When Stars Collide -Chapter 1
Collision Course
When stars collide like you and I,
No shadows block the sun.
- Sir Elton John
The Galik system past the outer rim was known for being all but deserted, and Rey hoped her mission would prove more fruitful there than it had been on Kas'shaar. Her small inconspicuous LT-312 Model light freighter had served her well over the last year, though it was only outfitted for short trips and wasn't ideal for long interstellar voyages. It didn't require a crew, and that was all that mattered.
It's only a press of her comm before she connects, and the warm voice of General Leia Organa floods her speaker.
"How are you dear?" She says, her voice kind and mothering. Rey can't help but feel her heart swell at the sound.
"I'm good," she says, letting the smile seep into her words. "I'm headed to the Galik system. I should be another few weeks. But I'm heading into wild space so I won't comm again until I head back, don't want to chance pirate interceptions."
"Of course," Leia replies knowingly. "But whenever you're ready to come home, you know we'd be glad to have you back. Finn misses you."
"Please tell him I miss him too. And Rose!"
"Anything you want me to tell Poe?" Leia can't hide the smirk in her voice.
"Ummm," Rey pauses. She's really not sure what to say to him. She knows he's shown concern for her, in a completely different way from Finn as well. Almost a little too much concern. She'd been trying unsuccessfully to dodge his advances for the last few months, this mission seemed like the perfect opportunity to create a little space.
"Say no more," Leia replies with a soft laugh. "I'll tell him you're doing well and you're busy."
"Thank you."
"Of course, dear. Hurry home alright?"
"I'll try," Rey replies.
"May the Force be with you," Leia says kindly.
"May the Force be with you," Rey can't help the smile. "Goodbye."
"Bye dear."
The comm clicks. Leaning back in her seat she studies the viewport and the stars. She closes her eyes, reaching out to the Force like Luke taught her. Searching for something, anything. But, there's nothing.
She stifles a yawn, she'd been in the outer rim nearly a week and hadn't felt anything from the Force. No tug towards any one planet. She stretches in the cockpit and drapes a blanket over her shoulders, hoping to catch some sleep before arriving at her destination. She closes her eyes, they're so heavy she can barely keep them open.
The persistent buzz of the comm frequency jolts her awake from her peaceful slumber. She checks her coordinates first on the blue screen in front of her and then opens to receive the transmission. She's been given clearance codes that have all worked, there's no need for her to worry. But she does anyway.
A garbled transmission fills her ears, requesting her clearance code and model ID. It must be a First Order vessel then. She's slightly thankful it isn't pirates, she's already dealt with pirates once on this little trip, and she has no desire to have another run in. Especially because of the fact that so many of the pirates participate in the skin trade, it makes her shiver at the thought.
With an abrupt click, the transmission ends, and she checks her list of approved codes on the screen. She highlights one she hasn't used it in a bit, but she's confident it will work.
The sting of a leather glove against his cheek, and then the harsh cold voice of his father, "You always were such a disappointment. My only son. A pathetic, sickly thing. A weak child. And a weaker man."
Another smack of the glove against the side of his face. Even in dreams, it makes him flinch, makes him almost cry out in pain.
It always started like this. It was always the glove first and then the actual fist. It was always a monologue expounding upon his failures. But at least in his dreams, he could do something about it. He could manage to fight back. But he rarely does. He's still paralyzed by fear. Fear of what, he's not sure.
Another strike, but this one was the back of his father's open hand. He could almost feel the blood pooling in his mouth from the split lip. It tasted of tangy copper. He looked to meet the hateful eyes before him.
General Armitage Hux's eyes sprang open, he sat up quickly, sweat beading at his temples. His hands shaking, vibrating with adrenaline as he clenches them into fists. No matter how many times he's dreamt of his father he couldn't help the fear. Even knowing that his father was long since dead. It always seemed that something of Brendol Hux had been kept alive all these years. Something of his father that lived inside him.
He had been lounging in his private sitting room. His feet up, resting on the plush ottoman and his datapad had slumped on his chest in his sleep. He'd only been away from The Finalizer for six days, but he was already weary of space travel. He was a new passenger aboard the First Order transport cruiser The Starcrow. He'd told them he had been on a mission for the Supreme Leader Kylo Ren and needed transportation to one of the outer rim planets to complete his assignment. It was a special mission, top secret, he'd told them. He'd rather it be believed he was still aboard his Star Destroyer.
"General?" Captain Entelis asks cautiously peering his head around the corner. The lounge was only one hallway down from the bridge and the other officers aboard had been smart enough to avoid the General. Most hadn't even seen his face. He was grateful for the privacy. The Captain, however, had found every excuse to interrupt him.
"Yes, Captain?"
"We've picked up a signal of a nearby vessel," Captain Entelis says, "a small single pilot cruiser, model and clearance numbers all check out, but I thought you'd want to know."
"Where did it come from?" Hux asks. There weren't many vessels out in this part of the outer rim, so close to wild space and if there were they usually belonged to pirates. He didn't want to take any chances. The Starcrow was only a transport cruiser after all, not a star destroyer. And although it had several TIE Fighters and pilots aboard it wasn't prepared for a full assault. And wild space pirates were extremely dangerous.
"Last recorded docking was on Ganero," Captain Entelis replies. "Not a transport cruiser, probably just a person looking for trade work."
"Perhaps," Hux says thoughtfully. "Best to hail them anyway. We don't want any surprises on our trip."
The static buzz of the comm fills Rey's ears again as she glances down at the screen. They were hailing her. She froze. This was not good.
She closes her eyes; apparently, this trip was about to become a lot more interesting. She accepts the call, by firmly pressing the button and takes a deep breath.
"This is Captain Veracin Entelis of the First Order. State your name and business," the sound was static but the tone clear and commanding.
Rey licks her lips, "My name is Net Ah-Te, I'm on my way to the Barroh settlement in the Galik system, looking for work."
The comm clicks twice, and then another voice comes over the speaker.
"Repeat your name please," the voice says. It's cool and collected. The accent is similar to that of Coruscant, maybe? She's not sure exactly, but it's a familiar voice, even if it is only because of the accent.
She takes a moment to calm herself. In. Out. Feel it, feel the Force around you.
"My name is Net Ah-Te," she repeats, trying to keep her voice steady.
"And what is your business?" The voice asks. The tone is sour and cold.
"I am on my way to the Barroh settlement. I'm looking for work," she says again, trying desperately to push down her frantic thoughts. She's rehearsed this conversation a thousand times, she even has a forged work order permit in case they ask. She's prepared for this over and over. She takes another deep breath, letting it wind through her.
"We will be pulling your cruiser aboard for inspection," the voice says matter-a-factly. She swears she's heard that voice somewhere before. It's commanding in a way that makes her want to balk. It presumes too much.
"I really must be reporting to the Barroh settlement," she answers hastily. "Or I'll lose my chance for work. I have a work permit!"
The comm clicks again, but there isn't any response. She's beginning to have trouble controlling her fear. Taking stock of her options she only really has two choices. She can allow them to pull her in by tractor beam and inspect the ship, or she can run. She weighs both ideas for a moment. They'll recognize her for certain, her face is plastered all over the galaxy. There's even a bounty on her head. Thankfully she's wanted alive.
Her decision is already made for her she realizes, and she begins clicking in the necessary coordinates for a lightspeed jump, hoping desperately they haven't already started tracking her.
And just before the tractor beam locks onto her vessel, she makes the jump.
The jump to lightspeed is smooth, and she watches the stars shoot by out of the viewport. She wants to breathe a sigh of relief, but she knows they could still follow her.
Reach out with your feelings.
She closes her eyes for the briefest of moments. She feels it around her, the pulsing energy, the connection to everything. It calms, it soothes. It circles her, the tendrils winding around her, through her. This is alright. The Force is willing this to happen. She need only to listen.
When she finally comes out of lightspeed, she's in the middle of wild space, some 50 parsecs away from her intended destination, though right above a small blue planet. It's so dark, there can no spaceports, no thriving metropolis', no ships on this small orb. She barely has a moment to decide on her next step when The Starcrow comes in rapidly from behind. It lurches behind her with all the grace of a dog on a wet floor.
It's only a moment before she recognizes they're preparing to fire at her, and she jerks into action. She's a good pilot, maybe the best in the Resistance, though Poe might argue with that. Finn would probably take her side, just to have a chance to tease Poe. She can't help but smile at the thought of her friend.
Friends.
They're the reason she's out here in the first place.
She can't outrun the bigger cruiser, but she can give them hell. She turns her small ship around and fires her turbo lasers as she slides past the craft, nearly touching it with her vessel. She needs to reach the control towers that operate the sensors. Once she knocks those out, it'll be a nightmare for them to find her and she ought to be able to make another jump to lightspeed without them tracking her.
She lets loose one well-aimed turbo cannon blast when she hears the scream of TIE fighters behind her.
Kriff!
General Hux recognizes her voice over the comm instantly, that smooth accent he knows so well. He can tell it's her immediately. The way she emphasizes the word settlement is particularly telling. But he isn't quite sure how to proceed. There's a bounty on her head, and he wants her alive. Well, the Supreme Leader wants her alive. He doesn't give a damn either way.
If he succeeds in capturing her, he will have to explain the Supreme Leader, why he wasn't aboard The Finalizer. Though, he muses, he might be able to take her and still complete his mission. It's a gamble. So much the better if he gets the girl AND his prize.
At least he might be able to use the girl as a distraction for Ren. Then he might have a chance to implement his plan and finally overthrow the ridiculous excuse for a Supreme Leader.
He assumes that making it look like a routine inspection will have her guard down, but then she's jumping to lightspeed and he's ordering them to follow her.
He waits patiently during the lightspeed travel. He has never been one to hurry things along. He knows the importance of time.
Leaning back at the console he props his feet up and waits. This was what he was trained for, wasn't it?
When they slide in above her small vessel he wants to smirk, he almost does, but then she has the nerve to turn her small craft toward them, to attack. He supposes Ren won't mind if its an accidental death.
"Send out the TIE fighters," he's screaming, not quite realizing that he's usurped control of the vessel. But Captain Entelis doesn't object.
There are six of them behind her, six screeching TIE fighters. She closes her eyes for the briefest second, focusing on her instincts. She dodges laser cannon fire and manages to take out two of the sensors in one swoop. All she must do is follow the pull of the Force.
Flying so close to the larger cruiser makes her craft fly slower, but it also means she's under their shield, so it's that much easier to damage their vessel. She turns down the control access port and fires on the artillery cannons along the base of the craft but must pull up suddenly when the access port abruptly ends.
One of the TIE fighters nearly has her locked on, she can sense it behind her. And then almost immediately after she senses it, the computer system goes bright red, indicating they have her in their sights.
She fakes a spin out just in time for the TIE fighter to shoot past her and then she's firing, and one of her shots hits the side of the TIE sending it spinning into the control deck below.
She turns back to The Starcrow, two more sensors and she ought to be able to get away without them being able to follow her or communicate with the rest of the First Order vessels. They would be sitting ducks. She smiles at the thought. Only one First Order ship down, how many hundreds to go? A small victory for the Resistance but she will take anything she can get.
Though she's focused on the sensors, she's able to take out another of the TIE fighters that was following too closely behind her. The other four separate in an attempt to block her way. But she's been in tight quarters before, with bigger ships even, and soon she's spinning past them and taking out another sensor.
One more to go.
"She's taken out three of the four sensors!" Hux cries, "If she takes out the last one we'll be cut off from all communications!" He knows he's panicking, but that has mostly to do with the fact that their ship is far too small, and he hasn't commanded a group of this paltry size in almost a decade.
"What would you recommend sir?" Captain Entelis asks urgently, his tanned face creasing in worry.
"Use the ventral cannons!" Hux nearly shouts.
"This is an older model vessel," Captain Entelis interjects. "Imperial cruiser model. We don't have ventral cannons!"
It takes him all of two seconds to come up with another plan. Obviously, he can always just send in more TIE fighters. He's about to give the command when the girl's small ship careens past their viewport, and he can see her take out another TIE fighter.
Captain Entelis is nearly frantic and signals to the command deck to send out more TIE fighters just as The Starcrow's control deck is hit by the pilot seat of a downed TIE fighter. The clanging screech that follows is painful, shattering several of the viewport's glass layers and splintering two of the control towers.
Immediately following the crash is a horrendous booming sound and a grating shudder. The floor begins to vibrate, and then part of it implodes sending bodies and bits of machinery everywhere.
The explosion flings Hux and the Captain up into the air and then slams them back to the plastetic ground. The impact is jarring as the Starcrowlurches to the side and Hux is sent skidding across the chrome floor.
His teeth rattled and his chest throbbing, Hux pulls himself up off the floor, clinging to the side of the first officer's console. He glances around for Captain Entelis, but one look at the old man tells him he won't be getting up. His head has cracked open against one of the hard control panels, and blood is slowly winding its way down the paneled flooring.
The only thing that makes sense is that the girl has taken out one of the support engines, though it could have just as easily been taken down by one of the destroyed TIE fighters.
Red lights are flashing and loud sirens blaring in his ears as he tries to stand, but must cling to control panel, his whole body aches. He pulls at his large black overcoat to straighten it out and tries to assess his situation.
None of the consoles seem to be working, and he's finding it increasingly difficult to keep his feet on the ground. From what he knows of ship mechanics this can only mean that the artificial gravity generator has suffered a hit and soon the cabin pressure will be gone along with all the oxygen. He has to get to an escape pod, and he has to do it now.
No, no, he has to get his bag. His datapad is in there, holding confidential information. He can't chance the Supreme Leader or one of his lackeys finding it. They might sift through his things and discover what he's truly been up to this whole time. He has to make it to his sitting room first. If he has his bag, he still might have a chance.
He lets out a soft curse in basic and nearly pinches the bridge of his nose before realizing that would be a fatal error. He'd be pulled toward the splintering viewport and out into space if he lets go of the console. Instead, he clings to it and uses it to pull himself towards the hallway and his room.
He doesn't have much time. If he's lucky, he'll find a planet with a First Order garrison that can help him. If he's not lucky, then the ship's crew will be nothing but skeletons within the week and Kylo Ren will be left to wonder what happened to his General.
It's a difficult journey, as the ship now seems to be hanging almost sideways, but he's thankful for all the consoles and paneling lining the halls. Though he curses the fact that so many First Order ships are built without any thought to guard rails.
It takes him nearly two minutes to get to the lounge, another to grab his bag of personal belongings and then he's headed to the escape pods.
He's not sure exactly what the Starcrow's location is in wild space, but there must be a settlement somewhere he would be able to land and get transportation back to a more crowded metropolitan area.
When he's finally pulled himself into the coffin-like escape pod, he makes sure to secure his bag and then his own harness. He keys in the directions and sets his jaw. He hates what comes next, the slight lurch and then the odd feeling of pressure as the escape pod jettisons. He can't manage to release his grip on the handrails inside his pod, his gloved hands tightening as he tries to focus on anything other than the black view of space before him.
It only takes two more well-aimed blasts from her cannon, and Rey has taken out the last sensor. She can't suppress the grin of satisfaction as she begins to input the coordinates for her next hyper-speed jump.
But the jolt from the ion cannon blast that hits her engine nearly sends her sprawling, red lights flashing again. It seems one of the TIE Fighters has come back around and locked onto her. She checks the readings on the monitor and finds her fuel reserve is leaking, one more hit, and she's likely to go down in a flaming explosion.
She furrows her brow, she knows there's nothing for miles, no sentient life anyway, not this far out in wild-space. But there is a planet nearby that seems to have a frequency beacon she could use to radio the Resistance.
The monitor beeps urgently, and she sees that the TIE Fighter behind her is preparing to fire again.
It all happens in only a few seconds, but she dashes for her single escape pod, grabbing her staff and emergency kit, she only has so much with her, but she must make sure the Jedi texts are safe. She slides into the escape pod and slams the door shut. Another two seconds and she's typed in the coordinates.
Then there is the familiar hiss of the escape pod separating from the ship and the jolting throttle as she descends on the blue planet below. The TIE Fighter's blasts connect with her ship just as she's separated, and her escape pod is thrust towards the sphere at an increasing rate of speed.
Just before it passes out of view, she sees a large fragment from her ship slice through the TIE fighter sending it spinning into The Starcrow's main viewport. There is no sound in space, but she can imagine the earsplitting explosion that follows.
The reverberation of the explosion sends her escape pod spiraling down to the blue planet at a dangerous velocity. She closes her eyes and reaches out to the Force, desperately hoping she can use it to slow her descent.