—Part 4—Chapter 23: Acceleration—
Soon they would engage the First Order. The binary beacon had been still for hours, coming to rest in the Unknown Regions, in just the part of space Ben had predicted it would. It was a little over an hour ago that they had parted from Rey, and soon, the Millennium Falcon would be within range of the Supremacy II. Incredibly, Ben had succeeded in healing her wounds, but the ordeal had left him totally drained. He'd been asleep on the floor of the cargo hold ever since.
This entire experience had left Poe feeling completely discombobulated. Ever since Leia's death, Poe's whole world had been like a house of cards; as soon as he thought he'd put it all together, something, some little tremor, would bring it all crashing down, and he would struggle to build it back up again. Each time he tried, it looked different than it had the last time, and he was beginning to forget where the cards were supposed to go.
He preferred when the things in his orbit were cut and dried. When he knew how to feel about things. When he knew what he should do.
He sat in the Falcon's lounge, counting down the minutes until he could be reunited with the woman he loved, and he wasn't sure what to do or how to feel about it. Two weeks ago, he believed he could get Rey to love him back. He believed that once the war was over, he could give time to something else—to her, to them. And they could be happy together. Two weeks ago, if given the chance, Poe would have killed the man sleeping in the other room.
Now he wasn't so sure. In Poe's eyes, Kylo Ren had been one of the greatest threats to Poe's future, to Rey, and to the fate of the galaxy as a whole, that he had ever known. Now Kylo Ren was only a ghost, a shadow cast by a solid, visceral man named Ben Solo, and Poe somehow felt more hopeless about his own future than he ever had before. If Ben Solo were gone, things might go back to normal. The future Poe wanted might seem possible again. All he had to do was grab a blaster and head into the cargo hold.
Leaning into the dejarik table, his head in his hands, Poe let out a long and doleful sigh. Seconds later, he felt the lurch of acceleration as the Falcon dropped out of hyperspace, and he rose from the table and headed into the cockpit. Chewbacca was at the controls, bellowing at the console. R2-D2 stood idly in the corner, shaking his head mournfully.
"What is it, Chewie?" asked Poe.
Chewbacca replied with a growl, shaking his fists in aggravation. The Finalizer and the Supremacy II were nowhere to be seen.
"Are we there? Where are the ships?" queried Poe. Chewbacca continued his rant. "What do you mean, the signal's moved?! Where is she?"
At the sound of the commotion, Finn stuck his head in. "What's all the shouting? We're there, right?"
Frustratedly, Poe carded his hand through his hair. "Rey's not here! The ships are gone," he yelled in aggravation.
Finn's eyes went wide with concern. "What do you mean 'gone'? Where's the signal?"
Chewie bellowed some more, but Finn didn't understand. "She must be in hyperspace, heading east," explained Poe.
"Hyperspace? Think they're headed to Kamino?" asked Finn.
"Probably… Dammit!" cursed Poe, slamming the palm of his hand into the computer console, "That's back the way we came… Shit." He was crestfallen. "If we'd gone with the rest of the fleet to Arkanis, we'd be less than an hour away. From here, it's seven."
The three of them stared dejectedly at one another. After another moment, Poe, uttering softly, said, "Chewie, inform the Resistance about what's happening, about Rey, and about us—everything. And set a course for Kamino." He stood, and declared with a sigh, "I think we should all get some sleep in the meantime."
The others nodded. Chewbacca put in the coordinates, and they all headed to the bunks, with more time to kill.
—
The blue light of hyperspace resolved into darkness, and Lorim Ren could see the blue-gray sphere of Kamino come into clear view through the bridge windows of the Gashel. The recruitment vessels Gashel and Bevel were greeted by a Kamino with a restaffed cloning facility and a vastly improved security presence. Immediately after the Resistance attack on Kamino, several complements of stormtroopers had been transferred there for an immediate boost to its security, and new officers had been promoted to lead the previously understaffed facility. If the operations there weren't a secret from the Resistance, then they needed to be more heavily guarded.
It took about five hours to travel from Corellia to Kamino, so Lorim Ren had had plenty of time to catch himself up on the events on the Supremacy II and the mission at Arkanis. The Resistance had been too much for the First Order forces at Arkanis, and the people, emboldened, had fought back ferociously. As a result of the conflict, both recruitment ships had been lost. Lorim was glad that he and Prarathi had seen better luck at Corellia—though their mission had been thrown together much more hastily than the one at Arkanis, it had been kept secret from the Resistance and had therefore encountered little difficulty in subduing the industrialized planet.
As for what was happening on the Supremacy II, Lorim was frankly a little confused. His communication with Hux and the other Knights had been indirect, filtered through bridge personnel who didn't seem like they fully understood, or were willing to share, all the details that had transpired since he had reported his success at Corellia back to them. All he really knew is that Supreme Leader Faris Ren was dead, presumed murdered by the very Jedi whom they'd had in custody earlier that day. Lorim Ren was perplexed as to how she could have escaped, murdered Faris, and then been recaptured—clearly, he had missed some excitement.
This had, of course, created yet another power vacuum. He wasn't totally sure who was in charge anymore, but for the time being, he chose to keep his concerns centered on the successful completion of his mission. Through the transparisteel bridge windows of the Gashel, Lorim Ren watched as the space around his ship ignited with the friction of reentry, and both ships made their descent through Kamino's atmosphere.
—
By the time Sharna Ren had arrived at Kamino, she had received word from the facility there that Lorim and Prarathi Ren, commanding the ships Gashel and Bevel, were safely planetside. Unloading efforts had been underway for some time before the Supremacy II arrived there. The Bevel had already unloaded its cargo of recruits into the incubation chambers, and the Gashel's cargo was currently being readied for transfer.
Sharna Ren was anxious to see what shape the facility and its contents were in since the Resistance's raid of the facility yesterday. After Faris Ren's untimely demise, Sharna had quickly taken several steps to speed up the First Order's military expansion, beginning with bolstering security and production at Kamino. She had ordered thousands of stormtroopers already on active duty in nearby systems to be transferred to Kamino, and they served to dramatically enhance the military presence on the planet. No single frigate full of Resistance trash would threaten production ever again.
Beyond these changes to the facility's security, she had taken it upon herself to promote officers to run the facility who would be loyal to her. She had then ordered them to make modifications to the growth and conditioning protocols in accordance with her specifications.
After arriving in the system and transferring down to the planet, Sharna Ren strode down the gangplank of her shuttle, into the immense atrium of the docking bay. Behind her followed Simeon Ren and General Hux. Bringing up the rear, strapped impotently to a levitating pram guided by two stormtroopers, was their Jedi hostage. When Sharna and Hux had discovered her, Sharna was astounded by what she had seen. Even from the relatively small slice she had glimpsed of Hux's memories, she knew this girl had been thoroughly beaten and badly concussed, yet amazingly, they found her in perfect physical health. Clearly, there was more to this Jedi than Sharna completely understood. The uncertainty made her fearful, and for that reason, she wanted the Jedi kept close at hand—until Kylo's whereabouts became known, Sharna would keep her hostage within striking distance.
If Hux shared Sharna's surprise at the Jedi's condition, he kept it to himself—he'd still made no mention of having beaten her to within an inch of her life. Now, at least, the girl had been rendered physically inert and was no longer a threat. Neural disruptors terminated all voluntary nervous system functions, and minimized certain involuntary functions, such as sensory perception. Though her mental faculties should be unaffected by the disruptor, she was a prisoner inside her own body; she could probably feel the Force, but she would be unable to command it in any appreciable way.
Newly promoted Lieutenant General Hyren Reyme saluted them from the bottom of the gangplank. "General Hux and… my esteemed colleagues," greeted the officer, clearly uncertain as to how to address the two black clad individuals before him, "Welcome to Kamino. I trust your journey here was reasonably uneventful?"
Hux pushed ahead of Sharna Ren and addressed the lieutenant general. "No one is in the mood for small talk, Lieutenant. Just show us to the chambers."
The lieutenant general bowed deferentially. "Right away, sir. Please follow me."
"Simeon Ren, keep an eye on the Jedi, but don't fall far behind me," ordered Sharna, gesturing to the pram. Simeon nodded.
Lieutenant General Reyme led the group through the docking bay and toward the wide sloping hallway that descended into the bowels of the facility—to the first of twelve concentric chambers where clones and recruited children alike remained in quiet incubation. They appeared to be slumbering peacefully, and one could almost forget that at this moment they were receiving the programming that would turn them into loyal and efficient killing machines. As they walked, Sharna noted the damage from the Resistance attack.
"This hallway is a mess. Get some people in here to clean this up right away. There are blaster marks all over my walls."
Hux seethed. 'My' walls, she says… He did not voice his distaste out loud.
"Yes, ma'am," Reyme answered simply.
"The Command Center is a disaster. These conditions are completely unacceptable," she growled, passing the shattered windows of the room Kylo Ren and the Jedi had assaulted the day before. Reyme didn't offer a response beyond merely creasing his lips in subtle consternation.
Eventually, the group reached the end of the long hallway, and the space opened up to reveal rows upon rows of incubation chambers.
"These are the Corellian children?" asked Hux. Simeon Ren observed the units without comment.
"Yes, sir," answered Reyme. "There are approximately a thousand children in here. The rest of the Corellian children are in the next two chambers, or will be, soon, and a small handful will be housed in Chamber Five."
Sharna nodded her head approvingly as she surveyed the captive children lying serenely in their incubation units. She appreciated knowing that their calm exteriors belied the violence roiling through their psyches as the conditioning took hold. Something about this tugged at her subconscious, caused her to feel reminiscent. The odd sensation gave her butterflies in her stomach. She wasn't sure she liked the sensation, so she quashed it, refusing to pay it any further mind. She'd had no experiences she felt sentimental for, and anyway, she only looked forward, never back.
Reyme led them toward Chamber Two, stopping when he reached the gate between the two chambers. "The access codes have been changed, of course," he said reassuringly, to which Sharna could only think, No shit. She gave no outward response.
The doors slid open, revealing Chamber Two. The Resistance fighter who had driven through here yesterday, firing randomly at the individual pods, had left many of the units unusable, in need of repair. Most, however, were fully operational and occupied with the fresh, young faces of Corellian children.
"There was quite a bit of damage done in here," explained Lieutenant General Reyme. "The clones that had been in this chamber were murdered en masse yesterday when the Resistance tampered with the life support settings."
Reyme was misunderstanding some of the details. Kylo Ren had locked these units in stasis, and Hux had ordered the system rebooted in order to override those commands. The reboot caused a power surge that had essentially fried the nervous systems of the sleeping clones, killing them. However, these were not details that anyone saw fit to clarify. "Instead, you will find a mix of children taken from both the Bevel and the Gashel housed here," continued Reyme.
They passed through the remainder of Chamber Two and all of Chamber Three. Identical facilities, more Corellian children. Their tour was beginning to wear on Hux's patience. He knew the facility well enough already—this jaunt through the chambers was just to satisfy some perverse curiosity of Sharna Ren's. Finally, they approached the door leading into Chamber Four.
Reyme continued his explanation as they stepped into the new chamber. "The murdered clones were part of a larger batch, the rest of whom you'll find in the next room and also in Chamber Six. Their rate of growth has been further accelerated, as per your orders."
Hux's eyes popped open at Reyme's words. "What did you say? 'Further accelerated'?"
"That's correct, sir."
Hux was aghast. "I beg your pardon, but—on whose orders did you do that?"
"Madame Ren's orders, sir," answered the lieutenant general obediently.
His jaw dropped. "'Madame' Ren?"
Lieutenant General Reyme stared back uncertainly. If he was being honest, he really didn't know which of the individuals in front of him outranked the other, but it was "Madame Ren" who had promoted him to Lieutenant General, so when she gave orders, he followed them. "Yes, sir," he replied, swallowing nervously.
Sharna Ren smiled devilishly at the scene playing out before her. "Thank you, Lieutenant General. Lead the way," she encouraged. She could feel the rage flowing from Hux, and felt energized by it.
The group proceeded into Chamber Four, and the doors slid shut behind them. Lieutenant General Reyme continued narrating, "These clones have now been accelerated to an equivalent age of eighteen years."
"Eighteen?" choked Hux. "That's eight years in a day! That's too fast!"
Sharna Ren shot him a look so withering she actually wished he could see it. "My army needs bolstering, General. The conservative pace you seemed to prefer was only holding us back, keeping us weak as the Resistance grows more bold. At this rate, we can finally start pushing out into more systems, and actually hold the ones we take."
"Your army!? How d—" but the words caught in Hux's throat as a sharp pain seized him in his chest. Clutching ineffectually at his breast, Hux fell to his knees, gasping and wincing with pain.
Sharna Ren was regarding Hux placidly, her arm subtly outstretched towards him. "Forgive him, Lieutenant General. It appears the good General Hux is having chest pains. Let's give him a moment to collect himself." She lowered her arm and casually walked forward a few paces toward the next chamber. "Tell me about the other batches," she said.
Nervously, Reyme continued. "The clones in Chambers Seven, Nine, and Eleven predate these, so they have nearly reached their ultimate equivalent age of twenty-four. They will be armed and processed out within hours. Those in Eight, Ten, and Twelve, however, were younger, and will require a further period of maturing. Approximately thirty-six hours," he explained.
"That simply won't do. We can expect imminent retaliation from the Resistance, and I need them to be ready. You have until this afternoon. Is that understood?"
"But Madame Ren," cautioned Reyme, "If the clones are accelerated too rapidly, it can create aberrations in the synaptic pathways. The glial cells can—"
"—I don't require a lesson in nervous system function, Lieutenant. I do require an army. And I expect you to do whatever it takes to ensure that I have one, as rapidly as possible. If you can't do that, then I'm sure Lieutenant Bergess can—"
"—Please forgive me, Madame Ren," interrupted Reyme, who had begun to shrivel under Sharna's bottomless, black stare. "I didn't mean to suggest that it couldn't be done. Absolutely, I will make the arrangements! I just wanted to be sure you had been appropriately briefed."
"I appreciate that, Lieutenant General. Now, take me to one of the armories."
Sharna Ren, though objectively small in stature, stood tall as she surveyed the incubation chambers. As they made their way to the armory adjacent to Chamber Four, Simeon noted the way her chin jutted proudly out in front of her as she walked with her hands clasped behind her back. He kept about ten paces behind her, alongside the pram that ferried their helpless prisoner about.
Hux had recovered from his episode, but remained where he was. From his place on the floor, on his knees, he watched Sharna Ren leave, accompanied by her band of toadies. One after another, his leaders and would-be leaders did nothing but disappoint him.
—
As Kamino grew to within a few minutes of their approach, an alarm inside the bunk area began to sound, alerting the sleeping Resistance fighters of their impending arrival. Chewbacca lifted one of Finn's shoes off the ground and hurled it at the speaker—it didn't make the noise stop, but it made him feel better.
Finn rolled over from his stomach to his back, fluttering his eyelids open. As his brain finally re-engaged, the bleary expression he wore gave way to almost panic as he popped up out of bed.
"We're here! Everybody get up!" he shouted. Finn had been sleeping on the top bunk above Poe. He landed awkwardly when he tried to get down, having forgotten that the floor was four feet lower down than he had thought it was.
Chewbacca hollered, hucking Finn's other shoe at him. Finn was too unsteady to have blocked it before being knocked in the temple. He rubbed the tender spot, but wasn't about to complain.
Poe's revival was a bit more dignified. He slowly sat up from his supine position, stretching his arms up over his head and yawning wide. "Well, I hope you all had a good rest, 'cause it looks like it's showtime. Chewie, you better get to the cockpit."
Chewbacca growled, but didn't protest. He climbed gruffly out of his bunk and sauntered toward the cockpit.
"Better get your shoes on, buddy," advised Poe.
Finn nodded, collecting his boots from where they had landed. He already looked stressed out.
Poe could sense the tension in his friend. "It's alright, pal, don't worry. We'll get her this time." He rose from his mattress, and stretched himself out the rest of the way. Before he could exit the bunk area, he found the doorway blocked by a groggy and imposing Ben Solo.
"Where the hell are we? How long was I out?" asked Ben, angry and disoriented. "I feel like I've been sleeping for hours."
"You have been," answered Poe. "We arrived in the Unknown Regions to find that the First Order had headed east. We missed them."
Ben was instantly livid. "Well why the hell am I just finding this out now!? Why didn't you wake me!?" He looked like he wanted to strangle something.
"Relax, you drama queen," counseled Poe. "We handled things. We all needed our rest. It was a long trip from the Unknown Regions to Kamino."
"You're sure she's here?" Ben asked.
"I'm heading to the cockpit to check the signal now," said Finn, having finally finished relacing his boots. He stood up and moved toward the entryway Ben was blocking. "Come on, let's go."
Ben turned around and preceded Finn toward the cockpit. He found Chewbacca at the helm, warbling enthusiastically at the readouts. Ben sighed with relief. "She's here, good."
"Things look quiet. It doesn't look like the rest of the Resistance has caught up to them yet," observed Finn.
"It's been a while since we spoke to Rey," observed Poe. "Could we touch base with her again before we go sneaking onto the Supremacy, or wherever she is right now?"
Chewbacca, leaning over the console's telltales, let out a concerned series of noises. Poe's brows creased, and Ben cursed loudly.
"What?" asked Finn, confused.
Poe sighed. "She's not on the ship. The beacon shows she's on the surface."
"Which means they probably caught her again," surmised Ben, frustratedly. "Son of a bitch… Going to the surface by herself makes no sense. She would have hidden somewhere, or tried to contact us if she could."
"Well, can't you just do your thing again and free her like you did before?" wondered Finn.
"Yeah, could you?" asked Poe. "I mean, even if they know about your little connection, it's not like they can defend against it, right?"
Ben thought about this. "Probably not, but it's hard to say. If I was Hux, and I thought there was a chance that my mortal enemy could just materialize in the presence of my hostage, I would have that hostage guarded vigilantly. I suppose, provided I don't try to touch her, however, he won't see me and everything should be fine."
"Try it," urged Poe. "It's the best we can do right now," he added with a shrug.
Ben took a deep breath, and pushed out with his feelings. Poe and Finn watched Ben's face with interest, waiting patiently. When it seemed like things were taking longer than normal, Finn grew nervous.
"I have a bad feeling about this... What's the matter?" he asked. "Is this taking too long? Why is this taking too long?"
Ben opened his eyes and shook his head. "I can feel her, she's there, but it's like we can't connect. It feels like I'm waving my hands in her face and she just can't see me—can't even tell I'm there." He looked carefully at Finn, not wanting to make his anxiety too obvious. "I don't understand what's wrong."
Finn and Poe regarded him for a moment. "Well, that can't be good, can it," said Poe. "We better find her as fast as we can. I recommend stealth this time."
"Agreed," said Finn. Ben nodded subtly, almost in a daze.
"Chewie, does the Falcon have a cloaking device?" asked Poe.
Chewbacca roared affirmatively, flipping some switches on the control panel.
"Good, okay. Well, that's one thing gone right—without one, we'd have been hard pressed to find a place to land anywhere nearby. There's not a lot of land on Kamino…"
Ben had perked up a little bit listening to the conversation. "Even if we have to land pretty close to the facility, they shouldn't notice us. The storms on Kamino should mask any other signs of our approach as long as we're cloaked from scanning."
With something like a plan beginning to formulate in their minds, the Falcon headed toward the cloning facility, to Rey.
