In a back alley behind the cantina, Devil fiddles with his disguise, a simple shirt under a brown cloak with black pants and well-worn boots. Pates fastens the buttons on her own cloak that conceal the First Order insignias on her less-immediately recognizable armor.
"This form of investigation is highly irregular Pates…but I gotta say I'm loving it," he admits out loud with an excitable smile.
"This is the first time I've seen you completely out of your Stormtrooper armor, isn't it?" Pates realizes.
He nods, "We almost never get a chance to get out of our armor, especially off-world. I'm feeling like a true scoundrel right now."
"Well, don't get use to it. We don't have much time."
Now ready, Pates and Devil enter the bustling cantina. The lighting is surprisingly warm, with lanterns strewn everywhere from the tables to along the hardened clay walls. Customers sit on intricately-decorated pillows and rugs, detailed patterns colorfully woven into them. Pates makes her way to the bar, DV-283 in tow behind her.
"What can I get you?" the Bardottan bartender behind the bar asks.
"I'm looking for the Patrak sisters. Heard they frequent this place," Pates tells the bartender, losing her Imperial accent to add to the effect.
"Huh, not even going to order a drink? You must really be desperate," the bartender chuckles, before turning back to clean a glass, "I haven't seen them tonight. No."
Unconvinced, Pates backs off, "Alright then. Just asking. I'll have an Arkanian Sweet Milk, and my friend…"
It takes a second for Devil to catch on, but he rushes to catch up, "Oh! Uhm, a Fuzzy Tauntaun please!"
Pates gives Devil a funny look as the bartender walks away to prepare their drinks. Devil shrugs, "What? I like the popping sensation it puts on your tongue."
She smiles knowingly, leaning forward a little, "Aren't Stormtroopers forbidden to drink?"
"Hey! I'm old enough to remember when we were still allowed one portion of Spotchka on Empire Day! Besides, you're smart Pates. I'm sure you're aware of the secret stashes some of the Stormtroopers set up in the barracks of the Finalizer?"
Pates nods, "Yeah, of course. Not that I ever reported them, I always agreed with Grand Admiral Sloane that the Stormtroopers should be allowed some personal freedoms-"
"Wait, you knew Grand Admiral Rae Sloane?! She's a legend, the first leader of the First Order, the voice I heard on the holonet growing up-"
"Keep your voice down," Pates reminds him, as her eyes scan around the bar, "…yes, Admiral Sloane was my mentor. She rescued Armitage's family and myself from Arkanis when it fell to the New Republic."
The bartender returns with Pates's Arkanian Sweet Milk, a nondescript white carton with a straw poked through the middle. Devil's Fuzzy Tauntaun is much more colorful, a tall glass of yellow liquid with a large cloud of cotton candy "fuzz" sitting on top of the drink. Pates gives the bartender a generous tip as Devil picks a piece of the fuzz off of his drink and pops it into his mouth. His head shakes a little bit from the fizzy effect.
"You know, your mentor being Grand Admiral Sloane makes a lot of sense," he points out.
Pates gives Devil a skeptical look as she sips her Sweet Milk from the straw, "What's that supposed to mean?"
"You're a lot more level-headed than the typical First Order officer, especially for someone so high up top. I've listened to every speech from all the generals and admirals, I mean, attendance is mandatory after all. But Grand Admiral Sloane always stuck out in my mind. She was always talking about restoring the might of the Empire for the greater good of the people. She really does remind me of you."
"'High up top'? I'm not exactly a member of High Command. Although I can understand the confusion, it's becoming less and less clear who's really in charge anymore…" Pates traces the top of the cartoon of Sweet Milk with her finger, "…for the longest time I thought Admiral Sloane would be crowned Supreme Leader. She was always so good at keeping the tempers of the other Old Imperials in check, imagine a force like that in charge? How different the First Order would have become…"
Devil nods, but he stops as he notices a group of First Order officers walk into the bar. Despite there being free tables in the bar, the officers make a point of strong-arming a group of local patrons out of their table, taking their drinks as well. Pates scoffs, rolling her eyes.
"That's the exact thing Admiral Sloane was against," she points out, side-eying the officers, "the First Order will be at a severe disadvantage if the galaxy perceives us as brutes and petty thieves. But the officer ranks are filled with self-important sons of Imperial nobles, and it's difficult to breed out arrogance."
"I guess you would know, being the daughter of a high-ranking politician," Devil reminds her, playfully mocking his friend.
Pates doesn't laugh, instead she gives a tired sigh as she watches the officers order another round, "…I guess you're right."
Two female Bardottans enter the cantina, the older one keeping a wary eye on the First Order officers at the other table. The bartender discreetly points them out to Pates, but before she can react, the officers spot them first.
"Hey you!" one officer, already red in the face and slightly slurring his words calls out to the older Bardottan girl, "You're the one who cheated me at sabacc!"
The younger Bardottan instinctively hides behind her sister, while the older one crosses her arms, "Then you should learn to be a better player. I beat you fair and square, and if you're looking for the credits I won, I don't have them."
Angry, the First Order officer takes out his blaster, "Then you'll pay with your life-"
"Officer! Sir!" Pates steps between the officer and the Bardottans before the officer can take aim, "There's no need for violence in a situation like this."
Not recognizing her, the officer raises an eyebrow in confusion, "Who are you?"
"A friend of the First Order. Sir, if it's credits you want, it's credits you'll get," from under her cloak, Pates reveals a cloth pouch full of gleaming gold Galactic Credits, "how often do officers get a shore leave like this? Putting your feet on the ground instead of constantly staring at the vast nothingness of the Unknown Regions. Now that the First Order rules the galaxy, you should be enjoying yourself, not picking fights."
The officer takes the sack of credits without a second thought, "Yeah…you're right. This is the first time in years I've been off-world. We're no longer in hiding - we should be enjoying ourselves!"
As the drunken officer runs off to order another round, Pates turns to the two Bardottan girls. The younger one, who appears to be in her early teenage years, looks up at her with a smile, while the older one crosses her arms in skepticism.
"And what's someone so loaded doing in a place like this?" she questions Pates.
Devil joins Pates as she shakes her head and chuckles, "Oh, c'mon, you didn't really think those credits were legitimate, did you?"
The older Bardottan's eyes widen, "Huh, no, I didn't. Smooth move there, and thanks for the save."
While the older Bardottan is clearly older than her sister, she's still much younger than Pates, a new adult compared to Pates's somewhat older confidence.
"I'm Jan, and this is my sister Penny," the older one introduces the two of them.
"Yes, the Patrak sisters, I've heard of you. I've heard you cause a trouble for the First Order," Pates reveals with a playful knowingness, "I'm Dena and this is Devil. We've been searching for people like us. Who would stand against the First Order."
"Sounds promising. But how can we know we can trust you?" Jan presses, challenging Pates.
"I think we can trust them," Penny suddenly speaks up, "I sense a Light side alignment from both of them."
Pates and Devil turn to each other briefly in confusion and concern, but their thought process is interrupted as several Stormtroopers march into the cantina, heading straight towards the Patrak sisters, "There they are! Arrest them!"
"Run!" Jan cries out.
The four of them make a run for it, leaping over the low tables and pillow cushions. Stormtroopers fire their blasters at all of them, and Devil, close to Pates, leans over to murmur, "I never thought I'd be on the opposite side of this!"
The group burst through the back door and dart into the dark back alleys of the Bardottan Capital City. Despite the Bardottans having shorter legs with only three toes, their knowledge of the layout of the Capital City keeps them well ahead of Pates and Devil.
Once they're in the clear, they all stop to catch their breath, and Devil tries to play it cool.
"Well…that was close! I mean, we could have almost been arrested by Stormtroopers! And who knows what would've happened to us?"
Pates raises an eyebrow at him, but Jan and Penny nod along in agreement, "You two are off-worlders…do you not know about the factories?"
"What factories?" Devil blurts out without thinking.
"The garment factories the First Order has been building on Bardotta ever since they took over. Anyone who can't afford to pay tribute to the First Order is sent there, and they don't come back," Jan explains.
Devil turns to Pates for a reaction, but she remains expressionless, as she responds to Jan, "Well, that's exactly the kind of thing we want to put an end to. My parents died when the First Order fired Starkiller Base, and now the people from the Hosnian System that remain roam the galaxy without a home to return to."
Devil is in even more disbelief at what he's hearing, but he remains silent as Jan nods her head, "I see…you're from the Hosnian System…I'm so sorry."
"We can help!" Penny perks up, "We can take you to the Resistance base outside the city! We have food and shelter-"
"No, Penny!" Jan rolls her eyes at the thought of her sister bringing up the Resistance base, "Well, I guess the Loth-cat's out of the bag. Yes, we're with the Resistance."
"I mean, it was pretty obvious to begin with," Devil admits.
"C'mon," Jan gestures, "we can take you to the base."
The four make it to the city limits to find a large patrol of Stormtroopers guarding the exit, with two First Order transports parked right at the gates. Pates sneers in frustration.
"That's right. The city's been sealed off in preparation for the execution of the queen."
"The queen's being executed?!" Jan, Penny, and Devil all react in the exact same fashion.
Pates winces, "Yeah…probably should have mentioned that sooner."
Jan is the first to recover from the realization, "Well, not that it makes much of a difference to the Resistance anyway."
Pates raises an eyebrow at this, as the group sneak around the various platoons of patrolling Stormtroopers, "I thought the Resistance would want to reinstate the queen's full power. Isn't that the whole point of overthrowing the First Order?"
This time, Penny speaks up first, speaking in tones much more confident and mature for someone her age, "We don't want to overthrow the First Order just so we can reinstate another all-powerful monarchy. General Leia wants to rebuild the New Republic, and establish a system of government that will better represent the needs of the galaxy."
Both Pates and Devil are shocked at how easily that rolled off of the child's tongue. Pates tries to respond, "I'm sorry, I'm just a little confused. I thought the leader of the Resistance is the princess of Alderaan-"
"Leia is a princess, but she prefers the title of general," Penny corrects her, "she doesn't believe in such hierarchical structures."
Pates is stunned silent by the young teenager, as she and Devil follow the two sisters to an abandoned clay hut. Jan punches in an access code into the keypad on the door and it slides open. Everyone enters the abandoned house, its surfaces dark and barren. Jan and Penny stand together in the middle of the floor, the two of them taking hands.
"What's going on-"
"Quiet. We need to tap into the power of the Force," Jan quiets Pates.
Pates and Devil look to each other in confusion, until the ground beneath their feet starts to shake. In front of Jan and Penny, the earthen floor begins to sink, revealing a staircase made from natural stone. The stairs leads to a pitch-black passageway, untold darkness stretching out into the unknown.
"Didn't know the Force was capable of something like that…" Pates murmurs to herself, but Devil also nods in agreement.
As soon as the passageway finishes its transformation, Jan turns back to the two of them, "These secret tunnels were created by the Frangawl Cult generations ago. The Resistance uses them now for safe passage in and out of the city."
"The Frangawl Cult? I thought the Resistance was all Light-side. Why would they be using passageways built by the Frangawl Cult?" Pates asks.
Penny shakes her head, "The Dagoyan Order doesn't ascribe itself to either Light or Dark. The Resistance respects that."
And just like that, Penny and Jan march straight into the deep, dark tunnel. Jan turns around to see Pates and Devil are still hesitant.
"Are you coming?"
"Aren't we going to need flashlights? Torches? Anything?" Devil questions.
Jan and Penny smile, "No. All we need is the Force to guide the way."
Pates takes a deep breath, before nodding and stepping down with them into the tunnel. However, Devil stays in place.
"'The Force will guide the way'? There's no way you're actually buying this. How can anything guide the way when we won't see a thing? We could fall to our deaths down there. Who knows-"
"Devil, it'll be okay. I've seen this kind of Force magic before…you just have to trust in it," Pates assures him, dropping the Resistance act for just a moment to give him a knowing glance.
Devil slowly calms down, before picking up his heavy feet to march down the stairs.
"Link hands, only together as one will the Force grant us passage," Jan tells the two humans, as she and Penny link hands, with Penny leading at the front.
Devil mouths Jan's words back to Pates with shocked disbelief. Pates gives him a serious glance, as she takes Jan's hand and extends the other to him. With reluctance, Devil takes her hand.
"Penny, feel the will of the Force flow through it. It will show us the way," Jan assures her sister, as the group begin to walk together into the total darkness.
Behind them, the stairway entrance begins to seal up on its own, the earth itself shuddering as the passageway is completely sealed, the last source of light fading away into deep darkness. Pates can feel Devil's hand shaking.
"So, both you and Penny are Force-sensitive?" she asks, while squeezing his hand in return.
"All beings share a connection to the Force. The Force can reach out to anyone, and anyone can reach out to it," Jan responds with a cryptic air.
Pates scoffs, "In my experience, it never really works out like that. Some can wield the Force, others can't. And whoever does holds ultimate power over those who can not."
"Only those consumed by the Dark side seek to wield ultimate power over others."
"I thought Penny said the Dagoyan Order doesn't describe to Light or Dark-"
"According to the Dagoyan Order, an imbalance of either Darkness or Light is bad," Penny clarifies, "someone can be consumed by the Darkness, or blinded by the Light."
"You know, some light right now would be really nice!" Devil shudders from the back, "I feel like I could fall to my death at any minute!"
"The Force isn't about what you can see, it's about sensing what can not be seen," Jan continues her cryptic sayings.
Penny spots a flicker of light shining from a crevice in a large boulder up ahead, "There!"
However, the light isn't natural, it's a bright red that seeps through the natural crevices of the stone tunnel. Devil runs to the front of the group to push on the stone door, until it rolls off to the side, secured to the passageway's exit by some unseen force.
As Pates's eyes adjust back to the light, she spots the source of the red glow: a massive First Order factory in the middle of an otherwise open field. It's a long drop down, and if it wasn't for the eerie red glow of the factory all that's visible from the mountainside is dark smoke. Pates turns around, disoriented, and behind her she sees the tall walls of the Capital City behind her, the palace just barely peeking out overhead.
"The Resistance base is just up ahead," Jan tells Pates, snapping her out of her train of thought.
The group trek along a measly path along the mountainside, the earthen rock spiraling upwards into the thinnest of stalagmites that reach up and past the thick layer of smog. As they climb along the path's winding angles, Devil presses a button on the communicator attached to his waist, alerting his platoon of their location.
They eventually reach an outcropping in the rock, the door painted to look like part of the mountainside. Jan knocks. A panel slides open from the door, then quickly slides shut again. The door opens, and an armored guard steps out. A short Bardottan male, wielding a heavy blaster that nearly dwarfs him in size, scrutinizes the group.
"Who're the off-worlders?"
"They're interested in joining the Resistance," Jan explains.
The guard looks Pates up and down, a stern scowl on his face, "Humans, huh…well, we need all the help we can get."
Pates fights to hold back her smirk as the Bardottan guard lets them all into the Resistance base. The tiny mountain cave is little more than a campsite, with a single terminal towards the front, and a fire pit with a cauldron of soup cooking over it. Sleeping bags and cots have been set up for the Resistance members in one corner of the cave, where a few now sleep or recover from injuries. Counting the less than twenty personal total in the base, Pates is confident that she could single-handedly slaughter every single one of them right this instant. But she doesn't.
"Ah! Penny, Jan, you've returned!" an elderly Bardottan male who'd been examining the terminal greets them, hobbling over to them with his walking stick.
"Father!" Jan cries, running over to hug the older Bardottan.
"That must be Ishaa Patrak," Pates quietly points out to Devil.
Devil gives Pates a concerned, confused look, "That's our 'wanted Resistance terrorist'? He's…so old."
"My children, you've returned!" he chuckles, his voice strained and hoarse, "I was worried the First Order had turned you into kebab!"
Again, Pates restrains her desire to scoff. Jan gives her a suspicious glance.
"And who are you?" the father turns towards Devil and Pates.
Regaining her composure, Pates tells him, "My name is Dena. I'm from the planet Asice. I'm assuming you're Penny and Jan's father-"
Out of the blue, Ishaa takes Pates's hand into his, his boney fingers clasping her hand with an unusual firmness, "…you are from Asice. I am so sorry."
Pates is taken aback. She struggles to form a response, "Oh…uhm…nevermind all that! We…we have more important matters at hand."
"Indeed. There will be time to mourn once the war is over," Ishaa agrees.
Pates lowers her head, "Yes…then we will mourn."
Devil puts his hand on Pates's shoulder as Ishaa presses a few buttons on the terminal, bringing up a rudimentary map of the Bardottan Capital City on the screen, "Presence of First Order troops has nearly doubled since the arrival of Kylo Ren on Bardotta. It's made any of our activity within the Capital City twice as dangerous."
"And what exactly is your 'activity'? Storming the palace?"
Ishaa laughs, which catches Pates completely off-guard, "'Storm the palace'? My girl, we can barely stand on our own two feet. Right now, our operation is mostly based on recruitment, and providing aid to the people. The arrival of Kylo Ren could actually be something of a blessing, with important First Order figures comes plenty of food and medicine that my agents can intercept-"
Just then, the door is blown open, and a platoon of Stormtroopers rushes in. Removing her cloak to reveal her stark black First Order armor, Pates draws her lightfoil on Ishaa and his family. Devil pulls out a simple pistol blaster, smaller and easier to conceal than the two-handed First Order shotgun.
"By authority of the First Order, you are all under arrest."
Both Pates's demeanor and tone of voice take on a completely new character, now in a position of power over the Resistance scouts, her determined eyes illuminated by the glow of her laser sword. The Bardottans reel backward at the sight.
"You! You're a Sith lord!" Ishaa points to Pates in terror.
Pates tries her best not to roll her eyes, "You flatter me. No, I am simply the Inquisitor to Kylo Ren."
"Whatever you are, prepare to die!" Jan pulls out a dagger and lunges at Pates.
Pates dodges her attack with ease, and tilting her sword away from Jan, she kicks her wrist, knocking the dagger out of her hand. Pates deactivates her laser sword to hit Jan with the hilt of the blade, and Jan is knocked to the ground.
The other Resistance soldiers turn on Pates, firing their blasters. Pates reactivates her sword to block their fire, while Devil and the other Stormtroopers return fire as the Resistance base descends into chaos. However, the Resistance outfit is no match for the First Order, and the firefight is quickly over as the Stormtroopers surround the remaining Resistance fighters.
"Search the base for weapons, and crack into their terminals. I want all of their communications traced," Devil orders the other Stormtroopers, his blaster still raised as he keeps a close eye on the Resistance members.
"Round up these Resistance scum," Pates follows, "have them taken on the next transport to the Supremacy. They will be processed according to the law-"
"What? You mean tortured for everything we know and then executed? Or taken as slaves in the factories or the spice mines of Kessel?" Penny snaps back, unfettered by Pates's sudden, cold change.
"Your fate will be determined as the law sees fit," Pates tells her, as the Resistance troopers are all led by the Stormtroopers towards the front of the base.
"Download any intel on their terminal and forward it to High Command! All Resistance are to be searched for weapons and contraband!" he finishes as he approaches Pates, "First Sister Laylesa, would you like me to pass the prisoners on to Commander Ren?"
Pates thinks on this for a moment, turning to look back at Jan, Penny, and their father Ishaa, who by now are in handcuffs and surrounded by First Order Stormtroopers. She puts away her lightfoil and turns back to Devil.
"I shall process these prisoners myself. They will be taken back to the Supremacy for trial."
Devil hesitates, leaning in a little closer to Pates to speak with her privately, "Uhm, Pates, are you sure that's a great idea? I think Commander Ren would want a say about what to do with the prisoners-"
"You know Commander Ren as well as I, he wouldn't hesitate to slaughter the prisoners right where they stand. There are children here…would you really want their blood on your hands?"
Devil leans back, processing that thought, "Well…you're boss Pates-…I mean! Inquisitor!"
Jan hears Devil's last remark, and looks upon Pates with disgust, "'Pates Laylesa'? I know that name. Daughter of the politician, right? And isn't your father like…royalty or something? Huh, no wonder you're with the First Order."
Devil turns to Pates for her reaction, but she doesn't respond, and another Stormtrooper approaches them, interrupting the thought.
"Inquisitor, we've searched the base. Some of them had simple blasters on them, but otherwise they weren't in possession of any weapons," the Stormtroopers report.
"So they were a scouting unit," she thinks aloud to herself, before turning back to Devil and the other Stormtrooper, "alert the Supremacy of the prisoners. Perhaps one of them knows about the assassination attempt on Kylo Ren-"
"Or…we can discover that right now."
Pates and Devil turn around to find Kylo Ren, his dark, hulking figure standing at the entrance of the Resistance base.