Halo
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A/N-thank you for the kind reviews on the last chapter.
Chapter Fourteen-A New Friend
Rey had regained consciousness to find herself surrounded by armed stormtroopers. Fear immediately flooded her system, cutting off her ability to think. Her wrists and ankles were bound together so she couldn't move. She remained rigidly lying on her back, forced to listen as the troopers laughed and joked around her. Some of them had taken the opportunity to remove their helmets without Phasma's intimidating presence to stop them. Rey was surprised to find that they were mostly human. This knowledge took the edge off her nerves now that she could see they weren't just faceless monsters.
One of the troopers closest to her noticed she was awake. He motioned to his companions and soon she was surrounded by a sea of curious faces. She wondered why they seemed so interested in her. She was nothing but a scavenger.
"I don't get why Ren is so obsessed with her." The lead trooper, a young man with vivid blue eyes, mused aloud. "Look at the way she's dressed. She's just a scavenger."
His companion hunkered down beside Rey; his tousled brown hair fell into his eyes as he studied her curiously. "She has to be more than that. She's prettier close up. This jacket is expensive." He said, fingering Poe's jacket that Rey had taken from Finn on Jakku. "He physically attacked us to get to her. I wish I could be in the same room when Hux interrogates her."
"No chance." The lead trooper spat sarcastically. "Hux is still festering over the fact that FN-2187 defected. I heard him roasting Phasma about it."
"She'll roast you if she hears you were eavesdropping." His companion sneered.
The two troopers began to bicker. Rey took the opportunity to observe her surroundings. She appeared to be on some kind of shuttle, probably a First Order transport. The same paralyzing fear began to spread through her body again like icy, liquid metal as she wondered where they were taking her. She hated being shackled like some wild animal. Rey wished she knew who this Ren guy was they were talking about. Why would a stranger be obsessed with her? Were these stormtroopers delusional? Or had they mistaken her for someone else? It was entirely possible. But they were talking as if this Ren person had launched an attack on them in order to get to her. It was all so confusing. She didn't have time to ponder further as the two stormtroopers stopped arguing.
"We're here. Helmets back on, guys." The lead trooper commanded. There was a mad scramble as they regrouped in regimented rows and faced the front of the ship.
Rey felt the shuttle shudder as it landed in the docking bay. Two of the trooper's broke ranks and hauled her onto her feet. One bent down and released the shackles binding her ankles together so she could walk. Rey clenched her fists as she hesitantly took a step forward as the two troopers pulled her along roughly. She noticed her feet tremble. Her legs twitched, fighting the impulse to whirl around and sprint for freedom. If there was any opportunity of escape, it had to be now. It could be her only chance. She crunched her teeth over her lip harder than she ever had. Salty blood filled her mouth. Slowly, her brain picked up her feet in an unbalanced gait, carelessly dropping the lead weights to the ground with each harrowing step. Reality tried to tap its way into her marching brain's rhythm as she tried to formulate a plan-each frantic scenario she replayed in her head always ended in her death-but she decided she would rather die fighting then just giving up altogether and letting the First Order demons do it for her. So, she got ready to fight…
Then…
"NO!" Ben's voice suddenly burst into head, causing her to stumble. "DON'T! THEY'LL KILL YOU! I'M COMING TO GET YOU."
"Move, girl." One of the troopers said gruffly as he yanked her forward.
Rey barely heard him. She was still full of shock and awe at hearing Ben's voice in her head. If it wasn't for the fact that she could feel his elation flooding her system, she would have thought she was hallucinting. She didn't understand what was happening, but was exhilarated at the sound of his voice, especially his vow that he was coming to get her. She had always been very much alone, having to rely on her own wits to survive, the prospect that someone cared enough to come to her rescue was so overwhelming that it drew her close to tears.
Rey tried to reach out to answer him, but something abruptly severed their connection. The loss of that connection was so profound that Rey felt distraught at its absence. She felt like an abandoned child again, lonely, starved of warmth. Her face was drowning in sorrow yet a spark of strength within let her stay strong that moment longer, until she became aware of Ben again, he was somehow there, like some invisible shadow hovering just out of reach on the edges of her mind. Finding solace in that one small thing, she gave up the fight and allowed the troopers to lead her further into the depths of the First Order compound.
A young, ruthless officer in the First Order, General Hux had complete confidence in his troops, training methods and weapons. A rival of Kylo, Hux eagerly awaited the day when the First Order would bring down the hated New Republic, and considered it his destiny to rule the galaxy someday, though he kept that thought close to his chest. With the support of Supreme Leader Snoke, Hux took command of Starkiller Base and promoted the development of new technology that allowed the First Order fleet to track targets through hyperspace.
Snoke had deemed Luke Skywalker, the last Jedi, to be a threat to the First Order. Though the First Order possessed maps from the Empire that would lead them to the planet where Skywalker was hiding, they lacked a final piece. To that end, the Finalizer travelled to Jakku and dispatched a group of stormtroopers to attack the settlement of Tuanul. It was also the same spot where Hux's hated rival, Kylo Ren, had mysteriously disappeared after blindly taking off in hot pursuit of a Resistance pilot who they had learned had acquired and hid the final piece of the map.
Ren had remained frustratingly out of reach ever since, which had infuriated the Supreme leader, causing Snoke to take his frustrations out on Hux as he demanded that all available resources be put in place to track down his young darkside apprentice. Hux had faithfully promised the Supreme Leader that he would do just that, when he actually did the opposite. He delegated the task to Captain Phasma, only giving her a limited number of troopers to help her. When she had complained, he had reminded her sharply about the recent debacle regarding FN-2187's defection. Phasma had resentfully carried out his orders, but had little luck in tracing Ren, until he had unexpectedly popped up in the company of his estranged father, his Wookie friend and a young scavenger girl on Takodana of all places.
Even though Phasma had little luck finding Ren himself, she had managed to capture his female companion. Hux was far from delighted when he was informed of this piece of news. He had hoped that Ren would stay missing, secretly gloating over the possibility that his hated rival might actually be dead. Now he had been pulled away from his regular duties to deal with the girl. In his mind it was just a waste of time. She was nobody important. Any information he managed to garner from her would be useless. He had scheduled a meeting with Supreme Leader Snoke in a few hours and he wanted to finish prepping his speech. Having to interrogate the scavenger scum was an unnecessary irritant as far as he was concerned.
Due to his youth, Hux's experiences in warfare were entirely theoretical. Though acknowledged for the thoroughness and complexity of his simulations, Hux earned little respect for his abilities as a warrior. Hux was obsessed with his appearance; believing it was a vital part for maintaining discipline, he would always wear a parade uniform designed to broadcast his authority as general. Even his posture was affected by this belief, as Hux would often pose in a formal parade stance. In addition to his uniform and bearing, Hux's hair was coiffed to his exacting standards. He smoothed a stray hair back now as he was presented with the defiant scavenger scum who was the root cause of his irritation.
"Is this her?" Hux's tone was disbelieving as his eyes roved over Rey's slim frame derisively. He was perplexed by Ren's interest in her. Apart from her striking hazel eyes, there was nothing remarkable about her-she could be considered pretty after a fashion, he supposed, on closer inspection. "Strap her to the chair." He ordered the lead trooper.
"Yes, sir." The trooper responded promptly as he manhandled Rey into the chair and tightened the restraints. "All done, sir." He informed the general when he was satisfied that Rey was suitably cowed.
Hux looked at the trooper haughtily. "Now leave us." He commanded.
"Of course, General Hux." The trooper marched smartly out of the room, not looking back as the doors slid closed behind him.
Hux maintained his air of quiet authority as he slowly walked around Rey, observing her every reaction with a practised eye. She was certainly a bold one. She didn't crumble under his intimidating gaze even though she was the one strapped to the interrogation chair. In fact, she remained remarkably defiant.
"Do you have any questions?" He was the first to break the tense silence.
Hux watched as a flicker of confusion crossed the young scavengers face at his simple question. "Where am I?" She asked hesitantly.
"Starkiller base." A sliver of pride filtered through Hux's cultured tones when he spoke.
Rey had no idea where that was, but the name alone was enough to strike fear through her heart. "Where are the others?"
"You mean the murderers, traitors and thieves you call friends. You'll be relieved to know I have no idea." Hux informed her coldly.
Relief flooded through Rey as she realised no one else had been captured. She watched as Hux circled her, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Tell me about Ren." He demanded, his tone turning icy.
Ren again?
A small frown marred Rey's forehead as she looked up at Hux's pasty face. He really was the palest individual she had ever seen in her life. The only vibrant thing about him was his perfectly coiffed red hair. "I don't know who you're talking about."
"Don't play games with me, scavenger." Hux scowled as he leaned in, his face hovering close to hers as he stared into her eyes. "You know I can take whatever I want. The First Order has some very invasive interrogation techniques. I would hate to have to use any of them on you. Now tell me about Ren."
"I'm not telling you anything." Rey retorted through gritted teeth.
"We'll see." Hux sneered as he backed away a little. "He's really not worth protecting you know. You're nothing to him. You must see that. Nothing but worthless scavenger scum."
Rey felt an explosion of rage shoot through her at his hurtful taunts. He was despicable. The anger from her eyes showed the scared child within, the girl who was taught to fight and starved of the love she craved. Her bitter anger tapped into the Force and she unwittingly probed Hux's mind and got a glimpse of his deep ambition and his darkest fears.
"You…" She gasped, straining against her restraints. "You're afraid…. that everyone will see you for the craven coward you really are….and that you'll never be able to realise your real ambition of becoming Supreme Leader."
Hux whirled around, his face working with suppressed anger. "Silence!" He spat. He was practically frothing at the mouth. "Guards!" He was unnerved by the truth of her words and suddenly wanted to be as far away from her as possible. The scavenger was wearing the same contemptuous expression that Ren always wore when they were faced with one another. "Guards!" He called again when they didn't immediately appear.
The doors finally slid open and two troopers marched inside the room. Hux ordered them to take Rey to one of the holding cells to give him time to figure out what to do next. Rey suddenly found herself being hauled out of the chair and dragged away with Hux's rigid stare boring into her back.
Rey was thrown into the cell. The door slid closed behind her, trapping her inside. The fluorescent lights flickered as the grey walls began closing in on her. A tremor ran through her body as she allowed the silent panic to grip her now that she was alone.
"Don't be afraid."
Rey spun around in surprise at the gentle voice. It seemed she wasn't alone after all. A petite young woman sat on the bench seat; her warm brown eyes regarded Rey kindly. "I'm Rose." She said, introducing herself. "Rose Tico."
A/N-thanks for reading! Please review.