After they landed their ship directly under the outer hull of the Nihilus, with the help of this small flying mammal, while Ben couldn't get over it as he was still mumbling insults at that bird, they slowly started to gain balance on their feet again and readied themselves to board the First Order ship.
They left their own ship together and climbed around on the metallic surface of the Dreadnought, carefully to not fall down as they were several thousand feet up in the sky. Rey was in the front, guiding the others as she knew from years of scavenging the old empire ships where they could enter without anybody noticing them.
The group reached a ventilation shaft with huge fans inside, which were rotating at high speed to provide the ship with fresh air from the outside.
Rey stopped the fan blades with the force and everybody climbed through fast until she let them go and they started rotating again,
blowing a strong gust of wind into their backs the whole time.
Luckily the ventilation shaft was big enough for everyone to stand upright, even Ben, and they went through it, while Poe ordered BB-8 to open up a small hologram blueprint of the ship's schematics. The group stopped for a moment as they observed the schematic to find out where to go next as this ship was huge and it wasn't exactly easy to find a place where they could appear without being noticed.
Poe pointed at a certain part of the hologram and suggested:
"Take a look, guys! The closest armoury is right there. We can't make it completely through these vents as they don't reach the mentioned room,
there is one corridor between it we've got to pass where we might have our first enemy contact. Everything has to happen fast and we definitely can't let them ring an alarm or we are fucked."
Everybody understood and nodded as they kept on walking. Again they stood in front of huge rotating fan blades and everybody pressed their bodies flat against the wall,
so they couldn't be seen from the corridors. Ben moved forward and reached his hand out, while he closed his eyes to use the force and sense for lifeforms outside,
then turned around and announced:
"There are four Stormtroopers patrolling the corridor into the direction of the armoury. The armoury itself is empty. Rey and I will force pull them to us, you shoot them and we'll hide the bodies here, then proceed to move."
Everybody nodded in affirmation, as Rey reached out her hand, stopped the fan blades and whispered:
"Go!"
They jumped out and the four troopers instantly turned around and reached for their weapons, as one of them yelled in disbelief:
"Kylo Ren?!" And then: "Open fire!"
Rey and Ben ignited their lightsabers and parried the blaster shots, while simultaneously reaching out with their other hand to pull the troopers to them,
as the others shot them in a quick process. They levitated their bodies behind the fan blades as Rey let them rotate again, so they'd be hidden and without uttering a word everybody proceeded swiftly to the armoury, where Ben directly went to the control pad of the door and typed in a sequence of numbers, until the door opened,
to which he let out a surprised gasp:
"Pff. These Nerfherders of the First Order didn't even change the sequences..."
The door opened and everybody slipped inside as Ben closed the door and locked it from the inside.
Everybody exhaled in relief as this was their second step of the mission and so far everything went according to plan.
"Didn't think everything would just run so smoothly..."
One rebel uttered with a huff while everybody started to search for fitting pieces of Stormtrooper armour and got dressed.
Poe pulled on the white leg protectors, while he sat on a bench and snorted out:
"Oh, believe me, something will happen. I never went on a mission where everything went as planned. I'll bet my arse on it!"
Rey too was getting dressed and pulled out her hair buns, so they wouldn't press against the helmet, while she saw Finn and Ben going over to a rack of armour which looked a little different from the others while they were discussing something. She watched the two men open up a locker and then grinned a bit as she saw that both pulled out armour of high ranked Stormtroopers. Ben, of course, took the black uniform of a Deathtrooper while Finn got the uniform as a Squad leader with an orange pauldron and she saw him getting pretty excited by wearing it as he never wore a high ranked uniform before.
When both men were completely dressed except for the helmets, which they clasped beside their bodies, they went back to the others, as everybody else too was ready.
They stood next to each other, as Finn explained with a grin to the group:
"Luckily we found these high ranked uniforms, which will help us get around more easily as at least none of the other troopers will try to give us commands because we are the ones who command this squad. Above us are just the Generals, who could command us now. You have to act as if you obey everything we say, salute us and always answer with 'Yes sir' so it is believable."
"Yes, sir!"
Poe saluted him and clicked his armoured legs together, while he bowed down slightly until Finn snapped at him:
"Don't do that leg thing and don't bow Poe, that's ridiculous! Hold your blaster in front of your body like this and put it to your side when you salute us.
All of you show me a proper salute and upright posture right now!"
Everyone stood straight and saluted Finn several times as a 'Yes sir!' echoed through the armoury until he was satisfied with their performance.
He nodded and corrected some of the rebels as how to hold their weapons as well as he changed small parts of their uniform which they wore wrong.
Rey didn't like to do anything about it at all, but they had to act like real stormtroopers to not attract attention, so this small training made perfect sense.
"The women of our squad have to go on the left side, while the men have to be on the right side. Normally female cadets are not allowed to walk along male troops as it's forbidden to mix them up. If anybody asks, we are escorting you back to the training rooms. We are the ones who will answer any questions in case somebody talks to us, everyone else has to remain quiet as you are just low ranked troopers."
Nobody liked to agree to that, but everybody had to as this was how the First Order's command hierarchy worked so they just nodded in affirmation to Finn's words.
Ben listened closely to everything and seemed content as Finn obviously exactly knew how to disguise them as troopers, as he was the only one who obviously was one before. Eventually, everyone put on their helmets and suddenly they were a squad of faceless troopers.
Rey tried to remember who everybody was by their body height as they seriously all looked like the same now, except for Ben and Finn who looked differently because of their high ranks and Ben just being huge.
Rose put a black laundry basket the wrong way round on BB-8 to hide him, while Ben just huffed out and asked if she was serious, to which she replied that it worked perfectly fine the last time. Eventually, Poe's voice came a little distorted through the helmet:
"Okay everybody's ready? Finn and Ben, you know the way. The walk will take about 10 minutes until we reach an elevator, which we need to take all the way to the upper level. Rose, Finn and BB-8 will get out some levels before. Then we'll proceed to the command bridge, pirate this ship and bring it down. Then everything goes boom and we'll have our drinks."
Everybody except for Ben cheered and then took their position as Finn had ordered them before. They both walked in front of the others and Rey just now realized she had never seen Ben holding a blaster which seemed somehow really unfitting for him, but he looked like he knew how to hold it and also looked absolutely menacing in this black uniform, being the biggest one of the group, looming over all the others. Again this whole look reminded her of him before when he still wore his mask and a slight shudder went through her body, thinking back to this time.
They left the armoury together and instantly passed the first stormtroopers on their way who saluted Ben and Finn every time, even higher ranked ones.
Everything seemed to go as they planned it until they met a general going their way who looked at them with a raised eyebrow, as he stopped right before the group and ordered them to stop as he looked at Ben and asked suspiciously:
"Stop right there! DT-L3487 why are there female cadets with you?"
"General Virmiss, they've been taken to a medical examination and we are leading them back to the training room.
Direct orders from General Fribar at 8:21 standard time as there were not enough female commanders on this part of the ship to escort them."
"Ah, yes, yes. Most of them are on the Stormspike right now. Would you escort them to the hangar, so they'll also be brought over to the Stormspike?
The training rooms are empty right now, so it doesn't really make sense to bring them there. I'll contact General Fribar about it right now."
The general answered and pulled out his commlink and everybody of the group got a little nervous as whoever General Fribar was, he or she obviously didn't know about their mission and they would be busted if the General in front of them contacts the other one.
Suddenly Ben interrupted the General before he turned on his communication device and said in a monotone voice:
"Affirmative. General Fribar is currently in a meeting, I'll inform her later about your order."
"Well. Perfect, then I don't have to do it. Keep on then DT-L3487."
Ben saluted the general and stomped forward in self-confident steps into another corridor which wasn't the one they planned to go before,
but instead obviously was the one which would bring them to the hangar as he ordered the others so the General heard them:
"Follow me."
Rey got nervous suddenly as this wasn't planned and they were walking in the wrong direction while she looked left and right to the others to see what they were doing.
Everybody silently followed Finn and Ben and she saw Rose looking at her too as she shrugged her shoulders a bit, obviously also at a loss what to do.
After some time they heard Finn's voice a little muffled as he tried to talk quietly, so nobody heard them.
"Ok, we are going the wrong way right now, but we had to or we would have been busted. Any idea where we can turn around?"
"No. I am thinking of a solution right now."
Ben plainly answered in a hushed voice while walking straight forward leading the group through the corridors with the black walls and white lights.
Rey groaned inwardly as they somehow were trapped right now because they had to go someplace else and didn't have the possibility to walk back at the moment.
Suddenly Ben walked a little slower, then pulled his hand up to gesture everybody to stop in their tracks.
"Ok. Got something. We'll walk straight through the cantina, there is another elevator next to it, we could take.
There will be lots of troopers and generals, but I'll cloak our presence for the time we walk through it.
They'll see us, it will be extremely suspicious, but they'll forget about us in a matter of seconds. If somebody talks to you, ignore them and keep on walking.
We have to be fast and stay together closely as it takes a lot of concentration for me to cloak all of us."
"Are you sure? That sounds insane! There will be like thousands of troopers!"
Finn pressed out in disbelief pulled up his palms as he glared at Ben while everybody looked around nervously to see if anybody else was coming.
"Yes, I am. Stay close, everybody shut up and follow me. Look straight forward. This is our only chance or else we have to go to the hangar."
"Phew...Ok if you say so. Let's do it then."
Finn exhaled nervously and slowly started walking forwards again, motioning the others to follow. They did and walked to more black walled corridors until they reached a huge metallic door, which opened automatically as soon as they approached it. When it opened Rey could see a huge hall with several thousand Stormtroopers, as well as Generals, sitting, standing and walking around and it was just overwhelming. Do they seriously plan to walk through all of them right now?
It was one thing to walk through the people on Chandrila as Ben cloaked just the presence of her and him - two people.
But cloaking the presence of the whole group as they were already highly suspicious walking with male and female cadets around the ship was another thing altogether and she gulped down in fear of being exposed right now between a huge bunch of their enemies.
Suddenly she heard Ben's voice in her mind, as he said reassuringly:
"Don't worry, we'll get through this."
She looked at his back and carefully brushed his mind too, as she answered in his head:
"Good. I trust you. Please stay concentrated."
"I will."
Ben answered in her mind and gestured the others to follow him now, which they silently did. The moment the group entered the hall, several heads turned around to them and gasps were to be heard as they stared at the obviously much smaller, female troopers. Rey's heart was already beating so much against her chest it started to hurt but suddenly she saw the heads which looked at them before in shock turn around again and continue their chattering and eating as if nothing strange was going on at all.
While they walked forwards exactly the same behaviour happened several times until one General suddenly stepped right in front of Ben, nearly touching his chest by standing so close and growled with underlying anger in his voice:
"What do you all think you are doing? Female cadets are to be brought to the Stormspike, not walk around the cantina. You are disobeying orders!"
Suddenly Finn took a step forward and just like that shoved the General aside as he commanded:
"Move along."
Ben and Finn then continued walking as the group followed them, while the General looked at them perplexed, opened his mouth to say something, but then suddenly turned around and got a plate full of food as if he had completely forgotten that he saw them.
They reached the end of the cantina, another automatic door opened and they all slipped through just to find themselves in an empty corridor, while the door closed behind them. Suddenly Ben groaned and bent over a bit as he steadied himself against a wall, muttering out a 'fuck'.
Obviously, the whole situation was extremely straining for him right now and he had to catch his breath for a second.
Rey asked in a worried voice, while she took a step forward and placed a hand on his arm:
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah...I nearly lost my concentration because of that one guy. Thanks for intervening, Finn."
Ben answered and straightened himself again as he let go off the wall and brushed alongside Rey's hand to motion her that everything is alright,
while Finn just nodded at his acknowledgement.
Rey was relieved they did it through the cantina without further complications, while she also felt overwhelmed at Finn and Ben working together like that since they put on the Stormtrooper uniforms. But then again, they were the only ones who knew the First Order in such a detail from the inside that they'd also be the only ones who'd know how to react to everything which is going on here right now.
"Keep walking."
Finn ordered as two Stormtroopers rounded the corner on the end of the corridor and everybody moved out again, following him and Ben.
Finally, they reached the mentioned elevator and Rey let out a small huff in relief as she heard several other rebels doing the same.
After Finn pressed the button to call the elevator, they waited for several incredibly long moments until she could finally see it approaching while she stepped from one leg to the other by nervousness.
Eventually, the door opened and inside stood two talking Generals, one of them laughed until both turned their heads to the group while they entered the elevator.
Just fucking great, even more Generals and they will be pretty much caged with them through the whole elevator ride right now.
The moment they stepped in, the two Generals eyed them suspiciously until one commented:
"DT-L3487 Female cadets? Explain!"
"Order from General Fribar to escort them to the command bridge."
Ben lied to them, now changing their story so it fits again to the place they planned to go. Rey crossed her fingers, they wouldn't again try to change the command or ask any more questions about it, until one of the Generals, the older one stated:
"Ah. Then you'll have to wait some time. She is in a meeting right now. Position yourself next to the doors then and wait in front of the command bridge.
Wait...Aren't you one of the Deathtroopers who was on Starkiller Base II, when that maniac fired the weapon on our fleet? Your squad was there!
I remember, most of them got killed by him, you were one of the few survivors!"
Oh fuck. Rey thought and through Ben's waving energy she could feel him getting tense too suddenly. Hopefully, this elevator ride will play out well and will end soon.
"Affirmative".
Ben plainly answered with a steady voice. The two Generals started laughing until the younger one questioned him with a wide grin:
"Did you hit him? I saw on the holotapes! He was shot several times by your squad. Stars I hope this fucker was in severe pain at least before this little Jedi bitch got a hold of him. I would have loved to see him getting slashed apart."
"Affirmative. One clean shot to the lung."
Ben answered in a monotone voice, but she could feel his energy changing to an angry one, while she herself tried to stay calm after getting called 'Jedi bitch' and hearing them making fun of him getting injured. Everybody else stayed silent as nobody wanted to interrupt the conversation because Ben obviously tried just get them through this elevator ride without being suspicious until the older General turned to the other one and snorted:
"Very well done. I am so glad Supreme Leader Hux finally took over, bringing us on the right path again. Kylo Ren or however this maniac calls himself nearly brought the First Order apart with his leadership. Do you know what he suggested before he went nuts and blew up the fleet?"
"No? Tell me!" The younger General answered in anticipation.
"Ok this one is good - listen: He seriously tried to order us to cease the Stormtrooper program and replace them over the span of the upcoming months with droids.
Can you believe that? That's the most ridiculous thing I ever heard!"
Both Generals started to laugh out loud once again and held their stomachs while doing so and Rey shifted nervously on her feet as she looked at Ben's unmoving body.
She wondered how he felt about the Generals talking like that, but didn't have to ask him as she saw how he balled his fists hard on his blaster and she hoped he wouldn't lose control. The older General turned around to Ben and questioned him again:
"DT-L3487! You know how much each of your Stormtroopers cost! How much is it?"
"30 credits each." Ben answered while both Generals nodded in affirmation. Until the older one asked again:
"And Droids cost how much?"
"35 credits each." Ben stated once more through his black Deathtrooper helmet as he stood straight and looked at them.
"Exactly! Isn't this ridiculous? Seriously! He must be unbelievably stupid and incapable if he demanded something like this hahaha!
5 credits more so we'd use machines instead of these thrown away children as cannon fodder? Unbelievable! Probably his little Jedi Rebel Scum whispered that to him."
The older General laughed once again and she saw Finn shifting a little at hearing this while she wondered how long this whole elevator ride would still take.
But then she remembered that Ben and she also were pretty long in the elevator last time he brought her to Snoke, so this might take some time and again she groaned inwardly, hoping the two men would finally shut up as everything they said right now was insanely disgusting and evil.
"This little Jedi girl must have some kind of superpowers on him. He was beaten by her on Starkiller Base I. He looked so fucked up afterwards!
There were rumours between the doctors he had an emotional breakdown in the medical room after that fight! Hahahaa! First stabbing his father, getting beaten up by a girl,
then crying over it like a bitch. I never understood why Snoke took him in, he always seemed as if he was plainly insane! But well, obviously he was a good enough weapon."
Stars how could they talk like that? Where they talking and thinking like that, while Ben was still the Supreme Leader? Did he hear all of that already before?
They probably did and he probably heard it all as he can hear the minds of other people. Everything about them was so absolutely disgusting she felt her own anger welling up inside her and her hands started to tremble while she listened to them. Rey had a hard time, not leashing out and pushing her lightsaber through their throats right now.
Suddenly she heard Ben's warning voice in her mind:
"Don't!"
Then the older General started talking again to the other one and Rey had the urge to cover her ears so she wouldn't hear any more of them, as she nearly couldn't bear it anymore while tears streamed down her cheeks under the helmet.
"You know what my theory is? That one time when Kylo Ren kidnapped this Jedi slut and brought her to Starkiller Base to 'interrogate' her,
where she mysteriously managed to flee afterwards, he let her go because she probably was just a good fuck. You know what they say about the girls of Jakku?
They are so poor they sell their body for everything. Acquiring food or sucking a commanders dic..."
Suddenly several things happened at once in a span of just several seconds as if someone had given her friends a silent command:
Ben darted forward, grabbed the head of the talking General and smashed it several times against the glass wall of the elevator so hard Rey could hear his skull crack open while the glass broke and its splinters got stuck in his face which was unrecognizable as blood gushed out from basically everywhere.
Simultaneously Rose stopped the elevator, while Poe shot the second General and Finn opened a hatch of the elevator's roof, while the other rebels pushed the dead bodies of the two Generals through it and closed the hatch instantly again.
All of it took merely 15 seconds, not more and Rey couldn't believe her eyes.
Then they were all alone and everybody panted loud into their masks while there was total silence between them and Rey looked around in absolute shock at what just happened, while she pressed her back against the wall to have a hold onto anything at all because she couldn't believe this whole situation and her legs felt wobbly suddenly.
Tears streamed down her face but she tried to sound calm as she lied to her friends:
"You all shouldn't have done that. It was okay, I...I didn't really listen to them anyway."
"You are crying." Ben simply stated as he took a step forward to her.
"I don't! We have a mission to do!" Rey again lied while tears still streamed down her cheeks as her palms searched for hold on the wall behind her.
Ben walked another step forward, grabbed her Stormtrooper helmet and pulled it upwards to reveal her face which showed her red, puffy eyes.
"You are." He repeated and reached out with his gloved hand, to brush away the tears on her cheeks, while she leaned slightly into his touch.
"Ben...I never did what he said..." Rey sobbed, not wanting her friends to think she ever used her body like the general told 'girls of Jakku' allegedly do.
Ben pulled her Stormtrooper helmet down again, while he leaned down to be helmet to helmet with her and laid a hand on her shoulder,
shaking her a little while he hummed encouragingly:
"I know...We all know Rey. Now stop wasting your tears and show these fucking Nerfherders outside what a girl of Jakku really is capable of! Starting a revolution and such."
Rose walked forward first and hugged Rey from the side, while Poe and Finn too darted forward and hugged her until they were a huge pile of huddled together Stormtroopers until Rey suddenly started laughing in between tears as all her friends came together to support her after being heavily insulted by the two Generals,
who weren't even aware the whole time with whom they shared the elevator.
She looked over to Ben who stood beside the group of friends, watching them and she knew he would never come over and participate in this group hug,
so she instead reached out a hand between her friends and hooked her fingers with his as she brushed his mind, telling him:
"Thank you, Ben. I am sorry they said these horrible things about you. Actually, you were the best Leader the First Order could have ever dreamed of.
But they missed their chance with you, so let's bring these fuckers down together!"
Because: Power of friendship! And also Girlpower whoho!
Poor Ben doesn't want to participate in the group hug, but at least he gets to hold hands with Rey.