Chapter 38
Ben stood before his knights in the conference room and gazed from face to face. "I have some unfortunate news." He studied their passive expressions betray only the slightest curiosity and felt some relief that they could still mask themselves well.
"I have been in contact with Rey since she returned to the Resistance, and the peace treaty is no longer their only hope. The Resistance has received aid in the form of a battle-ready fleet."
He paused to let his knights process this update.
"Poe, the leader of the Resistance, still wishes to make peace, but his new allies do not. He and Rey hope that her role as the hero of the Resistance may sway them. However, if that fails, you must decide your next steps."
Ben sat down and gestured for his knights to contribute.
"Can we help her?" Nighwitch asked. All eyes turned to her. Ben studied his youngest and most recent recruit, wondering what the girl had in mind. Did she really want to help Rey? "Can we help her convince them to negotiate for peace?"
Of course, the peace treaty was the priority for his knights. Still, the idea of Nighwitch and Rey working together played into the vision he had of them. Would this be how it happened, without any intervention from him at all? Nighwitch and Rey were similar in age, though with very different backgrounds. Nighwitch had grown up in a large family surrounded by people.
"And how would we do that?" Jun'Pon asked. "Should we just fly on over and introduce ourselves at the Knights of Ren?"
"Actually, they've not seen our faces before," Rypo said. "And with the voice modulation on our helmets, it's quite possible we could go unnoticed in normal clothing, especially if they've just had a large number of new recruits. Hama-Ki, you're the most knowledgeable in these matters. Can we help her?"
"But do we even want to?" Banto interjected. "If the Resistance is so eager for war, it may be best if we stay here and prepare for the inevitable battle."
"The First Order should not continue its war with the Resistance if there is an option for peace that does not require us to sacrifice our principles. There has been too much meaningless loss, Banto. The battles are wasteful and distract us from our goal of protecting order in the galaxy," Hama-Ki said. "Now, that doesn't mean I want to hop on a ship and join the Resistance undercover, but I am curious to hear how Nighwitch and Rypo might help the Supreme Leader's consort with the negotiations. If there is merit to their plan, then they should go."
"I will go too. I expect she'll need a better strategy than turning on her light-staff and snarling at people when they speak poorly of Master Kylo," Teva said with a wry grin. "Rypo's got her interrogation techniques… and I'm not sure muscle will be needed on a peace mission, but I can keep my eyes and ears open there. Nighwitch can… what is your specialty, anyway?"
"Nighwitch is good at being seen when she needs to be and going unnoticed when she doesn't," Ben explained. Snoke had marked her for a natural spy should they need one with force capabilities. "However, there is a potential complication for each of you. The stormtrooper FN-2187 defected for the Resistance. Have any of you been seen by him unmasked? He is Rey's friend, but he does not easily trust."
"Where was he stationed?" Hama-Ki asked.
Ben answered. "Sanitation on Starkiller Base, primarily. His first combat mission was on Jakku, and he defected shortly after."
Teva snorted. "No, I'm pretty sure I never took my helmet off around any janitors."
Rypo jabbed him sharply with her elbow before Ben could find the words to reprimand Teva's slight against sanitation officers.
"Teva, mind yourself unless you want to clean your own refresher," Rypo said. Teva frowned, but Rypo had already redirected her attention to Ben. "Master Kylo, would the reasons FN-2187 left potentially jeopardize the mission?"
"Not likely. I have no reason to believe he is against a peace treaty. He cracked when I ordered him to kill and defected to avoid such orders again. Do not assume he is soft, however. He makes a formidable opponent when on the defensive. I rather enjoyed crossing sabers with him on Starkiller Base."
"Sabers?" Is he force-sensitive?" Jun'Pon asked.
"He had somehow acquired a lightsaber belonging to my grandfather. As you should know, our own training program prepares them for battle with sabers. I have no reason to believe he is force sensitive." Of course, Ben had not known Rey was force-sensitive either until he delved into Rey's mind.
"And does he still have this lightsaber?" Teva asked.
Ben shook his head. "Rey claimed it after he fell in battle. It became the staff she wields now." Several of the knights raised their eyebrows at this, but Ben said nothing as he thought back to the battle on The Supremacy and then the subsequent construction of Rey's staff. "So Teva, Rypo, and Nighwitch wish to go to Rey undercover and help her convince the Resistance to treaty for peace with the First Order. Hama-Ki, Banto, and Jun'Pon will stay here to determine defensive measures should the peace treaty fall through."
"That does seem the sum of it," Hama-Ki said. "However, those three still do not have a plan, nor do we have an extraction plan should they be discovered."
Ben thought to his experiment with Rey passing Growlie back and forth via the force. "I might have something in mind for that."
"And what is that?" Banto asked, narrowing his eyes.
"An extraction plan," Ben repeated, ignoring his second-in-command's obvious request for details. He had not shared his bond with them yet, nor did he plan to at this time. "However, I am more interested in what Nighwitch, Rypo, and Teva intend to do once they get there."
"I thought I would find Rey and offer my services as needed," Nighwitch said. "If anyone asks how we know each other, I'll claim to be her padawan."
"Wouldn't they know if she had a padawan?" Banto asked.
All heads turned to Ben. He thought about the question. "Perhaps, but Rey was gone from them for several days as well. There's no reason you couldn't claim to have been found by her in that time, when I was with her, and chosen the light side of the force over the dark."
"Well, we cannot all be Rey's new apprentices. It would be entirely too suspicious," Teva said. "I could offer my fighting expertise to the Resistance, and Rypo here could pose as my wife, since her true skills would make her a target of suspicion."
"Partner," Rypo corrected with brilliantly red cheeks.
"We don't want to make them suspicious, Rypo," Teva said, leaning on an elbow and gazing at her with a crooked grin.
"Save your flirting for some other time, Teva," Banto snapped. "It's enough that you two join the Resistance together and separate of Nighwitch. You can argue out the details on the flight there."
Teva chuckled and leaned back in his chair. "Fair enough. You're not thinking this out fully though. With the three of us there, we can also destroy the Resistance from the inside should they be opposed to peace. We will, of course, make sure Master Kylo's lady love will be far away before this happens."
Teva glanced at Ben, and Ben nodded, acknowledging he had no objection. He had considered it himself, though he felt actually volunteering such a plan might be a betrayal to Rey. She herself had approved of his allowing the knights to replace him so they could move on. She could hardly complain then should they act on a strategy they developed without him.
Even Banto smiled at this suggestion. "Excellent thinking, Teva. I think I might be disappointed if this treaty works out now. I should like to see the Resistance gone once and for all."
"I also approve of this," Hama-Ki said. "And their mission makes more sense now. Whether they convince the Resistance to come to peace terms or destroy the Resistance from the inside, this war will finally be over. Any objections?"
The knights shook their heads. Ben faced his knights. "Meeting adjourned then. Rypo, Teva, and Nighwitch, I'll send you coordinates and order some ships prepared to meet your needs. May the force be with you."
These characters have minds of their own. I'm giving up guessing what they're going to do next. I have something in mind, I start writing, and bam, they're doing something different. If you're wondering, yes, Banto's panicking some on the inside with all the changes.
Hope you enjoyed it and please let me know what you think! I really appreciate the reviews and feedback on everything. :)
