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CHAPTER 20
Base Haven- Planet Arbra:
"Hey! Easy!"
Poe had just violently pushed the prisoner into the small room where Resistance officers were already waiting. His hands were shackled by handcuffs, and Chewie was no more gentle in forcing him to sit on one of the meeting table's chairs. The code breaker was in a bad position and he knew it very well.
"Listen, I understand that you are rather annoyed after what I did, b…b….but as I told your friend on the Supremacy, it was nothing personal, I was just trying to save my skin…"
"Because of you, hundreds of our people are dead!" the pilot spat.
"You sold us out to the First Order!" Larma d'Acy protested in turn. "Finn and Rose told us that you left Snoke's ship with a reward. A good package of credits, I bet!"
"Oh! So those two escaped in the end! Yes, well, to clear things up: the destroyer was literally sheared in half as I was about to leave, and my 'reward,' as you say, d…d…did not have time to be loaded in the hold. So in the end, I left the ship empty-handed."
"You scumbag…"
"Poe! Please!" Leia stopped him. "This man disgusts me as much as he does you, but he may have information that will be useful to us…"
Curled up like a poor frightened beast, the code breaker had raised his hands in front of his face as a shield. He could see that the pilot was ready to execute him right here, right now.
"Where did you find him, Lando?" the general asked, addressing her friend standing beside her.
"He was hanging out in a tavern on Aztar. He was drunk and shoved one of my men before dropping this."
Lando took a piece of paper, stamped with the emblem of the First Order, from one of his pockets.
"It's a pass to go to the Cyax system in the heart of Hutt space, signed personally by Hux."
"You were on Aztar? That hive of scum and villainy?"
"It's hard to change, Leia," Lando smiled. "Just like Han, I may have distanced myself from the Rebellion for a while now and gone back to my old ways, but I have always made a point of putting a spoke in the wheels of the First Order. I also kept in touch with Menkel Jas. It was he who told me what had happened to you on Crait and how you had been betrayed by a bastard wearing a Trammil amber ring."
"I knew that this thing was a little too c…c…conspicuous," the man mumbled into his beard, casting a disillusioned look at his left ring finger.
"This guy is an opportunist. He doesn't deserve to live after what he did! He's a supporter of the First Order and should be treated as such!" Chewie roared at the assembly in agreement with Dameron.
"Listen, I am not in any c…c…camp, OK?" the prisoner stammered. "And I think we could make a deal."
"A deal?" the pilot sneered. "You are not really in a position to negotiate anything."
"In fact, I am. I have certain skills that you may find very useful."
"You mean your low-level thief and code breaker skills? Tell us how could they be useful now?" Leia retorted.
"Well maybe, if you were planning, I don't know ... to hack the communication system of the F…F…First Order's flagship…"
The assembly members suddenly shot interested looks at each other while Poe was still staring at the man.
"Explain."
The prisoner finally saw an opportunity to buy himself some time.
"If I was able to get into the Finalizer's central computer in order to have access to the transmission codes of the First Order's fleet of destroyers, you could intercept their encrypted messages, which I would c…c…crack for you of course ... That would give you a definite tactical advantage, right? You would know in advance what Hux and his little gang are up to."
Was he really able to do this?
"Would you be able to do that?" Poe asked aloud.
"I would…"
"How could we be sure that the First Order wouldn't notice the intrusion, and that they wouldn't decide to set a trap for us by feeding us false information? Or why not take advantage of it yourself, to trick us again by sending them a message indicating our position?"
"I don't even know on which p… p… planet we're on here!" the prisoner exclaimed.
"I can keep an eye on what he does," Kaydel intervened. "To make sure he doesn't try to betray us again. And if he does, I'll take it upon myself to blast him in the heart."
Having access to all communications from the Finalizer was unexpected. But was it worth it to trust this guy at the risk of being betrayed once again?
"In exchange, I just want to stay alive," he added.
Larma and Poe were undecided. Out of reflex, the pilot turned his head towards Leia to see what the former rebel leader was thinking about all of this. He immediately saw in her eyes what she was ready to give it a shot.
"Very well, let's say we allow you to do this. How are you going to proceed?"
"Oh, I just need to build a small device of my own invention. I think you have everything I need here but, I must admit there is a slight p…p…problem."
"I knew it."
"To be able to intercept the security code of the Finalizer, the b… b… box must be at a minimum distance from the central computer, for ten seconds, that's all."
"How much 'minimum distance' are we talking here?"
"I would say ... five hundred meters."
"What!" Poe exclaimed. "You mean we have to be near the ship? Right in the middle of the Hux's armada?"
"Uh ... yes ... for just a few seconds. My device c… c… captures the code, and voilà! Access granted!"
"That's completely insane!"
"Hey, I never said it was going to be easy!"
"No way," d'Acy replied. "Even if we emerge from hyperspace near the Finalizer with the fastest X-wing we have, the destroyer's guns and the TIEs won't leave us a chance!"
"I can do it," Poe said.
"No, it's too risky Dameron!" Leia said.
"It's worth it, you know that as well as I do. If it works, we gain a huge advantage over them. I can get close to the ship, take the time to retrieve the codes and leave quickly with a jump to light speed. I just have to avoid their turbolasers and their missiles."
"What if it doesn't work? Damn it, Dameron! When are you going to stop playing the hot-head?"
"I can go with him," Lando suggested.
"Come on, Lando, not you too!" Leia almost yelled.
"No, I have someone else in mind to accompany me," Poe retorted, turning toward the code breaker. "I can't fly and manage his machine at the same time. We are going to take a two-seater starfighter and he'll come with me."
"What? Uh ... That wasn't really the plan I had in mind!" the prisoner complained.
"Of course it wasn't, but this is my plan now. So you're going to hurry up and build your device, and when you're done, we're going to pay a little visit to the new Supreme Leader and his charming army."
OoooooO
Planet Naboo:
Rey arrived safely at the foot of the waterfall and chased away the sweat plastering her loose hair on her forehead. She had run through the forest from the lake and was now catching her breath, sheltered by a heap of rocks bordering the large basin below the cliff. The clarity of the twin moons lit up the undergrowth, and the sound of bubbling water was covering all other surrounding noise. Ben's saber was hanging on her belt, and she took a few minutes to clear her mind.
She had left the refuge in a hurry by borrowing one of the two small single-seater submarines which were waiting on the lower levels of the village - it was out of the question to swim back to the surface. She had acted as discreetly as possible and had hardly met anyone except a few Gungans patrolling quietly in the alleys.
Finn and Rose were going to kill her, if the soldiers of the First Order didn't do it first. But she had made her decision.
What she had seen in her dream – her vision, whatever – had convinced her to go it alone in this perilous attempt to liberate Maz and Megarana. She knew now that Ben loved her and was ready to risk everything for her. She also loved him more than anything. But admitting her feelings to him may not have been enough to shield him from the dark side's demonic attraction. He had spent more than half of his life engulfed in the shackles of darkness while she, on Ahch-To, had only had a brief glimpse of this raw and harmful power. She'd felt it, sitting cross-legged on that rock, while Luke begged her not to be dragged down. The call of the Dark Side had been deafening, irresistible ...
And it wasn't just all because of Ben. Rose and Finn would never have let her go alone. She had thought a lot and decided she couldn't risk the lives of her friends, all because she'd had the crazy idea of landing on Naboo to play the rescuer. Yet now that it was time to go, she wondered if she had made a huge mistake. It was surely presumptuous to think that she could carry out this mission without any help.
But she shook her head with determination and her optimism took over: she had to do it. She was going to pull this off... with Ben's saber and with the help of the Force.
She then stuck her head out from between the two rocks that she'd been hiding behind and, in spite of the low light, she spotted the small passage about which Isbé had spoken and which led straight behind the waterfall. She had to hurry. It had already taken far too long to get here and dawn was near.
She walked along the edge of the pool, making her way through the tall grass, and rushed into the damp cavity. The ground was slippery and a tunnel now opened before her, deep and dark. The slope was steep, and she suddenly had no doubt that this passageway was going to lead her to the palace built just above. Fortunately, she had thought of bringing a small lamp to light her steps.
After ten minutes of walking, she came to a rusty old door. She pulled on the handle and the door resisted a little. She applied a bit more force, and the door finally opened in an unfortunate squeak that echoed against the mineral walls of the tunnel.
The young woman winced – she could not afford to be noticed right now. So Rey didn't try to open the door any wider when she saw that the opening was just large enough for her to sneak in. The passage was camouflaged by a purple drape hanging on the wall and the young woman gently pushed the thick cloth to the side to take a look at the place behind.
It was a sumptuously decorated room with a huge four-poster bed. There was no one there, and Rey let out a sigh of relief.
Now, she had to find a way to get around the palace without being spotted by the guards.
Beccar Dugg had suggested that she disguise herself as a maid and that is what she intended to do, hoping that no one stopped or searched her. But that was another problem: she had to find the right outfit first, and she doubted she could do it here, in the royal apartments. So she walked gingerly to the exit and glanced down the hall.
No one.
Until now, she'd been pretty lucky.
Perhaps the queen's bedroom was not far away? Or that of one of her companions?
Rey knew that not all of them had been able to leave the palace before the First Order attack, and that the rebel informant was one of those. Megarana's handmaidens had to stay near their sovereign in order to be always available to her, so Rey decided to visit the next room. It was also a bedroom, luxurious and gigantic. But Rey froze in horror when she saw the mast planted on the balcony, on which was hanging a standard displaying the red-on-black emblem of the First Order.
Kriff… was this Hux's bedroom?
Suddenly footsteps echoed in the corridor. Without losing a second, her heart pounding, the young woman pressed herself against the wall next to the entrance. Her hand slid toward the lightsaber hanging from her belt and her fingers closed tightly on the handle. She hadn't planned on using it so soon and she remained motionless, holding her breath. A fine figure dressed in a long blue toga entered the room. Rey immediately pushed close the door and the newcomer abruptly turned, covering her mouth with her hands to stifle a cry. She had dropped the pile of clothes she'd been holding in her arms and was now staring at the intruder with a terrified look.
"Please don't be afraid!" Rey begged her in a low voice. "I am part of the Resistance! I don't want to hurt you!"
Once recovered from her surprise, the girl, eyes still wide, began to look Rey over from head to toe.
"Who are you? And how did you get here?"
"My name is Rey. I took the secret passage in the opposite room."
"You're Rey? A secret passage?"
This girl must not have been more than fifteen years old. She had fine and delicate features, even if she seemed very tired. She had taken a step forward and had set eyes on the lightsaber that the scavenger was still holding in her hand.
"By the Creator! But I thought you wouldn't come until tomorrow night! Where are the others? Are you alone?"
"Yes, I am ... But wait a minute ... Are you Beccar's Dugg informant?"
"Yes, my name is Tial."
Rey sighed in relief before finally noticing that the clothes at the teenager's feet were in fact First Order uniforms. The lady's maid hastily picked them up before going to lay them in a loose pile on the bed.
"Has the rescue been moved up?"
"Yes, that's it," Rey lied. "And I need help."
The girl had now regained all the calm and determination that had made her so successful as a spy.
"Very well, wait for me here. I'll get you some clothes. General Hux left yesterday. No one but me is allowed to enter here, so you're not in any danger. Then I'll find a way to take you to the cells in the basement, where they're holding Her Majesty and Maz Kanata. But how will you get them out with all these stormtroopers in the palace?"
"I was counting on my powers of persuasion ... And on the fact that we can escape the way I came in and disappear back into the forest."
"Okay then, don't move, I'll be back soon!"
Tial walked past her and left the room, closing the door behind her.
OoooO
Rey had kept her own clothes on under her disguise. That way, if she needed to fight, she could quickly regain her freedom of movement by tearing off the voluminous sleeves and too-long skirt of the palace uniform. Tial had explained to her that all of the Queen's maids - and now General Hux's - should have, more or less, the same appearance. The teenager had therefore intertwined Rey's locks to create two large braids on each side of her head which joined at the nape of the neck to form a neat little bun. Ben's saber was wedged tightly against her thigh, and she hoped that the slight bump it formed under the fabric of her dress would not attract too much attention.
"Halt! What are you doing here? This area is forbidden access to unauthorized personnel."
The voice of the stormtrooper who had just called them was dry and threatening. The young women stopped, turned around slowly, and found themselves face to face with a pair of soldiers, laser rifles in hand. Rey looked down at the tray she was holding and left Tial to answer.
"We were asked to bring this to the basement. It's for the prisoners."
The two patrolmen exchanged a glance through the visors of their white and black helmets, then turned their attention back to the young girl.
"At this hour? Who asked?"
"Lord Viri Pax. I'm just following his orders. But maybe you want us to disturb him in his quarters to make sure that …"
"No, it's good," the trooper retorted. "You can go."
Tial addressed a small nod of thanks to the soldier, and she and Rey moved hurriedly to the staircase that went down to the prison. Finally out of sight, the teenage girl whispered:
"All right, this may be a little more complicated with the guards watching the hallway to the cells."
"Let's hope they'll be as cooperative as those we just encountered," Rey murmured.
Indeed, two other stormtroopers were on duty in front of a huge metal door. When the two women reached their level, the same question was asked.
"Food and drink for Queen Megarana," Tial announced
"The instructions were clear," replied one of them. "Neither food nor water until the return of Lord Viri Pax. Take it back to the kitchens."
"But it's Lord Viri who …"
"I did not receive notification that the orders had changed. I'm telling you to take it back!"
The soldier had tightened his grip on his rifle. He was starting to get annoyed. Rey felt Tial stiffen beside her. They had to get in, whatever the cost.
The scavenger then advanced towards the soldiers and looked at them with intensity.
"You are going to open this door and let us pass without arguing. We are here just to drop off food for the prisoners. Nothing that requires you to accompany us or monitor us. We will be out in five minutes."
The stormtroopers stood still for a few seconds, and Rey wasn't sure if her mind control attempt had worked. The consistent effort she'd been making since she left the refuge to try and hide her energy signature might be preventing her persuasiveness from working. She didn't know if Viri Pax had already left Naboo, and she couldn't take the risk that he would detect her presence.
"What?" one of the soldiers blurted out, a little disconcerted.
Kriff ... On the Finalizer, she had managed to manipulate the guard to force him to release her. Now there were two.
She slowly repeated the instructions, concentrating more, and this time the stormtrooper to the right of the door no longer hesitated. He turned to activate the opening system using the bracelet he had on his wrist, and the door slid to disappear into the stone wall. The two men then moved away to give them free rein.
"You will be out in five minutes." The stormtrooper's voice was no longer authoritarian, but rather strange and distant.
"And you're going to give us that," Rey added, pointing to both the blaster rifles and the soldier's bracelet. "Then you will go for a walk outside the palace."
They deposited their weapons on the ground, and the one on the left gave Rey the pass. Finally, they walked away without a word under Tial's stunned gaze.
Rey put down her tray and retrieved the bracelet and the guns, handing one to the teenager as the women rushed into the corridor leading to the cells.
"I forgot that you're a Jedi …"
"I'm not a Jedi," Rey protested. "Do you know where they are?"
"No. But no one is being held here except them."
They began to inspect the inside of each of the cells they came across. They were all empty, and the two young women quickly reached the end of the aisle.
"Over here," Tial lead Rey to another corridor.
The decor had changed - the temperature too. It was darker and the ceiling was made of rock. Rey stopped moving to take a deep breath. It was the place she had seen in her vision. The presence of metal doors with portholes on either side of the corridor confirmed this.
Tial's voice echoed from the bottom and pulled her from her meditations.
"The queen is here!" she exclaimed.
Rey ran to join her and unlocked the cell with the bracelet. The queen of Naboo was lying on the mattress, her eyes closed and her complexion pale. Her hair was undone and her face had been stripped of her ceremonial makeup. Rey estimated that Tial and the queen must be almost the same age. Terrified, the handmaid hastened to go and support her sovereign when Mégarana, who had awakened, tried to get up.
"Your Highness, wait, let me help you! We came to get you out of here! Can you walk?"
"Tial ... It's you."
Megarana was very weak. Her maid, who had kept a small bottle of water with her, made her drink before holding her by the waist to leave the cell.
"Do you know where Maz is?" Rey asked the queen, who raised her arm to point a finger at the opposite cell.
The scavenger opened the door. Maz was curled up on the bunk and jumped when Rey put her hand on her shoulder.
"Hey, Maz, don't be afraid, it's me. It's Rey. I've come to get you."
The little alien turned slowly and Rey could see that, like Megarana, she was in a pitiful state. She seemed to have been beaten. Her lower lip was bleeding. A large purple hematoma was covering her left brow bone, contrasting impressively with the orange color of her skin.
"Force, Maz!" the scavenger exhaled, horrified.
"Rey? This is madness, what are you doing here?"
"I told you, I'm taking you back to the base. Can you walk?"
The young woman put an arm around her waist and helped her to get up. "Did they torture you?," she asked, tears in her eyes and her throat tight.
"The Zabrak was not gentle. I'm glad I couldn't tell him anything."
Maz was not very heavy, but they had to get back to Ars Veruna's room. Alas, the plan came to an end when footsteps pounding the ground in rhythm were heard outside the exit. Rey leaned Maz against the wall and stuck her head around the corner to take a look at the end of the corridor. She saw, behind the small narrow window at the top of the door, that a dozen stormtroopers were waiting to enter. One of them was barking orders while complaining about the incompetence of his subordinates. It was Rey who had the bracelet and obviously, the stormtrooper in charge of the squad was waiting for someone to open the door.
"Damn it," she said before turning to Tial. "Is there another way out?"
"No, not that I'm aware of."
Rey tried to analyze the different options they had available - in fact, very few. All the scenarios she could think of ended in tragedy. She then shouldered her blaster rifle and aimed at the control box on the wall. The latter exploded in a burst of sparks. The soldiers were going to be forced to smash the metal partition if they wanted to enter. It would save them a little time, at least.
"Turn around!" she cried, going to the back of the prison.
The thumping sounds of a battering ram against the steel partition soon invaded the corridor, and Tial started to panic.
"They're going to kill us," she stammered, still supporting the staggering queen, who was having trouble moving forward.
Rey tried to catch her breath and keep her cool. All right, it was time to get rid of her costume. The blue toga ended up on the ground.
"Listen to me Tial, do you know how to use this?" she then asked, pointing to the gun that the teenager had hung on her shoulder.
"Yes, I …"
The ram's impacts against the door were getting closer and closer and Rey could hear the sharp squeaks of the inexorably bending metal.
"OK fine. Wait for me here, and get ready to shoot if you see any stormtroopers coming towards you."
The girl nodded wordlessly, and Rey gave Maz the second rifle before going to inspect the corridor, which seemed to be a dead end.
On the back wall, the scavenger noticed a large air vent. A small breeze of fresh air fluttered her hair when she approached to inspect the grate. The walls had to be at least thirty centimeters thick and there was no opening system. Yet Rey saw light filtering through the oblique slats. She could even hear the sound of rushing water on the other side. So it was their only chance to get out.
Suddenly, an explosion shook the whole basement and the cries of the stormtroopers echoed behind her, as did the blasts from their blasters.
They had entered.
"Rey! What are you doing?!"
Maz's little voice was almost drowned out by the bursts of lasers that made pieces of rock shatter a few meters from her. The little alien was back in the game and was machine-gunning the enemy, determined not to give them the slightest chance of advancing.
Rey's brain was spinning and suddenly she found the solution. She activated Ben's lightsaber and plunged the glowing blade into the metal of the grate, which began to melt and drip at her feet. She easily cut the shielding and created a passage wide enough to be able to squeeze through. Daylight invaded the corridor. The wind, saturated with micro-droplets of water, was now rushing through a large hole dug in the cliff just behind the perforated steel.
Rey retraced her steps and, lowering her head to avoid the shots, she grabbed Maz by the shoulders.
"Come on, over there!"
Tial put her rifle over her shoulder and carried the queen with her. Maz left hers behind and followed Rey. The fugitives slipped into the passage and came out on a tiny ledge too narrow to hold four people.
"They're here!" a stormtrooper yelled behind their backs.
They had no choice. Without thinking, the four women jumped and disappeared into the tumultuous waters of the raging torrent.
OooooO
Her lungs were on fire. She was sucked down. The force of the current made her let go of Maz's elbow, but she was still holding Ben's saber in her right hand. Tossed this way and that, she was pumping her arms and legs in a desperate attempt to reach the surface when suddenly her head hit something hard and she almost lost consciousness. She called on the Force in a last-ditch effort to extricate herself from the vicious whirlpool she was caught in, and she finally emerged in the midst of the eddies, inhaling a big gulp of air. She managed as best she could to return to the bank and crawled, exhausted and a little stunned, onto the sandy ground of the basin.
The humming of a ship was heard in the distance, immediately followed by the mechanical roar of approaching speeders. The First Order troops had found them, and Rey got up painfully, coughing, to scrutinize the surroundings of the waterfall in order to see where Tial, Maz and Megarana had gone. On the other side of the shore, she distinguished a blue silhouette helping the sovereign climb out of the water. A small orange creature was by their side, leaning against a rock and catching its breath.
They're there ... They're alive.
But all of a sudden, a laser beam passed only a few centimeters from her ear and the young woman had just enough time to rush behind a large block of granite. A row of stormtroopers, in close formation, advanced in her direction. On the other side of the waterfall, Maz had taken position to retaliate with Tial's weapon. Then, in the space of just a few seconds, the small green space around the pool turned into a veritable shooting gallery. The soldiers sheltered behind the tree trunks and fired back.
"Get out of here!" Rey yelled at the three women crouching behind the rocks, not sure if they could hear her.
The situation may have been hopeless for her, but her friends could still try to disappear in the forest. The shooting stopped from the other side and the stormtroopers took the opportunity to get closer. It was then that Rey heard Finn's voice call out her name.
The shooting began again, more sustained and more precise. Rey glanced quickly across the pool: Finn and Rose were with Maz.
Two stormtroopers collapsed.
"Hold on, Rey!" This time it was Rose who was screaming to cover the hubbub of the cannons.
But Rey suddenly felt a cold wave rise up her spine and a shiver run through her from head to toe. She returned her gaze to the forest and saw a large, hooded black figure making its way between the trees without worrying in the least about the lines of lasers that were firing in all directions. When the man uncovered his head to reveal a face tattooed with a strange black and red mosaic, Rey's eyes widened in horror. Small horns adorned his head like a crown, and his terrifying yellow eyes were focused on the huge rock behind which she was standing.
It was Viri Pax… He hadn't left Naboo.
Rey closed her eyes for a moment and tightened her grip on the handle of Ben's lightsaber as if to regain courage. A cry from the other side of the pool made her jump. Maz was down. She had just been hit and Finn was pulling her under cover in the tall grass.
By the Creator… No, not Maz…
"Get out of here! Get them to shelter, Finn!" the scavenger screamed once more as Rose retorted that they were not going to abandon her here.
The soldiers of the First Order were no more than twenty yards away when suddenly, a strong explosion made the men in white and black armor fly back in a dizzying crash. Smoke and dust invaded the entire area. Rey's ears started to whistle and a speeder, out of nowhere, with cannons smoking, crossed the wood to rush straight at the troopers still standing, before disappearing as quickly as it had appeared into the depths of the forest. The young woman heard the Zabrak howl at the last infantrymen at his side, who made a U-turn at a run to go and get on their own machines parked behind them. The vehicles immediately set off in pursuit of the racer and its driver, whom she had recognized very well.
OoooooO
"Finn, pull back!" Ben shouted in the comlink on his wrist.
"No way! We are not leaving without Rey!" the rebel retorted.
The roar of his speeder was covering up his voice. He had to get rid of the troopers on his heels very quickly so he could get back and help Rey at the edge of the pool.
"Negative! Viri Pax is here and the First Order troops will surround you soon. You must get on your speeders and return to the refuge with Maz and the queen!"
"Maz is seriously injured!"
"One more reason to do as I say! I'll take care of Rey!"
He took a sharp turn and narrowly avoided several low branches. Finn's panicked voice echoed again in the comlink.
"You won't do it alone!"
"I will!" Ben understood perfectly that Finn was reluctant to trust him. "I'm going to get her out of there, trust me!" he insisted.
There was a long silence at the other end of the line.
"OK, we'll retreat. But I warn you, if she dies, you're a dead man!" Finn spat before cutting the call.
OooooO
The dust began to disperse. Rey, who had left her shelter, could now distinguish more clearly the black shadow advancing towards her. One of the soldiers got up and aimed in her direction. Rey concentrated and sent him flying against a trunk with a wave of her hand, just like Ben had done with her on Starkiller. But her vision was clouded a bit and she had to make a huge effort not to waver. Her head was hurting, blood beating hard against her temples. But this was not the moment to falter. She turned to face Viri and noticed that the Zabrak was standing still in front of her with a little predatory smile. Then, with a slow gesture, he unhooked his saber from his belt and ignited it. The blade was purple and the color mingled with the light of the first rays of the sun filtering through the trees. They were now alone, face to face.
"You are the famous Rey."
The yellow eyes were trying to pierce her soul. She took a deep breath and ignited Ben's lightsaber.
"And you, Viri Pax."
The Zabrak tilted his head, as if to size her up, before falling on her without warning.
OooooO
Ben stepped on the accelerator and rushed into a small rocky pass with the last speeder still chasing after him.
He knew this place. He used to play here sometimes with his friend Aedan when he was a child. The pilot behind him must be thinking that he was crazy to have taken this passage which left no possibility of escaping his cannon fire. But Ben Solo was not crazy.
When the stormtrooper was finally ready to fire, Ben let go of the handlebars of his speeder, stretched out his hand towards his pursuer and sent the enemy careening toward the stone wall of the canyon to smash in a spray of fire.
That was the last one. He could now rejoin Rey before the entire First Order contingent landed near the waterfall.
OooooO
Ben arrived just in time to see Rey in the distance, struggling to regain her balance, and Viri Pax adopting his favorite posture, leg stretched back and open hand in front of his face.
The shock wave burst from the Zabrak's palm and surged mercilessly toward the young woman, propelling her with incredible force against the rock behind her. Under the impact, she let go of her lightsaber and the crackling red blade went out immediately.
Ben opened the throttle fully and threw the device at full speed towards his former disciple. The latter had just enough time to turn his head towards him before jumping back and seeing the machine crash against two tree trunks, demolishing them on impact. Ben had jumped mid-flight and rolled on the ground. The explosion that accompanied the crash had given him time to get up and go over to where Rey was lying unconscious on the shore.
"No, no, no… Rey."
The young woman wasn't moving but she was still breathing. Ben's hand shook slightly against her cheek.
A troop transport vessel flew low over their heads. Reinforcements were arriving.
Viri struggled to his feet and swiped at the trickle of blood that was now dripping from the corner of his mouth. His expression had changed. His arrogance had given way to a completely different feeling: worry. Kylo Ren was in front of him again and he suddenly remembered that he had never beaten his former master in single combat. But rage was his ally today: he was going to cut this dirty traitor to pieces, and then finish off his girlfriend right after. Elias would be delighted, and he could boast to others that he had killed the famous grandson of Darth Vader.
"You will pay for what you did to us," the Zabrak hissed.
Ben got up slowly while not taking his eyes off Viri. His hand reached out for his lightsaber on the ground and the weapon moved into his palm.
"I can see that there is no point in me trying to explain or justify myself."
"Exactly, let's fight."
So Ben let the Force seep into each of his muscles, into each of his cells, and he felt all his senses sharpen.
Viri Pax threw himself forward and their blades finally collided. The two fighters pivoted, jumped, and dodged with controlled fury, which was very surprising coming from Kylo. His technique, usually based on brute force and wide passes, seemed to have evolved. It was confusing.
Viri made a lunging attack, but Ren countered each strike. He tried to destabilize him with a new shock wave, but his opponent cushioned the impact just by raising his hand before replying with a flurry of blows that the Zabrak had the greatest difficulty in containing. His former master hit him in the left arm and thigh, and he was forced to put a knee on the ground for a few seconds. He expected Kylo to take advantage of it, but the latter did nothing, taking a step back as if to give him time to recover.
No ... It was impossible, this man in front of him was not Kylo Ren.
Ben's behavior had the effect of rekindling the visceral hatred that the former Supreme Leader inspired in him, and Viri Pax felt transported by a new frenzy of exaltation. The Zabrak straightened up and swirled his blade around his head to hit Kylo in the face. When Ren countered by raising his saber, Viri's knee came crashing into his chest. Leia's son collapsed to the ground on his back. Galvanized by his success, the Zabrak was already pressing the attack, arms raised, ready to strike the killing blow. Carried away by his momentum, Viri did not see that Ren had recovered his lightsaber and was impaled on the red blade. Kylo, still stretched out, drew his crackling saber from the Zabrak's chest, just long enough to roll to the side before the Sith fell first to his knees, then face down on the wet sand of the bank.
OoooooO
Ben started running, carrying Rey in his arms. Viri had not come on foot; he must have arrived here on a vehicle of some kind. And indeed, a few meters further, he discovered a lone speeder hidden behind a large tree.
A first explosion resounded on their left. A second on their right.
The starfighters had been released and were shooting from the sky. But the vegetation was hiding their position and the enemy could therefore only count on luck to try to hit them.
Ben straddled the speeder and propped Rey up against him. Driving with one arm was going to be complicated, but they didn't have a long way to go. First Order troops were arriving, this time from the south, so it was impossible for them to return to the refuge.
He just hoped that Finn and Rose had managed to bring Maz and the Queen back to the Gungan village before it was too late.
For Rey and him, the only way out now was to head straight for the Millennium Falcon. And besides, if they could make a spectacular takeoff and take out a few TIE fighters along the way, this would provide the perfect diversion for their friends to take shelter with the rescued prisoners. Hux's army might even believe that they had all succeeded in leaving the planet, since there were no more troopers on the banks of the basin to be able to tell what had happened.
So he flew at full speed through the trees, hoping that the Falcon was still waiting for them in the clearing.
When they finally arrived, Ben was unpleasantly surprised to see that the cloaking device had stopped working and the ship had been spotted. The droids had deployed the protective shields, and the freighter was now suffering heavy fire.
He could only hope that C-3PO or the astromech were watching for them, and would open the Falcon's door.
As if his prayers had been heard, the ramp lowered. Ben was out of breath when the protocol droid came to meet him in the main hold as he placed Rey, still unconscious, on the bunk.
"By the Creator! But…"
Ben raised his hand to signal him to shut up and activated the comlink on his wrist.
"Finn, are you reading me? I'm with Rey on board the Falcon. The ship has been spotted. We must leave Naboo. Were you able to reach the refuge?"
A sizzling sound was heard interspersed with bursts of voice.
"We… Security… Refuge… Madness, you are going… destroyer… stupid…"
A series of explosions shook the entire freighter.
The cry of rage Ben let out startled C-3PO, and R2-D2 came rushing in to join them, issuing a series of frantic beeps.
Ben pointed a threatening finger right in front of the truncated nose of the golden droid.
"You take care of her," he roared before rushing towards the cockpit.
"But, but…" The robot's words were lost behind him. When he arrived at the cockpit, he activated the takeoff commands on the side panel. Then he settled into the chair and pushed all the controllers in front of him. R2-D2 rushed into the cockpit and stopped still near him. The little droid's panic manifested itself again with a series of whistles and electronic trills and Ben, this time, took the time to answer his questions.
"We'll take off and immediately make the jump to hyperspace."
"Bipdubipbipdup!"
"Yes ... directly from the atmosphere. I know it's risky, but it's our only chance."
The astromech's recriminations continued. It was not risky - it was suicide. They might as well fly the Falcon straight into a mountain.
About fifty destroyers and First Order cruisers were stationed in orbit around the planet just above their heads. They therefore had a good chance of hitting one of these ships while trying to escape in this way from the planet's atmosphere, without the on-board computer being able to calculate a safe trajectory. But Ben didn't intend to give it the time to make the calculations, because in a few seconds, the shields would no longer have enough power to absorb the impact of the shots currently pounding them.
Ben activated the other controls and the engine started. The Millennium Falcon rose slowly from the ground and made a U-turn before lifting up slightly towards the sky. When the starfighters finally moved away to initiate another pass over them, Ben Solo closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He cast his mind straight ahead, as far as he could, and listened carefully to the universal voice of the Force. He perceived the energy of each living being enclosed in the steel shells above them, of each planet, of each moon, of each pebble floating in the vastness of space that the Millennium Falcon had to avoid. His hand pushed the rudder slightly and the freighter turned a few degrees to the left.
A leap to lightspeed, straight ahead ... Just a few parsecs to cross the lines of the First Order and take Rey where it's safe.
When the little droid finally understood that he had to secure his metal feet to the cockpit floor, Ben lowered his palm to the red button in front of him, and the Millennium Falcon jumped into hyperspace.