Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars.

Hux woke in a cold sweat for the third time that night cycle, eyes darting around his dim room for shadows that were no longer there. He could almost feel the lingering sensation of wrinkled hands against his skin, and his body froze under the bed sheets out of instinct at the memory, his limbs refusing to listen to him as he tried to compose his thoughts back to the present, to reality.

Snoke was not here. Hux was safe in his own quarters on the Finalizer. The cut on his head was still healing, and the throbbing was not from the monster in his mind, but a rather painful concussion that Ben, Kylo, whatever that damned missing supreme leader wanted to be called, inadvertently gave him.

Ben. His chest constricted at the thought of the man, and he sat up slowly, finding that he could move again.

Hux let out an unsteady breath, groaning miserably as he attempted to massage the persistent headache away when his surroundings remained empty of any danger once again. A worried chirp from the side indicated that the med droid had returned, and relief flooded his system as it administered another dose of painkillers.

He waited impatiently for the pounding in his head to dull, the pangs fading to a comforting silence, before he threw the blanket off and slid out of bed. He ignored the droid's insistent beeps that he return to sleep and instead made a beeline to the small kitchen in his quarters. Hux grabbed the first glass he could find in the cupboard and proceeded to nearly inhale a much-needed cup of water for his parched throat. He exhaled in relief afterwards, rubbing his sleep-crusted eyes awake before heading to the living room area.

"I'm fine," he told the droid, who beeped almost dejectedly as it rolled to a corner of the room to await any further orders. He had made it through the first cycle on his own, but after the headaches intensified, Dr. Andrienne had insisted that he keep the droid with him until the end of his recovery.

Feeling just slightly more comfortable than earlier, Hux deposited himself on the couch and picked up his datapad to find a few hundred emails demanding his attention. The screening process of the men stationed on the three defected ships was going smoothly, and most of the remaining star destroyers have already been accounted for and have re-pledged their undying allegiance to the new supreme leader after Hux's display on Takodana. At the moment, it would do them no good to let the outside world know that they've currently lost the whereabouts of their supreme leader.

Mitaka and Igniv were currently overseeing the Finalizer's operations in his absence and had taken up the search for Kylo furiously as promised with a few select officers, but their efforts had been fruitless thus far. To make matters worse, Dr. Andrienne extended his recovery period given the persistent headaches, and the two menaces seemed to be insistent on keeping him under house arrest until he was better.

Hux almost had to kill someone just to get his hands on the current datapad to secretly work from his quarters, but even then, the persistent headaches made sure he didn't get too far in his attempt at distractions either. A light wave of nausea reminded him as such, and Hux sighed, placing the datapad down.

Kylo was still missing. They were going nowhere like this.

A buzz made him look up from the couch, and he walked over to the door to see Igniv waving at him from outside through the display panel. Hux opened the door quickly, expecting some sort of new development from the Knight, especially in this ungodly hour.

"Since you're visiting me on my forced leave of absence, I assume that you bring good news?" he couldn't keep himself from blurting as soon as the door slid open to reveal the Knight. He was thankful that the other had some decency to actually knock. It also helped that Igniv didn't have access to all the ship's codes like Kylo did.

"Actually, I sensed some distress earlier, so I came to see if you were okay," Igniv replied, fidgeting almost nervously.

"I'm fine." He had to keep himself from sounding too bitter about the entire situation, but Kylo's absence and his own inability to do anything at the moment frustrated him to no end. "Have you found him yet?"

The look on Igniv's face already gave him the answer. "No luck," the Knight admitted.

"I see," Hux mumbled, averting his eyes to further avoid showing the other his building disappointment. He knew the capabilities of the First Order's technology to the teeth and deeply regretted that he had not went behind Snoke's back and installed a tracking device on Kylo's TIE silencer when he had the chance.

"Actually…" Hux looked up, finding the other swaying back and forth, movements still of a nervous boy about to deliver his first speech. Igniv sighed. "I've been meditating, and there was something I remembered that I think you should know. I'd rather we be fully prepared when we do find out where they are."

"At least you're still optimistic about finding them," Hux muttered.

Igniv bit his lip, eyes darting away as the man moved a strand of purple hair behind his ears. "I think I might know a little of Snoke's plan."

Hux looked at him, raising an eyebrow. He decided to wait for the Knight to continue, not able to decipher just what the other was implying at. He motioned for Igniv to sit and went to grab some more water from the kitchen, returning with two cups.

Igniv accepted the offering graciously, taking a small sip before continuing. "After we joined the Knights of Ren, Snoke sent us on various missions to 'strengthen' our Force abilities. Personally, I didn't particularly care for the duties of being an enforcer like the others, and he sensed this in the beginning."

"In other words, you weren't like Kylo," Hux noted.

The Knight nodded. "I was mostly sent on retrieval missions."

"Retrieval?" He couldn't fathom what sort of items that Snoke would need "retrieving." Then again, the former supreme leader's quarters were gaudily decorated the few times he had cared enough to pay attention to the countless priceless displays that had lined the walls and corridors. He shuddered at the memory, nearly spilling some of his water. He managed to steady his hand.

Igniv seemed to not notice his inner turmoil. "Ancient Sith tests. You probably already know that Snoke was well past his prime. He had been looking for a way to achieve immortality, to preserve his consciousness even after death."

Hux swallowed thickly, his throat suddenly dry. "Did he find it?"

Igniv shifted uncomfortably, fingers playing around his own mug. "Originally, I was just blindly searching for the books under his orders, but I got curious one time and looked inside one that I had retrieved." The man held back a shudder. "I was strictly reprimanded afterwards and forbidden to do it again."

Hux let out a breath. "What did you see?" Purple eyes met his.

"It was a way to transfer one's consciousness into another, to discard an old body in favor of a new, healthy, young one. But, there was one problem."

"Kylo was strong enough to hold his mind off?" Hux wagered a guess.

Igniv shook his head. "If that were the case, then he could have just controlled me or any other Knight instead of getting to Kylo. No, a sacrifice of equal Light is required to balance out the transition. In other words, a…"

"Jedi," Hux completed for him.

Igniv nodded. "More or less. He required sacrificing one who is strong with the Light. Of course, there are not many out there after the purge, especially ones that are pure of corruption. Hux, you have to be very careful."

Hux swallowed, unable to rid himself of the knot that had taken hold of his chest. If this were truly the case, then the transition must have not been completed yet. To his knowledge, there was only the girl and Luke Skywalker who were strong enough, but he didn't even know where the two are. He suddenly realized something.

"Was that why he was targeting so many Force-sensitives?"

Igniv shrugged. "Perhaps."

Hux found himself staring at the dark ceiling of his bedroom once again after Igniv had left, replaying their conversation in his head mercilessly as he thought about what he had seen. The force of their Force-bond breaking had left him reeling, and he was almost certain that the man had died. But, perhaps Kylo was not completely gone yet, and they could still save him if he found their location.

Or, maybe this was all just bait to lure him or the girl in to be a sacrifice. Even if they did find out Kylo's whereabouts, it was obvious that neither Igniv nor himself was strong enough to take on Snoke alone. He could always order the fleet to blow up whatever planet or ship they were on, but that would defeat the purpose of organizing a rescue.

But, what if he did rid himself of Snoke that way, a small voice asked in his head.

Then, it would just be him alone commanding the First Order. The thought of taking control of the First Order, of his own destiny, had driven him through its ranks, mercilessly tearing apart all that stood in his way until he found himself nearly at the top but still suffocated by the being that called itself Snoke. An opportunity like this would have made him ecstatic back then, a surefire way to both rid both the universe and himself of his abuser once and for all.

But, Kylo would be gone. If he carried out the attack, then he would have killed the one man who had offered him a way out, who had promised to protect him.

"Armie."

Kylo would be the innocent bystander in his quest for freedom, just as Jekri had been in his search for attachment.

Unable to take the silence or his own turbulent thoughts any longer, Hux bolted up from his bed before nearly plummeting to the ground as a wave of dizziness resulted from the sudden motion. He cursed and steadied himself with a hand on the bedside table, his fingers brushing against the lightsaber. Hux took the weapon in his hands, feeling some of the nausea dissipate as he stood up.

He eyed the open closet dispassionately, already seeing the potential agitation to his bandages, when a certain poncho caught his eye.

Hux was out in the corridors a few minutes later, hands clenched around his lightsaber and his unruly state hidden mostly by the poncho. He could already picture the confusion on his subordinates' faces, but he surprisingly did not encounter anyone as his feet took him aimlessly through the halls of the Finalizer.

He didn't know exactly where he wanted to go. The bridge was out of the question; Igniv and Mitaka had done quite an almost admirable job of keeping him out of commission for the time being during his recovery, and he wasn't exactly in any shape to visit the gym in this state.

Instead, he found himself once again in front of the viewport Kylo had previously brought him. Hux swallowed the lump that was forming in his throat and entered.

The door whirled shut behind him, encasing him in the dim glow of the stars beyond the thick transparasteel windows as he stepped slowly towards them. The expanse of darkness stretched far beyond the ship, its emptiness littered with millions of tiny lights that all seemed to go on forever.

For a moment, he felt small, insignificant, nothing more than a speck of dust in the universe.

He was suddenly reminded of the clear blue water of the oceans of Arkanis on a sunny day, its magnificence stretching far into the horizon. He had felt similarly back then, gazing at the scene before him with awe while standing next to his mother.

And now, he was alone again. Kylo was gone.

Alone.

Hux slumped down to his knees, his hand still around the cold steel of his lightsaber.

He was nothing. Nothing. He longed to return to the waters of Arkanis, to sink into its warm depths, to disappear into the never-ending blue.

You've never been nothing to me.

Hux blinked. He remembered those words Kylo had told him. They felt like they were from a dream now, hope whispered to him when he was at his weakest. Dark eyes, soft lips that had promised to protect him.

They were gone. Kylo was gone.

He looked at his trembling hands, the pressure building up in his chest as his breath hitched with realization. He had hungered, had sought out that beautiful warmth for so long that he had forgotten its name until it was torn from him once again.

His father had taken Arkanis, had taken his mother and Jekri away from him.

Snoke had taken Kylo.

Hux's grip tightened around the lightsaber and it ignited in a blazing white, crackling with energy as his despair filled the room, making the walls groan in protest with the Force. He could feel his control slipping, and he barely managed to catch himself before he turned his lightsaber off to prevent any unnecessary damage to his ship.

Hux blinked. The Finalizer. He still had his ship, still had Mitaka, Igniv, still had even the insufferable Peavey. The entire fleet of the First Order was currently in his control, a goal he had strived for since Brendol had forced him into its ranks. He clenched his fist.

He would use that power for himself now. Brendol was gone, and only Snoke stood in his way.

He would find Kylo and bring him back, even if the effort takes what remained of his forsaken life from his lungs.

Hux closed his eyes and breathed, the warm hum of his kyber crystal content beside him. His head still felt like it housed a pound of bricks, but it had always been turning too much, too hard, always thinking, always planning.

And, all the technology at their disposal was doing a dismal job at finding Kylo right now.

He took in a deep breath and dove into the Force.

.

The med droid beeped at him worriedly on the bridge, going in circles as it lamented its failure. Mitaka looked at him nervously, waiting for the expected repercussions, but Igniv merely held up a hand for the droid to stop moving about. Leave it to the general to disappear the moment the droid decided to return to the medbay to restock on supplies.

"Hey, calm down. He's still on the ship, and he's not currently in any distress. He'll be fine," he tried to reassure the med droid.

"But he's not in his room," Mitaka muttered. "What if…" Igniv stared at him pointedly, effectively keeping the lieutenant from giving anyone around them ideas.

"The general's a big boy. If he made it out of his room, then he's probably almost completely healed. He'll be barking orders at us in no time. Besides," his eyes flashed around the room, finding a dozen set of eyes suddenly returning to their assigned duties, "he has his lightsaber. If anyone tries anything, he'll just slice them in half."

"That's not reassuring, sir," Mitaka just had to comment.

Igniv snorted.

As if the world was made to prove him wrong, he felt a sudden heavy wave of the Force through the air, pulsating with anguish as it slammed into him. The sensation nearly stopped him dead in his tracks, but he managed to catch himself at the last moment and pretended to return to his current task at hand with the droid.

"I will go look for him. You'll be okay on the bridge, Lieutenant?" he announced, trying to keep his voice even despite the sweat that had started to roll down the side of his head.

He knew that Mitaka had already noticed his distress; the man was quite perceptive despite his docile demeanor, but the lieutenant hid his emotions well.

"We will continue our search for the supreme leader," the other mouthed before announcing that he would be fine.

Igniv grinned and excused himself as quickly as he could without seeming too rushed.

He followed the sensation across the ship, catching its waves repeatedly until he arrived at a door where it pulsated the most. Igniv gulped, the Force so heavy upon him now that it was like a heavy blanket threatening to suffocate him. He felt another surge that chilled him to his bones and opened the door, allowing the wave to wash over him as it will when he spotted the man in question across the room.

Hux sat in front of the huge transparasteel windows, the general's thin form clad in a poncho against the darkness of space, the man lost in a trance as the Force surged again around the room, making the walls creak with its power.

"General?" he called out cautiously, but no reply came from the other as he continued to make his way across the room. It was when he was standing right next to the general that everything suddenly went cold, the Darkness threatening to spill over into the ship, ready to engulf them both. "General!"

He grabbed the man's arm just as the Darkness leapt, and suddenly all was quiet once again as unfocused green eyes stared up at him while their owner blinked several times in confusion.

"Igniv?" the general finally said.

The arm under his hand was freezing.

"Let's get you back to your quarters, general," Igniv whispered, afraid to wake whatever beast that had almost swallowed them whole.

The man allowed Igniv to guide them through the ship back to the couch he had just occupied earlier that morning. He hurried into the kitchen in search of something to warm the general back up when his eyes fell on a packet of what looked like tea on the counter.

"Salted kelp tea," Igniv read aloud as he waited impatiently for the water to boil. He returned to the living area several minutes later with a steaming mug and handed it to the general.

To his relief, life seemed to return to the man's eyes the second Hux took a sip, and the general drank the tea almost reverently, his eyes the warmest Igniv had ever seen them.

"You okay? You were pretty close to losing control there," Igniv inquired carefully.

"I know where he is," the general finally spoke, voice raspy and dry.

Igniv blinked. "Come again?"

"I found him."

.

Hux pulled on his boots with some difficulty, the throbbing in his head mercifully duller than the past few days but a persistent annoyance nonetheless. He had trusted Igniv to deliver the coordinates properly to Mitaka, and he had recognized the sharp inhale of the engine earlier indicating that they had entered lightspeed.

The planet was far from their current location, situated in the remotest regions of the galaxy in uncharted territory. Their jump was nearly blind, guided mainly by the coordinates dreamt to him by the Force. He sensed that it was a trap, no, he knew it was one, but they had no other viable plans, and it was a matter of time before Snoke found another potential Light-sided user to finalize the ritual.

He slumped down on the couch, choosing to take another dose of painkillers before he headed back out on the bridge. He had sent the droid away earlier, opting for a bottle of pills in lieu of the injections. The throbbing thankfully subsided fairly quickly despite the slower mechanism of delivery, and his eyes trailed to the lightsaber, its soft hum ever prevalent in the silence of his quarters.

He picked up the cold metal hilt and turned it in his hand, finding his traitorous nerves slightly comforted by the sight of its soft white glow.

Hux closed his eyes. He could still picture the location in his mind, as clear as one of the many blueprints he had memorized over the years.

The planet was an angry red, a mixture of sand and iron dust, its surface bare except for a single imposing structure erected long ago, an ancient Sith Temple with tall dark spires that stretched towards the heavens above. Angry black tendrils of Darkness sprung forth at him just as they had before, but he was ready this time, as his lightsaber pushed in front of him as an angry white wolf baring its fangs.

"That's impossible," someone gasped, tearing him away from his reverie as he looked up from his couch to see none other than the scavenger standing across from him. She had her staff up defensively, poised to strike.

"You're the scavenger," he breathed, accidentally letting the old title slip as he tried to reorient himself without her noticing.

"Why are we connected like this?" she growled, eyes darting about at nothing in particular. He wondered if she was able to see his surroundings and idly imagined himself floating in midair, his couch invisible to her. Her attention returned to him, her fiery gaze the determined glare he remembered from their last meeting. "Where is Ben?"

Hux powered off his lightsaber, setting it down on the sofa beside him. "The infinitely wise supreme leader decided it was a brilliant idea to leave without telling anyone to take on Snoke," he nearly hissed. "Alone."

To his surprise, the girl lowered her weapon, eyes wide. "He actually went alone? That nerfherder!"

"There are a thousand other insults I'd also like to throw at him when we reach him," Hux muttered, feeling the anger drown out some of the apprehension he had been feeling. He supposed this was good. This way, he would be able to approach this with a clear mind as he had always done.

"So, you know where he is?"

Hux looked up, not expecting her interest. It was too dangerous, he reasoned. If Snoke used her to complete the ritual, then this rescue mission would all be for naught. Yet, he knew it could just as easily be him. They were walking straight into a trap after all.

"I do. We are going there now as we speak."

"Why?"

Hux assumed that there was really no harm in telling her at this point. In fact, the knowledge could prompt the girl to stay away from Snoke. He fought the bile that threatened to rise up his throat as he recalled the conversation with Igniv. "Snoke is planning to take control of his body through what I presume to be some sort of Sith ritual. They require a sacrifice akin to a Jedi, I was told." He sighed, crossing his arms. "This might as well be a trap, but..." he trailed off, the reality of it all even more painful now that he had put it into words.

"Wait, what are you going to do?" The girl seemed to not understand their current predicament. It was fine. He would put that into words too. Perhaps that would help him come up with a plan, stating the goal first.

"We're going in to save him."

She cocked her head to the side, still seemingly confused. Hux found himself equally puzzled. How hard was it to grasp a simple concept such as a rescue?

"I don't understand," the girl told him. "The First Order is practically unguarded now. You can take it for yourself. Isn't that what you wanted?"

Most definitely not. "I don't want any of this!" he snapped, unable to keep himself from raising his voice. He took in deep breath, averting his eyes, knowing that she was staring at him strangely now.

Kylo. He just needed…

Kylo.

She seemed to sense the surface of his emotions, and he saw disbelief overtake the initial confusion. "Come again?" She shook her head. "No no, that does not make sense. I mean, yes you saved Takodana, but you… you're Starkiller."

"I am," he admitted to her yet again. He was Starkiller under Snoke's control, but he was still Starkiller nonetheless, just as Kylo was the Jedi-killer. It was just something he will have to live with for the rest of his life. He closed his eyes. It was fine. He will live. He will not give in now, or Kylo was as good as dead, eaten alive by Snoke, just as he was. He shivered at the memory. "I am," he repeated.

Rey paused, her face contorted into something he could guess as pity. He decided not to think about it. He supposed she thought similarly as she changed the subject. "How did you get a lightsaber?"

"We built it from a kyber crystal I supposedly found in Arkanis. To be honest, I don't remember much of it." He picked up the weapon, twirling it in his hands. "And, I have to admit that I'm a little apprehensive. I'm not as accustomed to this style of combat."

The girl blinked at him. "You're going to storm in there with nothing but a lightsaber and some stormtroopers?"

Hux shook his head, almost laughing at the ridiculousness of it all. "No stormtroopers. He'll just turn them against us or slaughter them all on sight." He could almost picture the pile of bodies. "I still have Igniv," he added as an afterthought.

"If it's Snoke, you're going to need more than that, Starkiller."

"Are you volunteering?" he joked, managing to hold back the word "scavenger." As much as he would enjoy the banter, antagonizing the girl was not at the top of his priorities at the moment.

"Rey."

"Hm?"

"My name is Rey," she repeated.

He paused, studying her countenance closely. She was young, yet her eyes bore the hardships of a difficult childhood. They were similar in that regard he supposed.

"Armitage," he offered her his name after a moment. The word felt foreign on his lips.

Rey raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were General Hugs."

He made a mental note to himself to request the Resistance pilot's head in exchange for a truce if they ever decided to negotiate one.

"Just Armitage is fine."

Her features softened, and it was then that he spotted a soft glow between them, briefly flickering in and out on what looked like a table of some sort.

"What were you working on?" he returned her earlier question at her, and Rey flushed slightly.

"N-nothing," she stuttered, and Hux peered at the speck of light, not exactly expecting to find anything given the nature of their interaction, but to his surprise a pile of metal and what he sensed as a kyber crystal came into full view.

"That's…" His eyes widened at the remains of the lightsaber on the desk.

"Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber," she muttered. "Ben and I tore it apart after he killed Snoke. I've been trying to fix it since."

"I knew he was lying when he said that you killed Snoke," Hux contemplated out loud.

She bit her lip. "He killed Snoke to protect me. Despite all his faults, I do still owe him my life."

Hux stood up slowly, satisfied that the painkillers were working as he walked over a few steps to the dismantled lightsaber between them. "Let me take a look at it."

Rey blinked at him. "Seriously?"

.

"Snoke is still alive. He's on an uncharted planet located in the Outer Rim," Rey announced to the room, feeling their eyes survey her in surprise as she relayed the news. She supposed their response was expected; she doubted the information herself, but the repaired lightsaber hanging by her side was proof enough. "I have the coordinates"

"Seriously?" Poe was the first to speak. She nodded. "You're serious," he gasped almost in awe, leaning back in his chair. "So, should we go in and blow the place up before they decide to declare war on another planet?"

"But we're severely outnumbered at the moment. It would be suicide if we attacked them now," the girl called Rose commented quietly from the side. She had heard from Finn that the other had lost her sister recently, so Rey could somewhat understand Rose's reluctance in the matter. Yet, Armitage was going in nearly alone with or without her, and she wasn't about to let the Starkiller outdo her in their final moments.

"It won't just be us. There are others headed to the planet right now. We might be able to rendezvous with them there and take Snoke down," she reassured the girl, wondering how she could word this in a way that wouldn't cause mass suspicion among the others. Speaking with Ben was probably bad enough, and now this was the general of the First Order they were talking about, Starkiller himself.

Poe's eyes lit up, seemingly oblivious to her apprehension. "Others?"

"Ah…" She was already reconsidering her decision to mention the general.

"We've managed to make contact with our allies?" Lieutenant Connix joined in, the hope shining just as brightly in her eyes. Rey wanted to punch herself for letting them down.

She glanced at Leia, hoping for some way to salvage the situation without dropping Armitage's name. The general had remained silent throughout the conversation and even now she had a strange expression on her face, almost that of worry.

"Snoke's really taken Ben, hasn't he?" Leia queried, her usually stern voice low and almost resigned.

The entire room turned to the general.

Rey swallowed hard. "Yes. He's somehow taken control of Ben. If we don't stop whatever he's planning now, Snoke will become more powerful than ever, and we won't be able to stop him."

"Then the ones you are meeting…" the general trailed off.

She took a breath. "It's Armitage."

It took a moment for the room to react, not recognizing the general of the First Order's first name.

"A-Armitage?" To Rey's surprise, Kaiyo was the first one to come alive in the corner, her trembling hand steadying herself on a nearby seat as she took a tentative step forward. The woman looked pale, as if she had seen a ghost. "Armitage Hux of Arkanis?" Kaiyo repeated. Rey didn't know what Arkanis was, but she supposed it had something to do with the First Order.

"I object!" Finn cut in before she could inquire further. "This is definitely a trap!"

"That snake would stop at nothing to destroy us," Rose added, fists clenched at her side. "Did you forget? He wiped out the Hosnian System just to prove a point!"

"He did do that," Rey admitted, "but this is different. Snoke took control of Ben, and Armitage is organizing a rescue mission to bring him back. You've all seen what happened at Takodana. They don't follow that monster anymore."

"This is still the First Order we're talking about," Rose replied, her eyes narrowing defiantly. "They can't be trusted."

Rey looked at Leia pleadingly but received no obvious response in the woman's eyes. "Look, if you won't help me, I'll go alone," she finally declared, really finding no other way to salvage the situation. If her own friends won't trust her in the matter, then there was really no one else she could turn to.

She could see Finn shift uncomfortably from the side. Rey really did feel sorry that she had put him into this predicament, but she refused to sit idly by when so much was at stake.

"Well, we could always split our forces." She looked at Poe, hand resting on his chin in contemplation. "We could have half of us up in the Millennium Falcon waiting for extraction while a few of us go down to the planet for some reconnaissance. We'll just have to be extra careful that they don't see the ship."

"I still don't think it's a good idea," Finn muttered.

"You can stay on the ship and monitor the First Order at a distance. Let the ones on the ground know what's going on up in space while they look around," Poe offered, winking at Rey.

"Fine," Finn huffed.

Poe beamed, turning to Leia. "General?"

Leia sighed, massaging her head. "Just don't overdo it. If I say we leave, then you get off that planet immediately."

"Sounds like a plan! I'll go down with Rey then," Poe declared, flashing her a smile. "Can't let you go down there alone now, can I? If one of us gets hurt, the other can signal for the Millennium Falcon to extract us. Any other volunteers?"

The others in the room shifted uncomfortably. Rey knew that they still thought that this was a reckless move on their part, especially given the fact that the Resistance had currently been reduced to a freighter ship.

"I request to come with you as well." The room turned to Kaiyo, and Rey could feel a slight surge of the Force around them, bristling with determination.

She smiled, feeling somewhat comforted by the woman's conviction. "I'll be counting on you."

Thank you reading!