Glitter and Gold

Chapter 42

34 ABY – The Supremacy

As soon as Rey left her sight, the ship had rocked – hard – flinging Vex to the other side of the room. "Report!" she yelled into the commlink, wincing as she got back to her feet. Something in her side had broken. She'd felt the crack, felt the burning, sharp throbbing follow.

"The Rebels used the empty cruiser to drive through us!" Hux's panicked voice came over the comm. "We've taken critical damage!"

Vex started towards the elevator doors, hand pressed to her side. "What about the Vexation?" she questioned.

"In tact,"

A plan was coming together in Vex's mind. "Killtroopers," she said into the link.

"Unit Commander Alpha CN-2948 answering."

"Unit Alpha, to me en route to the hangar. Unit Beta, ready the Vexation. Unit Coda, escort all High Command officers to the Vexation's conference room. Unit Delta, escort all medical staff and essential officers to the ship. Unit Echo, gather the other Killtroopers and coordinate an evacuation of as many as we can,"

Crait

Only a few moments after Finn and Rose's tiny craft slid beneath the Rebellion stronghold's hull was another ship sighted. A small one. But expensive. Coming straight for them.

"That's Snoke's personal ship," Finn uttered in a fearful, reverent whisper. Poe's head snapped in his direction before he fixed his blaster in the ship's direction, a steely look on his tired features.

"Snoke would never come down here himself," Leia said, moving up to stand beside Poe. Her own expression was as hard as the man beside her.

The small craft did not try to slide under the hill, instead landing just outside it. The last remaining Rebels – perhaps forty in all – readied their weapons in wariness.

The ship's hatch opened. A young woman emerged first. Rey. Finn drew in a loud, rattled breath. It was only Rose's grip on his arm that stalled him from running to her. His first friend.

Then another emerged behind her. A man. Clad all in black, looking uncertain and perhaps even afraid. Kylo Ren.

Leia gasped at the sight of her son. Rey held her hand out to him, and after a moment of hesitation, he took it. Then Rey started towards them, dragging him towards them as if leading a child.

Poe bristled beside Leia, never lowering his blaster. The others didn't, either. But Kylo Ren did nothing. There were no weapons in his hands – not that he needed any. He followed Rey quietly, with frightened eyes.

Leia stepped forward as the two closed in. Her son found her eyes, and she was surprised to see tears in them. "Ben," she gasped.

"Mother," he echoed, sinking to his knees before her. Leia reached out, fingers hesitant to touch her son's cheek. "I'm sorry,"

Without a word, Leia drew him to her, arms wrapping around her son. Ben clung to his mother, fingers tight on her dress.

"Not that this isn't a touching moment," Poe spat, loath to lower his blaster. "But where the hell is Vex?!"

Near Crait

An old, rusty X-Wing appeared out of lightspeed amidst the Supremacy, broken in half. Burning. Just in time to see a cruiser – the Vexation – emerge from a burning hangar.

A small shuttle left the cruiser, heading for Crait. Then the cruiser disappeared, jumping to lightspeed.

The X-Wing idled for a moment, as if in indecision. A familiar Corellian freighter – the Millennium Falcon – streaked across the horizon, heading straight for Crait.

Then, finally, the X-Wing began its own descent to the salt planet.

Crait

Everyone was here. Rey. Ben, formerly known as Kylo Ren. Han Solo. Chewbacca. Even Luke Skywalker, crawled out from his hole finally. But not Vex.

Vex had stayed behind. Because someone had to command the First Order. Someone had to be the Supreme Leader. And, of course, it would be Vex. Who else would knew the First Order so well, and would not be tempted to darkness?

Poe resented it all. Of course it was Vex who would be made to suffer. Of course it was her, who had to bring this all to an end.

And then Ben, after all he'd done, had the nerve to ask him to take him to his son. Tell him it was what Vex wished.

That was before the shuttle had landed. Before three Killtroopers – complete with the black armor and Vex's insignia on their right shoulder – emerged from the shuttle. With no helmets. Just three identical faces.

They did not carry blasters in their hands or on their belts. They were unarmed. They came towards the Rebel stronghold with empty hands, all except for a datapad.

"We carry a message from the Supreme Leader! Lady Vex Valorum has sent us to your side – to your aide!"

It was Ben, with his father behind him that greeted the three Killtroopers. He who accepted the datapad and brought it to his mother, leaving the Killtroopers outside. "A video," Ben told them.

Poe crowded close to Leia, overwhelmed with the urge to see Vex's face. Hear her voice.

And he was wholly unprepared for it once it came. When her face came to the screen, he was struck breathless. His Vex, but not. She was pale and tired-looking, with a new, horrible scar crossing her face. Poe took in a swift breath.

Leia took his hand, eyes not straying from the screen. "Leia. Snoke is dead. I've taken command. They've accepted me…I was supposed to be his successor, anyway. I've taken the Vexation. The High Command. My Killtroopers control the ship, they obey only me."

Vex took a deep breath, wincing for a moment. Poe's jaw clenched. "It will take me a few days to sort things out. I must ensure the High Command stays loyal, that they will accept the change to come. I will return, then. You and I, we'll figure out what to do, then. How to restore the Republic. How to end the First Order."

She paused, looking beyond the camera. "The men I sent to you are loyal beyond reproach. SN-1347, CC-1431 and CN-1987 grew up alongside me, they were my first Killtroopers. They've brought supplies and provisions to last you awhile…They will aide you anyway they can," Vex sighed, rubbing at her brow. "I don't have much time," she raised her eyes back to the camera.

"The rest of this message is for Poe." Vex announced. Leia paused the video, eyes grave. She passed the datapad to Poe.

"Take your time, Poe," Leia said gently. "Han, Finn – help Vex's friends bring the supplies in."

Poe took the datapad, avoiding the many gazes of the other Rebels as he searched for a private nook. It took a few minutes, but finally he settled on a crate in an unoccupied corner. "Vex," he breathed, tracing the image of her face before restarting the video.

"Poe,"

Review, Please.

Thanks to my reviewers last chapter - Mstngsali1 and Han S!

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Much love, Suz Singer.