A/N: HI everyone, sorry this one took a while to be out. This chapter is rather OC-centred, because I've grown to like these women and I wanted to give them more page-time lol. Anyway, I promise next chapter we'll return to our main characters (read: Rey and Kylo)! Thank you once again for the support and reviews (:
The Chandrilan Senate House was divided into two sections - a domed building where senatorial sessions were held, and a long, rectangular block that hosted the offices. A lush garden with an elaborate fountain connected the two sites. Senators generally made use of their saunter through the gardens to lobby their colleagues for support to pass bills, or simply to pick up on the latest gossip within their circles.
Meanwhile, a paved walkway from the centre of the gardens led to the Eleutherian Plaza, an open-air gathering space for senators and citizens alike. Tonight it hosted the senatorial gala, an annual highlight for the political elites, especially when it coincided with election season. It usually lasted into the early hours of the morning - a lavish dinner followed by an after-dinner party for the younger senators, and those who were young at heart. Last year, the party ended at four a.m.
Unfortunately, tonight's gala came to a premature end, courtesy of some revelations. Most of the senators grumbled as they flocked back to their residences, their fun night cut short not so much because of the threat of treason within their ranks, but more to do with an emergency session scheduled to begin in a matter of hours. It meant an early start to a day that had been declared a working holiday in previous years. By midnight, the area around the Senate House and the Plaza was deserted and left shrouded in darkness.
The only sign of life came from a warm light that illuminated the windows of a room along the block of senatorial offices. It belonged to one of the younger senators, if not the youngest to ever come into Chandrilan office since the dawn of the New Republic. Dureena Adras was elected in at the age of twenty-one, the same year she married her other childhood friend who was a year older, Talohn. It was also the same year she had chosen to retire from a life in the skies. Together with her husband, she walked through the doors of the Senate House carried by those youthful dreams of revolutionizing her homeworld's political scene. Within two years, she jumped from being junior senator to a full senator. Talohn too worked as hard as she did, and rose up the ranks significantly. In the previous election, he was appointed Chandrila's co-representative to the Republican Senate. The consensus amongst the younger senators was that the two of them would be the powerhouse couple who would finally eject the last remnants of the stubborn old men from their crusty seats.
And then everything came crashing down in the blink of an eye.
Dureena would never forget the Hosnian cataclysm. She would never forget how shortly before it struck, Talohn had called home, promising to be back in a few hours in time for Leo's birthday with a special present he had commissioned after hearing from his wife how the boy had talked endlessly about stars and planets. The present was supposed to be an interactive holobook about the Known Regions, meant as a bedtime read for Leo. He could read it on his own - or, if he missed his father, he could hear his father read it out for him. Dureena had laughed and agreed to whisk their son out of the house to distract him until his father returned.
Except that Talohn never did - not even a single trace of him. No remains, no ashes, not even a speck of hair. Leo's fourth birthday party was his father's funeral, marked by an empty coffin. He was a smart boy and picked up on things quickly. But he was still a child. There were some things he couldn't understand.
Dureena didn't mourn. She could, but she didn't. Her son needed his mother, and her colleagues needed their vanguard. So the day after the funeral, Dureena resumed her duties as senator, falling back on her work routine to get through the days. She waved away concerns about her well-being with assurances that she was not the sort to dwell on the past. If the younger senators were serious about change, especially after the First Order threat became more certain, they needed to charge ahead. That was the only way they could pay homage to Talohn's memory.
And then, Ben Solo reappeared out of nowhere after almost twenty years. Dureena was surprised at much the small timid boy had grown, and the air of confidence with which he carried himself. In the two days he spent with her and Leo, he listened attentively to her political plans. He didn't agree, but he also didn't decline, when she suggested he pick up where his mother left off in the Chandrilan Senate. At the very least, he believed in her dreams. For that brief period, Dureena felt as if her hopes for the future of their homeworld burned again. She didn't quite expect its last embers to be snuffed out by Ben himself.
Ben.
Her eyes grew sad at the memory of her friend. Even now she was struggling to come to terms with what transpired at the gala. How could someone like Ben become Kylo Ren? Dureena recalled vividly all those times the children at school made fun of his ears. She had marched up to box their ears, and then berated Ben for letting them tease him. Ben had answered quietly that those kids were physically bigger than him, and his mother wouldn't be all too pleased if he came home with a bloodied nose. Dureena had ratted to Leia anyway, and the princess had taken pains to unsuccessfully convince her son there were times when it is perfectly acceptable to pummel people. How could her friend be the infamous Jedi killer whispered about in certain circles? How could he let his hands be forever stained by the blood of his own father? How could he have allowed not just Talohn's death, but an entire system?
She had hoped so much for Ben to deny the allegations. But he said nothing. When he refused to meet her eye, Dureena's heart broke. It meant that all of it was true.
Even so, she couldn't quite forget the haunted look on his face during the confrontation earlier. She had expected Kylo Ren to stand before her, staring back at her with no remorse. But those dark eyes that kept evading her gaze reflected only shock, shame, pain. And above all, a profound sadness that knew no words. Would such eyes belong to Kylo Ren?
Dureena's eyes ticked over to a photograph sitting on her desk. The three of them - she, Talohn, and Ben - had taken it when they were around eleven or twelve years old. They were on a summer holiday by the beach, supervised by the Adras family. That didn't stop them from sneaking away and maxing out all their savings to have the image transferred to paper. Old technology made it more expensive than the usual holo-image platforms. But Talohn had convinced them that paper was the best way to hide it from their families and keep with them forever. It was Ben's last outing with them before he had to leave Chandrila, and the three friends didn't want to forget one another. Dureena remembered that it was that very day they all expressed their naive promise to always be together somehow. She declared she would fly, if only to annoy her family; Talohn opted to follow his family's path and chose politics. Ben had promised to come back a Jedi Knight. Upon their return, they would be the best team anyone in Chandrila could ever ask for.
Now, all those dreams were gone. They had each killed their dreams with their own hands. And Leo too must probably hate her now - he heard and saw what transpired on the balcony during the gala. Not just his mother's anger, but his new mentor's silent agony. Her son cried when she pried him away from Ben, who in turn had pleaded with her not to let her emotions out on the boy. As she ordered her aides to send Leo back to the manor, her son had begged her not to be angry at Ben. She had snapped at him instead, blurting out that rather than a gift, his Force sensitivity was a curse, just like Ben's had been. She immediately regretted it, but it was too late. She saw the look on her son's face. There was no retracting the damage such words inflicted on a little boy.
Within one night, she lost everything. She had never felt so alone. For the first time since receiving news about Hosnian Prime, Dureena Adras laid her head on her desk and cried.
She cried for Talohn - her husband, her best friend, the father of her son. She cried for him and all the colleagues she lost on the former capital of the New Republic.
She cried for Leo, and at how betrayed and lost her son must be feeling right now.
And despite everything, she cried for Ben, her dearest friend. She cried for his solitude and his anguish. But she especially cried at who he had become.
She was so consumed by her tears and her sobs that she scarcely noticed that her protocol droid had rolled in earlier and was awkwardly standing beside her, waiting for the right opportunity to prod her. When Dureena lifted her head briefly from her desk to gasp for air, the droid immediately piped up, "Lady Dureena -"
Dureena yelped in surprise. As she turned in her seat to see who was it that was speaking to her, her hands quickly flew to her face to wipe away the dampness on her cheeks. "Ah it's you, Teearr. What is it."
Her droid held out a handkerchief and Dureena gladly took it. As the senator blew her nose, TR-43 continued, "Lady Dureena, the Resistance members are here to see you, as you've requested."
Dureena sighed inwardly. Of course, how had she forgotten? This meeting was the entire point of her returning to office straight from the gala instead of retiring for the night. Her memories had kept her sidetracked. She pulled out a drawer at her desk and took out a small glass spray bottle. She spritzed it across her face, hoping that the volcanic water from one of the ice planets would at least de-puff her face and minimize as far as possible any trace that she had been crying. Once she was reasonably satisfied, she told Teearr to usher her guests in.
The Resistance members were still in their gala outfits, although each of their faces were strained. Poe and Alma D'Acy led the group. Dureena noticed that the swarthy young man who had tackled Poe earlier - was it Finn? - was with them too, but he was lingering at the back. Judging by his comrades sullen demeanour, it was clear that they hadn't forgiven him for allowing Ben and the girl to flee. The Resistance would deal with their own insubordinate officers. She had called them here for a different matter.
"Please," she invited them to take a seat on the large sofa in her office. They duly did so, except Finn. He stood to the side. Dureena pulled up her chair to sit facing the group. "Thank you for coming on short notice. I understand that the all of you must be eager to leave, after what happened."
Alma shook her head slightly. "No, Senator. The gratitude is ours, to have found another ally."
Dureena gave her a bitter smile. "Circumstances have made it such, Commander. I can only wish my support came earlier. But the wounds of the previous war have yet to fade from our memories. I hope you understand why I was unwilling to drag Chandrila into another one." She hesitated before adding softly, "But now I see that there is no other way. The presence of the Supreme Leader indicates that the First Order is not interested in peaceful coexistence. It seeks submission, by treaty or by force."
The young senator turned to Poe. "My apologies, Captain. For the public chastisement."
The Resistance's second-in-command flashed her a grin, mostly to put her at ease. "Feels like the good old days, Commander. I mean, Senator."
"Either works fine," Dureena answered offhandedly. She walked over to her desk and reached out for a datapad, typing something in it as she spoke, "I plan to push the Senate to start considering mobilization for war. Even if the Republic is acquiescing, Chandrila must resist. Otherwise, this planet and her legacy..." She grimaced slightly. "I hope it never reaches such a situation. But in the event that it does, I hope there is room for another officer in the Resistance. Although I cannot guarantee that my starfighter piloting skills are as sharp nowadays."
D'Acy responded to her with a smile. "There will be more than enough targets to practice on. You can begin with Captain Dameron, I'm sure he won't mind." She stood to extend a hand out to Dureena. The younger woman clasped it firmly. "Welcome to the Resistance, Commander Adras."
"It is my honour, Commander D'Acy." She returned her attention to the rest of the Resistance members, her new comrades. Dureena held up the datapad she was holding. Poe caught sight of only a few words: proposal, mobilization, declaration, defence, sovereignty; but enough to know what the senator was preparing for. "Shall we begin?"
The Niima outpost should have just been called a motley of tents. There was no real settlement around it, and no real spaceports either. Ships land as and when they pleased in the surrounding dunes. Terrible for crash landers running out of rations and fuel, but perfect for those with shadier intents seeking a meeting point to quickly do their transactions and leave. The general rule for business around here was no questions asked, as long as the right item was offered for trade.
The main perk of being First Order Acquisitors was the sort of items accumulated on different missions across the galaxy. All Caerra and Caedus had to do was to lug a bag full of prized objects - hyperfuel, crystals, relics, machine parts - and the traders were swarming all over them. Hidden behind their anti-sand masks, they quickly negotiated for clothes, ship identification codes, Republic credits, rations, signal jammers, and even labour to chrome paint their ship. By dawn, the twins were back in it, with refurbished interiors and an almost completely new exterior. It would remain the Amber Hawk to the two of them, but for the outside world, it would now be referred to as the Crystal Chariot. A pretentious enough name to suit their new cover as a pair of siblings who had recently come into money at a casino.
It was a terrible story, but it matched the location traces found on the codes nonetheless. Canto Bight and Ahakista were regular haunts of whoever the code belonged to; for its owner to end up in Jakku, one could only guess at his or her luck. With a fancy-looking ship and a record of frequenting casinos, their cover would be convincing enough. They just needed to fix the part about why they had decided to come to Naboo. Luckily for them, there was still a couple of hours to go before they reach the planetary system.
Honestly what's in Naboo? Caedus signaled to his sister. He had ditched his dark robes and tunic for something more earth-toned. Together with his helmet, those clothes were stowed away in a chest on board the ship, together with his sister's.
Caerra snorted. "Who was it who wanted to return there?" She thought for a while before answering, "Do we want to stay in Theed or should we... I don't know, stay in the countryside?"
Can you survive in the countryside? Caedus gestured with a smirk.
"Ha ha very funny," his sister muttered.
He knew her well enough to know that she was always an urban girl. She needed the buzz of city life. Everytime their mission sent them to some village or another Caerra suffered immensely. But that was when they were still First Order Acquisitors. As defectors, their best option was to remain discreet. Hiding away in the countryside seemed like the most logical answer. That didn't mean she was looking forward to it.
We can stay in Theed, if you want to, Caedus relented. He was her opposite. His personality tended to prefer the quieter pace of things away from urban centres.
Caerra shook her head. "No, we'll head to the countryside. Perhaps in a more respectable area, where we have room to build up our cover. That said, we need new names." She thought for a while and then she decided. "Ares for you, Sbalva for me. Rothar." Caedus wrinkled his nose at how ugly the names sounded, and Caerra added defensively, "We came into new money, we don't need to have respectable sounding names. We just need to sound like people who pilot something called the Crystal Chariot."
Caedus pretended not to hear the new name she had christened their ship. Is there word from Kylo?
Caerra hesitated, unsure whether to answer him. She had checked her comms the moment they boarded their ship to see whether Kylo had responded to their calls. Eventually she admitted, "Yes, but... It was a very short message. And I couldn't trace it. I suppose he too is on the run... He said he will come get us when it's time."
Her brother said nothing as he kept his eyes on the blue and white lights of hyperspace. But Caerra knew that he was worried. Not only for them, but for Kylo as well - the closest that the two of them had to another family member.
She placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Come on, Caedus. We have work to do. The last thing we need is to have Ceth and the Supreme Leader tracking us through hyperspace." She rolled her chair over to where a hologram of the star chart was floating. "Our old ID codes. Can we leak a couple of decoy routes to the unknown regions using them?"
I already did that before we left Jakku, came her brother's reply. I've scheduled them such that by the time we land in Naboo, if they track us, they'll still be making their way to the Unknown Regions.
Caerra raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Well. Looks like my baby brother is all grown up. I'm impressed. What about the Amber's landing on Jakku, though? Did we manage to encrypt that?"
I rigged it to read Ogem, Caedus confessed.
Caerra had to laugh. Ogem was indeed close to Jakku, but there was practically nothing there of help. Good luck to Ceth, she thought darkly. She sank back in her seat, staring at the swiveling star chart in front of her. Good luck to us and Kylo too.