"We do," she agreed, starting to walk back towards the command center. On foot the journey would take several minutes that we did not have.
"I do not understand your insistence. I simply propose to accomplish what must be done to protect the innocent."
"Your only goal is to protect yourself," Rey countered.
"Motivations are irrelevant," I replied tersely. "We are defined by our actions and judged by our results."
"Leia's orders were clear. We locate them, and report back to her."
My eyebrows raised slightly. "I received no such instructions." I turned away from her. "Even if I had, I am under no obligation to follow them."
"She trusted you enough to let me to help you," Rey answered.
I looked back at her. "No… you trusted her," I said smoothly. "You believed she would watch out for you." I tilted my head to the right. "Yet where is she?"
A flash of confusion went through Rey's mind, echoed by her facial expression. Her focus on our search had closed off her senses beyond that specific task; the girl had not even noticed her protector's departure. "I'm sure she had something important to do," Rey argued.
"She always did," I said, decades of antipathy leaching into my voice.
Rey frowned. "General Organa dedicated her life to bettering the Galaxy. That might be difficult for a child to grasp, but how can you still not understand?"
"Is that what you see?" I asked, stepping closer to her. She tried to move backwards, but found that the Force had bound her feet in place. "A petulant child that holds a grudge against parents that were never there?" I stopped only centimeters from her, lowering my head to meet her eyes. "The absence was almost inconsequential," I whispered slowly. "It was their deceit. It was their fear."
I broke away, walking several paces. "You are wrong," I continued. "She never trusted me when I considered myself her son. She certainly does not trust me now."
"If that were true, you would be in a cell."
"She allows her emotions to cloud her judgement. That is not the same as trust."
"We must inform Leia," Rey replied firmly.
"Your instructions are to report the location of our targets, something we do not yet have. We will ascertain the precise location of the First Order troops, at which point you may contact Leia and advise her to send a team." I left it unsaid that I had no intention of waiting for such a team to arrive before taking action. Rey most likely understood this as well, but recognized her refusal of my terms would lead me to proceed without her.
"Very well," she responded sourly.
"There is a speeder half a kilometer south of here," I informed her. It was a useful bit of information I had acquired from one of the minds I had investigated. "We should be able to find our target easily."
"Who's is it?" she asked as she fell into step behind me.
"I do not know," I said, suppressing my frustration. "I doubt the owner would take issue with its use in the fight against the First Order."
"No, I suppose not," Rey said. "It would not be the first time I commandeered a vessel for that reason."
"The Millennium Falcon," I said quietly, the cadence of my step breaking almost imperceptibly as the unpleasant memories flooded my mind. "I intend to see to its destruction."
"Surely a Master of the Dark Side would not hold a vendetta against a ship," Rey said, almost teasingly.
I ignored her comment. The Falcon had been the pride and joy of Han Solo: that alone was sufficient reason to see it turned to ash.
The old Ulax 62 we came upon appeared to be abandoned. The layer of dirt and grime on it was disturbing, as was the apparent growth of some kind red fungus inside the port air intake. A vessel in such condition should be subjected to an intensive inspection prior to use, but there was no time.
"Can you bypass the security locks?" I asked.
Silently Rey opened a panel just below the canopy, quickly disconnecting and reconnecting half a dozen wires. The entry motor strained for a moment—its seals had not been opened in so long they resisted the motor's effort. Finally the one-piece clear canopy broke free and I reluctantly allowed Rey to take the pilot's seat.
Strapping in beside her, I carefully watched as she brought the speeder's systems online. Despite the thin layer of dust covering every interior surface, all indications suggested the aging ship was operating properly. Thirty seconds later the vessel was ready for flight and Rey carefully eased it into a hover. The drive motor protested with a hideous screech, but with no indication of imminent failure we set off in the direction of my prey.
Vague sensations amalgamated into concrete images as we got closer. Their hiding location was soon revealed to be a complex of low-income housing, several parallel rows of three story wooden buildings. The size of the facility suggested housing for six or seven hundred individuals, but I sensed only fifty or so.
As we descended it became apparent more than half the buildings were unoccupied and in various states of disrepair. One appeared to have caught fire and never been repaired while others had simply given in to the ravages of the elements. It was a perfect place to hole up: enough activity and people that a few new additions would not arouse suspicion and large enough to provide multiple hiding spots.
Several old speeders were parked in a row south of one of the better preserved buildings, and Rey carefully maneuvered the Ulax 62 into position next to them. Our ageing ride fit in well with the collection of dirty, obsolete vehicles in the parking area and our landing attracted very little attention.
As Rey shut down the engines I exited the cockpit and let my mind flow towards the village. The mind I had touched before was closer now, fatigued and nervous but steadfast and determined. I could also sense his companion. They were close now, and I was tempted to simply end their existence. A hint of a smile formed on my lips as I thought about it: the men would suddenly find their windpipes collapsing, or their skulls cracking, or their spines-
"I'll contact Leia," Rey said, interrupting my thoughts. I wondered if she had seen them.
"Very well," I said quietly, setting off towards the building.
"Where are you going?" she demanded. As if she did not know.
I stopped and turned back to her. "First Order operatives are perceptive. It is only a matter of time before they notice our presence."
"Considering you're the most conspicuously dressed person on the planet," Rey replied tersely as I resumed walking towards the building. She quickly relayed the coordinates we were at to the Resistance base before sprinting to catch up with me.
There were a few people outside, and Rey was correct: My attire lacked subtlety that would have been desirable for such an operation. But it was not a problem. These wretched souls had far more important concerns than the strangers passing through, what little interest they had in us was easily pushed aside with the simplest of mental manipulation.
As I observed their misery I felt a strange sensation, an inexplicable desire to help them. It took a moment for me to realize that thoughts were not my own, but Rey's powerful compassion radiating like a solar wind.
I stopped and looked at her. "You sympathize with these people," I observed.
"How can you not?" she asked.
"This is freedom," I said, ignoring her question. "This poverty and destitution is the result of choices made by free men and aliens who have no regard for these lives."
"Are you suggesting a galactic dictatorship would be better for these people?" Rey asked incredulously. "The First Order has no humanity. Snoke has no desire to help anyone."
"But whoever wields ultimate power can determine how to use it," I said. Before she responded, I pointed at an entryway thirty meters ahead. "They are in there."
"General Organa's reinforcements won't be here for at least ten minutes."
My lips curled into a smug smirk. "That gives us sufficient time to introduce ourselves."'
A/N: Another fairly short chapter. But the next one is shaping up to be longer, and as you can imagine a visit from an angry Kylo Ren is not going to be fun for anyone… except maybe Kylo.
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