Chapter 16
Allana leaned heavily on her walking stick as she made her way to the command center. She had been released from the med bay two days ago but still couldn't move around much without the help of crutches or her walking stick. She slowly made her way down the hall, a thudding sound punctuating her every other step. Once she reached the room, she entered her code, and the door slid open. As soon as she walked inside, her mother spotted her.
"What are you doing here Allana?" she asked with her hands on her hips. "I thought you were working on the Falcon."
"I was. I finished," she answered, making her way towards her mother.
"You're finished?" Leia questioned raising her eyebrows. "That ship is never done being fixed."
"Well then I did the impossible. Mom, you have to give me something to do. I know I can't know anything important or crucial because of the nightmares, but I need something."
Leia pursed her lips slightly. Before she could respond, a holo appeared above the table in the center of the room.
"General Organa!"
"Get out of here," she said softly to her daughter, then she turned to the holo. "What's wrong, Captain Francis? What did you find?"
"The First Order is building something again, but we're unable to determine what it is. We have been able to tell that the plans and information on the new project are being kept on a base. I got the best hackers I could, but no one was able to break through their security."
"Can we get someone to infiltrate the base and send us the plans?" Leia asked, scrolling through a data pad. "Captain Antoniou, come over here."
"We've got two people in there, but it'll take too long for them to get the plans. Only people with top clearance are even allowed near them."
"Yes General," Captain Melia Antoniou said, walking up to the General.
"Can you hack this," she asked, handing over the data pad.
She scanned the document displayed briefly.
"Not by myself," she said slowly. "All the documents are protected by a P5 encryption. In order to access it without the proper clearance you need two people. One to get in on site and someone getting in from a remote device."
"Alright," Leia said quickly, "who do you need to go with you?"
"General, it's not possible. I only know how to get in on site. Doing it remotely requires special training. No one here has that kind of training."
"I do."
Leia spun around to see Allana standing in the doorway.
"Before you say anything," Allana said holding up a hand, "I know I'm not supposed to be listening, but I am your only option. I have the training. Remember, I took it at the beginning of the war."
"She's right," Melia interjected. "We've hacked this exact system together before, and she's better than anyone else I know."
"We're putting too many people at risk if you know," said Leia.
"The First Order already knows we've tried to hack it. As long as you don't tell me when we're leaving, we'll be fine."
"You can't even walk around the base without getting winded," Leia said, gesturing to her cane.
"I can stay on a ship far away from danger, and if you're really worried, we can get someone to be security."
Leia look back and forth between Melia and Allana.
"Fine," she said throwing up her hands, "Melia get briefed on what exactly you need to do by Captain Francis. Allana, it's your job to find someone willing to be your security. I'll get you a pilot."
Melia immediately turned to the holo and began talking, and Leia walked towards Allana. She stopped when the two were side by side.
"I knew you wouldn't be able to stay away," she said under her breath.
"I didn't think I would."
…
Rey, Ami, Finn, and Poe plunked their trays full of the oddly colored soup they were serving down and slid into their seats in the mess hall.
"Did you hear about the new mission?" Ami asked, tearing off a hunk of the bread that they got with their meals.
"No," Rey said shaking her head, "I've been training with Luke all day."
"They're sending a group of hackers to try to obtain the plans to whatever the First Order is building."
"Who are they sending?" Finn asked around a mouthful of food.
"Gross," Ami said. "Close your mouth. Anyways, I know Commander Olson is flying the ship, and Captain Antoniou is one of the hackers, but I'm not sure who the other hacker is."
"It's a good thing the General is sending Antoniou," Poe said, taking a sip of water. "She's the best on the base."
"Well not good enough apparently," Ami said, taking a bite of the soup they had been served. "The system requires two people, and one of them needs special training. Special training no hacker on the base has."
"Are they going to hire someone?" Rey asked.
Before anyone could respond, Allana walked up to the end of the table.
"Finn, I need your help."
"My help?"
"What's the issue?" Ami asked.
"I'm going on the mission to get the plans from the First Order., and I need Finn to come with me."
"Leia's letting you," Rey asked in disbelief.
"I completely forgot," Ami said more to herself than anyone else. "You have the special training that they need to break into the base."
"I don't think you should go," Poe said.
The entire table froze. The two of them hadn't spoken since Allana ended things and made a conscious effort to not be in the same room as the other. Rey and Finn knew only that she broke things off to protect him, but only Ami and Poe knew everything.
"And why not?" Allana said icily.
"You can't even walk around the base without help!"
"That's why I'm over here asking Finn to come. We need someone to help in the event we get attacked. Thank you for your input Commander Dameron, but it's not necessary!"
The two of them stared each other down for what felt like eons to the others at the table. Eventually, Poe stood up and walked off in a huff. As soon as he was gone, Allana took his spot at the table.
"Please Finn."
"I'm not the most qualified person for this," he said.
"That doesn't matter. You were trained by the First Order. You're able to anticipate their moves in a fight because you were taught the same thing. No one else on this base can do that."
Finn looked around the table. First at Ami, then at Rey, and finally back to Allana.
"This isn't an order from the General," Allana said quickly. "I'm asking you because I trust you."
"I'll do it."
Allana smiled widely and visibly relaxed.
"Thank you."
"What about Melia? If Finn's going be protecting you, who's going to watch her?"
Allana's face fell.
"We don't have many people to spare. She can hold her own in a fight, but we're really just crossing our fingers and hoping she gets in and out okay."
"What if I come?" Ami asked. "She needs someone watching her back. I can help."
"You'll have to clear it with my mom, but it should be fine," Allana said thoughtfully. "You could also serve as a backup pilot if need be."
"Great," Ami said bouncing out of her seat. "It's settled then."
…
On the day of the mission, Allana was shaken awake hours before the rest of the base was up. She quickly grabbed the bag that she had packed and waiting and headed down the deserted hallways to the tunnel that lead up to the planet's surface. The hallways were dark, only lit enough to be able to see where you were going. When she reached the heavy blast doors, there was a shadowy figure waiting for her. As she got closer, the dark features turned into ones she knew very well.
"What are you doing here Poe?" she asked tiredly.
"Telling you not to do this. It's practically suicide for you!"
"I've always liked to take risks."
"Not like this Allana. You've taken risks, but never when you were injured. What the hell are you trying to prove?"
Allana searched his face but found nothing but genuine concern.
"I'm not trying to prove anything. I appreciate your concern Poe," Allana said, her face softening, "but it's not your job anymore. I'm a big girl. I can handle myself."
"I want it to still be my job."
Allana's eyes snapped to his.
"Poe…"
At that moment, her commlink buzzed.
"My mom," she said, looking back up at him. "She's probably wondering where I am."
Allana turned to the keypad next to the door and entered the code. The door made a buzzing sound as all the bolts and gears unlocked and turned. The door was beginning to open when Allana turned around.
"I'll see you when I get back."
Before she could turn around, Poe took her face gingerly in his hands and kissed her softly. He pulled back and rested his forehead against hers.
"I'm never going to stop loving you," he said smiling tightly. "I just thought you should know that."
Allana slowly pulled away from him and backed away down the hall, not turning around until he was just a shadow.
…
A few hours later, Allana was sprawled on the floor of the Imperial ship they had managed to capture, studying the data pad with information on the mission. The pilot was in the cockpit, but everyone else was with her. Ami was lying on the bench next to the viewport reading about the mission, and Melia and Finn were playing cards on the other side of the small room. Melia had made herself a pallet on the ground with a pile of blankets, and Finn was sitting cross-legged with his back against the wall.
"So where exactly are we going?" Finn asked throwing a card down. "Everyone told me that I would know once I was on the ship."
"Moraband," Melia said, scanning her cards. "It's an old home and burial site for the Sith."
"Of course Kylo Ren would set up shop there," Ami said, glancing over at the others. "He's always been one for honoring the past."
"And who runs this thing?" Finn asked.
"Admiral Agathe Nosek," Allana said quickly. "She's the only female admiral in the entire First Order and the most feared one at that. Unlike the others, she personally oversees the security of the base. She has a photographic memory, so she knows the face, identification number, and job of every person that enters or leaves her base. No one has every infiltrated her base and made it out alive."
"Great," Finn said dryly.
Before anyone else could say anything, the speakers crackled to life.
"We're going to be arriving in thirty minutes," the pilot said, "so you need to run through your plan and get ready to go."
"Thanks Olson," Melia yelled. "Alright what's the plan Allana?"
Allana pulled herself up into a sitting position and reached for a large bag.
"First of all, this mission is very dependent on timing, so move fast and stay out of everyone's way. Olson will be landing us just outside of the range they scan which is about thirty minutes from the base. We managed to get two spies into the base, so Ami and Melia will be them for the next few hours. Here are their uniforms and their files."
"Won't Nosek know the difference?" Ami asked.
"She would if she saw you which is why you are not going to let her see you," Allana said firmly. "She takes an hour long break each day to meet with the men overseeing day to day operation. You will be entering the base at that exact time. We are landing the moment the break starts. You have an hour to get to the base and barricade yourself in the room with the master computer. As soon as that happens, you need to get started. The system will detect what you're doing, so you will only have thirty to forty-five minutes to get me into the system."
"Forty-five minutes," Melia exclaimed, "I can barely do it in an hour!"
"Then you have to be faster. I'm going to try to run as much interference as I can, but I won't know what I can do until I'm in there."
"What happens once we finish," Ami asked, combing through the file Allana gave her.
"I'm going to try and simultaneously get the plans and override the security system so you can get out. We'll be waiting here, and hopefully by the time you get here, I'll be ready."
"What am I going to do?" Finn asked.
"We'll be out of range of the sensors, but they still have portals out here. Your job is to look out for any stormtroopers and make sure they don't contact the base."
"That won't work," Finn said slowly. "They have a sensor in their armor that alerts their leader of they've been hurt or killed. They'll find us like that."
"I know that. When they get close, you will comm me and I'll hack into the sensor. I should be able to set it up as soon as we're on the base."
The room was quiet.
"Does anyone have questions?" Allana asked, looking around.
No one said a thing.
"Great. Let's do this."
AN: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Because we are getting really close to the end, please let me know if there is a scene/interaction that you want included in the story! Please leave a review!
Side note- I got all of the new character names in this chapter from a random name generator on the internet.
