Chapter 17
Base Haven-Planet Arbra- Outer Rim:
"Poe! What happened? Where are Leman Drill and the rest of the people of Naboo?" the general asked.
The pilot had just burst into the command room, his face grave, followed by Chewbacca and BB-8. He rubbed his forehead before speaking to convince himself that this was not all just a terrible nightmare.
"They're dead," he gasped as he dropped into one of the chairs next to Leia's.
All the rebels in the room froze in horror.
"What?" the princess gasped.
Chewie confirmed Poe's words with a mournful tone.
"But I don't understand!" she stammered. "Maz's men …"
"They're dead too."
Leia's heart skipped a beat. Oh Maker, she would not survive long if she had to constantly hear such news. The pilot seemed to pull himself together and recounted his story.
He and Chewie had landed on Derra near Maz's checkpoint to find only a field of ruins. Everything had been ransacked and corpses littered the ground. Mercenaries and Naboo civilians had been massacred without mercy. After inspecting the bodies, they found no survivors, and no trace of the small orange-skinned woman. On the other hand, they had discovered the body of Leman Drill in one of the rooms of the complex. He was dead too, his face swollen and purplish. Chewie had recognized the effects of a very powerful poison extracted from an animal called a Gorm-worm. He had leaned over to inspect the emissary, and had noticed that he was still wearing Megarana's ring.
Dameron pulled the piece of jewelry from one of his pockets and handed it to Leia. The general, on the verge of tears, looked at him for a long time, then rose from her seat, leaning heavily on her cane. She then pressed one of the small stones mounted on the side of the ring before depositing it on the surface of the holocom in front of her.
An image of the camp appeared on one of the screens fixed on the wall, facing them. Poe then realized that the ring was equipped with a micro-camera, and that Leman Drill had recorded everything that had happened on Derra.
The First Order troops had landed shortly after their return from M'haeli and had started executing everyone. Leman was hidden near one of the windows of the main building. Maz's men had resisted at first, but they had soon been overwhelmed. The scene now showed the tall figure of a man in a long black coat with a lightsaber who forced Maz to kneel in the middle of the yard and commanded her to tell everything she knew about the Resistance, or she would see her men shot one by one. He was one of the Knights of Ren, and when the camera zoomed in on the stranger's face, everyone had a clear glimpse of his red skin streaked with black patterns and the spiky horns on his head. Maz's companions were executed but the little woman remained standing there silently, eyes closed, waiting for her turn to come. When there were no more men standing, the Zabrak ordered that the prisoner be seized and lead to a transport shuttle. Then Maz had been escorted away by a quartet of stormtroopers.
"She may still be alive," Larma D'Acy whispered.
"They will not kill her right away. They took her to try to make her talk, make her give up information about us. They'll torture her for that," the general explained, her voice broken.
The video continued and the resigned face of Leman Drill appeared suddenly on the screen. The emissary addressed them directly.
"Leia, I am deeply sorry! I think they followed us when we escaped from Naboo. This is all my fault. There, Theed fell as well as Otoh Gunga. The First Order launched a whole battery of missiles at the lake. King Miggi Tan, his emissary Beccar Dugg and a good part of the Gungan people were able to flee before the arrival of the troops, and took refuge not far from the capital city. We must count on them now. They are safe and undetectable because of their shield, but if they try to contact you, they will be discovered. Hux probably thinks they're dead."
The image jumped abruptly to a new scene. Leman was running along a dark corridor — they could all hear his ragged breathing, along with the cries of soldiers commanding him to stop. Then, Leman's face reappeared, displaying now a sad smile.
"I beg your pardon, Leia. Keep courage and hope. And may the Force be with you."
A tear ran down the general's cheek when she saw the emissary swallowing a small red pill just before a squad of stormtroopers began firing on him from behind. It was then that the recording stopped.
OooooO
Royal Palace- Theed- Planet Naboo:
Today was going to be another beautiful sunny day. From the small balcony of his new room, Armitage Hux was contemplating the tumultuous waterfall that adjoined the palace and the sparkling ribbon of the river that snaked between the trees at the bottom of the valley.
Everything here was beautiful and majestic. Annexing Naboo was not such a bad idea. His troops had taken possession of the capital and all other major cities of the continent without much trouble. The Naboo were not warriors and the Gungans had not had enough strength to resist them. They had bombed Otoh Gunga and annihilated this primitive and insignificant people. There was nothing left but a crater dried up and smoking in the place of the lake.
Armitage Hux was now the new governor of Naboo, and if Elias Ren only had eyes for his gloomy temple on Malachor, he was more than happy to spend some time in this luxurious place that fit perfectly with his ideas of greatness.
Someone knocked on the door and the soldier saw the frail, frightened figure of one of the Queen's maids slipping through a crack in the door.
"I ... I'm sorry, General. But Lord Viri Pax is waiting for you in the throne room."
The young woman's eyes were downcast and all her limbs were trembling as she waited for the general to dismiss her. Hux smiled condescendingly before answering.
"Perfect. You may go now."
When he arrived in the sumptuous room with imposing columns and a pink marble floor, Viri was standing near the desk in front of the large glass arch, waiting for him.
"That was quick!" Hux blurted out without preamble. "Did you succeed?"
The Zabrak watched the military man sit on the throne in front of him.
"Leman Drill led us on a merry chase all the way to Maz Kanata's base, but he killed himself before we could question him. However, Kanata is currently in the basement of the palace."
Hux's face lit up.
"Excellent! We have only to 'persuade' her to tell us the location of her rebel friends."
A sadistic smile appeared on Viri's face. "I'll do it," he announced before turning on his heels and walking out of the room.
As soon as the Knight of Ren passed the door, Hux noticed that one of his officers was pacing outside.
"Ah Mitaka, it's you! Come here!" he exclaimed, waving his arm to catch the lieutenant's eye.
The man instantly crossed the threshold and hastened over to him. He held a holopad against his chest and something in his left hand. Once standing in front of Hux, he gratified his superior with a quick military salute.
"General, I managed to find the recordings of the Finalizer's throne room for the date you indicated."
The officer handed Armitage a small memory card.
"Perfect," he said in thanks. He opened a nearby drawer and deposited the card next to the blaster that was lying there. "Tell me Mikata... Did you have a look at these recordings?" Hux asked with a studied air of detachment.
"Oh no sir, I did not have the time because ... Well I thought I had to talk to you about another little ... problem with our base on Diyu."
Hux's hand remained suspended above the weapon. Mitaka had suddenly piqued his curiosity.
"I'm listening."
This time, the lieutenant handed him the holopad.
"I know that you have commanded the reconstruction of the facilities destroyed by the Resistance on Diyu. But, uh ... my brother is working there and apparently, our Supreme Leader has given a totally different order from yours. The generator plant has been replaced by a new laboratory."
"Replaced by a new laboratory …"
Hux had just stupidly repeated Mitaka's last words back to him, and now he was standing there gaping at him like an idiot with big round eyes. The general roused himself and pasted a big, forced smile on his face.
"Yes! Yes of course, Lieutenant, I know! Our Supreme Leader has informed me only very recently."
His stammering reply seemed to reassure Mitaka.
"Oh very well, General, I apologize for wasting your time. I ... May I be excused?"
Hux nodded and Mitaka headed for the exit.
Once alone, the redhead turned on the holopad and scanned the various files. His fake smile had stiffened, and his composure was slowly slipping as he became aware of the contents.
The program "Black Stars" abandoned ... An underground laboratory opened several hundred kilometers from the destroyed plant, in operation for two months already ... Technicians and researchers transferred from his own teams to work on this secret project….
Damn it, what was that blasted Elias Ren doing behind his back?
OoooooO
Somewhere on Berith-Planet of the Outer Rim :
The discussion had gone relatively well considering the fact that no one was dead yet. Rey had told Finn and Rose everything that had happened to her since her departure, including her reunion with Ben after his four months spent on Tatooine, and their flight aboard the Falcon.
Ben watched Rey plead his cause with passion, even though he doubted that her words could change the poor opinion the two rebels had of him. He had seen Finn raise his arms to the sky while exclaiming, "You sound just like General Organa!" — which had rather surprised him. He could hardly imagine his mother defending him or looking for extenuating circumstances after all he had done.
When it was their turn to speak, Finn and Rose told them about the fall of Naboo. Fortunately, the emissary Leman Drill was safe and sound, and ready to join Maz.
Everyone was now up-to-date on the latest news and Rose had decided to inspect the ship and take an inventory of the damage. She had gone to the generator room and Ben had fled, too, on the pretext of having heard enough.
Now alone in the crew cabin, he could hear Rey's and FN-2187's loud voices continuing their heated conversation in the common room. He managed to overhear snippets in which the terms "assassin," "killed his father," and "evil man" kept coming back. The two young people were arguing over what was the right way to handle him.
So he made a decision: he had to leave this place.
His plan was very simple: he was going to take the Resistance shuttle and nobody would stop him. He would use force if necessary. He would then look for another isolated and quiet planet to hide and think about what to do next. He was about to abandon Rey one more time, but he had no choice. She was not ready to give up the Resistance and their stupid crusade against the First Order.
And what about him? Did he still want to take revenge on Hux, Elias, Sylla and the others?
He let out a long sigh, grabbed his bag and his lightsaber, and left the cabin.
OoooooO
Rose was crouching in the shuttle's hold when she heard someone walking up the ramp. She had just completely disassembled the cooling system and wiped her hands with a cloth before going out to see who had joined her. In the main cabin, she came face to face with Ben. He obviously did not expect to find her there. Out of the corner of her eye, Rose noticed the large canvas bag he had put on one of the passenger seats, but she kept her face neutral.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
"What are you doing here? I thought you had to take care of the Falcon?"
He was nervous and Rose realized that he was not here to help out. He was up to something — she could feel it. So she hastened to answer.
"The motivator wasn't the only thing damaged. The spare parts we brought with us won't suffice, so I'll have to use several items from this transport shuttle in order to do the repairs. I have already extracted a good part of the cooling system here to replace the damaged module on the freighter. Which means that when I'm done, we'll be able to leave the planet aboard the Millennium Falcon, and the shuttle will stay here."
Ben's jaw tightened.
Had she just disrupted his plans? Perfect ... Rose was now jubilant to see him so upset. God, she wanted to hit him so badly! She wanted to make him pay for all the suffering that the First Order had inflicted on the people she loved. On Poe, on Finn, on her friends who died in battle, on Paige …
Kylo Ren was standing a few feet away and was staring at her intently. She should have been scared, been intimidated. Yet at that moment she was not. She dared to take a step towards him, put her hands on the tool belt around her waist and raised her chin to him.
"Since you're here, I have a question for you. Why did you have the miners slaughtered on Hays Minor?" she asked blankly.
Ben held her hateful gaze. He searched for a few moments in his memory for what she could be alluding to, and finally recalled the fateful day when Viri Pax had joined him on the Finalizer.
"I did not order that execution."
"A hundred and sixty-two innocents were put to death. For nothing."
"One of my knights was there. He alone made the decision to …"
"Don't tell me that you weren't aware of what he was about to do! This brute was under your command, right?"
"Technically, no. He didn't know yet that I had taken Snoke's place."
The brunette really did not seem to appreciate his pathetic explanation. He saw her clenched her fists as if she was about to punch him one in his face.
"You don't care about people," she spat. "You are no better than Snoke or Hux or that band of knights who now lead the First Order. You're even worse. Rey is completely mistaken when she says that there's still good in you."
The former "him" would have killed this girl without the slightest hesitation, even before she'd opened her mouth. But today, there was that voice in his head, which had replaced Snoke's, and which sounded like Rey's ... a voice that managed to soften his rage and anger. So Ben let it go, and decided that it was wiser to retreat for the moment.
"I've already heard all that you and your friend think about me, earlier, so it's useless to remind you that a lot has happened to me in the past four months. And I'm sorry to contradict you, but: I do care."
He then turned to the seat to pick up his bag, but Rose called out to him again in an inflammatory tone.
"Fine! So tell me Kylo Ren! Who do you care about, huh? Obviously not your mother who is the only family you have left! Not the Resistance, Finn or me! I wonder why Rey seems to be the only one who deserves your consideration."
Something passed in Ben's eyes that Rose interpreted as embarrassment. His cheeks flushed and he lowered his head to hide his confusion. At this, the expression on the brunette's face changed completely. She was staring at him in amazement.
"By all the stars in the galaxy," she gasped. "Do you have feelings for her?"
Ben's mouth suddenly became terribly dry and he tried to swallow the saliva he did not have.
"What are you talking about?"
His voice had trembled and he was starting to panic. He grabbed his bag and swiveled toward the exit. When he looked up, Rose was blocking his way and he felt like he was facing someone who had just unlocked the secret of the greatest mystery of the universe.
"I'm talking about Rey," she insisted. "Are you in love with her?"
Rose was speechless now, as even she was struggling to comprehend the magnitude of what she was asking. He was not going to answer — he could not answer. And suddenly he realized it was useless, because this girl had already guessed. The bewilderment on her face quickly gave way to disbelief, because she obviously had trouble believing that a monster like him could ever love anyone.
She was about to question him again when Finn's voice echoed in the comlink on her wrist.
"Rose! Come join us quickly! We have a call from the base!"
OooooO
When Ben burst into the common room a few seconds after Rose, the former stormtrooper shot him a murderous look. Rey appeared defeated and the droids stood still and silent in the corner.
"He does not need to be here," the young man protested, pointing to Ben.
"Finn, he knows about the base on Arbra," Rey retorted.
Finn's jaw tensed, and Ben wondered who would address them in the com. Rose continued to cast ambiguous glances at him that made him uncomfortable.
Rey started the communication system and then confirmed her identity and location.
Hearing his mother troubled Ben much more than he would have thought. After all these years, he discovered that she still had that proud, clear voice that was capable of moving the masses, of convincing the most recalcitrant minds, and of giving hope to those who had lost it. But Ben could also feel sadness and weariness in her words when she announced the death of Leman Drill and the capture of Maz by a Zabrak knight who had taken the alien to Naboo. The news hit them like a punch in the gut, and Rey turned her head to Ben with wide, questioning eyes.
"It's Viri Pax," he said out loud.
A deathly silence settled in the room and Ben realized one thing: it was the first time in years that his mother was hearing the sound of his voice.
"Ben …" Leia murmured through the channel in a feverish tone. This word, intended for him alone, struck him in the heart. He remained frozen on the spot, his fists and throat tight. He was not looking at anyone, just at the control panel facing him as if it was the most fascinating thing in the galaxy. He saw himself, at the controls of his TIE silencer ready to fire on the Raddus, and then on Starkiller oscillator's metal bridge. He had murdered his father, and he had nearly killed his mother, too. How could Leia recognize the voice of the vile man he had become? Then, almost on the verge of tears, he felt Rey's mind connect with his, her voice echoing in his head. She whispered to him that he was not dreaming, that his mother had not forgotten his name, that she still saw him as her son, that she still believed in his redemption.
Finn and Rose were silent, not only because they were still processing the news of Maz's capture, but also because they were aware that this moment was special.
But suddenly, Poe's voice echoed through the loudspeaker. He and several other rebels had evidently joined Leia, and a rather stormy discussion seemed to have started in the command post on Arbra.
"Rey, can you hear me? It's Poe."
Rey took her eyes off Ben and answered.
"Yes Poe, what is it?"
"Is It true? Is he with you?"
"Do you mean Ben?"
"I'm talking about Kylo Ren," he replied dryly.
"So Leia told you about our plan," she continued, knowing full well that she was making things worse, but Poe's condescension was becoming unbearable.
"She certainly did. But she didn't tell you everything that's happened here since you left. Leia is no longer in charge of the Haven base," Dameron declared.
Finn let out a spontaneous "what?", while Rose remained speechless and unresponsive.
"What do you mean?" Rey cast an alarmed glance at Ben, who was standing by the door next to Rose.
She could see his brain working at full throttle. He was just analyzing every piece of information to see what his options might be.
"Leia, is it true? Did they take command of the base away from you?" she asked, assuming that Ben's mother was still near the holocom.
"It is, Rey," the old woman answered sadly. "I prepared for this event the second you left Arbra. I fully understand their decision."
"But Leia, you …"
Poe cut her off. "Leia and you went behind our backs and acted without our consent. You have put us in danger, whether you realize it or not. All members of the base have voted, and we think it's wiser that Leia not be the only decision maker here anymore. Commander D'Acy and I will now have a say in things."
Rey could not repress the wave of anger that came over her at that moment.
"You got what you wanted, didn't you, Poe?"
She knew it was unfair to say that. Poe had never been power-hungry, and he had always respected Leia more than anyone. But she was furious and hurt, and she was letting her rage and frustration speak for her. Finn glared at her and called her to order:
"Rey. Stop."
Poe's voice, calm and imperturbable, was heard again on the communication channel, "Rey, did you manage to convince Ren to help us? That's why you left in the first place, right?"
Ben let out a cold and sarcastic chuckle that just confirmed what Poe had believed all along: that this whole mission had been doomed to failure from the very beginning.
"Poe, it's more complicated than you think …" Rey, despite her best efforts, had been unable to find any arguments to convince him otherwise.
"I see," he sighed. "In that case, you guys finish repairing the Falcon and return to the base, with or without him. But he must understand that as soon as he sets foot on Arbra, he will be our prisoner."
Ben was ready to respond to the pilot, but Finn was faster.
"Poe, what do you plan to do for Maz?"
There followed a long silence, which did not bode well.
Rey and Finn looked at each other, more and more worried. They then turned to Rose, and finally everyone, even Ben, was staring at each other while waiting for Poe's answer.
"Nothing for the moment," he finally said. "Our hands are tied. She's on Naboo,which is currently occupied by First Order soldiers. Half of their armada is there, and Hux has settled in the palace in Theed. He's made it his new headquarters."
Ben rolled his eyes and clenched his teeth.
"Nothing? You're just going to leave her in the hands of the First Order without attempting anything? Poe, they'll kill her!" Rey's frustration had risen another notch.
"I said nothing for now, Rey! Of course we will try to save her, but we'll have to wait for reinforcements! It would be suicide to launch a rescue operation on Naboo now!"
Rose was still standing by the door, her face defeated. Finn lowered his head and found nothing to answer. Rey looked for some comfort from the droids. R2-D2 made three small beeps and flashed its lights to indicate that he understood her dismay, while C-3PO just let out a sigh.
"What do our allies say?" the young woman asked, desperate now.
"I cannot talk about it now, Rey, so please, come back to Haven. We'll discuss it once you're here and we'll think about what we can do to get Maz."
The words of the pilot sounded wrong, but Rey just didn't know what to think anymore. Since when had Poe Dameron become reasonable? Since when did he retreat before a fight? Maz had done so much for them, for her. She could not let her down. Just as she could not ask Ben to follow them meekly to Haven. He would never accept this. Besides, she could read his decision at that moment in his eyes. He was not going to let himself be dragged to Arbra without a fight
They had returned to the starting point, which was a dead end.
"We're also reporting the presence of First Order cruisers in the system where you are, the same ones that dropped lookout droids on Arbra. You must leave Berith, and quickly. I beg you Rey, please don't make things harder than they already are. You know very well that …"
They did not have the opportunity to hear the end of Poe's sentence. The young woman had just pressed the control button in the middle of the panel behind her to cut the communication. Her hand was shaking and she was struggling to contain the flow of conflicting emotions roiling inside her. She looked up at Ben, worried about how he would react now. And as she suspected, he moved to the center of the room and announced unsurprisingly:
"I'm not going to Arbra."
"Ben, please …" Rey tried.
"Are you kidding me?" he shouted violently. Finn already had his hand on the blaster attached to his thigh, and Rey was going towards him with her hands up as if to tell him to keep his cool. "No! Do you really believe that-"
He did not finish his sentence either. Rey suddenly saw an arc of blue lightning flash from behind him, and Ben fell to the ground. Rose was now standing over him with her electric prod in her hand. Her face was so serious and determined, even though two tracks of tears were streaming down her cheeks.
Rey darted toward Ben, to check that he was still breathing.
"Rose! What did you do?!"
"Don't worry, he's just knocked out," she responded. "He'll wake up in two or three hours. I didn't use the maximum voltage."
Rey dropped her fingers to his hair and tried to get in touch with him again through the bond, but she found that Ben was truly unconscious. She was reassured to feel the strong and regular beating of his heart.
Rose was watching them in silence.
It was unreal. It was against all logic. These two were in love ... It was so obvious now. Rose did not know what to do with this information, but she wanted to trust Rey. She suddenly wanted to believe that maybe there was still hope of turning Kylo Ren to the light side. She wanted once again to listen to the little voice in her heart that had always told her that we should save what we love ...
"He's coming with us," Rose added, sniffing and wiping her face with her sleeve. "We won't let him languish here. And anyway, he may be useful for what we have to do."
Rey raised her head to look at her. Rose caught her hazel eyes, and then Rey knew that she had discovered what was going on between her and Ben.
"Taking him with us? You're not serious, Rose!" Finn snapped back. "What could he possibly be useful for, aside from wanting to cut us to pieces now that you've electrocuted him?"
But it was Rey who answered in Rose's place, the two women now clearly showing their complicity.
"He'll be useful because we're not going back to Arbra right not. We're going to Naboo."
The little brunette nodded and smiled. Finn swept the air in front of him, waving his arms.
"No, no, no, no ... We are not. I know both of you really care about Maz. She helped you a lot, Rey, and you, Rose, you're grateful because she saved your friends from Hays Minor. I care about her, too. But it's not a reason to throw ourselves into the wolf's mouth on Naboo and attempt a desperate rescue. On that one, I agree with Poe. And then you heard what he had said: the First Order has more than half of its fleet orbiting the planet. I would like to help her. I really would. But it's suicide! What's more with this one, on the ground, who will not appreciate at all to be led in a secret rebel camp on a planet occupied by Hux's troops! It's a very, very bad idea. And then, how do you want us to land on Naboo without being detected?"
Rey looked down at Ben's body at her feet. "Don't worry about that. I've got an idea…"
Rose sniffed again. She was staring intently into his eyes now, her round face so endearing and passionate that Finn knew he would give way soon.
"Where is the brave man who was ready to rush headlong onto the Supremacy to try to save the Resistance? I fell in love with that man. You are that man, Finn."
The former stormtrooper capitulated with a sigh. He put his hand on her cheek and wiped the tears from the corner of her eye with his thumb. Then he kissed her lips before putting his forehead against hers.
Rey smiled. These two were adorable.
"Okay. Let's get Maz out of this mess," Finn announced firmly and solemnly.