Chapter 13
The suits were big and bulky. Although they were heavy, the small team was thankful it was easy to move in them. Rey was easily able to hide her lightsaber while Poe, Finn, and Rose hid blasters. What they were most thankful for was the masks the spice miners were required to wear. Years of harvesting spices in the mountains had permanently damaged their lungs and made them have to wear the masks even out of the mines.
They easily slipped into the back of the cargo ships as laborers, ready to help unload the supplies to the first order. All four of them were squeezed tightly in the back with several crates and boxes.
"So, we help unload the boxes then slip away, steal Stormtrooper uniforms, then find Saya and sneak away on a First Order ship?" Rose asked.
"It's the best plan we have" Poe said.
"Finn, you can help us look around, right?" Rey asked.
Finn shook his head. "I was only ever on Star Killer Base. I was never on Snokes ship. Even if I was, there's no telling how much it's changed since I've been gone."
"Ok, so were going in completely blind." Poe said with dripping sarcasm.
"But it won't be like the cloning lab. As long as we can easily get the uniforms, we will be able to 'patrol the hallways' and look for Saya" Finn told everyone.
"But we have no clue where she is!" Rose said.
"I can slip into one of the common areas. Any one that's still a human and not a clone is going to do nothing but complain and gossip. One of them will slip and say something about her."
The team went quiet and all silently prayed for success. After another twenty minutes of traveling, they felt the ship land and heard footsteps from all around.
Poe cracked his knuckled. "Show time!"
"Remember, we help unload then slip away the first chance we get! Get your communicators ready in case we separate!" Rey said to everyone.
They all nodded then slowly squeezed past all the boxes to jump out of the cargo.
The unloading bay held very little guards. They quickly set to following the other crew members to help unload the resources for the First Order.
As soon as most of the crates were unloaded, they very slowly made their way towards one of the exits where no guards were stationed. They all slipped around the corner and slowly made their way down the hall.
"Ok, we just need to find a uniform storage room or knock out some guards and take those."
"I'd prefer the storage room idea" Rose said with a shaking voice.
They all jumped when a patrol group of four guards suddenly turned the corner and held their blasters up to them.
"Halt! What are you doing here?" The first guard said.
"Umm… looking for the bathroom?" Poe said.
"Return to the loading bay. You are not permitted to go anywhere else."
Rey suddenly stepped in front of everyone and held her hand up to the guards.
"You will drop your weapons now" Rey said calmly.
The guards very slowly complied while Finn, Poe, and Rose exchanged looks.
"We will drop our weapons now" He said and all four dropped their blasters.
Rey continued to hold her hand up. "Now sleep"
The four dropped to the ground, dead asleep.
"Well… that works" Poe said.
The four quickly stripped them of their uniforms and hurried to put them on. Rey concealed her lightsaber while the others grabbed the Stormtroopers blasters.
"Ok, so we have to march like were on patrol." Finn told everyone, placing the helmet over his head. "Soon as we get a lead on where Saya is, we head there, get her, and get out of here!"
"Um, how do we sneak her out of here?" Rose asked.
The four of them looked to one another.
"We'll figure that out when the time comes. Let's just find Saya." Poe said.
-!-!-!
The head of the spice miners had finally finished up the proper paperwork and received payment. They were all ready to leave when a General and a group of several Stormtroopers surrounded the crew and their ships.
The General stepped forward. "It has come to our attention that you came with fourteen crew members. And now there are ten here. Where are the other four?"
The head miner looked taken aback. "Sir, all of my crew members are here and accounted for!"
The General scowled. "So we are lying?"
The man began to panic and wave his arms around. "No, no! I didn't mean-"
"You have four crew members missing and we just discovered four of our troop's unconscious with their uniforms removed!"
The miner began to stutter and panic as the Stormtroopers raised their blasters to the crew.
The General puffed up in arrogance. "Consider yourselves under arrest and considered an enemy of the Supreme Leader and First Order. We will find your spy's aboard this ship and you all will be executed together, Rebel scum!"
The General ignored the ramblings of the man and made his way out of the loading bay. He swiftly pulled out his communicator and held it to his mouth.
"Inform the Supreme Leader. We have members of the Resistance onboard the ship."
-!-!-!
Saya yawned and slowly sat up, her stomach growling. She rubbed her eyes and looked around. Kylo was nowhere to be seen. She slid off the large bed and quickly grabbed her pants and tunic, putting them on quickly. The chill in the room made her want to be covered. Once she was dressed, she finally heard a sound coming from behind a door against the far wall. Kylo must have been in the shower.
Saya looked over to the desk and saw a large bowl of fruit. Maybe he left and brought it on or a droid brought it. Either way, Saya quickly grabbed an apple and ate it within minutes. She didn't realize how hungry she was.
After she finished the apple, she walked over to look out at the stars and planets. She wished with everything she had that both her and Kylo could just stay in this room and look out the large window.
No. She wanted to watch with Ben, not Kylo Ren.
Saya finally heard the door open and Kylo walked out in nothing but his pants.
"I have clothes on their way here for you. I have to admit, I think you look better in a dress."
I like my pants and boots. They're more comfortable for me.
He walked forward and wrapped his arms around her. "I'll have some of those for you as well. But I can't wait to see you in the dress I had made for you when you sit beside me."
Saya blinked up at him.
What are you talking about?
He held her tightly against him.
"I can't wait to see you on the throne."
A cold chill suddenly went up her spine and Saya had never felt more stupid in her life. She forgot. She had actually forgotten who he was now and who she was.
Her Ben was killed by Kylo Ren, the Supreme Leader of the First Order. She was a member of the Resistance who was training to become a Gray Jedi.
Saya stepped back away from him.
Ben, I won't-
A pounding on the door made Saya jump and she felt a flash of anger in Kylo.
"Supreme Leader, we have members of the Resistance on board!"
Saya's heart began to pound. They were here for her. She knew it.
She turned back to Kylo who was now emanating pure anger. He turned to his closet and swiftly put on his under shirt and jacket.
Ben, please just let them go!
"They are members of the Resistance. They will be dealt with as traitors to the galaxy."
Saya now felt angry.
I'm a member of the Resistance, Ben. Will you put me to death too?"
He quickly turned and gave Saya an angry look.
"You are NOT with the Resistance! You are my wife! Your place is beside me!"
Saya glared at him.
I am a Jedi! My place is restoring balance to the galaxy!
Kylo's eyes seemed to darken. "So you are a Jedi…"
Saya stood tall with pride in her eyes.
I am a Gray Jedi, like my ancestors before me. I am a protector of the balance of the galaxy. I accept that there is no light without darkness but I will fight to make sure darkness does not take over the light. And that means fighting the First Order.
They both stared at each other for several moments. Saya could feel the air become cold between them. After what felt like eternity, Kylo made his way over to her and stood only inches away from her. She continued looking into his eyes, not backing down.
Without a word, Kylo extended his hand out and her lightsaber went flying into his hand. Without looking away from her eyes, he held it up to her.
"Then restore the balance. Kill me."
Saya felt a cold chill run through her.
"Kill me and restore the balance. Do it."
Saya couldn't move. She felt frozen and had small tears in her eyes. She couldn't hurt him let alone kill him. And he knew that.
He tossed the lightsaber onto the bed without looking away.
"Do you want to leave me again?"
Saya began shaking. He, again, already knew the answer. Kylo took another step closer to where she could feel his breath on her face.
"You don't want to leave me." It wasn't a question. It was a fact.
Before Saya could do anything, Kylo's hand reached around her, grabbed the back of her head, and gave her a deep kiss.
After a few moments, he broke away and walked to the door, grabbing his helmet along the way.
Ben, if you hurt them I will never forgive you!
Kylo donned his helmet and swiftly left the room. Saya took several deep breaths and sat down on the bed.
No, she couldn't kill him. No, she didn't want to leave him. Saya didn't think she even had the strength to be without him again. But there was no way she was going to let the Resistance members get hurt or killed because of her. She was going to help them escape from the Star Destroyer.
Saya quickly attached her lightsaber to her side and made her way to the door. Of course, Kylo locked it. Saya gritted her teeth and raised her mental shields again, blocking him from her power and being able to feel her presence. Saya easily held her hand out to the door and was able to use the force to unlock it.
As soon as the door opened, Saya rushed out to find her friends.
-!-!-!
The small team patrolled for what felt like hours. Finn was able to sneak into one of the common rooms but had no luck hearing of where Saya was.
After turning the corner, they all jumped when they heard alarms begin to sound. The team looked at one another.
"They know… that has to be the reason they are sounding alarms!" Finn said in a panic.
"We need to split up!" Poe said. "Me and Finn go one way and Rose and Rey go another. Whoever finds her first communicates with the other two and those two hurry to secure a ship!"
No one liked the idea of separating but there was no better option and they knew it.
The two teams quickly set off in different hallways.
Poe and Finn were walking as frantically as the other soldiers around them were. They were able to easily blend in until Finn and Poe could slip into an empty common room. As soon as the door was closed, Poe and Finn removed their helmets to get some fresh air for a moment.
"Finn, were going to be caught as some point!"
Finn took several breaths. "We have to avoid the higher officers! All of them will order the troops to remove their helmets on sight. We need to stay under their radar!"
"And pray to God the girls do the same" Poe added.
Both men jumped and immediately grabbed basters to aim at the door that suddenly opened.
A beautiful woman with long dark hair and eyes walked in, also carrying a baster.
The woman smirked.
"You boys really are stupid. Mutter to yourselves walking the halls, enter an empty room AND take your helmets off? You both are REALLY asking for a death sentence!"
Finn glanced over at Poe but Poe wasn't fazed in the slightest.
"Were here for Saya. And unless you tell us where she is, I'm going to blast your head right off your shoulders!"
The woman's eyes seemed to narrow and she slowly lowered her gun.
"Saya? You're here for the healer?"
Poe hesitated. "She was a healer once. But now she's with us! Where is she!?"
The woman suddenly had an evil grin on her face.
"Oh, this is perfect!" She said clapping her hands.
Poe now glanced at Finn who was looking at the woman completely bewildered.
The woman seemed to raise her eyes to the ceiling in exaggerated thought.
"She SHOULD be on the second floor in the Supreme Leaders room."
Poe didn't lower his blaster at all.
"And how do you know that?'
The woman rolled her eyes. "She's his WIFE after all." She said wife as if it was the dirtiest word there was. "Did you really think he would keep her in a holding cell? He's been fucking her ever since she returned."
Poe felt anger course through him. He was desperately trying not to shoot the woman.
The woman smirked and stepped aside from the door, allowing them to get through.
"I'll give you ten minutes before I alert the soldiers and Supreme Leader."
Poe and Finn looked at one another, then ran out the room while replacing their helmets. They quickly made their way down the hall.
"On second thought, maybe I'll give you five minutes!" The woman called after them, cackling.
-!-!-!
Saya was running through the hallways, not sure where to go. She had no idea where to start to even look for the Resistance members. The soldiers around her cast glances at her but since she was well known to be Kylo's wife, they must not have thought twice about seeing her running around the ship.
She turned down several hallways and went down a flight of stairs. After finally turning another corner, she saw two guards hustling around.
A familiar feeling suddenly went through her.
FINN! IS THAT-
Saya couldn't finish. The man turned and, on reflex, shot his blaster and Saya was hit on her shoulder.
She didn't even feel the pain of it until she was on her back, staring at the ceiling.
"SAYA!?"
She heard the rusting of footsteps and the two soldiers removed their helmets.
She smiled when she saw Finn and Poe.
Finn was flushed and panicking. "Saya I'm so sorry! I didn't mean-"
I'll heal but you have to leave! Now!
Poe was shaking his head and lifting her up. "Were not leaving without you! Not again!"
Saya was lifted up over his shoulder. She was too tired and in too much pain to fight back.
Please leave me! It's too dangerous!
She wanted to fight but was in too much pain. She couldn't even concentrate to heal herself.
Finn grabbed his communicator. "Girls, we have her! Get to a ship, now!"
It took Rose less than a minute to answer. "Roger! Meet us on the first floor! We're near a transport bay! They have ships! We'll clear the way and get one ready!"
Saya was now fighting sleep as the men ran with her over Poe's shoulder. As the men ran down the stairs, Saya felt a surge of pain then finally succumbed to sleep.
-!-!-!
Kylo had swiftly made his was to his command post, ready to find the Rebels and crush them. Along his way, he felt Saya's power and presence disappear. She raised her shields up against him. He gritted his teeth but he shouldn't be surprised. She was angry with him. He would address that later. Now, it was time to deal with the Resistance members aboard his ship.
He knew one of them had to be the scavenger. The other was probably FN-2187. It didn't matter who the other two were. All of them would be executed.
His generals were all ordered to inspect all soldiers and to have them remove their helmets. It wouldn't be hard to find them as long as his Generals would do their jobs.
While Kylo was waiting for news, he heard the hustling of footsteps and panting from behind him.
"Supreme Leader!"
He turned to see Lilith, panting and sweating. Although she couldn't see it from behind his mask, he was glaring at her.
She put on an innocent face. "Supreme Leader, I'm so sorry but your wife is escaping with the intruders!"
Kylo felt his blood run cold. He quickly pushed past the woman and began making his way off the command deck.
"ORDER ALL SOLDIERS TO FIND MY WIFE! BRING HER AND THE REBELS TO ME!" He screamed at everyone.
All were quick to issue the orders to their men.
-!-!-!
Finn and Poe were panting but didn't stop running. Soldiers began appearing to try and stop them, but Finn and Poe were quick to blast them. As they rounded the corner, they were met face-to-face with one of the First Order Generals.
Finn lifted his blaster but the man dropped to his knees with his hands in the air.
"I'm with the Resistance! I want to help you!"
Poe and Finn looked to one another.
"YOU'RE the spy for the Resistance? The one who was telling us where the cloning labs were!?"
The man nodded and stood. "Yes! I found the other two members already! I helped them get a ship! You need to leave, now! This way!"
Poe and Finn felt like they didn't have a choice but to follow the man. He knew the least guarded hallways for them to run down and when a soldier approached them, they easily shot him down.
The finally rounded one last corner when the man stopped them. He pulled a small drive from his pocket and thrust it into Finn's hand.
"Take it! It's the location of the other two labs! The real ones! I'm sorry you all were lead into a trap but now they're onto me! I'll help cover your escape! Get out of here and get her to safety!" The General said, gesturing to Saya.
Finn glanced at Saya and his blood ran cold.
"Poe, she's losing a lot of blood!"
Blood was smeared over the Stormtrooper uniform Poe was wearing, small amounts dripping onto the floor.
"We need to leave, now!" Poe yelled.
The General pointed them straight ahead.
"Run forward and jump into the command ship! It's ready for you with the other two members! I'll cover you! GO NOW!"
They didn't hesitate. All of them ran and didn't look back. As soon as they entered the large transport bay, the General began shooting at the guards that were closing in on the running ship. Poe and Finn ran as hard as they could to the ship where Rose was waving at them from the door.
"DON'T STOP! KEEP RUNNING!"
As soon as they jumped on board the ship, a loud voice sent chills down their spines.
"SAYA!"
It was Kylo Ren.
Rose shut the doors as soon as Poe and Finn made in onboard and Rey didn't hesitate to take off. Poe quickly placed Saya on the floor and felt for a pulse. She was breathing and her wound was slowly healing.
Finn dropped to his knees and wrapped his arms around his head.
"Damn it, I'm so sorry Saya!"
Poe didn't want to admit it but he wanted to punch Finn for hurting Saya. But he knew it was an accident.
Poe took a breath and put his hand on Finn's shoulder. "It's ok Finn. She's going to be ok. She just needs to heal."
There was a sudden jolt and they all felt the ship go into light speed.
-!-!-!
Kylo felt pure rage. He had just gotten Saya back, and now she was gone. She ran with the Resistance.
In the middle of the loading bay, his traitor General stood tall while the Stormtroopers pointed their guns at him. Kylo stormed over to him and withdrew his lightsaber.
He wanted this to hurt.
With lightning speed, he activated his lightsaber and thrust it into the traitor's chest. The man gasped for breath and a small stream of blood came from his mouth.
"God… speed… rebels…" He rasped.
Kylo withdrew his lightsaber and swiftly took the man's head off. His soldiers closed in to take his body away while Kylo slowly shook in rage, beginning to walk down the hall.
A drop of blood on the floor caught his attention. He looked back but the blood from the traitor couldn't have been the blood he saw. It was too far from him. Kylo slowly walked to the entrance of the hallway the Rebels emerged from to see more small drops of blood.
Realization hit Kylo hard.
Saya wasn't running. He saw that himself. She was carried over the shoulder of one of the Rebels. He remembered the color red on the Rebels uniform as he carried Saya away.
Saya didn't run from him. Saya had been injured and they stole her away from him. They hurt her to get her to leave with them.
Kylo screamed in rage and began destroying everything that was close to him.