So, I don't know if it was the time of day I posted or because I dropped back down to the 10k range, but last chapter was a great success. Therefore, I am testing out going back to the 10k range for word count.

…Which means, there's going to be about twenty more chapters added before TFA. But hey, I can pump out 10k chapters a lot quicker so there should be more frequent updates.

I promise we'll get to TFA someday guys. I'm aiming for November, but I'm going to stop making promises. Trust me there's a bunch of things that are about to happen that will make it very very clear why it's taking so long to get to TFA. There's going to be some major character and plot changes to TFA.


The Long Way Home

Chapter Fifty-One

Sins of a Family


It was the fanciest place Poe had ever seen. Twenty-seven levels of ever increasing luxury hotel rooms. A private beach of white, highly-groomed sand leading into a picture-perfect piece of ocean where the aiwha liked to play. Seventeen full service restaurants with chefs paid a yearly salary higher than the cost of the Rebellion's war. Eight additional pools with exotic landscaping of the best flora from across the Galaxy. A five-star spa that was larger than the Resistance base on D'Qar. Three business centers, an excursion booking desk whose lowest package started at half a million credits, nine gardens to stroll in including an honest to god hedge labyrinth, a massive library, a full service shipyard with onsite mechanic, three golf courses, an entire floor dedicated to gambling in which Evan would later swear he saw Lando Calrissian playing a hand of Sabacc, two dance clubs, one place with 24/7 ballroom dancing, a stunt flying school, a shooting range, a personal sommelier for each room, a tea sommelier available upon request, and a fathier riding school that Paige was trying to find a justification to attend.

Poe was overwhelmed. Sure, in his thirty years of life, he hadn't been to a lot of fancy places, but this was the stuff of Senators and Royalty.

How was he ever going to pretend he belonged?

"Relax," Kaydel said as Poe tugged at the collar of a suit that cost more money than he had ever made in his life. She was seated at a vanity, putting on a pair of earrings embedded with a recording device. "You'll do fine."

"What if I don't, Kay?" Poe plunked down on the bed. "I don't fit in with these people."

"Neither do I, but good thing for you, I know what they're like."

"Really?"

"Yeah, these people are exactly like my family," Kaydel smiled and moved from the chair to kneel in his lap, "Just pretend you think you're better than everyone else. Make them think you have twice as much money as them, five times as much excitement, and ten times as much family drama."

Poe laughed and ran his hands across her sides, "Well, I think I might have to borrow a little of your true backstory to inspire that last part. Aside from the First Order killing my mother, my family is pretty drama-free."

"Lucky," she bowed her forehead against his. "Just remember, I'm going to be right there with you. I believe in you, Poe, so if you need to draw on me to get confidence and inspiration… then draw way."

He chuckled and pressed his lips to hers for a gentle but wanting kiss. Kaydel gave into it, moaning as his mouth took charge. She only pushed him away when his hands went for her dress zipper.

"Nuh uh," Kaydel pulled back. "It just spent an hour putting my appearance together so I look the perfect part of trophy wife. I am not having you muss up my outfit because you have needs."

Poe smirked, "But didn't you just say to draw on you?"

"Poe," she warned, standing up.

"Stop, Kay, I'm sorry," he grabbed her hand and pulled her back to sit on the bed. He kissed her hand, "I'm sorry. You're right. We shouldn't."

"That's right we shouldn't."

They were silent for a moment.

"That is, unless…" Kaydel said slyly, "there was some you wanted to do that wouldn't harm my appearance."

He had her on her backin an instant.


"There you guys are," Snap fiddled with his cufflinks as Poe and Kaydel exited the bedroom twenty minutes later. "Finally!"

Jaina had her dark hair pinned up and she was in a simple, conservative charcoal dress, "We're going to be late. What took you two so long?"

Poe and Kaydel exchanged a sheepish long.

"Well, you see…" Poe scratched the back of his neck.

Karé narrowed her eyes, "You two had sex, didn't you?"

"Depends on your definition," he conceded.

As Snap laughed, Kaydel couldn't manage to look anyone in the eye.

"What?" Jaina scowled. "Why would you two do that right before we're supposed to commence our mission?"

Poe lifted an eyebrow and smirked, "You and I haven't hung out a lot, have we?"

She frowned and shook her head looking a little lost.

Snap slung an arm over her shoulder, "Jaina Fel… welcome to Poe Dameron and Kaydel Ko Connix. They go at it worse than nerfs in the springtime."

"Come on," Jaina pushed off his arm, "they can't be that bed."

"You clearly haven't heard about the desk incident," Kaydel bit her lip looking both red from embarrassment and a little mischievous.

"Desk incident?" Jaina repeated slowly. She looked to Karé, "Do I want to-"

"Absolutely not," Karé cut off. "This is the pair that when I told them that I cut off things with Snap because I didn't want things to get intense during the war and we should just be like Jedi and not get attached… Oh what was the lovely response I got from you, Kaydel?"

Kaydel sighed, "I believe my exact words were… that is the stupidest thing I've ever heard. And then Poe preceded to rant about the summer he spent on Rornian and how much sex the New Jedi Order members appeared to be having."

"Celibacy and non-attachment were certainly not tenants of those people," Poe shook his head.

Jaina just stared at the group, "And Senate Organa askes me why I don't like hanging out with the Resistance a lot."

"Don't worry," Snap smiled, "it's just Poe and Kaydel that are the notorious animals. Karé and I are very professional on missions, and barely anyone who doesn't know them personally can tell that Tharel and Tico are dating. I promise, two out of three couples on this mission are very professional."

"That reminds me," Karé said, "Hon, can you check in on Paige and Evan and ask them if they're ready to go?"

"Sure." Snap retrieved a comm and earpiece from the coffee table, "Bey Five and Bey Six, come in. Do you read?"

The response was confined to Snap's earpiece, so the others had to wait as Snap listened to the response.

"Perfect," Snap smiled. "Are you guys ready to go?"

A few seconds later, the smile fell from his face.

"Oh… Okay. Uh, sure. We'll see you then. Okay. Bey Three out."

Snap said nothing as he slowly and awkwardly set the comm back on the coffee table, very aware of the eyes on him.

"So?" Karé urged.

Snap cleared his throat, "Uh, Evan says that they're going to need another ten minutes… They were kind of in the middle of… something."

Silence filled the room.

He gave a weak smile to Jaina, "How does one professional couple out of three sound?"


"Okay, Rose," Kes said, "you can put it down wherever."

Rose grunted as she dropped the box of BB-8 parts on the dining table. She had been invited to join the party heading to Yavin IV and work on repairing BB-8 so she didn't hang around the D'Qar base moping that she couldn't go on the mission with Paige. It was perfect for Rose who not only got to hang out with Han Solo and Chewbacca but Kes had offered to take her on a tour of the old Yavin IV Rebel Base – now the Museum of Rebellion History – which was hosting a revival of one of its most popular exhibits, the exhibit on the Death Star, a mix of the story of Operation Citadel and the story of Luke Skywalker's side of the story.

She wanted to take a lot of pictures to send to Rey but decided against it as she was fairly certain they would end up getting intercepted by Luke first.

It would be so weird to see Rey's parents in the exhibit.

But she did plan on making fun of the Diego parts to Aletha later.

"So…" Rose looked around the Dameron kitchen, "this is the house where Poe grew up."

"Yep," Kes smiled as he watched Rose observe the house in wonderment. "I can give you the grand tour when I'm a little less jetlagged."

Rose walked around the kitchen, admiring the Holos hung on the walls. Kes had seen her briefly glancing at the others as they entered the house, but now she had the chance to truly examine them. He enjoyed seeing the slightly confused expression on her face when she saw that a few of the Holos had Kaydel in them.

"Girl's one of the family to me," Kes said. "I know it's kind of quick, but Poe loves her so much and that poor girl is so lonely and screwed up from her own family that how could I not just instantly want to take her in? Sure, she's got Aletha and that serves her need of love from female figures, but you can see how much she craves paternal love too. From what I've gathered the men in her family are spineless and distant. So to meet a loveable protective father figure… well, I'm happy to play my part."

"You don't think it's little weird considering she's your son's girlfriend?" Rose asked.

"Well, yeah, it's the girl who my son is doing unspeakable things to, but on the other hand, I just… I don't know. There's a part of me that just wants to wrap the girl up in the blanket and feed her pupusas. Oh, God, I've turned into my mother."

Rose gave a small laugh as her eyes turned to another picture, "Is this Shara?"

"Yeah," Kes leaned against the stove. "Most wonderful woman I've ever had the pleasure of meeting."

"You really loved her, didn't you?"

"Shara Bey stole my heart and took it with her to the next world. I'll get them both back in the next life, but for this one, she ruined me completely for anyone else."

Rose hesitated, "Including Shayna?"

Kes laughed, "Is that the deal you and Poe made? You come here and fix his droid as a cover for watching what happens between me and Evan Tharel's mother?"

"Actually, it was Evan's idea," Rose admitted. "You weren't really thinking about-"

"Shayna seems like a nice woman, but I'm not looking for anything more than a friend. I enjoy my spot in the lonely hearts club."

"Well, I don't," Rose grumbled. "I'm sick of everyone having someone and me being alone."

"Don't you fret, Pobrecita," Kes laughed. "Your time will come. I know it's hard for you, but let your sister enjoy her boyfriend. He seems to make her very happy."

"I know he does, but it's just that we're not supposed to be apart. We promised we wouldn't, not after…"

Kes frowned as she trailed off.

Rose sighed, "Our parents sent us to the Resistance. Our planet had been ravaged and attacked by the First Order, so they put us on a supply ship to Botajef. I asked if they were coming too… They said they had to stay and fight. We told Mama we wanted to fight, and she said we would, but not there. Papa promised we'd see each other again and then gave us his parents matching medallions."

Rose pulled the crescent from underneath her clothing. Tears shone in her eyes as she held it up to Kes.

"Papa said that us having the medallions meant that Otomok would always be with us – the precious minerals at its heart would sit next to ours."

Kes watched as she struggled to choke back a sob. Slowly, his crossed the kitchen and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey," he whispered, "it's alright."

Rose sniffed, still fighting back her tears, "I keep insisting to Paige that Mama and Papa survived and one day we'll be together again back home… but I know she doesn't believe it. And to be honest… I don't either. But the more I say it, the longer I can go before finally admitting defeat. Admitting that my parents are-"

"Shh, it's okay," he pulled her in for a hug. Kes Dameron held this strange little girl as she cried, "It's alright, Rose."

"I'm sorry," she sniffed, getting herself back under control. "I'm sorry, you must think me a mess."

"No," Kes laughed, "all I'm thinking right now is if I should ask if you want a blanket and a pupusa."

Rose paused, "…Can I?"

"Let me show you how to make tortillas."

"Hey, Kes," Han Solo entered the kitchen oblivious to the emotional scene, "we got all of Shayna's things in but are you aware all of your bedrooms are at the top of a staircase? How is she supposed to get up and down?"

"I was thinking that she could take the office down here. Do you think you and the Wookiees could bring down the bed into the office and the desk set up into the spare bedroom?"

Han crossed his arms, "Excuse me, I am not your moving service. Just because I have two Wookiees doesn't mean we have to do your heavy lifting."

"I just thought you would want to do it."

"And why would I want to do it?"

"Because if you don't," Kes opened the fridge to gather ingredients for Rose's pupusas, "then you don't get to have dinner with us."

Han rolled his eyes, "You really think dinner is going to entice-"

"I'm making hilachas."

Han fell silent.

"And rellenitos for dessert," Kes added.

"CHEWIE!" Han yelled. "GET WAROO! WE'RE MOVING FURNITURE!"

Rose giggled as Han Solo left the kitchen.

Kes grinned at her, "Food is not the way to a man's heart, My Dear… but it is the way to many favors."


Poe Dameron must have been a politician in another life. Not a particularly intelligent one that focused on economical platforms and infrastructure maintenance budgets, but one who flashed his pretty smile to the camera and made empty promises of new jobs and lower taxes without the knowhow to put them into action.

Twenty minutes into the opening night reception, he had a small crowd of people around him. Millionaires, governments, even some people Kaydel was certain belonged to crime syndicates, all fell to the charms of Kane Nilar and his wife, Dania.

Kaydel clung onto his arm, smiling and adding in small details to his anecdotes, acting the perfect part of trophy wife. But as Poe melted into the role of roguish former playboy millionaire, Kaydel felt uneasy. Her eyes flicked around the room as she remembered being dragged to parties like this in her childhood. Any moment, she was certain someone was going to get a flicker of recognition in their eyes and exclaim Kaydel Ko Connix, is that you?

It was ridiculous; the Resistance had done their checks. If the name Connix had shown up on even a list of friends of friends of friends of an attendant, they would have pulled Kaydel from the mission in an instant.

Besides, who even noticed the youngest Connix girl?

Still, Kaydel's eyes flicked through the room. There was a bad feeling that she just couldn't shake.

No one else seemed disturbed or anxious. Jaina or "Artora Dimodan" was perfectly in her element, filling in Poe and Kaydel with names, relevant backstories, and bullshit statistics about the Nilar Company in an instant. Karé or "Vella Takan" did seem uneasy, constantly looking around the room, but that was just her role of bodyguard. Snap or "Thon Sho" seemed much more interested in the delicious offerings at the buffet in the corner. A roast quail had caught his eyes more time than his wife.

"And that was the last time we ever let the children cook," Poe finished an anecdote. He was using a somewhat thick Yavin II accent that didn't sound unlike Diego Nalto.

The ruckus laughter of the crowd drew Kaydel back to the people before her.

"Oh, you laugh now, but at the time I was horrified," Kaydel hoped her words were vague enough to cover the fact she wasn't paying attention.

"Hey, Abril's eyebrows grew back just fine… eventually," Poe gave her a thin smile, reading her uneasiness as if she had screamed out to the entire room.

Kaydel shifted her weight, "I told you from the start, we should just hire people to do all the cooking and cleaning for us."

"You've been saying that since our second date." Poe grinned at an Ithorian, "You know, some people say that she's just after my money. To them, I say… who cares? I'm trading her in for a young model in fifteen years anyway."

The Ithorian laughed as Kaydel smacked his arm.

"Alright, Mr. Nilar," Jaina stepped in, "why don't we let Mrs. Nilar cool off a bit before she kills you? We still haven't introduced ourselves to the host yet."

"Ah yes, business calls." Poe looked around the group, "Pardon us, Ladies and Gentlemen. I need to get a few drinks in my wife before I'm sleeping on the couch tonight."

The group give a mixture of laughter and disappointment as Poe led his team away.

"Hey," he said in a low voice to Kaydel, daring to drop into his normal accent. He stood close to her at the edge of the room. Everyone around them was too wrapped up in their own conversations to notice. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Kaydel nodded, trying to manage a smile. "Just… it brings back a lot of memories."

Poe sighed and pulled her in closer. He kissed her forehead and gave her a tender smile.

"I love you," he murmured.

"I love you too," Kaydel leaned in to kiss him.

"Guys?" Karé interrupted. "We are standing right here."

"Sorry," Poe took a step back.

Snap just grinned at him, "Don't worry. You've done worse to me."

"Sorry about your bed."

He frowned, "What about my bed?"

Poe's eyes widened as he realized he had never told Snap the locale of his and Kaydel's first lovemaking session.

"Nothing!" Kaydel replied quickly. But her blush couldn't hide her guilt.

"Anyway," Jaina said after a pause, "I was serious about introducing you to the host. They're footing most of the bill. We need to go talk to her."

"We need to also work the room," Poe looked around the room. "The… vets aren't here."

"Well, it's a good thing our ship has such a good valet," Karé replied. Evan and Paige had gone to the hotel resort's private shipyard to check out who else was visiting the hotel. "You never know who might show up at these events. I would like to know that very much."

"How about we split up?" Kaydel offered. "Artora, take Kane and Thon to meet our host, and while you do that, Vella and I will take a look around the reception. You know, check out who and what is here."

Snap narrowed his eyes, "You're going to hit the buffet, aren't you?"

"I'm hungry, damn it!" Kaydel exclaimed.

Karé sighed at Snap, "I'll bring you a plate."

He lit up at that.

"Mr. Nilar," Jaina nudged Poe, pointing at someone over Kaydel's shoulder, "I've spotted our host."

"Then let's go turn on the charm," he gave Kaydel a quick kiss and departed.

"Alright," Karé said. "Where's that buffet?"

Kaydel grinned, but before she could speak, someone barreled right into her.

"Oh my gosh!" a man exclaimed as Kaydel fell to the ground. "I am so sorry! Are you okay?"

Karé instantly stepped between them, "Back it up, Buddy."

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to," he had brown skin, black eyes, and was wearing a charcoal grey uniform.

The other man with him grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back, "Easy now. Let the girl breathe."

"I'm sorry," the first man told Karé as she helped Kaydel off the ground.

"So you've said," Karé narrowed her eyes.

"It's alright, Vella," Kaydel brushed off her dress. "I'm not hurt. It was just an accident."

"Are you sure, you're okay?" the man asked.

His friend laughed, "The girl's not made of porcelain. She'll be fine."

Kaydel still smiled at the man, "I'll be okay. Now if you'll excuse us, I have a buffet calling."

The man's friend continued to laugh as he stared helplessly after Kaydel and Karé as they departed.

"Whoa, I can't believe it," the friend shook his head. "Usually you only get this awkward around Sasa, Eight-Seven."

FN-2187 rolled his eyes, "Come on, Marks. They're going to be waiting."


Jaina led Poe and Snap to a woman who looked even more groomed than Poe on a good day. Perfect manicure, professionally blonde hair dyed to mask her burgeoning greys that was tied up into a fancy updo without a strand out of place, skincare and makeup obsessively done to make her look ten years younger making her look weirdly like an older version of Kaydel, and her conservative lavender dress was pressed hard so that a wrinkle wouldn't dare grace the fabric.

"Mr. Nilar," Jaina introduced, "this is Mrs. Sindal, CEO of Kation Defense Holdings. Mrs. Sindal, I spoke to you earlier? This is my boss, Kane Nilar?"

"Oh yes, the owner of Nilar Company," Mrs. Sindal grinned, offering her hand in an awkward motion that confused Poe as to whether she wanted him to kiss it or shake it. "An inventive name, Mr. Nilar."

"Please, Mrs. Sindal," Poe decided to just go for the hand kiss. "You flatter me."

"You seem to be the flatterer," Mrs. Sindal laughed. "And please, call me Kat."

"Only if you call me Kane."

"It's a deal. My, my, you seem to be just as handsome and charming as your assistant advertised. She was desperate to get your company on my guest list."

"Artora insists that you have a high reputation."

"Admittedly, we are a subsidiary, but the prestige and history of our parent company brings a certain legitimacy to the table," Kat waved down a waiter and she helped herself to two glasses of champagne. She offered one to Poe, "Have you dealt with our parent company before?"

"No," Poe grinned as he accepted it. His eyes drifted up and down her form, only being able to pretend he enjoyed it as much as he put on due to the fact that there really was something about her that reminded him of Kaydel. "But I'm very much regretting that decision right now. Are you from Mallarex by any chance?"

"Born and raised. What about you? Where are you from?"

"Can't you guess?"

"Well, I'm fairly certain that you're from a Yavinese moon… but which one? Thirteen? Eight? Twenty-Six?"

"Two."

"Dang. So close," Kat laughed. "How could you tell I'm from Mallarex?"

"You have features like my wife. Thought I'd take a shot in the dark," Poe shrugged.

"I do have traditionally Mallarexian features."

"You should see my kids."

"Are you joking?" Kat asked. "Because I do love a Holo of a cute kid."

"Oh, then you have to see mine," Poe patted at his pockets trying to find the Holo of Nils Arlos' children.

And as Kat cooed over the picture of his supposed children, Poe couldn't help but think that things were going very well.


"This is humiliating," Zeroes muttered. "Our first deployment is not a battlefield. No, we pull bodyguard duty for the most redundant set of people in the First Order. Why do the Knights of Ren even need bodyguards?"

"Just shut up and help me carry the champagne," Nines rolled his eyes as they carried a pair of trays back to the group.

The MK squad – Marks, Duck, Tone, and Weevil – were standing behind Berd and Doxl Ren, taking their role of guard very seriously as they surveyed the room. Slip and FN-2187 were granted a higher amount of freedom as they openly conversed with Sasa Ren, Slip looking a little lovesick as he did so. Poor Nines and Zeroes somehow managed to pull the waiter cards as they had been sent off by Sasa – who was acting like such a belle of the ball one might think she was hosting the reception – to get the group some refreshments.

Apparently the miserable Kylo Ren had made a break for it in the time since they left.

"Thank you, Boys," Sasa flashed them a smile, though the pair could barely manage one in return. At least she let them have a drink, something Captain Phasma would never allow them to do on duty. "I must say, this is such a wonderful party. Good food, good music, great drinks."

Marks frowned, "Perhaps this should be your last, Master Sasa?"

She grinned, "It's only my third."

"Yes," FN-2187 bowed his head, "but Master Kylo-"

"Can come stop me himself if he finds it to be a problem. If he wants to go off and slink in the shadows, he must face the consequences."

"Like me getting a chance to dance with you?" Berd raised a coy eyebrow.

Sasa chuckled nursing the rim of her champagne, "I'm going to need a lot more of these before that happens. Now… Zeroes and Nines, did you see anyone?"

"No, Master Ren," Nine bowed his head. "No one appeared to be suspicious or an enemy of the First Order."

"Master Ren," Duck said kindly, "are you certain there's a reason to be alarmed?"

"Master Kylo said he sensed something. Someone familiar and dangerous, he just couldn't quite place who it was."

"We'll keep looking, Master Sasa," Tone promised.

"You better," Doxl warned. "We have many enemies and the Force can only work so far. I don't want anyone getting the jump on us."

"Who's going to get the jump on us?" Berd shot. "No one knew we were coming, and Master Kylo was added at the very last second when he decided he couldn't trust us alone with his lover. For goodness sake, we're not Wiln!"

FN-2187 traded a look with Sasa. That had been the entire reason the FN and MK squads had been ordered to act as bodyguards. It wasn't that Kylo didn't trust Berd and Doxl not to sleep with Sasa… it's that he didn't trust them not to use the opportunity to work with Tara to kill Sasa.

But FN-2187 wasn't going to let that happen.

"You know, it doesn't matter if you are Wiln," Sasa decided to act coy. FN-2187 could see the calculation behind her eyes, "You gentlemen – all of you – can look as much as you want. Only Master Kylo may touch me."

In that moment, all eight Stormtroopers felt more than welcome to enjoy the instruction to look at Sasa as much as they wanted.

Sasa took another drink of her champagne and sighed, "Oh for goodness sake, he forced his way onto the mission and now he's sulking on the balcony. Marks, go find Master Kylo and bring him back."

Marks frowned, "But Master Sasa, I don't think he'll-"

"If he gives you any problems, just tell him that if wants to hide in the shadows while I have to deal with all these boring business people alone, I'll put him through a hell worse than his threesome suggestion."

No less than two minutes after Marks found Kylo were they both at Sasa's side.

"I didn't want to see what worse was," Kylo admitted.

"Good," she lifted on her toes and kissed him. "Now, I've been working this party for over an hour. I want a break, maybe let loose on the dance floor a little."

Kylo sighed, "Alright, I suppose I can-"

"Oh not you," Sasa smirked. "I meant FN-2187."

Everyone turned to look at him.

He gulped, "I'm going to be dead within twenty-four hours, aren't I?"

"Probably," Kylo answered honestly.

"Oh, stop it," Sasa swatted his arm. "This is the consequence to your sulking. You didn't want to join me doing the boring stuff, you don't get to join me during the fun stuff."

"Sasa…" he eyed the others watching the scene in amusement.

"And if you don't get yourself in order, there's going to be no fun stuff this entire trip," Sasa warned. "You forced your way onto this mission, Kylo. Hell, not even Tara knows you're here with us."

"Only way I was able to go on a week-long getaway with you."

Kylo knew what he should be doing; he should firmly re-establish his superiority to the group of Stormtroopers and Knights as not to compromise his position… But on the other hand, there was no way in hell he was spending a week in a fabulous hotel with Sasa and not trying his absolute hardest to knock her up.

And if he kept this up, he was probably going to end up bunking with the MK squad tonight.

"Alright," he conceded. "How can I win my way back into your graces?"

Sasa smirked, "You need to make us three new business contacts."

His face fell, "Three?"

"No need for firm contracts, but feel the room out. Find a few new allies for the First Order. The Supreme Leader will be very proud if you do. So go, let me dance with FN-2187 for a while, then come take his place when you've made three contacts."

Kylo huffed, "Fine. But FN-2187, if your hands touch any place on her that is not her waist or shoulder I will remove said hands. Understood?"

"Perfectly," FN-2187 stiffly nodded.

"Enjoy yourself!" Sasa called after Kylo as he stormed off to find some poor, unprepared potential business contact. She looked at FN-2187, "You ready?"

"You know I don't know how to dance?" FN-2187 asked.

"Then I'll teach you," she grinned and led him to the dance floor.

Nines and Zeroes frowned at the disappearing pair.

"So…" Nines asked, "are they sleeping together?"

Zeroes shrugged, "I have no idea."


Kylo found a brunette alone by the buffet table. There was a dark-skinned woman with her, but by her posture and the way her eyes constantly darted about, Kylo could tell she was a bodyguard.

He took a deep breath. Show time.

"You might want to skip that one," Kylo advised as the small brunette reached for the plate of deep fried gorg. "Only trust gorg from Tatooine. Every other planet ruins it."

When the woman looked up at him, he was surprised. She did not look unlike his mother.

"Oh," she blinked. "Thank you."

"No problem," Kylo had to stop himself from using the Force to summon a plate, instead picking it up like the worthless Non-Sensitives he was constantly surrounded by. He started piling miniature koyo melons on his plate and noticed the small heap on the woman's plate, "Fan of koyo melons?"

"My husband got me addicted to them," she blushed a little.

"Yeah, someone hooked me on them years ago too," Kylo tried to push Poe Dameron from his mind. "I swear, they're never better than right as soon as you pick them."

"Tell me about it. My husband loves taking me to the orchard during harvest."

The bodyguard nudged her.

"We own many orchards," the woman randomly added, sounding a little frantic. "Part of our investments."

"Oh? What kind of investments do you make?"

"Mostly realty but have… other avenues of a less clean hands nature if you catch my drift," the woman said.

Kylo smirked, "You don't meet many people who openly admit to such things."

"I like knowing who I'm dealing with," the woman shot. "So I wonder, who am I dealing with?"

He considered it, and then extended his hand, "Someone with very dirty hands."

"Then forgive me for not shaking it."

Kylo couldn't stop a laugh.

"Fair enough," Kylo pulled back his hand. "Have you dealt with Kation before?"

"No. Have you?"

"Done a lot of business with their parent company."

"I've heard good things about it."

"Oh, you should see some of the things they can cook up. Our enemies don't stand a chance."

The woman looked at him suspiciously, "And who are your enemies?"

"I don't know," Kylo smiled. "But I do like to know the names of my friends."

Considering his words, the woman looked to her bodyguard. The taller woman gave a small nod.

"I'm Dania Nilar," the woman said. "My husband, Kane, owns Nilar Company. And you are?"

Kylo knew it was dangerous to give his real name without an extensive background check, "How about you call me… Oh, let's see… How about… Tobias Beckett?"

"Wasn't that the mercenary who killed Aurra Sing?"

"I heard that she fell," Kylo smirked.

The woman returned it, "I'll keep my eye out around you."

"Oh good… I found a smart one."


"Em Yêu, hurry up, we're already late!"

"A few more minutes and I'll be done. I promise."

Paige Tico looked kind of ridiculous, arms crossed, wearing a pair of heels and a floor length gown that once belonged to Leia Organa, tapping her foot impatiently as a handsomely suited Evan Tharel crouched in the shadows of the dirty cover ship yard.

"Someone's going to see us," Paige worried.

"Just hold on," Evan held up a tablet to capture on image of the ship in front of them, which would cross match it to the Resistance database of enemy craft. "This is the last ship."

"I'm just so nervous," Paige's hand went to fiddle with her pendant but found nothing but the flesh of her neck. The pendant was too recognizable for Paige to bring, so she had left it with Jessika to bring her friend luck. "This is my first undercover mission. I don't want to blow it."

"Same here," Evan said, "but I think we're going to do just that if we keep talking about it. How about this? When we get back to the room tonight, as my way of saying sorry for dragging you into this garage while the others get to dance and drink, I'll give you that pressure point focused, stress relieving massage you love so much?"

"I think you need to drag me into dirty garages more."

"I can arrange that."

Evan's device beeped.

"There," he declared, "the ship's all around through, now we can leave because the result is-"

He stopped.

Paige frowned seeing something change in his eyes, "What?"

"You might want to see this," he said.

She walked over to him and took his tablet. Her heart fell when she saw the result.

FIRST ORDER VESSEL: PRIVATE SHUTTLE OF KNIGHTS OF REN

PRIMARY OPERATOR: SOLO, BEN aka "KYLO REN"

Paige looked at Evan in horror and said, "Fuck."

"Yeah," he nodded. "We gotta get out of here before it's too late."

Just then an instruction from Poe buzzed over their hidden ear pieces, "Bey Four! Move Bey Two right now! Get him the hell away from her!"

Paige swallowed, "I think we're too late."


Two Minutes Earlier…

Poe and Kat were laughing hysterically at the story of one of Poe's pretend children. Little Mateo truly was a precocious one.

"I honestly don't know how I'm going to survive these children," Poe chortled.

"Oh, it's hard but you'll get through it," Kat playfully touched his arm. Poe found she was a very touchy-feely person, especially when doling out compliments. "I got through it with my three with very minimal cuts and bruises."

"You have children?"

"Two girls and a boy just like you. Sage, Serena, and Sinon."

Poe frowned, "Do all Mallarexians like to do the alliteration thing?"

"No. Why?"

"Nothing," Poe shook off. It was probably just a coincidence. "So, who's the lucky father?"

"That would be the charming man talking to my father and our eldest daughter, Sage, over there who has been shooting you dirty looks throughout our conversation," Kat pointed to a blonde, blue-eyed man talking to a slightly older blonde, blue-eyed man and young blonde, blue-eyed woman. "He's a very steady man but can get jealous considering how flirtatious I can get during business. Never would be unfaithful to him, but it does ruffle his feathers a little."

"Oh, I know what you mean. It's the same with my wife and I. I should introduce you to Dania." Poe turned towards the buffet table, "She's just right over-"

Poe stopped dead.

Kaydel was talking to a tall, pale man clad in all black. His dark eyes had something haunted and piercing in them, and his hand rested on a hilt clipped to his belt.

Kaydel was talking to Kylo Ren.

Poe couldn't believe his eyes, and in fact wouldn't believe until he heard a squeak from Jaina by his side, confirming the man was really there.

Immediately Poe sprung into action. He barely managed a goodbye and excuse to Kat as he raced forward. He heard Snap trying to call from him, but thankfully it seemed Jaina was willing to explain things.

All Poe could think about was saving Kaydel.

Not caring that people could see him, Poe frantically went for his hidden comm, "Bey Four! Move Bey Two right now! Get him the hell away from her!"

Karé and Kaydel looked confused but made some sort of excuse and got away from Kylo Ren. Kylo went off – where Poe didn't know, nor cared, all he wanted was Kaydel in his arms – and Kaydel led Karé to a secluded corner where there was a convenient potted plant to hide behind.

Poe literally skidded to a stop and had his arms around Kaydel in a second, "Are you okay? What did he do?"

"What's going on?" Kaydel tried to push him off her to get some answers.

"You need to tell me everything he said and did. Why were you talking to him?"

"Babe?" Karé looked to Snap, "why is he losing his mind?"

Snap shrugged, "I have no idea."

"Dameron," Jaina lowered her voice, "what is he doing here?"

Poe turned on her, "I could ask you the same question. Weren't there supposed to have been checks done?"

"You think if I even got a whiff that he would be here that I would have let this happen? We need to get the hell out of here."

"Agreed." He turned back to Kaydel. Poe looked helpless and increasingly angry as he ran his hands over her face and shoulders, checking for harm, "Are you okay? Did he hurt you? Did he touch you? I swear to God if he even laid a hand on you, I'll-"

"Stop it!" Kaydel snapped she pushed him away.

The group started in a stunned silence. Even Kaydel looked shocked at her dramatic rejection of Poe's affection.

"Look," she took a deep breath to collect herself. Kaydel touched his arm, "Poe… what's going on?"

He sighed, "Alright… That man?"

Poe pointed to who Kaydel had been talking to. The man had cut in to a couple dancing and said a few words to a dark-skinned man in a First Order uniform. The man held out an arm for a copper-haired beauty in a sleek glittery silver dress. It hugged her body in all the right ways, fitting her like a glove, but her skirt had a little swish to it.

The trio crossed to a wall where seven other men in First Order officer uniforms were gathered. All but the black man and a copper-skinned man – who took a moment to slap the black man on the butt – looked uncomfortable in the uniforms. The black and copper-skinned men looked like they had been born to wear the uniforms.

There were two men in the ground, but their outfits looked similar to, albeit a little less grand, than the man Kaydel had spoken to.

The man hooked an arm around the copper-haired beauty's waist and her delighted laugh carried across the room. They had been approached by the very woman Poe had been talking to and the conversation appeared to be a little too comfortable.

"That's Ben Solo," Poe whispered.

Kaydel went perfectly stiff.

"Kylo Ren?" Snap's jaw hung open. "Are you kidding?"

"We need to pull out right now," Poe said, "before it gets worse."

"Uh, Darling?" Kaydel whispered. "…It's worse."

Karé frowned, "How could it be worse?"

"It's worse because that means that the First Order is already working with this company," Jaina said. "I know business deals and politics. That body language they have – formal but comfortable – is clearly the type you display to someone you've done a deal with before. Oh, we have to get out of here before Ben recognizes Dameron or I."

"Jaina," Kaydel grabbed her arm as she tried to move for the door. "That's not what I meant."

"What? What do you…" Poe frowned, "Babe, what's going on?"

She pointed to Kat, "That woman-"

"The head of the conference? Kat Sinon?"

"Uh huh," Kaydel's throat was dry. "…That's my sister, Katha."

The group stared at Kaydel in horror.

"I'm not joking," she said quickly.

Poe sighed, "Fuck."


"Are you positive?" Leia Organa's voice came over the comm.

"I saw him with my own eyes," Poe answered, pacing behind the couch of his and Kaydel's hotel suite. "It's Kylo Ren."

As part of the guise, one of the most expensive suites had been rented for them, with Snap, Karé, and Jaina in a smaller adjoining room. Paige and Evan were two floors down in a standard. They weren't allowed to come up to Poe and Kaydel's room for fear of their connection being discovered.

"And the presenters of the seminar?" Diego asked.

"Absolutely tied to Connix Industries," Kaydel said, watching Poe pace as she was seated on the couch next to Jaina. "I saw multiple members of my family. My sister, Katha, her husband, Telon, her daughter, Sage, my father, Timor, and my nephew, Dacken."

"This is a problem," Holdo sighed. "We did all of our checks properly?"

"There was absolutely nothing to suggest the First Order or Connix family would be involved," Jaina frowned at the scar on her arm. The one she never allowed to be healed, her self decided punishment for her roles in the deaths of Felicity and Rey Rhiaon Skywalker. "I would never have come on the mission if I'd known that bastard, Ben would be here. My apologies, General Organa."

"Well, he was conceived out of wedlock, so not exactly an incorrect term," Leia's voice still didn't sound pleased.

"Should we pull out?" Snap asked.

"No, it would be too suspicious now," Leia replied. "And if the First Order is interested in these weapons, then I am too. We're just going to have to be extra careful to keep Kaydel from her family and Poe and Jaina from Ben. We don't want them recognized."

"Plus I feel like there would be a lot of paperwork after I murdered Kylo Ren," Poe said.

Absolute silence filled the room. Jokes about murdering members of the High Council of the First Order were the norm in the Resistance… but you didn't joke about killing Ben Solo in front of Leia Organa. And even worse, it was clear that Poe was making no joke.

"Commander Dameron," Leia never used his formal title unless he was in serious trouble, "suspicious or not, if you do not follow directives, I will pull you off this mission so fast your head will spin. You absolutely do not have permission to kill a Knight of Ren unless in appropriate, battle, self defense circumstances. Am I understood?"

All eyes turned to Poe.

"Understood," he hung his head.

And yet the look on his face only made Kaydel worry.


Honestly, the only time I want to discuss Kylo Ren again is when he's rotting in a prison cell.

- Poe Dameron's Flight Log


"Want some company?" Kaydel asked an hour later as she tip toed onto the balcony.

Poe sighed. He had been out there for twenty minutes already, making a swift exit from the room the second the transmission to base had ended. The room felt so hot and suffocating. At least out there in the cool night air he could breathe.

"I'm alright, Kay," Poe leaned against the balcony railing. He was met with a glorious view of the moon and stars over the vast ocean, a deep midnight blue reflecting down with twinkling pinpricks of stars far away. It was hard to tell where water met the sky.

"No, you're not," she joined him at the railing. Kaydel glanced to the side wall of the balcony separating their suite from the suite next door. White crosshatched wood made the wall and a voluminous plant of small pink flowers and hanging ivy provided the neighboring tenants their privacy. She sighed and gently grabbed his right bicep, "You're no more alright than I am. I'm so freaked out right now, Poe. I don't need you to be tough. I need you to be honest."

"Honestly, I'm fine, Kaydel, really," Poe shook her off. He paused, then turned his head to look at her. He winced as he saw her bowed head and dejected expression. Taking a deep breath, Poe wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close, "It's just… hard. It's the first time I've really seen him since Rey died. You don't understand what that little girl meant to me. To us."

"Then make me understand," she rested her head on his chest.

Poe sighed, "Rey was… I don't know. In some ways I felt like she was my responsibility. Ben too. After my mom died, Luke, Leia, and Felicity all made sure to take care of me, so when I was old enough, I chose to thank them by caring for their own children. That summer I spent with the Skywalkers was one of the happiest times of my life. Far and away, one of my all-time favorite memories is Rey, Ben, and I assembling BB-8. Sure, Ben may have been an annoying pain in the ass, but he was in the way your little brother would be. We never said it out loud, but Ben and I were friends. And Rey…"

He struggled to find the words.

"She really was a ray of light. Sure, she had temper tantrums and whatnot, but I've never met someone who was such a stranger to hatred. She saw the best in people and did whatever it took to take care of people. Even when it was beyond her capabilities, she still tried to help. And Ben absolutely adored her. Called her Nightlight. He was there to hold her when she cried, lift her when she fell, and chase away the monsters who wanted to scare her… And then…"

Kaydel pressed her face closer against his chest, resting her cheek to his heart as Poe choked back a sob.

"And then he became the monster," Poe couldn't fight the tears anymore. Twelve years he had tried to bottle it up, but now the dam exploded. He had to voice the feelings he truly felt about Ben's betrayal. "She was… She was dragged from her bed, Kay. In the middle of the night, a five-year-old was torn from the safety of her own bed and had men in masks try to cut her into pieces. That home we made so many memories in was burned to the ground. People who loved us, who protected us, who didn't do anything wrong were slaughtered… And Ben made it all possible. He led them into Temple Village, he gave them the codes to the Skywalker house. Luke told us the passwords to lockdown the house and to reset the codes. Ben used the reset to trap Felicity and her daughter in the place that was supposed to be their sanctuary."

There was nothing Kaydel could find to say to bring Poe comfort.

"I never hated Ben Solo," Poe said slowly. "Not even was he was being an annoying prick. Not even when he cussed out Felicity in front of her own daughter. Not even when he killed Alyla Kene… but then he chased Rey into the woods and tried to murder her using a saber powered by a crystal he stole from her. He tried to murder her in cold blood. His five-year-old cousin who thought of him as her hero."

Kaydel's throat went dry and she too fought tears. She knew vaguely the story of Rey's death, but now hearing the details and hearing them from a man who had loved that little girl, it was an unbearable tale.

"And then there's what he did to Felicity," Poe's voice grew stronger, his fists tightening on the balcony rail. "He didn't just shoot her in the head, Kay. He tortured her. Not metaphorically or hyperbolically. He legitimately tortured her. He hunted her down like a dog and tortured her for the whereabouts of her daughter. A daughter who died a horrific death in the wastes of Jakku, whose body will never be recovered… and I think I'm the reason why."

"What?" Kaydel found her voice. "What are you talking about?"

"Digging a hole. I taught Rey that when she was in a situation she couldn't change but was frustrated that she should dig a hole and scream in it. What if… what if she told Felicity? What if the reason Felicity thought to bury Rey was that she had dug that hole to scream? I'm the reason Rey's body was lost!"

"No! No, you are not!" Kaydel firmly pulled him into her arms. "Don't you dare think like that!"

"But I do all the time. I think about the things I could have done. Should have done. I think about how I should have cut out the Academy early to join the hunt for Rey and Felicity. What if I had shown up, and they had an extra person, so they decided to send me to check Jakku? What if I had found them? Saved them? What if I had done SOMETHING?"

"Stop it," the tears were flowing from Kaydel's eyes now.

"But I think about it all the time. I think about Felicity's death. I wonder what Ben Solo could have done that was so cruel that it broke Luke Skywalker. I think about that last conversation with Luke. I know Kalonia spoke with him, but let's be real, I was the last person to interact with Luke before he decided to just up and leave everything. What if I said something? What if I did something? What if it's my fault?"

Kaydel grabbed the sides of his face and pulled his head down, "Look at me, Poe. None of it is your fault. Do you hear me? Do you understand? It wasn't your fault."

Poe closed his eyes and took a deep and shaky breath. He let the feeling of oxygen flowing in and out of his lungs as a way to cleanse his soul. He took another breath, then gently removed Kaydel's hands from his face, and bowed his forehead against hers.

"I know," his voice was calmer, stronger, but still held a slight tremor, "but still I have to live everyday with the thought that somehow I could have changed everything… I loved Ben, Kaydel. He was like my annoying little brother. And that's why I hate him now, because he destroyed the people who loved him… all for a vanity project. I want to kill him, Kaydel."

"Don't exaggerate."

"I'm not. I want to kill him. My blood boils at the thought that he is somewhere in this building. I want to hunt him down the way he hunted down Felicity and put a blast through his temple as easily as he did through hers."

"Poe-"

"I won't do it, though," he said. "I know that. I know I'm a better man than that, but I want it. The same way I want to break Captain Phasma's neck for murdering my mother. I won't kill him, Kay, but Ben Solo is dead to me. No, Ben may not have cut Rey Rhiaon Skywalker down with his lightsaber, but as far as I'm concerned, he murdered that little girl in cold blood. And I will never forgive him for that."

Kaydel took a deep breath and closed her eyes, processing all that Poe had said.

He looked down at her and his face fell. His darkest thoughts had been laid bare at her feet. Could she love a man whose heart held such darkness?

"Kaydel," he whispered, "I'm sorry if-"

"Don't," she put a finger to his lips. "I understand. It's alright, just promise me that you'll never act on these feelings. It's one thing to think them, but another to act on them."

A smile quirked his lips, "Are you saying I don't have your permission to murder Kylo Ren?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying," Kaydel smiled.

He stroked her cheek and felt the last of his tears drying, "Then I promise you, until the day I am granted your permission to do so, I will not murder Kylo Ren… but I do request permission to punch him in the face a lot if given the chance."

"By all means."

"Then we have a deal," he pulled her in for a kiss.

Two years later when Kaydel Ko Connix held a beaten, bloodied, and broken Poe Dameron in her arms, his wounds a consequence of being the victim of Kylo Ren's torture… she would grant Poe her permission to kill Ben Solo.


They stayed outside for another hour just talking, trying to collect themselves to face the others again. Some of their discussion was as heavy as Poe's confession, but for the most part they kept things lighthearted.

It was just as Kaydel had convinced Poe he was calm enough to go back inside the suite when they heard a voice from the next balcony over.

"I just can't believe the Supreme Leader put me on such a humiliating mission!" Kylo Ren exclaimed.

"You need to calm down," Sasa Ren urged. "It's not that humiliating. In fact, I think this will be a lot of fun."

"Fun, Sasa? This isn't fun! Let Hux wine and dine the elite. Or send Captain Anthea! It is her family after all."

"Excuse me, I am not telling Alecta Anthea to do this mission. That woman scares me more than Tara."

Kaydel's jaw dropped, "Is that-"

"Oh, shit!" Poe mumbled. Very slowly and strategically he tiptoed over to the crosshatched wood partition and peered through the flora. A few seconds later he hissed a series of very vulgar Yavinese swears.

"Poe," Kaydel chided, her voice a whisper. "Keep it down!"

"I don't believe this," Poe groaned. "It's Ben Solo and the redhead woman. Of all the suites they could be staying in. Kay, I don't know if I can restrain myself if we're next door."

"You have to. I'm not letting you go to jail for murder because of rooming arrangements." Kaydel took a deep breath, "Besides, think of the opportunity. We're right next door to them. This will make spying so much easier."

"Spying? Kay, we're not spying on them. We're going to get back inside and switch rooms as quickly as possible. It's too dangerous for Jaina and I to be so close to Ben Solo. We can't draw attention."

"And switching rooms in the middle of the night would draw massive attention. Poe, please."

He conceded, "Fine, but no spying tonight unless he get a reason. I just want to get you inside away from him. Please, Kay."

Kaydel sighed, "Okay. Fine. But we're telling the others what's happened. Including General Organa."

"Deal."

They were about to pull open the balcony door when one sentence stopped them in their tracks.

"I just wish I could be supervising the building of the new base," Kylo said.

Kaydel winced and Poe looked like he wanted to punch something. For safety measures, the Resistance was not required to stay near First Order personnel during spy missions if it wasn't part of the directive, except for in the cases of the three B's. Bombing, battles, and bases. Due to the importance of those three items, if First Order personnel mentioned any of those topics, the Resistance fighters were required to stay and listen to the rest of the conversation in an attempt to gather as much information as possible.

With a sigh, Poe nodded to Kaydel. She took off her earring, activated the recording device, and planted it into the balcony partition for the closest reach to record the conversation.

As she planted the device, she peered through the ivy to get a look at the scene next door. Sure enough, there was General Leia Organa's son taking to the redhead called Sasa. But it was a little more than talking; it was appeared they were in some sort of embrace.

"Hey," Kaydel whispered, "what information do we have on the redhead woman?"

Poe shrugged, "I don't think we have any. I don't have any off hand other than he hung off Kylo's arm at the reception, and a black Stormtrooper was always one step behind her. Why?"

"They're in an embrace, I think they might be lovers or something."

"Lovers?" Poe let out a laugh that was bit too loud. "Ben Solo has a lover. Sure, yeah. I believe it. Wonder how much he's paying her."

"Poe!" Kaydel scolded.

"Oh, come on, he's a murderer," Poe rolled his eyes. "Anyway, do we even have to listen to this? They mentioned a new base once."

Kaydel narrowed her eyes, "Do not let your feud affect your work, Poe. I don't care what's between you and Solo. What's between us and Holdo is more pertinent to me, and I don't need her to get anymore ammo. We're recording this conversation."

Poe and Kaydel were in a little bit of luck. Earlier that day, Poe, Snap, and Karé had played a few rounds of Sabacc on the balcony, so there was a deck of cards and a pair of dice on the table. They settled in the deck chairs and played a few rounds, vaguely listening to Kylo and Sasa periodically mentioning some new base, but mostly Kylo bitching about having to be on this mission while Hux was back on said new base doing his work for Kylo.

After about half an hour, Poe had managed to talk Kaydel into turning it into a round of strip Sabacc. He was running out of money for Kaydel to win from him, so he figured he might as well give her a show if she was going to beat him every right. Poe was in the middle of taking off his shirt to the enthusiasm of Kaydel when the conversation from next door took a turn he didn't like.

"Look, Master Kylo," they couldn't see Sasa's hand running suggestively over Kylo Ren's chest, "you need to relax. Sure, you don't want to be here, but at least you're here with me. No pressures to interrupt us. No Tara trying to murder me again."

"That is a plus. She's getting more desperate to get rid of you. I'm surprised she hasn't taken out a mob hit yet."

"Give it time. Now, come on. Relax. Let's have some fun while we're here. Nice dinners, some dancing, maybe a few spa trips."

"I heard there's a theatre in this resort," Kylo said. "Maybe I can get them to perform you some of that opera you love."

"You are the sweetest man alive," Sasa cooed.

Poe rolled his eyes, "I highly disagree."

"Shh," Kaydel hushed.

"Take a nice little break from all the pressures and the politics," Sasa continued.

"Well, not exactly," Kylo said. "Hux wants me to do up a report of all the things we still need to get for the new base. From personnel to materials. Ugh, it's going to be a nightmare, and you just know I'll forget to list something that Hux will throw in my face."

Poe and Kaydel's eyes brightened.

"Personnel and materials?" she mouthed.

"Jackpot!" he lipped back as they high fived.

"Well, how about this?" Sasa offered, "You tell me the list now and I can see what you're forgetting."

"You're going to stand there and listen to a boring list I have to make?" Kylo said.

"Of course not. I was thinking of… kneeling."

"Kneeling?" Kylo repeated.

Poe's eyes widened, "Kneeling?"

Sasa gave a mischievous chuckle, "How about while you list all your items, I do something to relax you? That way it's truly a vacation? What do you say?"

"What do I say?" Kylo grinned darkly and pushed her down, "I say get kneeling."

She smirked up at him, "And I say get listing."

And so they did… much to the absolute horror of Poe Dameron.

"I am not hearing this," Poe tried covering his ears, looking as pale as the snow on Hoth. "I am not listening to Kylo Ren doing that and saying that he's going to do something on the balcony to her afterwards. This is not happening!"

"Poe," Kaydel grabbed his hand. She looked him in the eyes, "Go."

"What?"

"Get out of here," she urged. "Someone has to stay with the recording device to ensure the machine is working, its placement isn't discovered or compromised, and to remove it when needed. But only one person needs to do that. I can do that for you, Poe. I'll stay and… and listen. You go."

"No, Kay," Poe said. "I couldn't ask that of you."

"It's okay. I want to do this for you."

"Why?"

"Because I love you too much to make you listening. Now, go."

Poe nodded and got to his feet. He scurried to the balcony door, but stopped when he reached it. He looked back at Kaydel and sighed.

"What are you doing?" Kaydel frowned as Poe returned to his seat at the table, the moans from next door getting louder.

"I'm staying," Poe plunked down in his chair. He pulled on his discarded shirt and picked up his Sabacc cards.

Kaydel blinked, "But Poe, you hate Kylo Ren. This is a nightmare for you. How could you sit here and listen to this?"

"Oh, Kylo!" Sasa's voice rang out.

Poe shuddered as Kylo gave a drawn-out moan, "Because… I love you too much to make you sit through this alone."

Kaydel smiled and reached for his hand, "Oh, Poe. You are the sweetest-"

"Don't touch me."

"Sorry."

"Just," Poe took a deep breath and winced as another of Ben Solo's moans carried to him, "deal me a new hand of cards."


Forty-five minutes later, Poe Dameron slammed closed the door of the balcony behind himself and Kaydel.

"You guys were out there a while," Snap said. "Jaina went to bed."

"Great," Poe replied through tightly gritted teeth.

Karé looked up from her HoloNovel and noticed how awkward and flushed the pair was, "Did you two have sex on the balcony?"

Kaydel stifled a giggle.

Poe just looked pissed, "I never have and never will have sex on a balcony for the rest of my life."

Karé looked at Snap in confusion, "What's going on?"

"Kylo Ren is in the room next to us," Kaydel explained. "We overheard him and that girl – Sasa, he called her – talking about some military information, so I used my earring to collect a recording. The problem is that Poe and I had to stay out there the entire conversation to make sure everything went okay."

Snap frowned, "Alright…"

"They were having the conversation during sex."

Karé and Snap winced.

"So, send this off to Tharel and Tico to process, because I am never listening to Ben Solo have sex again," Poe threw the earring on the coffee table. "Now if anyone needs me, I need to take ten thousand scalding showers."

The others just laughed as Poe stalked off into the fresher.

"I guess we'll need to find a way into the room next do and rig it for audio," Karé said. "I'll talk to Tharel and Tico, and we'll see what we can do."

"I can't believe it," Snap shook his head. "Not only do we run into the General's son at the conference, but we rent the room next to his… and have to listen to him have sex."

"Yeah," Kaydel nervously scratched her neck. "And you know what the worst part is?"

"What?" Karé asked.

"I'm actually kind of turned on." Kaydel glanced towards the fresher, "I'm going to go see if Poe wants some company in the shower."

Snap and Karé laughed as Kaydel scampered off to the fresher, a red tinge to her cheeks.

"So," Snap slung an arm around his wife, "how bad do you think that's going to end?"

"I'm going to say pretty bad," Karé grinned.

As if on cue, Poe Dameron's voice rang through the suite, "FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, KAYDEL, OUT!"

And Snap and Karé laughed as the very embarrassed Kaydel shot out the fresher not two seconds later.


"I just received word from Nixrye," Tara announced to the two men gathered secretly in her office. "Everything's set. By this time next week, Sasa Ren will no longer be a problem."

"Good," Hux crossed his arms, "this girl was never going to make it in a political climate such as the one we have in the First Order."

"You're just saying that because she won't sleep with you," Cern smirked.

"Sleeping your way to the top is a time-honoured woman's tradition of getting power." Hus glanced at Tara, "You won't quarrel over that?"

"Why would I? It's true," she said. "However, Sasa is already sleeping her way to stay on top. Your plan was never going to work, Armitage. We need to reduce her level, not raise her up higher."

"Which is exactly why I think we should be going with my plan," Cern snapped. "With one move, I can take down Sasa, Kylo, Wiln, and one more person."

Tara narrowed her eyes, "Betray me, and I cut your throat, Cern. I even know which knife to use."

"I believe it," Hux muttered. "Honestly, Tara, do you truly think we can trust… this person? We're talking about criminals."

Tara just smiled, "Yes, Hux, I do believe I can trust her. In fact, I'm the only person in the galaxy who cantrust her."

Hux raised an eyebrow, "Not her husband?"

"Oh, he's the last person who can." Tara looked between the two of them, "So, Gentlemen, do we have an agreement?"

Cern and Hux traded a look. Cern sighed and nodded. Hux flicked on the holo projector.

"Have you finished discussing?" an older, but highly groomed woman sat on a luxurious couch in the office of her private yacht. A signet ring hung proudly on her finger, and no matter what outfit she wore, she never hid the brand on her wrist declaring her affiliation with one of the most dangerous organizations in the galaxy… one she had claimed for herself exactly forty years ago.

"We'll take the offer, Lady Qi'ra," Hux announced.

"Good," Qi'ra said. "I knew Tara would bring you around. She's my…"

"Top Lieutenant?" Tara finished.

Qi'ra grinned, "Just promise you won't do what Dryden Vos' top lieutenant did to him."

"Don't ask me to make a promise I can't keep."

"Good girl." Qi'ra turned her gaze back to Hux, "Do you have any concerns, General?"

"How do I know I can trust you?"

"You can't. The sooner you learn that, the easier our dealings will be."

"With all due respect, Lady Qi'ra, I've had bad dealings with your husband in the past. If Ores is in anyway involved-"

"Laertes doesn't even have a whiff of this," Qi'ra assured him. "He's away dealing with the Guavian Death Gang if you must know."

"Attempting another acquisition?" Tara asked.

In Qi'ra's reign over Crimson Dawn, she had absorbed seven various notable syndicates and gangs into the fold of Crimson Dawn. It had been no less than marriage to Syndicate Leader, Laertes Ores that had sealed the deal between Crimson Dawn and Black Sun.

Surprisingly, the marriage was a happy one… well, as happy as a pair of backstabbing crime bosses who were always one miscalculated move away from murdering their spouse could be together.

Still, the man knew how to make her laugh.

"A very promising one," Qi'ra replied. "So, are we agreed?"

"On one condition," Hux said. "If things go south, the Supreme Leader must not find out that we were the ones to hire you."

"Crimson Dawn won't so much as mention your name during the operation," Qi'ra said. "You have my word. Trust me."

"I thought I was not to trust you?" Hux countered.

"Oh, good," Qi'ra smiled at Tara, "he does learn."

"Slowly, but perhaps has more merit than we give him," Tara shrugged. "So, you'll deal with the redhead?"

"Don't spare another thought for her, My Dear." Something softened in Qi'ra's eyes, "You know, you simply must come visit me soon, Tara. It's been far too long. Laertes and I have so missed you."

Tara gave a small, genuine laugh, "I'll see what I can swing, Mother."


Coming Up Next Chapter…

Bad Feelings About This

In the looming shadow of Crimson Dawn's plan, Poe and Kaydel try to avoid the faces from their pasts. But the inevitable collision will change everything when Kylo decides to taunt Poe by finally revealing what happened to Felicity Rhiaon's body. Meanwhile, Evan unknowingly sends a certain recording to Leia without properly screening it.

Yes, I know Tara had the whole line of my backstory doesn't matter, but when I watched Solo I got major Sasa and Tara vibes from Qi'ra's relationship with Vos, and I thought that Han would be having basically war flashbacks to Qi'ra and Vos when he saw Ben with the girls. Then I offhandedly joked to a friend about what if Tara was Qi'ra's daughter, started thinking about it, pitched it to a few friends, received great feedback on the idea, and went screw it. Ben Solo lost his virginity to the daughter of the woman Han lost his virginity to.

And yes, both Han and Ben will eventually discover this fact… it will be glorious.

Also, no, Han is not Tara's father. Laertes is. I know there's a lot of jokes about brothers and sisters making out, but we're not going all Game of Thrones up here with Kylo/Tara stuff.

Final note, as I was writing this chapter in which Poe pretends to be a guy named Kane, I learned that Oscar Isaac has also played a character named Kane in the movie Annihilation. …In which his wife is played by Natalie Portman. So there's apparently a movie that was shot at the exact same time as TLJ (Oscar would literally film one movie, have lunch, then go film the other which was in the same studio) in which Poe Dameron and Padmé Amidala bang.

…That's an image I won't get rid of anytime soon.