I paced the bridge consumed by worry and annoyance. How long does it take for him to find a planetary population? Agonizing minutes passed before Ren notified me where the Kiroans were held.
I snapped my fingers and a host of clones traveled to the hanger with me. "We will retrieve you, get ready!" I shouted at him. I took a transport down to the surface again. I held my breath, stepping off the transport. I was poised on the cusp of victory when it all came crumbling down.
The land erupted in a hail of blasters. Everyone crouched instinctively.
"The Rebels are here!" A storm trooper yelled. The tell tale scream of high pressured air announced the arrival of jet fighters. Their unfriendly color and symbol painted boldly on the sides announced their allegiance to the Rebels.
"Kill them!" I screamed into my com and after a half dozen heart beats, some of my Tie fliers in pursuit, routing them and pushing the enemy planes away from us. My company let a collective breath of relief but I didn't give them long. "We need to go!" I jumped on a speeder and led my troopers to Ren's beacon. Lasers bit at our heels as we flew to the location the Knights were.
I arrived to a scene of complete chaos. Deceased Troopers littered the ground like dirty snow, their armor glinting dully in the dim light. The Knights lingered uncertainly around as Ren engaged with a young woman wielding a green light saber. They danced around each other, their sabers weaving in a deadly dance. I was proud to see my lessons paying off. Ren wasn't letting her near him, keeping her at bay and his guard up. "Ben come back, everything will be forgiven, your mother is here!" She pleaded. I resented the girl immediately. She was pretty in way that was so pure it was almost painful. Reminding me that I wasn't. I wasn't full of hope and joy and laughter. That was beaten out of me by my own family so that I can conquer. And I wouldn't trade that for the world.
I shouted at him. "Commander Ren disengage! Lead us to the Kiroans! Freeing the Kiroans is our first priority." With his helmet on, I couldn't tell if he had heard me. I charged forward, activating my own saber.
"How did you get that?" The girl gasped.
"I know you! You were that servant! Reyna!" I snarled. "You infiltrated my ship! You gave the information to the Rebels that I was going to Kiros!" I slammed into her with a shower of sparks and unleashed a barrage of blows. Ren backed off in surprise. The girl fended me off well but not well enough. I burnt her cheek as I swept the saber at her. Her reflexes kept her head on but the hair on the back of her head was shorn. I tightened my lips and flew into a directeur and then an assault. She was stronger than me, I calculated as I parried, but not as familiar with a sword. The sword was a part of me, an extension of my wrath, my ambition and I used all to my advantage. I ducked under her guard and with an elegant balestra, disarmed her and sent her saber flying away. "You really should have invested in a martingale." I shifted my hand into a pistol grip and slammed the butt of my saber into her temple. I shook my numb hand as a Knight came running.
"All the bridges are out Commander, Admiral," He reported.
"Find somewhere we can cross!" Ren shouted he seemed to pull himself together but his helmet made it difficult to read him. He looked at me and shook his head. I shrugged and we left the girl behind. They found a narrow place to fire cables across. Oh sweet void it looked bad. I swallowed looking at the swaying cables. It gave the word faith a new meaning. I looked down at the ravine and at the courageous storm troopers zip lining across or using their jet packs to fly. "Let's go!" Ren glanced down at me, sensing my hesitation. "Don't worry," he said quietly. I licked my dry lips oh I was going to worry alright. "I'm fine, right now only the Togrutas matter." But while I said that, I accidentally looked down. My head spun, I felt sick. The chasm beneath was so deep and full of stalagmites. If we fell, death was as inevitable as gravity. I tried to move my feet but all I could attempt was one shaky step.
Ren put his arm around me and before I could think zipped down the cable. I shut my eyes and prayed that I would be able to open them again. I held onto his neck tightly and only was able to breathe when we landed. "You alright?" Ren asked. I nodded and turned to the Knights, "Lead us to the Kiroans."
They led me to the edge of a crater and inside were the Togrutas. They were chained to the stones they were forced to mine. The men turned to me. "Free them, I'll contact the ship." As the Togrutas were being freed, I spoke to my rear Admiral. Bad news, the flag ship was the only ship large enough to hold all the Togrutas but it was too large to hover over the crater without blowing us all into space. I rubbed my forehead in frustration. Ren jogged over to me. "What now, Admiral?"
"We need to move the Togrutas out of the crater and across the ravine to the plain where the ship can pick them up. It's going to be time consuming and dangerous." I furrowed my brow and he put a hand on my shoulder but I shrugged him off. I gave him a venomous glare that said not here and not now. He dropped his black gloved hand and listened silently as I outlined my plan to move the Togrutas. I watched as the weak and emaciated people stagger out of the crater. Even exhausted, they seemed thrilled with the thought of freedom. But so many were weak, many of the women had to be carried. Some were crying, clinging onto their saviors' necks and others were too stunned to do anything but stay still in my trooper's arms. I watched nervously as the women and children were moved first. "Ma'am, please go with them," a trooper pleaded. I stared at him, there was only one trooper with the audacity to worry about his superior.
"Commander Cody?" He nodded in confirmation. "It's not safe here, you need to lead them to the ships." I shook my head, "No, I have to direct them from here. I have to make sure we have them all." He wavered looking between me and a group struggling with the elderly. "Go, Commander, I have Kylo Ren with me." Cody relaxed marginally and gave me a salute. I watched fondly as the young man clattered away.
After an hour all the Togrutas have been evacuated. I was hooked up to the cable and I turned when I noticed Ren freeze. "What's wrong?" I said in alarm. "She's here." He hissed through the respirator. I watched as the young woman I defeated crested the edge, sprinting towards us. She held her light saber in an offensive grip. "We need to go," I said urgently. Ren nodded but didn't even look in my direction. "Ben." At his name, he looked at me. "I'll hold her off, don't worry, I'll be right behind you." With a gentle push, I flew across the ravine.
The cable bounced and my heart stopped. Next thing I knew, I was falling. Down, down, down towards the ground. Down, down, down. If this was the way I was to die, I was not going to beg or cry. I turned and stared up into the glorious infinity of the blue sky. I spread my arms like a bird and felt my hair unravel. It streamed upwards in river of stars. How ironic that I, who spent my life so high up in the endless void of space would die splattered in a bloody pulp on the ground. "Apollo, I'm coming home." I closed my eyes.
Something slammed into with enough force to crack my ribs. I shot sideways and slammed into the side of the ravine. I rolled with that thing down the side accumulating bruises and abrasions before we landed on a small ledge and mercifully the headlong roll to the underworld stopped. "You ruined my death!" I said indignantly thrashing my bruised limbs to free myself. "You're welcome," Ben groaned. "Ben!" I threw my arms around his neck. "What happened?"
Ben wrapped his arms around me and twined his hands in my silky hair. "Ben..?" I asked uncertainly. He buried his face into my neck. "I saw you fall. Once Rey's companions cut the ropes. I thought." His voice caught and he held me tighter. "I thought you would die." His voice was husky and raw. "So you just jump in after me?" I scoffed. "Because Artemis, no one before or after you will mean a damn thing." He whispered. I took off his helmet and slid my hands into his luxurious hair and stroked him until my hands stopped shaking. I looked into his remarkable eyes, dark and long lashed but they were dull.
"Artemis, I can't move my legs."
xxxxxxxxxx
I looked at him in total despair. This frustrating man who valued his independence so much was now paralyzed? "You'll be fine," I lied, silvery tears running clean tracks down my filthy face. "Don't worry, the medics and doctors will take care of you."
Ben grimaced. "I won't walk again." I squeezed his hand lacing my bone white hand in with his ivory colored fingers. "Don't worry," I lied again.
"Lady Tarkin!" I looked up, squinting at an ARC trooper's bright lights. The super commandos had found us. "Careful!" I cried, "He has a back injury!" They nodded and carefully loaded Ben onto a med stretcher, I reluctantly released his hand. "Ma'am," a trooper held out his hand. I grabbed it and he helped me up. He apologized curtly and secured a cable around my hips to his own waist. "Hold tight milady," he said and pushed off into the air.
"Captain..?"
"Durge, Ma'am."
"Captain Durge, take me to the bridge.
"Affirmative, ma'am."
We flew to the ship and He set me down on in the hanger. I ran to the bridge. "Captain. Coordinates 0.32, 0.43, .76 fix neopulsar prototype A on their flag ship. Fire on my command." I panted. "First mate, contact the Rebels and put me through." The officers on the bridge saluted and rushed to their stations.
"This is Grand Admiral Tarkin and I want to speak to your General." I snarled.
"Uh, I'm sorry but she isn't here. Can I take a message?" A cheerfully insolent voice answered. I ignored him and spat out my ultimatum. "5 minutes. I give you 5 minutes to put me through to your General or my fleet will kill all the slaves in my hold." I wouldn't actually kill the Togrutas but they didn't need to know that.
A second later and a matronly woman flickered into view. "Well Admiral, I am General Organa and you have my attention. What are your terms for surrender?"
Surrender?! I almost shrieked. "How dare you presume-You have 10 minutes to call off your attack or-"
"Or what? You won't kill your assets."
I smiled in bladed serenity. This old hag was too clever by far. But she underestimated me I am a woman too and I know exactly where to twist the knife.
"or Ben dies." She froze. "He's here," I spoke very softly, in a golden pear-drop of a voice that was as mild as the bite of an adder. I had put 2 and 2 together. The only person who could forgive him was someone powerful in the Rebellion leadership and the only person who would is his mother. By process of elimination the only leader of the appropriate age was Leia Organa. "Would you risk his life? I suppose you would. You weren't any good as a mother were you?" I did not have to speak loudly, everyone leaned in to listen, and you could hear a pin drop in the terrified silence that followed me around like a shadow. in that same quiet gentle voice, as sweetly pure as the stab of an icicle I said, "You abandoned him to play politics, to parent a dying Republic instead of your own flesh and blood. You gave him to a homicidal uncle to train like a monkey. No wonder he turned his back on you." Organa staggered, I was spot on. Instead of relenting, I went for the kill. "Ben is paralyzed, he's completely vulnerable. For the sake of your neglected son, will you stand down?" Organa collapsed in her captain's chair, all her pride and elegance blown away as if by a solar wind and what remained was a withered old woman. She waved her hand in defeat. "Stand down, Poe."
"Wait, General, what are you doing?" The formerly arrogant man asked with a satisfying amount of concern. I turned back to the screen. "Peasant. This is your last opportunity. Do you surrender?" I asked disdainfully. "No!" The man yelled defiantly. "Very well," I looked at my captain. He nodded and gave me a thumbs up. "I advise you to get out of the line of fire. Not that I care if you get fried but it's the least I can do," I said magnanimously. "Fire." I went to the window and watched the prototype canon fire an intense ball of pure energy-gamma rays I believe-It slammed into the Rebel fleet close to the speed of light. My ship rocked from the blast. I watched with detached satisfation. The blast radius was massive, rippling outwards. The flagship was obliterated along with all the bombers that surrounded it. Stupid. Putting all those bombers next to the flag ship. The explosion from my pulsar canon detonated the bombers and they all went up in a glorious inferno. I watched the fireworks with deep satisfaction. The cannon performance far exceeded my expectations. In one fell swoop I obliterated the flag ship and 75 percent of their navy. I watched as escape pods and ships scuttled out like flies from a corpse.
I sobered, remembering all the Togrutas in my hold. "Take us back to Kiros." I commanded and went to the hold, Durge in tow. As one the Togrutas knelt at my feet thanking me. I announced to them that we would be taking them back to Kiros and allowed them to celebrate.
An elderly man approached. "Milady, can I speak to you? I am Governor Roshti." I sighed, "Yes, come with me."
"Captain, you are dismissed." He saluted but didn't move. "Milady, this is for your safety," He rumbled. I looked at the governor skeptically. Roshti looked so small and beaten, it was hard to believe a frail old man like him can try to harm me but who knew what he was capable of. He followed me placidly into my office and waited as I sat wearily. I reached under my desk and pulled out a chilled bottle of water. I poured the Togruta a glass which he accepted gratefully and I served myself. We drank in silence until I placed my glass down.
"Now, governor, what did you want to speak to me about."
He asked us whether I was going to occupy his world how they would pay tribute and everything else. He was quite thorough. I glared at him mildly. "You have given this much thought. I need to be careful around someone as perceptive as you." He moved and Durge tensed but relaxed once he saw that Roshti was merely bowing. "Yes, in slavery I had much time alone with my thoughts. Not to be rude but you seem distracted milady." He raised he lowered eyes meetin mine. His tired brown eyes were astute and intelligent.
"Yes I suppose I am. A valuable asset of mine is injured badly."
"I know a great healer," Roshti lit up; "She performs miracles."
"What do you want?" I asked warily. "Nothing, just protection." He said tiredly.
"From what?" my eyes narrowed. "The slavers," Rosti waved his hand. I relaxed, "Of course. First, contact your healer." He nodded and I dismissed him. Finally I was left alone. I closed my eyes, what next? I wondered.