Chapter 7
-1 Year Later-
Rey helped Poe and Finn gather everyone into the large building for the emergency meeting called by Leia. Over nine months ago, they decided to hide in the forest of Jahkar. It took quite a while, but they were able to finally make the forest a stable base location for the Resistance. Leia was successful in gaining many new allies and more troops that were willing to fight against the First Order. Now was the first time they would all gather together to actually make a move against the First Order and Kylo Ren.
Rey took a seat next to Finn and was ready to hear what the next move for the Resistance would be.
"Thank you everyone for being here" Leia said loudly to everyone. "Welcome all our new members and thank you for joining our cause. Yesterday we finally received information from one of our allies about the current actions of the First Order."
Leia took a breath and continued.
"As you all know, the First Order has appeared to be pretty quiet. They have taken no action against anyone. However, we have discovered that the First Order has created three different facilities and have been creating clones. The First Order is raising a clone army."
Everyone looked frantically around, clearly scared and angry.
Leia cleared her throat and kept talking.
"According to our ally, who is also our informant on the First Order, these facilities have been finished only one month ago and have just started creating the clones. Clones do take some time to create but if we don't do something now, they will eventually raise an army that will put the Empires to shame. And then there will be nothing to stop them. The First Order will take over everything."
Poe immediately stood up.
"What can we do General?"
"Our informant has given me the location of one of the facilities. I believe it is time the Resistance strikes back against the First Order! I say we go and destroy the facilities before they can raise their army!"
All the members began nodding and cheering, excited to finally be able to strike back against the First Order.
"My informant will soon be providing me a map of the facility. Once we have obtained it, we will send out a team to hopefully destroy the facility and stop them from creating the clones. As soon as we know the locations of the other two facilities, we will plan accordingly to destroy those as well. Everyone please take this time to continue training and resting. Soon, we will begin our first strike against the First Order!"
Everyone clapped and began heading out the door of the structure.
Rey, Finn, Poe and Rose all eagerly ran up to Leia.
"General, we would like to immediately volunteer to do this first mission!" Poe said.
Leia smiled and shook her head. "I had a feeling you all would."
"Leia, when do you expect the information?" Rey asked.
Leia smiled and held up a small hard drive.
"Already have it. I just knew you all would want this mission for yourselves."
They all smiled and followed her to the back of the structure. A series of small beeps were heard and BB-8 and R2D2 Emerged.
Leia quickly plugged the hard drive into R2D2 and he projected the blue prints onto the wall for everyone to see.
"It's not very big" Rose said.
"This one isn't, no." Leia said "We believe that the other two are much larger. This was the latest one that was finished. Sadly, the other two have probably already started producing clones but this is the only information we have."
Rey looked closely at the blueprints. "Where exactly is the facility located?"
"Under the mountains on the planet Harth."
"There's only two entrances!" Poe said, pointing them out. "If we destroy them both, we can just seal in the entire thing! Nothing can get in or out."
"It wouldn't take long for the First Order to dig them out. No, we need to destroy it completely. I say we collapse the mountain on top of it and completely destroy it" Leia said
"That would take a lot of explosives" Rose muttered
A noise from behind them caught everyone's attention.
"Excuse me, general. If I may" C-3PO said, walking forward. He looked up to the map.
"General, a mountain of such size may not require many explosives if you destroy the proper structures inside. However, it may be impossibly to destroy it as the explosives would need to be placed inside where the security is extremely high."
"So we sneak inside!" Finn said. "We plant bomb inside and get the hell out as fast as we can!"
"Oh, that would be far too dangerous!" C-3PO stated, frantically waving his arms.
"No negativity 3PO or I'm putting you back in storage!" Leia told him
"Oh no, please not storage again!"
"So it's settled" Poe stated, still staring at the blueprints. "We get in there, place bombs around the lab, then we run like hell"
Rey shrugged. "Sounds like the best plan we have."
Finn turned to Leia. "You're not going to tell the rest of the Resistance about this?"
Leia shook her head. "Not yet. We have so many new troops that want to prove themselves but we need to send members who have an idea of what the First Order is capable of. And a facility that size only needs a small team to get in and get out. Too large of a team will attract attention immediately and you all need to be able to escape quickly. They will understand. It will be a relief for everyone when the facility is destroyed."
Rey stood tall and turned to everyone.
"Let's load the bombs into the falcon!"
-!-!-!
Aboard the Supreme Leaders ship, Lilith eagerly made her way to General Hux. She spent the last year prying information across the galaxy from anyone who had something information worth knowing.
Lilith eagerly walked into his room without even knocking. General Hux was in the process of getting dressed and turned to give her a harsh glare.
"Do not enter my room without knocking again, Lilith! Remember your place!"
She rolled her eyes. "That's no way to address your future Empress, General"
Hux could almost feel his eyes roll out of his head.
"You've been on about that for the past year and he's never given you a passing glance. It's time you move on, Lilith."
She smirked. "All good things take time. I've spent the last year getting information valuable to Kylo Ren. As soon as the clones are complete, all of the Resistance allies I know about will be snuffed out all at once. And he knows it was MY information that will destroy the Resistance."
Hux began to button his jacket, tired of the sound of her voice.
"I'm sure he considers it your duty to the First Order. And it's probably the only thing keeping you alive after you tried and FAILED to seduce him the first time"
Lilith clenched her fists in anger.
"I'll get him. Don't you dare think I'm finished yet."
Hux had enough and turned to Lilith.
"I've had enough of this little fantasy of yours! Either get on your knees and put your mouth to better use or get out! I have bigger things to deal with!"
She leaned against the bed and inspected her nails.
"And what would that be? You yell at me for my 'little fantasy' as you call it, but aren't YOU angry about Kylo Ren creating clones to fight instead of your men?"
Hux ground his teeth and marched over to her. He glared into her smug face.
"Yes, but unlike you MY 'little fantasy' will have results. I already have plans to discredit his clones and will be training my own men. Mine will be just as loyal as the clones!"
Lilith raised an eyebrow.
"Alright. How about a little bet. Let's see whoever gets to their goal first. You, who raises his own army under Kylo Ren's nose. Or me, who takes the place by his side and kills the little healer bitch"
She raised her hand out to him and he smirked.
"You're quite serious?"
"Yes I am" She said confidently
He grabbed her hand and gave it a firm shake.
-!-!-!
Kylo Ren stood at the computer and looked over the new plans for the latest clone facility. Three had been successfully but now it was time to build more and begin growing his army. The former Republic had long since banned the use of cloning but they are long gone now. Not that it would have mattered to him. The only setback was having to build the facilities from scratch. However, they were now finally producing clones.
One of the directors of such facility approached him from behind.
"Supreme Leader, I'm happy to report we have successfully cloned our first round of soldiers."
He didn't even bother to face the scared little man.
"How many?"
"We-well, as this was our first time using the facilities, we wanted to be sure things wouldn't-"
"HOW MANY!?" He snapped.
"One Hundred! We produced one hundred clones! But now that we know the factory is in working order, we can produce as many as a thousand in a couple of weeks"
"Good. Go and do not return until you have more troops"
He heard the hustling of the man practically running around.
Kylo may have stared at the plans in front of him, but in his mind he was seething with rage and impatience. The last year has been a success for the First Order. With him keeping the building of the cloning labs quiet, the Resistance has gotten cocky. More allies have been reported to him and while he may not know their new base yet, it was only a matter of time.
No, what angered him was how he had every bounty hunter in the galaxy looking for Saya and not one word of her has reached his ears. It was unknown if she was with the Resistance or not. He had to find her. He needed her back in his arms. He was desperate to find her and convince her he still loved her. He was pained to know she was somewhere in the galaxy believing he hated her and wanted her dead. No, he had to find her. His sanity was almost at a breaking point.
Every soldier he had was ordered to keep all discovered Resistance members alive for the sole purpose of interrogation so he could find her. But the Resistance hasn't made a single move against the First Order in the last year. They also seemed to be biding their time.
Patience for him was wearing thin.
-!-!-!
The planet was large but it was easy to find which mountain held the cloning facility. They had to hide the Millennium Falcon in a deep wooded area and make their way on foot with the explosives in backpacks.
After about thirty minutes of hiking, they finally reached the base of the mountain. They saw only two Stormtroopers guarding the entrance.
"That can't be all of them" Finn whispered. "There are probably more right inside. We need to get those uniforms in order to sneak in."
Rey turned to the group. "I don't think all of us will be able to sneak in."
Rose looked around to everyone. "So who goes and who stays?"
"I know how they patrol and act. I need to go!" Finn said.
"I'll go! I know how to work the bombs" Poe said, then he turned to the girls. "Rey can stay and keep an eye out. Rose, you can return to the ship and keep it ready to fly out of here. We need to be ready to run at a moment's notice!"
Rey didn't like the idea of staying outside but his plan did make sense to her. Poe handed Rey the communication device.
Rode huffed. "Seriously, I have to hike all the way back! I could have just stayed with the ship in the first place!"
Poe gave her an apologetic look. "Sorry but we didn't know what we were dealing with! I'll make it up to you!"
"You better!" Then she turned and quickly ran off back to the ship.
"Rey, can you help us get those uniform?" Finn asked.
Rey nodded and began to creep forward. Once she was close enough without being noticed, she lifted her hand and closed her eyes.
"Sleep…" She opened one eye to see the guards still standing at attention.
She closed her eyes again "Sleep!"
She jumped at the sound of two loud thuds. She opened her eyes to see the guards passed out on the ground.
Rey, Finn and Poe rushed out and dragged the guards into the trees and quickly stripped off their uniforms. They quickly wrestled them on and grabbed their blasters.
"Ok, we have the bombs?" Poe asked.
Finn swung the small bag over his shoulder and nodded.
Poe turned to Rey and handed her the detonator for the bombs.
"Soon as I communicate to you, press it! Even if we don't make it out!"
"You both will! Rose and I won't leave without you!"
Poe knew she was trying to be positive but everyone in the Resistance knew that failure was always a huge possibility. Rey would do whatever she had to do.
Finn and Poe stood tall and made their way to the entrance. It didn't even require a code. They quickly pressed the button for entry and made their way inside.
There was a long narrow hallway and Finn looked around in surprise.
"I can't believe there aren't any other guards around"
"Doesn't mean there aren't a hell of a lot more inside" Poe said. "Just act as naturally as possible. We need to place as many bombs as we can then get the hell out of here"
They made it to the end of the hallway and entered the main lab.
Both tensed up at the sight. Soldiers were everywhere and several scientists were at their stations typing away at their computers.
"You there!"
Finn and Poe jumped when a lieutenant approached them.
"Why are you not at your post?"
"Our shift is over!" Finn said quickly. "We came looking for our relief but they haven't shown up yet. It's our turn to get lunch"
They both silently prayed while the lieutenant was lost in thought.
"… Has it been that long already?"
Finn and Poe stayed silent
"Well then, go and find your replacements and tell them to hurry up and get outside or they will face sanitation duty!"
Finn gave a quick nod and both quickly began walking towards another hallway.
Once they entered the hallway and were alone, they let out a breath and relaxed.
"I can't believe that worked" Finn said.
"I can't believe no one noticed the backpack!"
They both quickly hustled around the corner and Poe grabbed a couple of bombs.
"Ok, we just need to place them around enough to make the place collapse in!"
Finn nodded and pointed forward.
"There are several support beams over there! We need to get some on them!"
Poe rushed forward and began placing the bombs. As soon as he was done, he ran forward back to Finn but froze mid step. Finn turned around and to their horror, they saw the same lieutenant with guards following him.
He scoffed. "Did you think we were that stupid?"
Finn and Poe looked at one another, then quickly began shooting at the three men with their blasters. The guards with the now screaming lieutenant were faster but didn't even come close to hitting Poe or Finn. The three men fell easily.
"Poe, we need to leave NOW!"
The men quickly began running down the hall and an alarm started blaring. Finn dropped the backpack and didn't even look back.
"Finn, it's not enough!" Poe yelled, still running.
"WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE!" Finn yelled back.
They made it to the main lab to see Stormtroopers and lab technicians running about. Poe and Finn ignored all of them and ran for the exit.
"YOU TWO, STOP!"
Poe cast a quick look behind him to see several Stormtroopers running after them, blasters in hand.
As soon as Poe and Finn made it outside, they quickly threw their helmets to the ground and charged into the woods, Rey following from where she was hiding.
"WHAT HAPPENED!?" Rey yelled to them.
"WE SCREWED UP!" Poe screamed "DETONATE THE BOMBS!"
Rey pressed the button while running, but they only felt a slight tremor on the ground.
They all instantly knew it wasn't enough. They failed to completely destroy the lab.
They entered a clearing, hoping Rose had the Falcon ready to fly. However, they were cut off by a large cruiser carrying several Stormtroopers. Poe, Finn, and Rey quickly stopped and were suddenly surrounded by a dozen Stormtroopers.
Poe and Finn had their blasters out while Rey quickly withdrew her lightsaber.
One of the Stormtroopers stepped forward.
"Drop your weapons. NOW!"
None of them moved.
"Any ideas guys?" Poe asked.
The Stormtrooper now addressed the other soldiers.
"The Supreme Leader wants all Resistance members alive for interrogation. Set all weapons to stun."
They made their adjustments to their blasters while Finn, Poe, and Rey looked to one another.
"If I don't see you guys again, it's been fun" Poe said.
"It's not over!" Rey said. "Don't give up!"
The Stormtroopers prepared to fire.
"On my mark" The leader said. "One… Two…"
Three never came From above the clearing, a TIE fighter came out of nowhere and made a quick landing several yards away and startled everyone.
Six Stormtroopers kept their blasters on the trio while the others turned to the ship.
"Did we call for backup?" Rey heard one soldier ask another.
They all watched as what appeared to be a large dog and small figure exit the ship.
The Stormtroopers looked to one another and held their blasters to the figure.
"Halt! Identify yourself!"
The figure did stop and Rey took a good look at him. The man was about her height with gray armor and a mask over his face. The mask looked eerily similar to Kylo Ren's mask yet this one was gray with silver trim.
The figure seemed to take a look around, then quickly withdrew a handle from his side. Rey watched in awe as they ignited their lightsaber.
This lightsaber was also fashioned exactly the same as Kylo Ren's. Cross guard and all but this one wasn't red.
It was silver.
The Stormtroopers seemed to have had enough and pointed their blasters to the man and his dog. No, not a dog. A large white wolf with red eyes.
"That's enough! Stun him!"
The Stormtroopers began shooting at the man, but to no avail. He easily used his lightsaber to blast the bolts back to the soldiers and the wolf charged forward and attacked one of the soldiers.
Rey seized the opportunity.
"POE, FINN!" Rey charged for the startled Stormtroopers while Poe and Finn began shooting.
Within a few minutes, the Stormtroopers were dead in the clearing. Poe, Finn and Rey turned to the man and his wolf. He had already returned his lightsaber to his hip.
"Um… thank you?" Poe said to him.
The man didn't seem to pay attention, but seemed to stare ahead in the direction of the mountain. The three turned and suddenly felt like failures.
"We failed…. And now they will alert the First Order that we attempted to destroy it." Rey said sadly.
They all jumped when the man suddenly walked between the three of them, seeming to observe the area.
Then, he lifted his arm with his palm out in the direction of the lab.
They all stared at them man then looked awkwardly at each other.
"Umm… you ok sir?" Finn asked.
Rey thought for a moment, then looked in the direction of the lab.
"LOOK!" She said pointing.
The three turned and their jaws dropped.
The mountain began rumbling and suddenly a large puff of smoke was seen in the distance.
The mad suddenly closed his fist and the ground shook, causing the trio to lose their footing and stumble backwards.
The facility had been destroyed.
Once the ground was stable again, the man turned to face them while the three stood up from the ground.
"So… I assume you're with us then?" Poe asked.
The man lifted his hand and began fumbling with the helmet.
Well, I hope so. Unless it's been too long and you've already forgotten me.
The three froze and Rey suddenly smiled with realization. The mask was lifted and Rey was met with silver hair and lavender eyes.
"SAYA!"