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CHAPTER 22:
The command shuttle landed slowly in the middle of the Finalizer's main hangar.
Yehnu was staring at the ship without moving, on the edge of the pad. The two folded fins reminded him of the cetaceans which had fascinated him so much on Kamino. Snoke had sent him there one day, to negotiate a new alliance with the Kaminoans. His brother Jor had accompanied him, and when their hosts had come to welcome them, perched on these strange creatures, the latter had laughed at them shamelessly. "They look more like scarecrows than horse riders," the young Rattataki had said, and Yehnu couldn't help but laugh.
It was a long time ago, but those moments shared with Jor were still etched in his memory.
The stormtroopers, by his side, stood at attention when the ramp lowered and the hooded black figure of the Supreme Leader appeared. Elias was wearing Kylo Ren's mask and Sylla was following him, as was a young boy with short brown hair. The kid was holding in his hands a small wooden box.
After Jor's death, Kylo, then master of the Knights of Ren, had not recruited a new disciple to replace him and Yehnu had always been grateful to him for not doing so. Bram, on the other hand, hadn't been entitled to such consideration. Elias hadn't even waited a week to ask Viri Pax to spot Force-sensitive young men among those destined to become stormtroopers. A few days later, the Zabrak had found this kid, Tehari, in one of the training centers. The kid was now spending all his time with his master.
When the black-dressed giant arrived in front of him, the Rattataki suppressed a grimace and nodded in greeting.
"How long have you been there?" Elias asked in a tone that left no doubt: he was furious.
"I arrived an hour ago. Commander Zian oversees operations for me on Hays Minor. But I was able to do what you asked: I gathered all the officers on the main deck. They are waiting for you, Master."
"Perfect. Let's go. I need someone to explain to me what happened at Theed."
OoooO
Dopheld Mitaka was wondering what he could have done to the Creator to find himself in this situation again. He'd been unfortunate enough to witness some of the terrifying Kylo Ren's tantrums, and each time he had prayed not to end up cut to pieces on the polished floor of the ship. The Supreme Leader was not wearing his lightsaber today but everyone knew that the object was incidental. Kylo Ren was able to inflict the worst tortures with only a snap of his fingers.
Dopheld was staying still, hidden behind Captain Bash's athletic frame, while the Supreme Leader paced back and forth furiously in front of the line of officers, whose faces remained studiously blank.
The one who had the most to fear was, of course, Captain Peavey. His uniform collar seemed to grip him tightly as he reported on the events that had happened on Naboo.
"It was the Millennium Falcon. They performed a hitherto unseen manoeuver. They risked a jump into hyperspace directly from the atmosphere."
"You say 'they'… Who are you talking about?"
"I ... uh..we don't know, Lord Ren."
The Supreme Leader slowed down and turned to stand in front of the soldier. Peavey then showed absolutely remarkable courage - in Mitaka's opinion - by looking up at him and staring desperately at the black mask. The metal surface was split in multiple places. Two engineers had found debris from the helmet in an elevator on the Supremacy several months ago and had brought it to the armory. Now the mask was repaired and the welding traces hardly visible. Goldsmith work.
"When should General Hux return?"
Through the mask modulator, Kylo Ren's voice was as cold as space.
"I don't know Supreme Leader," the soldier admitted, swallowing painfully.
"So you know nothing," the Sith scoffed.
Elias's hand then rose and an invisible force sent the poor officer flying to the other end of the bridge. His body crashed against one of the consoles before falling to the ground like a dislocated puppet. No one was breathing in front of the leader of the First Order and everyone was staring at Peavey's inert figure. The poor fellow let out a weak moan, proof that at least he was not dead.
Dolphed Mitaka huddled even more behind Bash. From where he was, he could gaze at the sadistic smile on the lips of the leather-clad Amazon standing a few steps from the Supreme Leader.
Just before Ren questioned Peavey, a stormtrooper had brought a large metallic suitcase to the young woman's feet, and the latter had laid her hand on it as if it were a fabulous treasure that had to be protected. The second knight, the one with the ashes-colored face, was standing in the background beside a young boy, guardian of a curious box.
The Supreme Leader addressed the whole assembly this time.
"Who should I consider as being in charge of this ship now?"
Bash stepped forward, robbing Mitaka of his protective screen.
"It's me, Supreme Leader," he announced proudly.
"Very well, then open your ears wide… Captain?"
"Uh, Bash, Supreme Leader, I'm Captain Bash."
Elias then went to the communications supervisor and asked that he be given a communication channel to all the ships in the fleet. The technician worked for a few moments on his keyboard before announcing that the line was open. The Sith then adopted a conquering attitude, feet firmly anchored to the ground and hands crossed behind his back.
"This is Kylo Ren, Supreme Leader of the First Order. I want all troops and the equipment to be restationed on the destroyers orbiting Naboo. "
Bash's eyes widened. He must have misunderstood.
"The attack on the palace is an unforgivable provocation which unfortunately resulted in the death of one of my most faithful disciples, and Naboo will pay for it. I want this miserable planet to be destroyed. I want the whole system destroyed. I want these traitors and everyone in the galaxy to see what it costs to challenge the First Order in this way."
If General Hux had always barked his orders when he addressed his subordinates, the tone used here by the Supreme Leader was calm but relentless.
The masked man again turned his attention to Captain Bash and the latter anticipated the question that was going to be put to him:
"It was a massive invasion, Lord Ren. We have men in the main capitals and on all continents. The complete withdrawal of the troops will, I think, take some time."
The mask tilted to the side. It was a curious sight that left the soldier both fascinated and frightened.
"Very well, Captain, I leave it to you to organize all of this with the other officers."
Bash relaxed a bit and nodded, before daring to ask again:
"But, if I may, Supreme Leader, you talked about destroying the Chommel system …"
"That's right, Captain."
The black figure had suddenly straightened up and seemed larger and more terrifying than ever.
"Our ventral cannons are indeed capable of razing entire cities from space, but only the Starkiller base was able to achieve what you plan to do. So I wonder …"
Elias Ren then turned to Sylla and nodded his head in her direction. The young woman replied with a slight smile before rushing towards the exit without delay, taking the suitcase with her.
"You will see, Captain, you will see…" Elias said in a satisfied tone.
OoooooO
"It's not possible, they can't do that."
Larma d'Acy didn't want to believe it. She'd said those words out loud as if to reassure herself. But all the faces around her in the command post on Arbra were expressing nothing but deep concern.
"I don't know if they can actually destroy all of the planets in the Chommel system, but they can still bomb Theed and all the other big cities on the surface with orbital firepower," Leia said. "Naboo does not have a planetary shield."
Dead silence then settled in the command post, the rebels all looking at each other in dismay. Kaydel Ko Connix noticed that even DJ had lost his sly and malicious little smile. He was sitting a little away, very close to the device that had allowed the Resistance to intercept Kylo Ren's declaration of war.
"We are all aware that they can shoot Theed from their ships, but destroying the whole system? Starkiller was the size of a planet and was powered by the energy of a nearby star! So I agree with the commander d'Acy," Snap Wexley replied. "Unless the First Order has a second Starkiller base somewhere, I don't see how they could carry out their threat!"
"Think about the information we have collected on Diyu. They planned to make a new weapon using kyber crystals and this famous mineral. Maybe this is that weapon," Nien Nunb retorted.
Poe added, "In any case, we have to decide quickly what to do. The Gungan refuge cannot be reached because of their protective field. Finn, Rose, Maz, the queen, and a hundred of us are stuck here. Many civilians have left Theed but some remain. And imagine if they do have the power to destroy Chommel. It would be a disaster."
"I can't bear to see again …" Leia didn't have the strength to finish her sentence.
She had held out until then. She had tried to analyze the facts, to keep a cool head in the face of the terrible information they had just received. But she was now at a loss for words. Seeing the First Order once more wiping out other planets, other systems on the galaxy map was no longer conceivable for her. It was out of the question that she would allow this to happen again. She finally opened her mouth to speak, but Poe got ahead of her:
"We have to attack the First Order armada."
Everyone stared at him with large round eyes, as if he had suddenly lost his mind. But at this precise moment, Leia, her heart drowned in sadness and doubts, wanted just to kiss and hug him. Besides, the pilot caught her gaze and immediately saw that she was on his side this time.
"I know they have ten times more ships than we do," he said. "I know it's almost a suicide mission. But we cannot let them do it."
"We are not numerous enough, Dameron. And this time, if we lose, it will be the end of the Resistance, for good," Cova Nell replied.
"Maybe, but I'm not going to sit here idly doing nothing. You?"
The young woman held his gaze and nodded.
"We need to contact Menkel Jas and Girden A'Min, but also all the emissaries that Poe and Rose met on Endor. It's time to test the oath we all made to protect the galaxy at all costs," Leia added.
Lando got up and smoothed the sides of his cape mechanically. "I will also raise the troops. I still have a few loyal friends who'd be delighted to do battle with the First Order."
"We need to evacuate as many people as possible now. They're going to let their guard down while the transport shuttles come and go to repatriate their soldiers and armored vehicles," Commander Dikkit suggested.
"During the attack, we will send cargo ships to recover the rebels from the refuge and as many civilians as possible."
"We have just received a load of Z-67 missiles capable of piercing the shields of their light cruisers."
"We may be outnumbered, but we can cause them a lot of damage during the evacuation."
Everyone started talking at the same time. Adrenaline was diffusing into bodies, excitement setting in to reduce fear and keep them from thinking too much about what they were planning to do.
Still wedged in his corner, the codebreaker slowly raised his hand, like a schoolkid, to ask to speak.
"Uh, I thought of a little thing that m…m…might help."
All faces turned to him, and he resumed his falsely innocent look.
"What could help?" Larma d'Acy asked sharply.
"Well… for example, spreading the news in other systems via the Holonet?"
Poe and DJ looked at each other and the pilot immediately understood what the codebreaker had in mind.
"He's right. We have to warn people. We need to broadcast the video and send a message to the entire galaxy. A cry for help. A call to revolt. I know we've tried to do this many times. But never on such a large scale," the pilot said.
"Will you be able to take control of the entire Holonet, my good man?" Lando sneered.
"I told you, I have very p…p…precious skills and you have rather motivated me to do you a favor."
"I agree with Poe, we must try," d'Acy declared.
All heads nodded in approval.
"Very well. You're in charge of hacking the Holonet," the pilot said, pointing his finger towards DJ. Then he turned to General Organa and added: "Do you think your son might know about the weapon?"
Leia's gaze was lost in the void.
"We must contact Rey immediately," she replied.
OooooO
Rey was asleep by his side and Ben had been looking at her for a good ten minutes. Golden rays were caressing her shoulders, her neck and seemed to want to focus on her lips, a real invitation to kiss. Ben could almost have felt jealous of the sun if he had not had the most wonderful night of his life. Rey and he had made love, passionately, several times, until their bodies and their minds were exhausted and they fell asleep tenderly entwined.
When the young woman finally opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was the smile of the man lying next to her. She returned the favor and slid up to him.
"Mmmmmhhh, slept well?" she purred, sticking herself tightly against his chest and breathing in the scent of his skin.
"Like a baby, even if the night was rather short."
"I also slept well," she replied, mischievous, running her fingers through his hair and tasting his lips.
Ben's arms encircled her, flipped her, and she found herself astride him, her mouth still sealed to his. The fire between her legs was revived when she felt Ben's erection rub against her lower abdomen.
"I don't think I could ever get enough of you," he breathed, grabbing one of her breasts in his warm palm while his other hand descended along her back to caress her butt.
Ben's mouth then began to devour her neck and Rey instinctively rolled her pelvis against him.
"I love you," she moaned when she felt her body ignite again.
"I don't want you to leave, Rey, never again," Ben retorted, caressing and kissing her tenderly.
When a metal hand knocked on the door, Rey and Ben unfortunately knew that the enchanted interlude was over. C-3PO's muffled voice echoed from the hallway. "Excuse me for disturbing you, Miss Rey, Mr. Ben, but the communication channel with the Haven base is open."
Without hesitation, the two lovers jumped out of bed and dressed hastily before leaving the cabin to rush towards the cockpit.
Rey sat on the pilot chair and activated the microphone. "This is the Falcon."
Ben settled into the co-pilot seat next to her and their eyes met.
"Dameron here," came the familiar voice of the pilot through the loudspeaker.
"Poe…"
"Rey…"
The salutations were short but without aggressiveness. These two had not left on good terms, but now was not the time to add fuel to the fire. A few seconds passed in silence before the pilot resumed.
"So, you couldn't help going to Naboo, huh?"
"Nothing you wouldn't have done in our place if you'd had the chance, Poe."
There was no more hostility between them, but rather mutual understanding. Rey even thought she heard a hint of admiration in his voice. She was convinced that she had managed to make him smile at the other end of the channel.
"Then you're even crazier than me."
"I doubt that, Dameron."
This time, Poe let out a little laugh, but his tone became more serious when Rey asked him if he had any news of the Gungan refuge.
"Not yet. But we have something much more alarming to tell you. Is… Ben Solo near you?"
Poe had hesitated to use his real name. Addressing the man he had considered all this time as their worst enemy wasn't easy for him.
"Yes, he's here," Rey replied, now feverish.
"Fine, so I have a question for him. Is it true that Hux and the guy named Elias, who pretends to be him, are in possession of a weapon having the same strike force as Starkiller? We have just intercepted a message from the Supreme Leader asking all the troops to return to the stellar cruisers orbiting Naboo. They intend to destroy the Chommel system."
"What? But that's impossible!" Rey shouted, unable to control the panic reflecting in her voice.
Ben threw her a worried look and against all odds, he replied to Poe:
"Dameron, when I was still at the head of the First Order, we planned the construction of five prototypes of miniature death stars. They had to be powered by a source of energy resulting from the fusion of kyber crystals and an ore discovered on Sato."
It was the first time that Poe had heard the voice of Leia's son since his rough interrogation session on the Finalizer. He had to make a real effort to swallow the slew of insults which he would have liked to hurl at the Knight of Ren at this precise moment. However, he allowed himself to use the most sarcastic tone he could take.
"Miniature death stars, just that!"
"It was four months ago," Ben added, without enthusiasm.
"The factory we attacked on Diyu must have been supplying generators for these machines," Poe realized. "We knew about the new weapons and the hybrid crystal, but we had no idea that it was about rebuilding death stars. And do you think these weapons could be operational today? Four months, it seems too short to finalize such structures, even if the construction of the generators could have been resumed elsewhere."
"You're right, it must be something else. Who knows what Hux and Elias cooked up after I left. This hybrid crystal offered many unsuspected possibilities, according to Hux."
"Listen Poe …" the young woman continued before taking a break and turning her head towards Ben.
The latter stared at her intensely. He knew exactly what she was going to say, but Rey seemed to be waiting for his approval. He then pursed his lips and nodded in silence.
"… If you plan to attack the fleet of the First Order, the Falcon will certainly be very useful. Tell us exactly what we can do to help you."
OooooO
"There, there, easy …"
Rose was sitting on the bed, near Maz, and supporting her to allow her to drink some water.
"Thank you, my child," the little orange woman smiled weakly before lying down, suppressing a grimace of pain which caused Rose's worry to spike.
"Do you want another dose of painkiller?"
"No it'll be okay, this is not the first blaster shot I've ever received, even if I hope it will be the last!"
Suddenly Finn burst into the bedroom.
"Rose! You have to come right now!"
Maz ordered her to follow the young man with a wave of the hand, and the two rebels rushed out into the paths of the Gungan refuge. They finally arrived, out of breath, in the great hall where King Miggi Tan and the other resistance fighters were gathered. Beccar Dugg was speaking to the small group.
"The First Order's army issa leaven. All skeebeetles issa taken off. Spy warna us."*
The faces remained skeptical for a few seconds, but the Gungan assured them that the information was reliable.
"How ? I thought the shield…" Finn interjected
"Otha means."** Beccar answered.
"They don't leave without reason," the voice of Chalek Sarr, a member of Naboo's royal council, was shaking. Everyone then turned their head towards him, afraid of what he was implying. "They are preparing something," he added.
Finn then stepped into the middle of the room and addressed King Miggi Tan.
"Your majesty, we must lower the shield. You must contact the Haven base."
OooooO
Poe Dameron was studying the data displayed on the console of the command post. Cova Nell was absolutely right. They had absolutely no chance to win.
Their fleet counted a total of ten interstellar cruisers, fifty starfighters, twelve bombers and eight CR90 corvettes. Five times fewer ships than Hux's armada had. And the forces of the First Order were not even complete there. Poe suspected that the general still had several destroyers scattered across the galaxy.
The rebels had contacted all their new allies and reinforcements had started arriving on Arbra. Lando had successfully assembled a fleet of freighters large enough to allow the evacuation of hundreds of people. Poe didn't even want to know what he had promised or who he'd promised it to get all of this transportation. Supporters had flocked from Corellia, Ryloth, Ord Mantell, and Raydonia, but Dameron knew that would not be enough.
The senior officers, of which he was a member, had agreed on a plan of attack. There would necessarily be huge losses. The main thing was to cause the First Order as much damage as possible while buying time for the cargo ships to land on Naboo and rescue as many rebels from the refuge and innocent civilians as they could. Above all, it was necessary to prevent the destroyers' guns from razing Theed. If the First Order decided to sacrifice their remaining troops on Naboo and activate their super-weapon, they were all done for. However, several X-wings had been sent on reconnaissance flights throughout the Chommel system to try to collect information on the possible presence of new death stars, and they had found absolutely nothing.
Behind Dameron, the room was in full swing. Everyone knew what they had to do and was aware that they had to hurry. It was already a miracle to have been able to gather so many people and ships in such a short period of time. BB-8 was fidgeting at the pilot's feet and beeped to express his concern.
"I know, BB-8, it's not looking good at all…" Poe sighed, his eyes still riveted on his screen.
But the pilot was suddenly pulled from his meditations by the petite figure that had appeared at the entrance to the room. Dressed in a brown jacket, khaki pants and boots, Leia was standing there looking at him resolutely. Poe frowned.
"Leia, no," he exclaimed.
"And who will stop me, Dameron? You?"
"If necessary, yes!"
"I would like to see that!"
Chewbacca, his crossbow in hand, burst behind Leia. The princess was just tiny next to him and the scene was pretty funny. But the pilot didn't want to laugh and the Wookiee groaned in his direction.
"There's no point in acting tough, Chewie," he replied. "It's too dangerous for her."
Poe knew, however, that he would not have the last word.
"Listen, Dameron, I have been fighting for thirty years alongside all these people. I'm not made of glass, and I still know how to use a blaster. As you said so well, we need everyone available. I'm of course not planning to fly an X-wing, but Chewie and I will be piloting one of the transport cargo ships to Naboo."
"Leia, you …"
The trio was interrupted by Kaydel Ko Connix. The young woman had a headset in her hands and was not sure who to hand it to.
"Excuse me, this is to record the message for broadcast on the Holonet," she declared. "DJ is ready to start hacking. We will have a window of only two minutes. That's all the time we can spare if we don't want to be tracked."
Poe naturally turned to Leia, and Kaydel followed suit. The general sighed before giving them a tired smile.
"I have made far too many speeches in the past. I give way to the younger generation."
She accompanied her words with a hand gesture towards Poe, and the latter froze in the middle of the room. The other resistance fighters all stopped what they were doing. Dameron glanced around and realized that all eyes were on him. Larma d'Acy encouraged him with a nod.
"I'm not a great orator like you," the pilot retorted.
"No need for beautiful sentences or complicated turns. You just have to speak from the heart," replied Leia.
Kaydel then handed him the headset, and the pilot took a deep breath before grabbing it and heading for the console where DJ was waiting.
"Ready?" the codebreaker asked.
"Ready," Poe said.
OoooooO
On Adarlon, in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon, Ben and Rey were checking that everything was working perfectly before takeoff when the communications indicator light began to flash. They had connected to the Holonet, as Poe had advised them, and Rey pressed the activation button to hear the new transmission.
Elias' chilling words echoed through the cabin. Rey stared at Ben and saw his jaw tense with anger. Then Poe Dameron's deep, clear voice took over.
"To all the people of the galaxy, as you have just heard, The First Order armada is currently in orbit of Naboo and is preparing to attack the Chommel system. The threat is very real, I'm afraid. The First Order has already reduced the Hosnian system to dust, and with it the hopes that we had placed in the New Republic. As in the days of the Empire, tyranny is about to reign once again."
In the hydroponic farm, in the heart of the Tatooine desert, Sovan and Shalim Real were sitting side by side in their small living room, staring at a screen.
The face of a man with short brown curls had just appeared. In the background stood several other people, and the young woman immediately recognized one of the figures of the Rebellion, Princess Leia Organa. The widow slid her hand over the table to tighten on her son's.
"If we allow them to do so, the First Order will establish a regime of terror from which no one will escape, from the inhabitants of the Core to the Outer Rim. A regime that no longer hesitates to destroy entire planets, entire systems, to establish its supremacy. The dark days we have known under the imperial yoke will soon be back. "
In the main square of Galactic City, in the middle of the immense skyscrapers of the capital city of Coruscant, the message of Poe Dameron was being broadcast on giant panels, and all onlookers had stopped to listen.
"They are convinced that they are the strongest, and that is what they will become if we let them. But the Resistance is still alive. We are always here."
Unkar Plutt wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Niima's tavern was crowded, but no sound came to disturb the speech of the Resistance pilot whose bluish hologram sizzled above the holocom planted in the middle of the overheated and dusty room.
"And I know that everywhere in the galaxy, men and women also fight every day to challenge this tyranny, to save those they love, to protect their children."
All the satellites floating in the vastness of space relayed the information from Anoth to Kamar, from the Core worlds to the Unknown Regions. The surviving senators of the New Republic who had been fortunate not to be on Hosnian Prime on the day of its destruction were listening attentively from their native planets.
"So I'm begging you. To all those who have not forgotten. To all those who cherish freedom. To all those who feel the courage to do something."
Aboard the Finalizer, Elias Ren was contemplating his fleet of stellar cruisers and the ballet of troop transports leaving and joining their respective destroyers. Operations were continuing as planned, while this cursed rebel was making his little call for shabby revolt on the Holonet. Their communication system had been hacked and his intention to make Naboo pay was exposed. But whatever. The transmission codes had just been reset, and his purpose had not changed. What was this band of renegades hoping for when addressing the people of the galaxy? The First Order was inspiring fear. A fear that nothing could overcome.
"We cannot close our eyes and believe that everything will be fine. Tomorrow, maybe your world will be next on the First Order's sinister list. This war is not the business of a handful of individuals. It is everyone's business. In any case, we, here, will not give up. We will try our best to defeat the First Order. We will continue to fight, to the death if necessary. This is Poe Dameron, member of the Resistance. May the force be with you. "
OoooooO
« The First Order's army issa leaven. All skeebeetles issa taken off. Spy warna us. »* = The First Order's army is leaving. All the vessels are taking off. Our spy has warned us.
« Otha means. »** =We have other means of communications