadets, middle scores are workers, lowest scores are slaves.
Trooper cadets go into military training. They get rotated through ships and different planets, as well as further operations, simulations, and classes in military academies on the Downs. When they graduate after four to six years, they are full stormtroopers (or other categories) and go on to their active military assignment. The best of them might eventually be promoted out of troop and into the officer cadre.
Workers get two years of training at a technical school before they attempt to qualify for the job they want. Then they're shipped off to the job site, which is one of the factory-type First Order core worlds. There, they work for a living for the rest of their lives, drawing a small wage they can use for various amenities or privileges. They have medical care, limited rights, some legal protection, and can be promoted into technicians and supervisory positions.
Slaves score the lowest or have received so many demerits for poor behavior that no high score will save them from slavery. Their status is typically life-long. They are employed in any job that needs brute labor and has close supervision. Slaves are never used in a military capacity or in serve in any way on military ships. First Order petty criminals are usually sentenced to slavery of varying terms. Slaves often have dangerous jobs, poor or no health care, and no access to a justice system. They make up less than ten percent of the graduates. They don't train slaves beyond primary education, so they are sent to work at age twelve.
Some two-thirds of the population of the Downs is under age twelve. Another ten percent is made up of troop cadets as they rotate through military academy and training assignments, a matching ten percent is workers age twelve to fourteen in technical school, and the last fifteen percent are adults, usually workers (teachers, cooks, doctors, counselors, support staff, administration, etc.)
The Downs population is five to seven million with more on Epel than Lanson. Ninety-five percent are human. The remaining five percent are near-human.
There was one planetary governor who covered both planets, Governor Cridan. He accepted the legitimacy of Supreme Leader Kylo Ren. Four hours after he made public declaration of this, he was assassinated by members of his cabinet who reportedly confronted him and demanded he recant and switch his allegiance to the High Command. He refused and was either executed for treason or assassinated by insurgents, depending on one's point of view.
A group of trooper cadets believed to have been personally loyal to Cridan stormed the governor's estate and reportedly killed all complicit members of the cabinet. They did not follow this purge with any pledge of loyalty to one or the other faction. Instead, they announced the cabinet had been executed for committing high treason and that any who did not respect the rule of law would see a similar fate. Then they left the governor's estate and dispersed. Their identities remain unknown.
The next echelon down in the chain of command are thirty deans of military academies for troopers, thirty deans of advanced trade schools for workers, and forty deans of the primary schools (schools for children under age twelve). Initially, some were neutral. Some declared their loyalty to the High Command. Some declared for the Supreme Leader and/or General/Grand Marshal Hux as an individual. But within days, open warfare broke out, mainly between the military academies, as attempts were made to kill all traitors and force unity at the end of a blaster.
The current situation is that some eighty percent of the population have declared their loyalty to Traitor Finn.
"Wait, what?" Poe looked around the table to make sure he'd just read that right. "Finn?" D'Acy and Connix gave him the same bemused expression. He went back to reading.
Stormtrooper FN-2187 ('Finn') was an undetected Force user noticed by Luke Skywalker's apprentice, Rey, while on a mission on Jakku. He rescued the future leader of the Resistance, Poe Dameron, and defected from his unit to leave Jakku in Rey's company. He fought off First Order soldiers on Takodana using his lightsaber and prevented Kylo Ren from acquiring the map to Luke Skywalker. He later rescued Rey from Kylo Ren on Starkiller Base and was instrumental in damaging it. When he completed his Jedi training under Luke Skywalker, Rey fell in love with him. In the Battle of Crait, he infiltrated the Supremacy and disabled it. This allowed Luke Skywalker's other apprentice, Rey, to assassinate Snoke and for the Resistance to assault the fleet to devastating effect. He then fought the First Order to a draw on Crait, earning the personal respect of Supreme Leader Kylo Ren.
He is part of the Resistance leadership and represented them in negotiations on Naboo. He has declared it his personal mission to see that all stormtroopers are free to pursue a better life in the First Order. He will be returning soon accompanied by the supreme leader to unite all factions and restore order.
"What?" Poe said again. "Do they believe this? I can't tell if they believe this or not."
D'Acy said, "What happened between the deans being neutral and mixed and suddenly eighty percent are united behind … Finn?"
Poe scrolled back up. "I don't know. There's nothing there. Just one paragraph to the next."
Traitors have compiled a list of ten demands they have communicated to the High Command:
Elimination of Command Loyalists (a) and Sith Supremacists (b)
Personal names
Disclosure of all available information relating to trooper origin
Replace reprogramming with career counseling or the right to discharge
Reproductive rights, family rights
Access to recourses against abuse that are normally restricted to officers
Higher value to trooper life
End to slave harvesting
Free and accurate press
Membership in the Republic
a) Command Loyalists are those deans and individuals who remain firm in their loyalty to the High Command as the legitimate authority of the First Order. A dozen schools adhere to this. Those loyal to Hux were originally allied with those loyal to Kylo Ren, but current information puts them as Command Loyalists.
b) Sith Supremacists are those who believe the Sith (as represented by Kylo Ren or another) are the legitimate authority of the First Order. Less than ten schools hold this belief.
As of the date of this report, the Traitors have not yet elected or otherwise agreed upon leadership or authorized representatives to discuss their demands.
"Free and accurate press," Connix pointed out. "Maybe they know this is a lie."
Poe tilted his head. "Some of it is kind of true. I mean, they're actually surprisingly accurate on where he was and what he was doing. What I can't figure out is how they know any of that stuff. How good is the First Order communication system? Wouldn't they be jamming these guys?"
Connix shook her head. "They have planetary communications setups. The First Order couldn't jam us once we were on Crait. They wouldn't be able to do it to these people, either. They can probably talk to … just about anyone they want."
Poe scrolled down, but it just went to the next section about Jendry Farmworld, the agricultural planet mostly operated by droids and a mix of workers and slaves. The slaves had revolted, killed many of the higher ranked workers, and fled into the fields and hinterlands. The bases were largely deserted, a ghost town for the most part now, with equipment sabotaged and crops that would soon be rotting in the fields. They were food supplies that other worlds, like the kids on the Downs, were going to need. The First Order had other agricultural planets, but not so many that they could afford to lose one without everyone having to tighten their belts.
The section after that covered the various 'Works' planets, the factory worlds. There were five of them – Kanstonl, Debshell, Ristor, and Krevens. Krevens Harborworks was mostly orbital platforms rather than planetary bases. The rest were dome factories on planets ravaged by mining and resource stripping, leaving hostile environments. It meant the slave population, concentrated in the modular bases, were able to go rogue and refuse cooperation or compliance, pending satisfaction of their own list of demands. These generally boiled down to:
Freedom (manumission)
Wages
Protection from First Order exploitation and abuse
Family/reproductive rights
Affordable access to travel off-world
Like the Downs, different dome factories were loyal to different factions. There was no mention at all here of 'Finn'. Instead, there were projections of food and supplies, along with estimated dates for starvation or other environmental factors that would force surrender.
"Okay, that's it then," Poe said. "Looks like all this other information is stuff we already had – base layouts, numbers, projections. It's the Finn stuff that's new. We'll go over that with the others."