Chapter 14 - It Was An Accident, I Swear
Earlier
Ben grit his teeth as he put some elbow grease into getting the rust off the wiring in the Falcon's actuator port. Even with the help of some solvent, it was taking a while to do the repair. Yet it was cathartic and took his mind off of the suppressor cuffs' detrimental effects. The afterglow of spending thirty glorious hours with Rey had faded when an engine blew up in his face during the work shift and he hadn't gotten a warning through the Force like he normally would have. If he'd had full access to his abilities, he would have been able to anticipate the explosion and prevent getting sprayed in the face with a fistful of shrapnel! Baso had plucked the metal shards from his skin with no tenderness whatsoever and Ben had almost bitten his tongue in half to keep from shrieking in pain. She'd sealed the small wounds with a bright pink paste and now he looked ridiculous. He'd seen the other mechanics suppressing smiles as they caught sight of his polka-dotted clown face and then erupt into howling laughter as soon as they were out of sight. His face had yet to stop being the color of a ripe tomato, which only made the contrast with the paste more ludicrous. So when the shift had ended and everyone else had gone to get dinner, Ben had declined to go with them.
"You need to eat, Skywalker," Baso scolded him as she loomed over him with her hands on her hips.
"I'd rather finish these repairs," Ben told her as he dipped the rag into the rust-dissolver again and reapplied the cloth to the wiring.
"It can wait until tomorrow," Baso insisted. "Let's get going. I'm starving and I want some hot grub while it's fresh."
"I'm not going," Ben didn't feel like socializing anytime, but especially not now when he looked so ridiculous. He had his pride, after all.
"This is why I never had children," Baso said, turning her gaze skyward. "TAM, GET OVER HERE!"
Ben jumped as her voice blasted over him.
"Yes, chief?" Aarzio popped around the Falcon's left wing with a quizzical expression.
"Watch him," she ordered. "He's still sulking."
"I'm working," Ben said sulkily.
"Sure thing, chief," Aarzio pulled up a seat and lounged in it as Baso walked away without a backward glance. He pulled out a nutrition bar and munched on it as he watched Ben. "Are you seriously still working? I get why you don't want to show that face in the canteen, but Baso's not here anymore to harp on you."
"I need this," Ben pulled the cloth down the wiring, eliciting a high-pitched screech as the rust and grime came free. "Anything to distract me."
"Yeah, that cuff thing sucks," Aarzio nodded around a mouthful of food. "I don't know how you stand it. I'd have killed someone by now."
Ben got a clean cloth and reached back into the port. There was a bundle of wires in the corner that was still caked with rust.
"Do you really think it's permanent?" Aarzio wondered. "I mean, I know Poe is searching for a solution, but think about it. What are you going to do if he can't take them off?"
"Aarzio," Ben shot him a vicious glare, restraining himself from shouting at the man as rage swelled within him. "I know you mean well, but shut up."
"Shutting up," Aarzio raised his hands defensively. "Food for thought though."
Ben redoubled his efforts to clean the compartment as his temper raged within his mind. He didn't even want to think about if the suppressor cuffs couldn't come off. What would he do? What was he without the Force?
He didn't notice for several minutes that there wasn't any rust left and he was starting to unravel the wiring. Disgusted, he dropped the rag on the ground and grabbed some pliers. With a few twists, the wiring was acceptable again. He was looking for the corrosion sealant when Aarzio's comlink buzzed.
Aarzio checked the device and sat up straight in his chair. "Damn it, I need to take this."
"Then take the call," Ben told him. He searched the ground around him and found the corrosion sealant hiding behind the tool kit.
"It's a private call," Aarzio checked his watch. "Sertali should have been here by now to take the next guard shift."
"She's probably still in the canteen," Ben said distractedly, not seeing what the problem was. If he wanted to make a run for it, none of them would be able to stop him. "Go find a private spot and take your call from Mixa."
He wouldn't be surprised to learn that the Zeltron was calling his boyfriend to relieve the tedium of waiting for Tawna to exit her tent. He certainly didn't want to listen to them having raunchy comlink sex.
"I don't think that's a good idea," Aarzio shifted on his feet, eyeing the comlink and getting antsy with each buzz. "I should-"
"I'm going to finish up here and then go back to my tent. I promise not to steal aboard a starship and fly away," Ben joked exaggeratedly.
"Not like you could," Aarzio gestured to the sentry on duty in the rebuilt watch tower. "But that's not the point. I'm supposed to watch over you."
"I think I've earned the right to have a little trust," Ben cut across him and folded his arms. "C'mon Aarzio. Have a little faith."
"Fine," sighed Aarzio. "I'll be back in a few minutes. Don't move from this spot."
Ben chuckled and opened the corrosion sealant jar and began applying it to the wiring in the open compartment. The man was treating him like an errant toddler.
"I mean it, Ben," Aarzio said seriously as the comlink buzzed insistently in his hand. He jabbed a finger at him. "Don't move."
He speed-walked away and Ben rolled his eyes. Really, what did Aarzio expect him to do? He could hardly move about without someone's eye being on him, much less board a starship and take off without being noticed. Ben continued to apply the sealant, nodding in satisfaction as the yellow liquid slowly turned bronze. Finally, something was going well.
A melodic series of beeps belonging to a droid sounded from across the yard. Ben perked up, listening closely. It sounded like-
"I don't know, buddy. He must have something on his mind."
Ben blanched. It was unmistakably BB-8 and Poe Dameron. He grabbed a small mirror from the kit which was usually used to get visibility in tight spaces. One glance was all he needed to confirm that he was still a bizarre sight to behold. The bright pink splotches had become muted as he healed, but now he looked like he had bad acne. He couldn't decide if that was better or worse.
"I'm sure he didn't mean to exclude you. Come on, let's go."
Ben cursed under his breath. He couldn't be seen like this. He debated which direction he could go in to avoid them. He wouldn't say he was hiding since that was an undignified action.
Feet pattered on the dirt, coming in his direction. Making a split-second decision, Ben bolted up the ramp into the Falcon. He'd wait just inside until Poe went past and then go back to his tent. No one would be any the wiser.
But his plan fell apart as he heard someone moving the tool kit he'd been working with and snap the compartment hinge closed. Shit, they were coming aboard the Falcon. He needed to get off. He took a step onto the ramp, but quickly backpedaled as BB-8 rolled into view, followed by a pair of brown boots belonging to Poe. Ben dashed into the gun well, speed-climbing down the ladder and squeezing himself against the equipment and out of sight in case Poe happened to look in.
Conversation filtered through the halls, indistinct to him, but there were definitely people accompanying Poe. The ramp hissed closed and Ben swallowed hard as he felt the ship rumble beneath his feet. The Falcon rose swiftly into the air and gave a familiar shudder as it entered hyperspace.
Great, now the whole base was going to think he'd escaped when he really was an unintentional stowaway, apparently flying away on a clandestine mission. Aarzio was going to kill him, assuming Poe didn't do it first. Ben wondered why the group was in such as hurry and where they were going. He hoped it was a short mission. He was starting to get hungry. He shifted and accidentally moved the chair. It squeaked, the sound traveling up the shaft.
A curious toot sounded at the gun well entrance and Ben inhaled sharply. In the reflective surface of the weapons console, he saw BB-8 peek its head into the gun well. It whistled, wondering what the noise was. Seeing nothing to pique its interest, the droid rolled down the corridor in search of something to amuse it.
Ben let out a sigh of relief, but didn't relax fully. That'd been too close for comfort. The roving droid was going to find him eventually. He needed to find somewhere secure to hide. Ben waited a few minutes and then climbed out of the gun well. He saw no sign of the droid and the conversation from the cockpit was low and continuous. Poe and the others wouldn't be moving anytime soon.
Moving as quickly and as quietly as he could, Ben moved a few feet forward to access the smuggling units. He'd just activated the secret catch and lifted the flooring when he heard BB-8 approaching from the cockpit. He hopped into the compartment and lowered the cover. And not a moment too soon as a few seconds later, BB-8 rolled overhead, humming a little jaunty tune to itself.
Ben sat there in the dark, uncomfortable as the ridges of boxes and tools poked his large frame. There were also some sticky gossamer strands that were probably spiderwebs. Great, just great. He stewed in annoyance as the ship traveled through hyperspace for hours, spending the time coming up with an excuse for his absence. He figured he could pretend he'd fallen asleep somewhere in the starship yard. It should be easy enough to convince the soft-hearted Resistance fighters that they'd just missed him during a search.
The ship rocked and toppled a metal box full of tools and spare parts onto his head.
"Ow!" Ben yelped.
Damn it, that hurt! He grumbled as he rubbed the aching spot. He reached out a hand to steady another box that threatened to fall on him as the Falcon swerved again. Then the ship stilled and the tell-tale bump of docking signaled to Ben that they'd reached their destination.
Footsteps echoed overhead and Ben couldn't breathe as he heard Rey and Finn overhead.
"Fuck," he spat as soon as he was sure they'd moved on.
If Rey and Finn were here, then he'd be found. They'd questioned sensing him now, but when they sensed him again when they returned, the jig would be up. They'd investigate and find him squatting in the compartment like a trapped rat.
"Fuck."
The minutes passed and Ben twiddled his thumbs, waiting for the inevitable moment where the trio would return and he'd be found.
Heavy hard-soled boots clunked overhead, jolting Ben out of his trance.
"Search this piece of junk for more rebels," ordered a hard voice.
"Yes, sir," answered another voice. "Spread out! Search every nook and cranny."
What the hell? Who were they? Ben stayed still as footsteps thundered overhead and items were tossed around without care. Luckily, these smuggling units were custom-made and not a part of the base configuration for the ship's model. Unless these people knew what they were looking for, they wouldn't find him.
"TK-6503, report your status."
Stormtroopers. Sith-bedamned stormtroopers! They were docked to a First Order star destroyer!
"We've located the enemy ship. There's no one aboard."
"Then the three we have are the only ones."
Ben's heart sank. The mission had gone awry.
"These Resistance fighters are wily, sir," cautioned TK-6503. "I recommend a more thorough search of the Retribution."
Strike that. They were docked to a fucking dreadnought. Ben wished Poe was here so he could clock him in the head and ask if he had brain damage. You don't take just three people and a souped-up freighter to infiltrate a dreadnought!
"Secure the ship and start a sweep of the surrounding sectors."
"Yes, sir!" responded the stormtrooper. "You two, stay aboard the ship. Search for anything of value we can use to track down their nest. The rest of you, follow me!"
Ben grit his teeth. He needed to save Rey. It was up to him. And he guessed he would save the other two as well while he was at it. He'd never wanted to play the hero, but the Force was determined to shove him into that role.
He listened closely for any movement and when the coast was clear, he lifted the cover and hoisted himself out of the smuggling unit. It sounded like one stormtrooper was in the cockpit while the other one was fiddling with the navicomputer. The engineering hold was closer to the airlock, but it'd be easier to overpower a stormtrooper there than to have a low-profile fight in the cockpit.
Ben snuck carefully to the engineering hold, giving the airlock a wide berth. He peeked around the door threshold to scope out the situation. The stormtrooper had his back turned to the door and was accessing the navicomputer historical database. If he was trying to glean the Resistance base location, he wouldn't have much luck. The computer had a mind of its own and wouldn't give out information if it didn't recognize the person requesting the information.
The stormtrooper looked to be of a same height as him, so he shouldn't have any trouble fitting into his uniform. Before Ben could make his move, the navicomputer beeped frantically and went into lockdown. Ben frowned. He'd only seen the system do that once when a hacker his father had been transporting had tried to steal the Falcon's secrets and almost gotten past the security. The stormtrooper cursed under his breath and typed a series of commands into the console. The system reverted to its normal settings and brought up the location log. A flash of white and orange sprang from the shadows with a spear of crackling blue light aimed at the stormtrooper.
"Ah, damn it!" yelped the stormtrooper as BB-8 crashed into his legs and zapped him with a miniature electroprod. Luckily for him, the weapon had hit the armor.
BB-8 beeped angrily at him, upped the voltage, and charged again.
"Stop it! Back off," drawled the stormtrooper as he fended off the droid. "I'm trying to-"
Ben took the opportunity and grabbed the stormtrooper from behind while he was distracted. He quickly disarmed the man and put him into a chokehold, pressing hard against his windpipe. The stormtrooper gasped and struggled wildly, but he was unable to make a noise to call for help. It didn't take long for the man to fall unconscious. Ben loosened his hold on his throat and lowered him to the ground carefully so his armor wouldn't clatter and make unwelcome noise.
BB-8 squeaked softly and rolled forward, fixing its eye on Ben. Somehow, its vision port conveyed a mixture of anger and censure. Tucking away the electroprod, BB-8 brought out the miniature flamethrower.
"Stop that," Ben hissed at the droid as he tugged the stormtrooper's helmet off, revealing the man's swarthy features and a heavy five o'clock shadow. It was most unusual for a stormtrooper to not take better care of his appearance in case of a surprise inspection. He unbuckled the chest plate and unzipped the jacket underneath. "Go check if the other stormtrooper is still in the cockpit."
BB-8 grumbled to itself and rolled slowly past him with its gaze fixed on him. The droid peeked into the corridor and did a scan. It beeped in a lower register, saying it didn't see anyone.
"Keep an eye out," Ben told it.
BB-8 chimed in agreement and then asked what was going on with his face.
"They've captured Rey, Finn, and Poe and you're asking about my face?" Ben asked incredulously as he put on the stormtrooper's uniform and snapped the armor into place. It was a tight fit since the man was slightly shorter than he was. "It's up to us to rescue them. No one else knows they're here."
BB-8 corrected him, saying Rose knew about the mission.
"It'll take Rose too long to muster a rescue squadron to come to their aid," Ben put on the gloves and strapped on the utility belt. "We're their only hope."
BB-8 asked what the plan was.
"I'm going to go free them. You're going to stay here and monitor my position."
BB-8 beeped rapidly, refusing to stay aboard while Poe and the others were in danger. It was coming with him.
"No, you'll give away our true allegiances."
BB-8 whistled angrily, saying it was going and that's final!
"Hey, what was that?" called out the stormtrooper in the cockpit, their voice echoing through the corridors.
Ben leveled a poisonous glare at the droid. Truly, it did not know the meaning of stealth.
"One of the Resistance's annoying droids!" Ben called back in a passable imitation of the unconscious stormtrooper's drawling voice. "I took care of it. I'll strip it for its memory chip."
BB-8 gave an angry whirring noise.
"Hush," Ben reprimanded the droid and grabbed some loose wires to bind the stormtrooper's legs and hands together.
BB-8 took offense and rammed into his ankle.
"Stop. If that stormtrooper catches us, a whole squadron will be on us," Ben nudged the droid away with his foot.
Finding some semi-dirty rags in the corner of the room, Ben grabbed one and stuffed the material in the man's mouth and secured it with some more wiring.
"We need to put aside our past grievances and work together to free them," Ben whispered urgently at the angry droid. "Agreed?"
BB-8 considered this and gave a nod. It beeped softly, saying it still wanted to go with him.
"Fine, whatever it takes to keep you quiet," Ben said as he dragged the unconscious stormtrooper to the storage lockers just outside the engineering hold. It was too risky to try and access the smuggling hold again. "Go check the airlock and see if anyone is stationed out there."
BB-8 rolled over to check while Ben stuffed the stormtrooper into the storage locker and triggered the lock. He grabbed an empty information databank from the navicomputer shelves and quickly entered a bunch of bogus locations and information onto it.
"I'm done here! The tracker is set up," called out the stormtrooper. Ben thanked his lucky stars he'd made the right choice of who to overpower. Now that he was listening closer, he could tell this stormtrooper was female. He may be okay at imitating voices, but he couldn't raise his pitch that much. "Do you need any help with the navicomputer?" Footsteps echoed lightly as she came down the corridor.
Shit. Ben snatched his helmet from the floor and put it on.
"It's giving me some trouble," Ben called back. "Do you have better access to the system from the cockpit?"
That should keep her busy for a few more minutes. He sprinted over to the airlock. BB-8 shook its head, signaling there weren't any stormtroopers on the other side.
"Come here," He gestured to BB-8 impatiently.
BB-8 rolled forward, getting in prime position to be picked up. Ben lifted it into his arms, grunting with the effort needed.
"How does Poe lift you all the time?" he asked as he descended the ladder one rung at a time. "You're heavier than I am!"
BB-8 whirred back. It was not that heavy!
"Yes, you are! Must be all those after-market mods Poe installed on you," Ben hissed back at it as they finally reached the shiny floor. He set the droid down. "Find a place to hide. Follow me when I leave with the rest of them. I'll give you a signal when I'm ready to make a move."
BB-8 nodded and rolled away. Ben hurried back up the ladder and into the Falcon. This stormtrooper armor was not conducive to climbing. He reached the top and was straightening his armor just as the other stormtrooper rounded the corner.
"Got some data from the navicomputer," Ben waved the bogus databank at her.
"Good, because I got jack shit," she said grumpily. "Let's get going. I'm gonna be washing rebel stench out of my armor for weeks."
Ben gestured for her to precede him down the ladder and she did so after flipping him off. He rolled his eyes and followed her back into the Retribution. A squad of stormtroopers were waiting for them. Ben swallowed hard.
"The data, sir," he overexaggerated the drawl as he held out the databank to the lead stormtrooper.
"Give it here."
The man swiped it from him and tucked it into his pouch. He was probably going to take all the credit for obtaining the information. Too bad for him the databank was worthless.
"Look alive, men!"
The female stormtrooper beside Ben let out an angry huff and snapped into position.
"We have orders to stay here and guard this ramshackle pile of rusty parts."
The others grumbled. It was stinky here by waste disposal.
Ben copied his fellow stormtroopers' movements even as his heart sank. His plan had hinged on being able to slip away while they were moving to another location. He didn't have that opportunity here. They were near secondary waste disposal and while it was a smart way to enter the dreadnought since there was less security in this area, there wasn't any way to sneak out. He needed a distraction. Where was that droid?
Out of the corner of his eye, Ben saw a flash of orange and white. Moving his hand down by his side, he signed in Aurebesh to tell the droid to make a distraction. BB-8 dropped from a port and landed with a thump on the metal floor. It paused before rolling into high speed past the squadron.
"SQUEEEEE!"
"What the hell is that?" screamed one of the stormtroopers.
BB-8 triumphantly chuckled and continued to make a racket as it sped down the corridors.
"It's a Resistance droid!" Ben shouted amid the panic.
"You two, after it!" the leader shouted, pointing at him and the other stormtrooper next to him. "Find the droid and decommission it!"
"I thought you took care of it!" the female stormtrooper growled at him as they clunkily chased after the droid.
"I did!" Ben shot back.
"Obviously not well enough!" she charged ahead.
The corridor led into a large comms room and split into multiple other exits. BB-8's mischievous chirping echoed from one corridor The stormtrooper ran ahead of him and she didn't see BB-8 in the shadows, waiting for them to approach like an apex predator. When her back was turned to it, BB-8 leaped out and zapped the stormtrooper with more electricity than she could probably stand. She didn't even get a chance to cry out before she crashed to the ground, unconscious before her head hit the floor.
BB-8 menacingly jabbed the electroprod at Ben as he approached.
"Are you crazy? What if that'd been me?" Ben reprimanded the droid. "And I said to cause a distraction, not announce to the whole First Order that we're here!"
BB-8 disengaged the weapon and retracted it almost reluctantly as it realized it was him. It whistled lowly.
"Yeah, yeah, it worked," Ben admitted as he looked around for a suitable disguise for the droid, preferably something extremely low-key.
His gaze landed on a portable waste bin. Ah, perfect. He turned it over, emptying it of wrappers, cardboard, and burned data chips before putting it on top of BB-8. The droid beeped sullenly.
"What do you mean, not again?" Ben asked it.
BB-8 ignored him and rolled forward, muttering incoherently to itself.
"Sometimes I wonder who has the bigger influence, you or Poe," Ben told it.
They found a computer system and BB-8 connected to a port to determine where Rey, Finn, and Poe were being held captive. It was standard operating protocol to hold captured prisoners in the detention cells, but which one?
Ben impatiently bounced on his heels as the minutes passed. Each second they lingered here increased the risk of discovery. The stormtrooper squadron leader was bound to be wondering why they hadn't returned with the droid.
BB-8 beeped and the information ran across the console's screen.
"Detention Block AA-23," Ben pictured a dreadnought's schematic in his mind. "It's not too far from here. Follow me."
BB-8 excitedly followed him through the winding corridors. They entered the elevator that would take them to the cell block. A junior lieutenant joined them, so they couldn't speak until the officer stepped off one level below the one they wanted.
"Let me do the talking, okay?" Ben said firmly once they were alone again. He could see BB-8 glowering at him though a slot on the waste bin. "We can't jeopardize this rescue mission."
BB-8 beeped in acknowledgment, but said it reserved the right to intervene if everything went pear-shaped.
"I'd expect nothing less," Ben sighed. He supposed that was the best promise he was going to wrangle from the droid.
The elevator stopped and the doors opened on the detention block. The lieutenant in charge and a dozen guards in black uniforms turned as one to look at him. He stepped forward, BB-8 closely following him. The elevator doors whisked shut. No turning back now.
"Another one of the Resistance fighters' weapons was found aboard their ship," Ben tugged a device out of a pouch on his hip. He had no idea what it was. "My commanding officer wants it placed in the lockbox with the rest of their items."
"Sergeant Childsen," The lieutenant snapped his fingers and one of the heavily-armed guards stepped forward. "Open the lockbox for him."
"Yes, sir," Childsen saluted him and nodded for Ben to follow him.
They walked to the side of the room away from the consoles where the pull-out storage spaces were. BB-8 pretended to perform maintenance on a nearby console.
"I'm glad they sent you," The sergeant pressed his hand against the wall and a section popped out with a hiss. "Boy, have I got a lot to tell you."
Fuck, the sergeant knew him. Or rather, he knew the stormtrooper he was impersonating.
Childsen entered a combination in the number pad and the container lid opened, revealing two blasters and a unique double-sided lightsaber.
"I can't believe we captured a Jedi," Childsen said excitedly, leaning in close to Ben. "Have you ever met one?"
"Can't say I have," Ben made sure to incorporate the drawl into his voice. The sergeant gave him a side-eye glance of suspicion. Shit. Was that not enough impersonation or too much? He placed the unknown device in the box. "What's this one like?"
"She gives me the chills," the man confided in him, looking over his shoulder down the row of cells. "Never met anyone like her. Not even Kylo Ren or Snoke could compare."
Ben almost bit his tongue in half stopping himself from angrily asking how the hell Rey gave off scarier vibes than him. Instead, he took advantage of the sergeant's distracted state to palm the lightsaber from the lockbox and clip it to his waist. He closed the lockbox and pushed it back into the wall before Childsen turned back.
"You'll get a chance to see her," said Childsen. "Trem is on his way up to personally interrogate them."
Damn, so that sadistic bastard Jadriel Trem was in charge of this dreadnought. The First Order general's values and practices were questionable even for the organization. He should have offed the man years ago before he got a taste for power. And that was his opinion before he factored in Trem's horrific action of violence against Finn and his lover.
"Which cell is she in? We should restrain her before the general arrives. For his safety," Ben did his best to wedge the Force into his voice to persuade the sergeant to see things his way.
The power resisted his influence like a stiff rubber band, but it wavered enough to fuel his attempted mind-trick. If he could get Rey out of her cell, they could liberate the others and escape before Trem arrived.
"Cell 2187, but I don't think we should do anything until General Trem arrives," Childsen looked unsure even as he provided the information Ben sought. "The last time we captured a suspected Resistance fighter, one of my fellow sergeants roughed him up before bringing him before Trem. This was before you got your current assignment. The general lost it. He killed my comrade for his audacity to take initiative."
"But surely-"
Ben attempted to argue, but the elevator dinged and opened to reveal Jadriel Trem and a squad of elite stormtroopers. The two red stripes on their chest plates were abnormally bright against the black paint.
"General," greeted the prison warden with a snappy salute. "We put the two men in one cell and segregated the woman in another cell per your orders. Here is the information we were able to find on the three of them." He handed over a datapad.
Trem reached out to accept the proffered device with long spider-like fingers covered by a black glove. He leisurely scrolled through the data and a wide smile crept onto his face.
"Excellent," he chuckled coldly. "I've been waiting a long time for this moment."
The soulless laugh sent chills down Ben's spine. The general's hand with the datapad dropped to his side and Ben caught a glimpse of the screen. Finn's face stared back at him.
"Bring the men out," Trem commanded imperiously.
His squadron of elite stormtroopers snapped to attention and drew electrorods. Or at least that's what Ben thought they were. His assumption was corrected as the weapons powered up. One side buzzed like a normal electrorod, but lasers spread up one side, forming a sharp, high-energy blade. It was remarkably similar to a lightsaber.
The stormtroopers followed one of the prison guards to the threshold of Cell 2187 and watched as he opened the door. Poe shot out and decked the guard in the face, knocking him out with one blow. He dodged under a strike from one of the stormtrooper's electrorods as Finn dashed out of the cell behind him to protect his back. The stormtrooper screamed in agony as they took him down and the deadly laser accidentally cut into him. Unfazed, Poe and Finn moved as one to attack the next foe, but the squadron was better prepared and responded as a group. Without weapons, Poe and Finn were soon overpowered and restrained on their knees with laser-powered blades held close to their necks.
"If you're quite done with that barbaric display?" Trem remarked drily, not having moved an inch.
He snapped his fingers and one of the stormtroopers hurriedly produced a small case. The general opened the lid and took out a collar made from small metal squares that gleamed brightly under the harsh light of the detention block.
"I've never understood why the Resistance exists," Trem said as he approached Poe. "It's a doomed cause. Why fight against the natural order when you can be apart of it and benefit?"
"Repression and destruction is not the natural order," Poe told him, hate and disgust clear in his eyes. "We want no part of your twisted fantasy."
"Many people have thought as you have," Trem said mildly as he hooked the collar around Poe's neck even as he strained to move away. "But they soon saw reason. Even FN-2187 here once believed in our glorious cause to bring peace and order to the galaxy."
The collar latch snapped shut abnormally loud.
"Believe what you want, but I always doubted my purpose until I met Poe and joined the Resistance," Finn retorted hotly. "Yours is the doomed cause. As long as you exist, there will always be people who will rise-"
Trem backhanded Finn viciously across the mouth, sending him careening to the floor.
"You bastard!" Poe yelled, flinging himself at the general.
The elite stormtroopers holding Poe hit him with their electrorods while the ones restraining Finn yanked him back up by the shoulders. Finn's eyes had a dazed, unfocused quality to them and blood seeped from three parallel slices high on his cheek above his bruised mouth.
"I'm particularly disappointed in you," Trem said dispassionately, accepting a handkerchief from one of his squad to clean the blood from the back of his glove. Silver glinted against the black material as the metal spines over his knuckles were polished to a shine. "You had such a promising career, FN-2187. A lieutenant well on his way to making captain within a year. Despite the little blip on your record, you could have risen far and accomplished so much." He grabbed a second metal collar from the case. "But now? Now, you aren't fit to lick the dirt off my boot." He leaned down and clasped the collar around Finn's neck, yanking it tight.
Finn spit in his face. "I've chosen the right side," he said hoarsely.
Trem smirked and calmly wiped the spittle off his face with a handkerchief. He passed it to his assistant and accepted a small remote. He pointed it at Poe and pressed a button.
Poe shrieked as his collar constricted around his neck whilst simultaneously electrocuting him. He convulsed and his eyes rolled back in his head. He would have fallen onto his face if the elite stormtroopers on either side of him hadn't been holding him.
"Stop it!" Finn struggled fiercely against his captors' holds. "Leave him alone!"
BB-8 whistled angrily, the strident tones masked by Poe's bloodcurdling screams. The droid rolled forward to go to his defense, but Ben grabbed the edge of its waste bin costume in time, exerting firm pressure to keep it still. Ben had been contemplating drawing the lightsaber and taking control of the situation, but the collars presented a unique problem. In the time it would take to drop the elite stormtroopers surrounding him, Trem could activate the lethal collars. And Ben would bet the remote was fingerprint sensitive.
Trem pressed another button and the collar deactivated. Poe sagged in the stormtroopers' grip, panting and holding back whimpers of pain.
"I see you've continued with your… unnatural proclivities," Trem said distastefully as he looked between Finn and Poe. "I wasn't certain some years ago when you and the other lieutenant were reportedly discovered cavorting with each other, but I was willing to overlook the matter with the understanding you'd learned your lesson."
"There's nothing wrong with a man loving another man," Finn shot back bravely. "You have no right to force your own convictions on others."
Trem pointed the remote at Poe again. Finn and Poe both flinched.
"Your love makes you weak and your unnatural desires are an abomination in this perfect world," Trem's eyes flashed dangerously with insane certainty. His words hissed through his teeth angrily. "General Poe Dameron is useful to me as a trove of Resistance information and nothing more. The only reason why I don't activate his collar to the maximum limit and watch him choke to death on his own spit is because he is valuable."
Finn swallowed hard.
Trem squeezed Finn's chin in a claw-like vise and smiled. "And because I like seeing the fear in your eyes," he said, once again in control of his emotions.
"I'll tell you nothing," Poe croaked through a scream-roughened throat, but his voice was unwavering.
"I've heard those words a thousand times over," Trem told him. "Don't make promises you can't keep."
Trem dismissed them with an arrogant wave. The elite stormtroopers dragged the men to their feet and moved them to the side of the room near the storage lockers.
"Let the Jedi out of her cell," Trem ordered.
"Yes, general," the detention cell warden said obediently, his voice wavering just a little with shock at the events transpiring here.
He entered a code into the console, allowing Rey's cell to be accessed. Another two elite stormtroopers drew their weapons and approached the cell door cautiously. They pressed the button and backed away quickly. Just as Poe had, Rey dashed out of her cell. Her hands were bound in front of her, but that didn't stop her from kicking one of the stormtroopers ten feet down the cell block corridor and thrusting out her hands to pin the other one to the wall halfway between the floor and the ceiling with the Force. The soldier clawed at his throat, desperately trying to get free of the invisible bonds.
"Young lady," Trem called out calmly, as if she'd only scratched the paintwork and wasn't crushing one of his elite stormtroopers into the vents. "Cease this distasteful use of brute force and consider your options wisely." He brandished the remote at Poe and Finn and the collars dug into their necks. "These kill collars around your friends' necks are-"
Rey dropped the stormtrooper and leveled her hands at Trem, rage in her eyes. The general choked as his breath was cut off, but his eyes only narrowed and his thumb closed on the activation button. Poe and Finn screamed in agony and crumpled to their knees. Rey released her hold, her eyes going to her friends. Two stormtroopers instantly grabbed her arms and held the deadly end of their electrorod-laser to her neck. Trem turned off the collars and coughed to clear his throat. He straightened his uniform lapels, uncaring of Poe and Finn gasping for breath at his feet.
"As I was saying, it's in your best interest to cooperate, young Jedi," said Trem, a hint of annoyance in his voice. "Tell me what I need to know and the pain I inflict will be minimal."
"You don't want to hurt any of us," Rey said, her voice washing over everyone with a sonorous, mesmerizing quality. "You couldn't be less interested in us."
The stormtroopers holding her loosened their grip, looking at each other in confusion. Ben was impressed by her skillful use of the Force despite the dangerous situation she found herself embroiled in. Her voice was convincing and was working on the weak-minded individuals.
"Why are these people here?" The prison warden was baffled they were holding these three as captives. "Release them. Childsen, return their personal items and escort them back to their ship."
Trem whipped out his blaster and shot him in the head. The man collapsed onto the detention cell console, which elicited an annoying drone. An elite stormtrooper dragged the body off the buttons and dumped it on the floor.
Trem holstered his blaster and glared at Rey. "Your manners leave something to be desired."
Rey swallowed hard and opened her mouth to spit curses at the general. Ben admired her spirit, but wished she had a little more self-preservation.
"Muzzle her," Trem scowled. "I've tired of getting lip and disrespect from you three. And I absolutely despise Jedi mind-tricks," He pointed a long, slim finger at Rey. "Behave, or I will shock FN-2187 here until he can't do anything but drool and mumble. I only need you and Dameron. You would be wise to remember that." He turned about, dismissing her.
An elite stormtrooper slapped an adhesive strip over her lips before dragging her after the general. Poe and Finn were pulled after them, still shaking from the effects of the nerve shocker.
"Told you she's a firecracker. I almost agreed with her," Childsen said brightly after the elevators doors whisked shut behind them. "What I wouldn't give to spend fifteen minutes alone with her."
"Indeed," Ben said calmly, even though all he wanted to do was bitch-slap the man into next week.
"What do we do now?" asked one of the prison guards as he stared at the lieutenant's body on the floor.
"I guess I got my promotion earlier than expected," Childsen shrugged, moving to take control of the console. "My old man would be proud. He was a lieutenant for the Empire."
Ben moved toward the detention cell block exit. He needed to catch up with the squadron before they could reach the interrogation room.
"Hey, man. Drinks later?" Childsen called out to Ben.
"Sure," Ben responded lightly, looking over his shoulder. He was impatient to go after Rey. Why was this infuriating man so intent on talking with him? "The normal place?"
"See you after this shift," nodded Childsen. "Drinks are on me."
Ben entered the elevator and BB-8 rolled in after him.
"Interrogation rooms are on levels 5, 12, and 28," Ben told the droid. "Which floor did they get off at?"
BB-8 whistled as it plugged into the elevator port and ran through the data. Level 12. The droid overrode the elevator controls and the doors opened on the right level.
Ben opened his senses, but frustratingly there was no pathway to connect him to the Force. "Which way did they go?" he was forced to ask the droid.
BB-8 scanned the floor for clues and then rolled off to the right. They quickened their pace but avoided an all-out run since they were surrounded by officers and stormtroopers going about their business. They rounded a corner and Ben sighed in relief as he caught sight of Rey's distinctive hairstyle among the small group being marched forward.
"They're getting close to a navicom center," Ben whispered to BB-8. "There are security protocols we can activate to close the doors and cut off any reinforcements."
BB-8 grizzled, vowing revenge on the First Order general.
"We need to wrestle the remote from him," Ben told it. "Stage a distraction once we're in the room and close off all the doors except the one we need to get back to the Falcon."
BB-8 beeped in acknowledgment and rolled ahead of him. It slowly made its way past the squadron, slowing briefly as it came to Poe's feet but just when Ben was fearing the droid had decided to alter their plan, it continued ahead. Ben closed in at the back of the pack. Rey turned her head, a frown coming to her lips. He sensed her mental presence and slammed up mind defenses. They couldn't let the general perceive anything that would arouse his suspicions.
The group entered the large navicom room filled with display monitors and a hologram table. As they reached the center, all the blast doors slammed shut except for one off to the side. BB-8 disconnected from the system's port and extended its flamethrower through a grate in the trashcan. Flames spurted into the air and BB-8 charged Trem with an earsplitting squeal.
"What in the blazes!" Trem shouted, stumbling backward ungracefully as he was almost roasted by the scorching flames.
The elite stormtroopers brandished their laser-electrorods and struck at BB-8. Their efforts didn't harm the droid as it was safely ensconced in the trashcan. Trem almost tripped over his feet in his haste to get away from the fire-wielding droid. Ben had to step back to avoid getting run over by the irate general.
"Cut that blasted, defective droid into a pile of scrap!" Trem shouted for his troops to subdue the threat. His face twisted with rage at having lost control of the situation.
Ben took advantage of his distracted state and grabbed Trem's hand with the remote, keeping the general's fingers immobilized with a firm grip. The red ignition button that would deliver shocks and an intensity-level selector were clearly marked on the face of the remote, but there was a smaller green button on the side. Praying that was the button which would release the collars, Ben moved Trem's thumb over it and pressed down hard.
A small beep came from the collars and Finn and Poe both flinched. With a quiet 'snick', the collars unclasped and fell to the floor. They were stunned for a split second and then turned on the elite stormtroopers, throwing punches and snatching the laser-blades from their bewildered grips. With Trem's only hold over Rey obliterated, she broke free of her captors and sent them flying with a burst of power. They crashed into the console panels and shattered the displays. She summoned a laser-blade and turned it on the First Order squadron.
Trem blustered as all hell broke loose and turned to see who was to blame for this. His gaze caught on the lightsaber on Ben's hip and he looked up at Ben, his face taking on a cold intensity. His gaze promised death as he drew his blaster. Ben pulled his arm back and decked him in the face. He plucked the blaster from his grip as the general crashed to the floor and aimed it at a stormtrooper who was lashing his laser-electrorod at Poe's back. His aim was true and nailed the elite stormtrooper in the chest, giving Poe the opportunity to cut the man down.
Ben ran to help Rey, who was being attacked by four of the elite stormtroopers. For once, the First Order stormtroopers were using some common sense while facing a Jedi. He dragged one of them back by their armor and jammed his blaster into the crease between the head and back shoulder plates. With one blast, the stormtrooper was dealt with. Ben fired the blaster at the next stormtrooper, but the energy bolt that came out barely singed the armor. Ben looked at the blaster's fuel level indicator and cursed as he saw it was low. Useless weapon! He threw it aside and physically grappled with the stormtrooper. Down to two on one, Rey stood a better chance against the deadly laser weapons and could actually attack instead of being on the defensive.
"You… traitor!" Trem shouted.
Ben looked out of the corner of his eye as he faced his opponent, but the general wasn't directing his words at him. Trem had joined the fight and produced another blaster. This weapon was small, likely having been stored in the general's boot. Finn was wrestling him for control of the weapon.
"Rebel scum!" Trem snarled as he slammed his fist into Finn's stomach.
Finn bent in half as his glove's spined ridges reinforced the blow, but he didn't relinquish his grip on the blaster.
"And proud of it!" Finn growled back.
Pushing through the pain, Finn straightened and twisted the general's arm and simultaneously delivered a punch to Trem's eye socket. The First Order general crashed to the floor in a heap. He tried to rise to his feet but halted as Finn aimed the blaster at his head. The hand that Finn used trembled.
"You never could pull the trigger," Trem smiled and let out a half-chuckle. Blood dripped from a cut on his eyebrow and the blood vessels had burst in his eye, turning it a demonic bright red. "Even now, when it's the man who killed your first lover and would happily to the same to your second."
Finn inhaled sharply, his hand shaking.
"You're no cold-blooded killer," Trem stated, his voice full of derision.
"No, I'm not," Finn agreed.
Trem put a knee up to rise.
"But you are," Finn whispered, barely audible over the din.
The sound of the blaster was deafening in the chamber. Jadriel Trem's body crumpled to the floor and the elite stormtroopers stared in shock. They shouted in anger and their attacks grew vicious. Poe went to Finn's defense as he stared blankly at the man who'd caused so much trouble for him and made him question his purpose and identity.
BB-8 whistled loudly, shouting for them to follow it.
"BB-8?" Poe asked, a smile coming to his face as he recognized the droid's voice.
BB-8 beeped in acknowledgment and led the way out of the room. Poe supported Finn, urging him to move and defend himself. The trio followed the droid, slashing at the stormtroopers who tried to stop them.
Ben jabbed his electrorod into his opponent's neck and the man screamed as he fell. He ran for the exit after the trio and BB-8. The troopers that were only wounded were shaking off their injuries and readjusting their grasp on their weapons.
As the trio crossed the threshold, Rey's hands stretched out and the blast doors slammed closed, the gears and mechanisms breaking as she used the Force to override them. The faded noise of a blaster sounded and the light on the door controls blinked out. Through the small window on the door, Ben could see Poe shout in triumph but then look down in confusion at what must be BB-8. Poe's mouth formed a 'What?' and he looked back into the room in shock.
Ben took off his helmet and gave Poe his most devastating glare and the middle finger. Is this the thanks he got for rescuing their sorry asses?
Poe's mouth gaped open as he stared at Ben. He was pushed aside and Rey took his place. Her eyes widened and she screamed his name.
Gears squeaked and metal protested as the blast door lifted a few inches. The damaged controls prohibited it from rising any further. It was going to take a lot more effort than that and they didn't have the time. The remaining three elite stormtroopers had recovered and were hacking into the door controls on the other side of the room. One of them shouted into his comlink for reinforcements.
"What are you doing here?" Rey yelled at him. "How are you here?"
"No time!" Ben told her. He could hear stormtrooper reinforcements arriving from both sides. Unclipping the lightsaber from his belt, he rolled it under the door. "Take the lightsaber and make your way back to Millennium Falcon. You'll have to fight your way past the stormtrooper squad guarding it."
"Not without you!" Rey vehemently protested.
The surface of the blaster door heated to an uncomfortable level under his palms. Ben pulled away. The metal in the center of the door turned a dull orange. Rey was trying to cut her way through.
"There's no time for that!" Ben berated her.
He turned and struck down a stormtrooper who tried to cut into his exposed neck with a laser-electrorod. Metal clanged at the opposite blast door as a stormtrooper squad tried to bust their way in. An elite stormtrooper was working hard to hack the door. Ben powered his laser-electrorod up to full power and threw it with deadly precision. The man fell to the floor and the remaining wounded stormtrooper took refuge behind the body.
"Get back to Falcon and take off!" Ben ordered. "I'll find another way off the dreadnought!"
"You don't know where the base is!" Rey frantically said as she exerted her strength trying to cut through the door. "How will you find us?"
"I'll find a way!" Ben roared, growing impatient. Every second they wasted on this pointless debate was another second the First Order would use to gather and deploy reinforcements. "Poe, get her back to the Falcon and take off without me!"
Ben put his helmet back on and moved to another door. His hacking skills were rusty, but he made steady progress in opening the service door. It had less security, but it was on the opposite side of the room. They'd be traveling in different directions, making it impossible for him to meet up with them.
"No! We have to help him!" Rey screamed.
Her voice grew faint as she continued to protest. No doubt Poe and Finn were dragging her away. Good. The service door latches released and the door opened. Ben made his escape as the other blast door opened and the stormtrooper reinforcements came through.
"The service door!" croaked the wounded elite stormtrooper on the floor. "One of them went through the service door!"
Ben cursed and ran faster. It was easy to get his bearings. All dreadnoughts had the same basic layout and he knew his way around one. Officers and uninformed stormtroopers stared at him as he ran past them, but he was uncaring of maintaining a low profile. His cover had already been blown and his armor marred with laser cuts and blood would only invite questions.
The starship hangar was practically deserted as every soldier had been called to Level 12 to hunt down the Resistance fighters. It was easy to knock out the officer manning the TIE-fighter acceleration tube and enter the sequence to initiate a launch. He ran to the TIE-fighter descending from its parking space into the launch tube. He disconnected the fuel tube and safety cable before boarding it.
There was a tingle at the base of his neck and Ben shivered. He powered up the navicomputer and buckled himself in as power flooded through the dyad he shared with Rey. Her form materialized before him. She was sitting off to his side in mid-air and her eyes flared with a mixture of fear and anger.
"Are you on the Falcon?" Ben asked, taking his helmet off and tossing it in the back.
"Yes," Rey responded in a clipped tone. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"You'd been captured," Ben said as the launch tube mechanism brought his TIE-fighter slowly to the launch tube. "What did you expect me to do? Stay aboard the Falcon and do nothing?"
"Why were you there in the first place?" Rey shouted at him.
"I didn't intend to be a stowaway," Ben snarkily shot back.
Rey looked away for a few seconds and then turned back. "Poe wants to know how you're going to escape."
"I'm stealing a TIE-fighter," Ben told her as he made the final adjustments. "Does Poe have any tips? Besides removing the safety cable?"
"This is no time for jokes!" Rey reached out and slapped him.
Ben's skin prickled where her hand passed through his face.
"What system are we in?" Ben asked as the launch tube powered up.
"We're near Vakkar," Rey told him, her voice barely steady. "Enter coordinates for Corsin. We'll meet there and then head for the base."
"I'll see you there," Ben tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for the launch tube to reach full power.
His attention was drawn to a commotion outside the port window. An officer was overseeing some stormtroopers setting up an E-Web blaster cannon.
"Shit," he muttered.
The E-Web cannon's legs engaged, burrowing into the shiny gray floor. Fuck this. At this range, the cannon would shred the TIE-fighter.
"What?" Rey asked intently, alarmed by the abrupt change in his mood. "What's wrong?"
Their connection fizzled and Rey's form started to fade.
"Nothing," he said hurriedly. "I'll see you soon."
Ben flipped the toggle to launch the TIE-fighter despite not having reached full power. There wouldn't be anything to launch if the stormtroopers managed to focus the cannon's formidable firepower on him. The acceleration pushed him back into his seat as the TIE-fighter was shakily thrust forward.
He made it about halfway when blaster fire concentrated on one of the launch tube's columns in front of the ship. The beam collapsed and fell into his path. There was no way for him to avoid it. The TIE-fighter slammed into it and a wing sheared off. Ben was left trying to clutch something to stop himself from being thrown around as the ship careened out of the launch tube. The broken TIE-fighter smashed into the walls and Ben's forehead exploded in pain as it connected with a panel. He barely registered the rush of cool air as the cockpit hatch was smashed open.
"Arrest this traitor."
"Yes, sir!"
Hands pulled him out of the wreckage and tossed him to the floor.
"Where the fuck is General Trem?"
"He's not answering his comlink, sir."
"Take the traitor to interrogation on 5 while I sort this mess out."
Ben's hands were bound behind his back before he was hauled to his feet and dragged away.
-oOoOoOo-
"Dank farrik! Answer me, Ben!"
Rey shouted in wordless frustration as her hundredth attempt to reconnect with Ben failed. She'd been trying to reach him through the dyad for hours now. What worried her most was how she felt nothing from him. No matter how far apart they were, they'd always been able to connect. Even here on a deserted plain on Corsin, she should be able to sense him.
"Anything?" Poe asked as he came around the bow of the Falcon.
BB-8 accompanied him, holding a hydrospanner.
"Nothing," Rey shook her head. "It's been too long. Something's wrong."
"We can't be certain he was captured," Poe consoled her, but his eyes belied his worry.
"He should have arrived by now. He was in a TIE-fighter and about to take off," Rey paced back and forth. "Just before I lost the connection, his attention was caught by something. He looked concerned."
She flexed her mental powers, extending them as far out as she could. She visualized her ability spreading out like a billowing blanket or tarp across the many sectors. The bright spots of millions of lifeforms illuminated in her mind's eye and she painstakingly searched for the one belonging to Ben.
An earsplitting screech of metal scraping against metal sounded and Rey opened her eyes to glare at Poe as her concentration slipped.
"Sorry," Poe shrugged. His muscles bulged as he tugged on a long, thin component stuck in the Falcon's second engine. It squeaked out inch by inch.
Rey closed her eyes and tried to concentrate.
"Agh!" Poe gasped.
Her eyes shot open in time to see Poe grimace in pain and his arm began to twitch uncontrollably. BB-8 whimpered and bumped his leg gently.
Rey ran over to steady him and channel healing energy into him. Guilt ate her up; she needed to be present for Poe. The effects of the malevolent First Order general's usage of the shock collar had hit Poe harder than Finn, possibly because Finn had natural access to restorative power of the Force. Finn was more affected by his encounter with Trem and reliving his stormtrooper days. Even though the general was one of the most unforgiving and ruthless officers of the First Order, it didn't sit right with Finn to shoot the man while he'd been unarmed and defenseless.
Poe sucked in breaths of the muggy air as the tremors eased.
"Better?" Rey asked gently.
"Yes," Poe nodded gratefully. "The attacks are getting farther apart. I'll be back to normal in short order."
"I'll feel better once Larma checks you over," Rey couldn't help hovering over her friend as he turned back to the Falcon and resumed tugging on the part in the engine. "I'm not an expert on nerve damage."
"I wish I could say I've had worse," Poe pulled hard on the piece, but it refused to come loose. "Could you help me get this debris out?"
Rey joined him directly below the engine. They both took hold of the debris and with their combined efforts, it came out with a squeal that grated on her nerves.
"This isn't debris," she said as she examined the shiny black surface of the part they'd pulled out of the engine. The end had been disguised with worn gray metal and flakes of rust. The main part had a series of red lights that blinked slowly. "Could they track us through hyperspace with this?"
"It's a possibility," Poe said grimly.
As he spoke, one of the blinking red lights turned solid green.
"Fuck," Poe uttered darkly, shoving the device towards her. "Find a way to shut it off. I'm going to check the rest of the ship and then we're taking off. BB-8, start a ship-wide scan!"
Rey nodded tightly in agreement even as Poe charged back onto the Falcon followed closely by BB-8. Another green light formed on the device. Blast.
She unclipped her lightsaber and slashed through the tracker. It let out a pitiful whine and the lights went out. They didn't have long until the First Order caught up with them here on Corsin. An hour, maybe.
"We might have less time than that," Finn appeared at the top of the ramp. He tossed a small chunky cylinder to her. This tracker also had a line of indicator lights and half were solid green. "I found this hidden in the cockpit."
Rey burned a hole through the center of the cylinder face to deactivate the device. They needed to leave. Now. Her thoughts turned to Ben and she reached out again, hoping he would hear her plea and answer. But there was nothing, not even a whisper. She opened her eyes and looked at Finn pleadingly.
"I tried, Rey," Finn shook his head. "I really did. All I got is that he's still on the Retribution."
"Nothing about his well-being?" Rey's heart sank.
"He's alive," Finn sighed. "But otherwise, I can't tell."
"I'll keep trying to reach him," Rey bit her lip in worry. It couldn't be a good sign that she couldn't reach him through the dyad.
"We'll get him back," Finn gave her one of his bear hugs that made her feel like she could overcome anything. "I've grown fond of the bastard. Poe has too."
Rey let out an involuntary chuckle. "Ben does grow on you. It just takes a while."
She replaced the cover over the second engine and they boarded the ship. Every cell in her body wanted to stay or to go back for Ben, but she exerted iron control to fight the urge. She couldn't be recaptured else all would be lost. They would cut their losses and return to base to formulate a rescue plan with the full might of the Resistance.
"Ready to take off?" Poe asked as they joined him in the cockpit. "I didn't find any more trackers."
"Ready," Rey affirmed. She flipped the controls for long-range sensors as the engines fired. "Long-range sensors are active. We'll see the First Order coming if there are any more trackers."
"I don't like the extra power drain, but I'll deal with it," Poe fired the engines and they rose into the atmosphere.
Corsin was soon fading into the darkness of space as they approached the hyperspace jump point. Rey kept hoping she would see the glint of a TIE-fighter, but only the stars twinkled.
The comm whistled. Rey's hopes were raised for a second before they were dashed as Finn decrypted the sender.
"It's Rose," Finn said as he accepted the transmission. Their friend's hologram popped up. "Rose, we're on our way back to the base. Gather our forces. We have a situation."
"It will have to wait," Rose replied, holding up a hand to cut them off. "We're mounting the attack on Canto Bight today. A huge event is taking place and the galaxy's wealthiest individuals are going to be in attendance. This is our best chance to strike and shut them down for good."
"We haven't found DJ yet," Poe noted as he entered new coordinates into the navicomputer. "Who's our slicer?"
"Wedge is bringing someone from his base," Rose informed them. "I've worked with her before. She's not familiar with the casino system like DJ is, but she'll get the job done. How soon can you join us?"
Rey examined the route. "You caught us just in time. We can take the Hydian Way hyperspace line to Cantonica and be there in a few hours."
"We'll be waiting for you," Rose nodded. "Safe travels."
The hologram dissipated.
"Looks like we'll be busy for a while," Finn reached out to her.
"Ben can take of himself," Rey said confidently. He was a grown man and had gotten into more scrapes than her. He'd be fine. "We'll go after him after we take Canto Bight."
A faint thumping reached Rey's ears. She frowned and turned her head around, trying to discern what it could be. "Do you guys hear that?" It didn't sound like the engines.
"It's… knocking?" Finn tilted his head as he listened carefully.
"Beebee," Poe looked down at the droid loitering at his feet.
BB-8 peered up innocently at him and beeped a question.
"Is there something you want to tell me?" Poe coaxed.
BB-8 beeped a 'no', but then tooted excitedly, rolling out of the cockpit.
"How did you forget there's a man locked in the storage?" Poe called after it in disbelief.
"A whole lot has happened since then," Rey shrugged as she and Finn followed the droid.
Ugh, she wished BB-8 had said something sooner. They could have off-loaded the captured stormtrooper on Corsin. Now, they'd have to make an extra stop.
Rey unclipped her lightsaber as they rounded the corner and the storage lockers came into view. BB-8 gently bumped the door to the one their captive was locked behind. She nodded for Finn to unlock the door on the count of three.
Finn swung the door open to reveal a dark-haired man in disheveled underclothes.
"Mmmph!" the man said as he tumbled out of the locker.
Electrical wiring and cables bound his limbs and parts of a cleaning cloth bulged out of his mouth underneath the cables securing it to his face. His dark eyes glared balefully up at her.
BB-8 whirred a warning and brought out the electroprod.
"Mmmm hmmph!" the man wriggled out of the locker fully and kicked out at the droid.
Rey guessed he'd run afoul of the droid's useful deterrent.
"You shouldn't have messed with us, then," Rey told him. She gestured with her lightsaber hilt for Finn to cut his bonds. "It'll take a while to reach the next inhabitable planet. Let's get our guest into a proper set of binding cuffs."
"I say we turn back to Corsin and dump him there," Finn took out a knife and sheared off the gag. He got to work on the arm ties. "It's no less-" He stopped, blinking in shock as he turned the man and registered his face. "You."
"Me," the man said, smirking slightly.
"Finn?" Rey asked, readjusting her grip on the lightsaber. She moved her thumb over the ignition button, ready for anything. "Who is this?"
A/N: This is probably why Ben hates playing the part of the hero. But don't worry, he'll get the hang of it. Any guesses about our mystery person?
Happy Halloween!