Rey stood there watching, waiting. Finn was looking imploringly at her, as if silently pleading with her while Poe was looking defiantly at their captors; he was challenging them to do it. Rey knew that if the flame haired General did give the order the two Stormtroopers would do it, without hesitation. She had never been put under this sort of strain before, not even on Jakku because there she had kept herself to herself, she had no attachments to anyone on that junk-yard of the planet.
"Make a decision, Rey. One way or another we will get the map, but if you agree now you save your friends. If not… well it will get a lot messier that it needs to be" Hux said in a cool voice that conveyed an un-nerving calmness.
"What would happen if I did give you the map. You would just kill my friends anyway and me along with them." Rey countered the General. Kylo Ren stood silent watching the traitor, his rage bubbling close to the surface, he had his hand gripped around his dark steel lightsaber, ready to ignite it at any moment.
"Well, your friends would remain prisoners of war on our ship until the repairs on the Hyper drive are complete, when that inevitably happens we will take them to a planet on the outer-rim, safely away from the rebel base." Hux said in a bored voice.
"What about me? What will happen to me?" Rey had noticed that he had left her name out of his plan for the prisoners.
"That is not my decision to make." Hux said as his eyes flicked to Kylo who was stood silently looking at the prisoners. Rey looked at Ren's tall stature, she tried to reach out with the force, she tried to talk to him, but he had put a block so she could not telekinetically communicate with him.
Poe looked at the girl in front of him, she had the chance to save both him and Finn but also had the power to sign their death sentences. He could feel the panic begin to radiate from Finn. Poe knew that Finn was doubting their plan, doubting him. After all, this was Luke Skywalker they were talking about. She would be giving away the location not just of someone who could lead them to him, but the actual map to find the legend himself. The man who, it was said, would be the end of the First Order.
"If I did agree, only if I did, I want to share a cell with them until they leave?" Rey said, she thought she knew the answer already but it was worth asking. A small smile curled the Generals lips, he knew that they had won.
"No, I am afraid not." Hux could remember Ren explicitly saying that if they did get the map from her she should be kept in solitary confinement.
"Then I want daily meetings with them, to make sure that you or your troopers haven't done anything to them." Rey said in a commanding tone. "And, what's more, I would like one now." She added quickly.
"So I assume this is you accepting our offer?" Hux said in a superior tone. Rey nodded, she could feel the sadness, disappointment and failure begin to cloud her senses, she was already doubting her decision. Kylo could feel the sadness emanating off her, he wanted to reach out, console her, tell her that she had made the right decision. He did not.
Hux nodded his head to the two Stormtroopers who were stood behind Poe and Finn, they lowered their blasters and walked around the two prisoners and both walked out of the door, but not before saluting their superiors.
"You made the right decision." Hux put a hand on Rey's shoulder, Rey scowled at him and shrugged off his hand. She was about to retort when the ginger haired general spoke again. "You get fifteen minutes before you will be taken to your cell and the memory will be extracted by Ren." The General held out a hand and inclined his head to the door indicating that Ren was to leave before he did. Evidently Hux did not trust Ren to control his temper with the prisoners, particularly the traitor, if he was left alone with them.
As soon as the doors closed Finn jumped up and threw his arms around Rey in a tight hug, it took a moment for Rey to return it, she was exhausted and in a state of shock at what she had just done. Poe got to his feet and was standing lazily leaning against a wall, it was evident that he was at the very least momentarily relieved as he let out a long exhale of breath.
"That was a close one, for a second there I thought that you weren't going to give up the map." Poe said coolly. Rey frowned and removed herself from Finns tight embrace.
"So you came here, risking your lives, assuming that I hadn't already given the map up just so you two could be used as emotional blackmail by them in order to get it? I don't get it? What if I didn't give in? Huh? What if I thought that the map was more important than your lives?" Rey countered, she felt enraged by their stupidity.
"Calm it, the point is that you didn't! This is a rescues mission, and we have already got inside the enemy ship and now all we need to do is get out!" Poe said flippantly. Rey looked at him incredulously. She could not believe that they had come here, let alone that he was taking the situation so lightly.
"I assume you have a plan; you have to have a plan." Rey said as she looked at Finn who shrugged so she looked back to Poe.
"I do, I haven't elaborated it with Finn yet because I knew he was nervous about coming." Poe said with a small smile towards Finn.
"Well, out with it then." Rey said flatly, her hand on her hip, her stance was so reminiscent of Leia Organa that Finn was surprised the Poe did not recoil.
"Well, the plan is, is that you need to be-friend a Stormtrooper, make him see the ways of the Resistance and see how corrupted the First Order is. After you do that He will come to our cell with BB-8 who should already be stationed with the droids who deliver the food to the prisoners i.e. us." Poe took a breath. Finn was frowning now.
"That won't be possible… All the Stormtroopers are practically brain washed. Before I left I was trying to turn a few of them around but I didn't get very far" Finn said sadly.
"Well, amazingly, I am already half way there with that. Someone who was in your training group, Finn. FN-3824, ring any bells?" Rey asked him interestedly. Finn turned a deep shade of red. Rey looked at him, curious of her friend's peculiar behaviour.
"Carry on with the plan, Poe" Finn said as he stared at the floor.
"When we are ready, the Stormtrooper along with BB-8 will come to our cell first, he'll bring with him some white Stormtrooper armour that we will put it on, we will leave the cell with him and then come along to your cell with another spare suit. You suit up too and then we steal a couple Tie's and then we're gone!" Poe said with a flourishing smile. Rey's mouth was open in disbelief; she could not believe how deluded this man was.
"But where does Ren fit into all this?" Finn asked in a low voice.
"What do you mean, 'where does Ren fit into this'?" Rey snapped quickly, looking from Finn to Poe.
"Well, the only reason we are here is because General Organa gave us permission to on one condition ..." Poe said and his voice trailed out. Rey was still looking from Poe to Finn.
"Can someone tell me what Ren has to do with this?" Rey said impatiently.
"Well as Poe said, there was one condition to our coming. We have to take her back her son" Finn said quietly.
Rey threw her arms up in exasperation. They could not be serious, they couldn't be. Even his own father could not do that? It was an impossible feat. And even if there was some hope that he could be brought back to the light by his mother, how were they supposed to get him on a Tie fighter to get him to his mother?
"Even if it were possible, how do you propose we do it?" Rey questioned, she was still in shock and was far too exhausted to be having this argument.
"Well, I was thinking you could work your womanly magic and seduce him-" Poe was cut off by a low growl from Rey.
"So somehow, you expect me to seduce the leader of the Knights of Ren, and then what? I just suggest we escape the First Order and run home to mummy-dearest?" Rey said sardonically with her eyebrows raised in disbelief.
"No. You use the force to knock him out and then you tell him that he had some sort of accident and that he needs medical attention immediately, so you take him to a Tie Fighter, throw him in and hey presto, back home to D'Qar." Poe clapped his hands contently. Rey rolled her eyes at him and Finn still looked uncertain.
"You're insane." Rey said flatly. "This is just like some half-baked idea Han and Chewie would have come up with! But as we have no other option now I guess I'll do it, or at least give it a go. Only because we have no other option, not because I have some twisted desire to have Kylo Ren." Rey said ... just to clarify.
They stood there in silence for a second or two, just looking at one another, Poe was breathing heavily from all the talking he had done, Finn was sitting on the floor leaning against a wall, his cheeks still had a mild red tint to them and then there was Rey, who was pale with exhaustion with dark circles under her eyes. Finn had no idea what she had been through being here and, if he was honest, did not to find out. After about a minute the steel doors swung open and General Hux strode in while Kylo Ren stood on the threshold closely watching the traitor, hatred pulsing through his veins.
"Times up. Now Rey, would you please follow Ren to your cell and the memory extraction will begin shortly." the man held out his arm to the door, an indication for Rey to leave, before she did she looked back to Finn and Poe, Finn gave a weak smile while Poe, sitting next to him, gave a brief nod. Rey left the room without another word.
She walked along the twisting and turning corridors for what felt like an age, she walked next to the Knight of Ren, her hand would occasionally brush his, she did not snatch it away as she would but she left her hand there, she might as well start now. She did not even know if he had feelings towards her, he might recoil from her but something in her told her he wouldn't. They eventually reached her cell. Hux stood outside while Kylo escorted Rey inside.
Rey quickly walked to her bed and sat on the corner. She could remember her first day on the Finalizer, how she had sworn to herself that she would never give up the map, but now here she was, willingly give it to the enemies. She felt shame ensue her. She looked up at his dark eyes and wondered if they were ever going to get him back from the dark side. He was standing maybe two feet away from her now looking into her face.
"I give you my word, I will not look into any other memories I only want the map." He said in a genuine, low voice. Rey let out a small cold laugh. Kylo frowned ever so slightly.
"Just get on with it." Rey said flatly. She was blinking slowly now, her eye lids drooping. All her mental defences were down. She was ready.
He held out a hand towards her face and began to make his way through her memories. The map was easy to locate without her putting up defences and fighting him. He could see it; he could see precisely where his uncle was. The last Jedi. He could make out the room and his father standing amongst a muddle of planets, he could see the traitor, he could see Rey. Her features were transfixed with wonder and curiosity at the map, almost like a child. He dragged himself out of her mind.
She was sitting there with her head in her hands, the sadness and self-loathing emanating from her in waves. He knew he had to leave, but he somehow felt he had to console her first. He bent down close to her head and whispered in her ear.
"You made the right choice." Then he stood up and with one last glance at the scavenger girl he left her to her own loneliness and hatred.
(===||===)
Thank you all for reading this instalment!
I am really sorry if there are any typos or grammar mistakes, I was out late last night watching Twenty-One Pilots (great show) so I woke up quite late today but I felt like I needed to give you something!
Thank you for reading and good-bye!
Day's until Rogue One: 292 days
Days until Episode VIII: 655 days