Hey guys! It's raining here, which obviously calls for writing to get through the day. I'm so glad that the last chapter was so highly praised! We are seeing now that Kylo is manipulating her, but also falling in love with her. This is crucial. Naboo is something I'm looking forward to writing as well. Remember – Naboo is romantic, which means romance could quite possibly be in their future ;) As always, review and message me with ideas!
Carrisa – Notice how he is only a gentlemen to her and he just killed a bounty hunter in cold blood? The way his mind works absolutely baffles me, but he is so much fun to write.
Bella – Thank you so much! So much research goes into this, I feel like I spend more time researching than writing sometimes! I don't want to be so detailed it becomes tedious to read, so if it gets to that point, let me know and I'll back off a little.
Idsrsc – It was definitely meant to be! Their relationship is going to become much more symbiotic, but keep in mind that Rey is young and never experienced any of this before. Kylo has, so he's going to use that to his advantage to overpower her.
Chapter 5:
Location: Hoth Space, Outer Rim
"Do we know where we are going?" Poe asked the group at large for what seemed like the millionth time during their meeting.
Everyone was chattering inessentially, with no clear conversation in sight. The last thing the group had agreed on was sending a distress signal to their supporters in the Mid Rim, but no one had returned their call. They had decided to go in that direction regardless, because The First Order had hardly any presence there. The topic of this debate was where they were going since their fuel stores were running low. The Sullustans cargo ships weren't made to go as far into the galaxy as the Mid Rim, let alone back to The Outer Rim. They were running out of time, and the situation was eerily similar.
The way Poe saw it; they had a few options. The Resistance could try to hold out until one of their distress calls was returned, or they could land on the nearest planet, fuel up, and get on their way. They had built up their army in small numbers, but they were still no match for The First Order, so they had to make sure to land on a planet that wasn't controlled by them.
Finn had suggested Kaal, Lipsec, or Bespin by looking at the navigation computer. General Leia had shut down every single one of those (Kaal because the Correllians traded there and they would more than likely be spies for The First Order, Lipsec because a hyperlane ran through it and they absolutely could not be detected, and Bespin for personal reasons) and told Finn to give her more options of inhabited planets so they could refuel and build up their followers. So far, Finn hadn't come up with anything useful, which led to the constant arguing.
"We could try to make it into the deep core," suggested Snap with a light shrug. "It's risky, but may pay off."
"And what if it doesn't?" Finn asked. "Then we are stuck in the middle of First Order space like sitting ducks… again."
Poe ran the palm of his hand over his five o'clock shadow. "The Deep Core is way too far in. We are much better staying close to where we are."
"Do we even have a mission?" came a voice from somewhere in the crowd. The chatter arose again until General Leia rose her hand and everyone silenced immediately.
"Our mission is to stop the First Order, whatever that takes," she said. Even though she was sitting down across from Finn at the navigation computer, it was like she was on a pedestal. Everyone's eyes turned to face their leader while their lips closed tightly. "But, we can't do that on what we have right now. We have to find somewhere to refuel and scout for followers. Finn, tell me good news."
Finn looked up from the coordinates he was searching. "It's a long shot, ma'am, but Polis Massa is within our range, and we would still have enough fuel to make it to a planet within the sector if things don't go the way we want them too – by Rose's calculations."
Rose grinned at Finn before turning her attention onto the General. "What do you know about Polis Massa?"
"It's a huge rock," Leia replied flatly.
"Mining development has gone on there for centuries," Poe commented. Leia turned to look at him with coy look in her brown eyes. "And if I remember correctly, they were friendly to the Rebellion."
Leia sighed and looked back to Finn. "Is there anywhere else?"
Finn checked the computer and was silent for a few moments. Rose placed a hand on his shoulder before he looked up with his response. "No, not unless you want to go to The Core."
Leia put her hands on her legs and stood up. "Take us to Polis Massa, Mr. Dameron, and make it quickly."
Location: The Absolution
Kylo marched down the corridor to Hux's office. He had left Rey alone in his quarters with the promise that she would not try to escape, and had the tailor bring her the appropriate clothing. He himself had ordered brown trousers and a loose cream colored top along with a brown traveling cloak and chocolate colored boots. He told the tailor to stick to the Naboo culture with Rey's outfit; he figured that she would feel much more comfortable in something more feminine.
He rounded the corner and didn't bother knocking before opening Hux's door to find him with his boots on the desk and a comb in his hand. He had a mirror on his black desk and was combing his strawberry-blonde hair back into gelled perfection. He didn't even look startled when Kylo came barging in the room, and instead, continued combing his hair for the beginning of his duty shift.
"I'm taking a leave of absence," Kylo told Hux, while he watched Hux seemingly ignore him and comb through his hair.
"Where are you going, Ren?" he finally said after making sure every piece of hair was perfectly in place on his head.
"That's none of your concern," Kylo replied dangerously, causing Hux to take an annoyed look at him instead of gazing at himself in his desktop mirror.
"Am I to watch the girl or are you taking her on your adventure?" Hux asked, spinning around to face Kylo.
The two locked eyes, brown on blue, and Kylo narrowed his in a sign of dominance over The First Order and over Rey. "She's coming with me."
"How romantic," Hux drawled and stood. "Very well then, Ren, I will lead in your absence since you would rather be going on sentimental trips."
Kylo could feel the veins on his forehead begin to pop. All he wanted in that very moment was to relieve Hux of duty, and shoot him out of an airlock into space never to be seen or heard again. The thought was tempting – General Murray would be an adequate replacement. But, Kylo decided to play his game to keep him following orders.
"Much like your rendezvous with a certain Lieutenant Siders on Serenno," Kylo said as Hux passed him. He watched as the General froze and he could just imagine the look of terror on Hux's face at that very moment.
"I don't remember even telling you that," Hux said through gritted teeth. "I obviously had too much to drink and –"
"If you want to keep that a secret, I suggest you keep my outing a secret as well," Kylo said dangerously. "Rey is not an officer in The First Order so technically, I'm not committing a violation."
Kylo brushed his way past Hux to the door, knowing that he had won that battle and that Hux wouldn't dare try anything ignorant while he was away. Hux knew the full power of a belligerent Kylo Ren, and bringing his lover into the situation was definitely not something that he wanted to do.
"I hate you!" Hux called over his shoulder childishly as Kylo rounded the corner.
"Feeling's mutual," he muttered.
By the time that Kylo had returned to his quarters, his anger towards Hux had subsided and he was focused solely on taking Rey to Naboo. He waved his fingers to open the doors, and when he did, his eyes widened at the sight that was awaiting him. For the second time in twenty-four hours, Rey had utterly surprised him. Once in her dark robes, and now…
Rey was wearing a subtle navy blue dress with black sparkles that shone through the fabric. The dress hugged her tiny frame perfectly, and had a lace trail that ran from the tip of her ankles down the back onto the floor, but only slightly. A black belt with jewels on it was carefully placed around her waist, some of the rings hanging down to beneath her hips. The dress was long sleeved, wrapping around her arms ever-so-slightly to create a cinched pattern at the elbows. It seemed as though the tailor had gone to great lengths to make her blend-in with the Naboo culture. He had curled her hair, and the two parts were twisted out of her face, but fell softly down her shoulders. Kylo's mouth was dry as she turned around to face him. He was used to seeing her in scavenger robes, not stunning outfits fit for a Queen.
"The Naboo people certainly like their jewels," Rey gestured towards her belt and the tiny beads dangling at the bottom of her sleeves, falling lightly onto her fingers.
Kylo gave her a half-smile and picked up his robes from the countertop. "It suits you."
"You say that about all the things I wear around you," Rey retorted and watched Kylo go into the bathroom without another word.
What was she doing? She was literally playing dress up with the enemy while her friends could be anywhere in the galaxy being hunted by him. But, this was her mission. She needed to fool him as long as possible to ensure that the Resistance had enough time to get away from them or build up enough of an army to face them on their own again. She dreaded to think about what Leia, Finn, Poe, and Chewie were going through right now while she was here in comfort. What if they had already been destroyed? No, she would've felt it…
Were her emotions clear on the matter, though? She shrunk herself down onto one of the bar stools at the counter, and rested her chin in her hand. Kylo was going to great lengths to keep her comfortable and happy. What was his end game in all of this? What was her end game? What would she do once the Resistance was safe? What would she do when they made a stand? Who would she fight for… more importantly, who would she fight against?
Rey's hazel eyes floated down to the countertop, and studied the pattern of the marble and how it swirled. She followed those patterns until Kylo came out of the bathroom because it was the only way to quiet her mind from her heart-wrenching anxiety. She turned her gaze from the marble to the man standing outside the bathroom door. Her breath caught and butterflies began racing into her stomach in a feeling that she had never had before.
He was so handsome, but not in his dark way. He looked normal, not fearsome or that he would slaughter you if you said something wrong or irritating to him. He didn't look scary or wicked, just plain… normal. Rey was impressed at his choice of clothing, and noticed that he had left his shirt unbuttoned just a tad so his chest was showing only a bit. What a tease, she thought to herself as she slid off of the barstool.
"I can hear you," Kylo grinned as he walked up to her. He put his hands on her shoulders, and there was a softer look that emitted from his brown eyes as he looked upon her. Rey's breath caught when she realized that her thoughts were not her own. How could she have forgotten? Kylo brought his fingers up to her cheeks, ran them over her soft skin, and tucked a stray curl behind her ear. "You look beautiful, Rey."
"You look rather dashing yourself when you aren't clad in all black," Rey said and shrugged his hands off of her body. "We need to go, don't we? I don't want to keep you waiting."
"Very well, come with me," Kylo turned on his heel and opened the door with his fingers.
Rey watched him in jealousy. She wondered if maybe she could try doing that. Kylo overheard her thoughts and let the door remain open just to test her… see if she would actually try. Rey focused all of her energy on the door, and put her pointer and index fingers together. She envisioned the door closing, and aggressively pulled her two fingers to the right. The door slammed instead of shut quietly, earning her a look from several onlookers and causing Kylo to turn around to see what the commotion was. Embarrassed, she quickly strode towards Kylo and fell into step. The two exchanged a glance, and Rey took a deep breath to steady her emotions. She could feel Kylo was amused.
You scared them, he said through their bond.
I didn't mean too. I only wanted to see if I could do it, she snapped back.
I know, and you now you know you can.
Kylo smiled down at her and led her towards his shuttle. There was a lot that she had to learn yet, but she was indeed powerful… almost as powerful as he was.
Location: Theed, Naboo
Rey couldn't stop staring. There were waterfalls everywhere she looked, with their spectacular waves of watercrashing down into long streams and idle lakes. Next to the waterfalls, there was so much green. Trees, bushes, flowers, grass… Kylo could sense her amazement as he piloted the shuttle into the nearest hanger. She had only ever seen this much green on Takodona, and she was even more in amazement then. But, there was a different feel to this planet: majestic, heavenly, somewhere Rey would gladly spend the rest of her days if she could.
When the two stepped out of the shuttle bay and onto the passageway into the capital city of Theed, Kylo could feel Rey's mind gaping at all of the colors. There was an array of colors everywhere she turned, from the clothing the townsfolk were wearing to the flowers that lined the walkways. She gazed in astonishment at the intricate gowns and headpieces and the gothic style architecture put into the buildings. Everyone in the city seemed at peace, as though no strain of the terror of the First Order had ever struck here. It seemed as though no fear lived in this haven at all.
Kylo carried their luggage in two bags while Rey marveled at the sights and sounds. There were birds chirping, butterflies flying about them, and the sky hadn't a cloud in it. She had never been to such a paradise, only dreamed of that island… and that was nothing compared to her surroundings. Kylo had to stop and stare at how she ran her fingers along the flowers, tried to touch the butterflies (she got lucky and a beautiful blue one with black along its wings landed on her finger), and pointed to the towering buildings. She interacted with the residents when they greeted her, happily shaking their hands and asking them many questions about the city. He had never seen Rey so happy – so at peace.
That's why he had brought her here. Not only was this planet special to him, he needed her calm if he was going to sway her completely over to his side. The two walked along the brick paths until Kylo was able to flag down a transport to take them to their destination. Through all of the commotion, Rey had forgotten to ask Kylo where exactly they were going, but at the moment, she hadn't a care in the world. Kylo handed their bags to the caddy, pulled his traveling cloak over his head, and took a seat next to Rey.
"Where are we headed?" Rey asked, staring out the window at the ever-moving people, the children playing ball in the streets, and a strange species with long ears behind their heads trade plants and meals with the locals. "What are those things?"
Kylo leaned over so his face was only centimeters from hers in order to get a good look. He could practically feel the warmth of her cheeks. "Those are Gungans. They live in the underwater swamps beneath the cities."
"The cities are built on top of swamps? How is that possible?" Rey turned back to face Kylo, realizing that they were once again centimeters apart.
Rey's eyes grew clouded for a moment, and Kylo tilted his head ever-so-slightly, marveling at her curiosity and how absolutely stunning she looked in that moment… but, he stopped himself before he did something he would later regret.
"That's the marvels of architecture," he replied softly, still observing the pink plumpness of her lips as he pulled away.
"You still haven't told me where we are going," Rey said and continued to stare out the window.
"We are going out into the country," Kylo replied and slipped the caddy ten credits as he walked by them. He glanced over to Rey who was still gazing out the window as the shuttle took off.
"Why can't we stay in the city?" Rey asked absently.
"I was never really one for cities," Kylo replied, thinking back to the village where FN-2187 had revealed he couldn't do the simplest thing that he was taught since birth: follow orders. However, if he had followed Kylo's orders, it wouldn't have led him to escaping with that damn pilot and leading him to Rey.
"But we can come back here?" Rey asked, a hint of pout in her voice as it wavered.
Kylo sighed and turned to face her, as he was jerked out of his thoughts. "Yes, we can if you want. But, I have something to show you first."
Location: Polis Massa
When Leia had said that Polis Massa was a giant rock, Poe had thought she was being figurative. But, when he saw that the planet was literally a giant asteroid, he clenched his teeth. He knew there had been mining here, but did they really have to land on an unstable boulder? It was their only chance, however, and Poe understood that. That's why he led the campaign with Finn and Chewie, as Leia had extended her power to him for the time being.
The three entered the giant glass orbs surrounding the facility. Looking out into open space gave Poe an uneasy feeling; like they could be blasted off of the asteroid at any moment.
"Are you sure about this? I was sure about this at first but now, not so much," Finn rambled as he looked around. Chewie let out a low growl in agreement.
Poe raised a hand to calm them both down. "Yes, relax. All I have to do is find the Administrator and explain what is going on, buddy."
"Did we ever think of what our plan was if they don't agree to help us?" Finn asked quickly, looking around him as though he was becoming quite claustrophobic. Chewie growled a warning and quickly stepped in front of him, taking the crossbow off of his back.
"Nope, we are going to improvise, right Chewie?" Poe asked as Chewie took his side next to Poe. Chewie let out a few snarls and a growl to which Poe shrugged. "Well, let's hope it doesn't come to that, but if it does, could I use that crossbow?" Another growl. "Of course I brought a blaster, I'm just saying that a crossbow would be much more efficient."
Poe held up his hand to stop Chewie as the first humans came into sight. It was now or never, and Poe decided on the now. From where the trio stood, they didn't look like First Order troopers, as they were clad in what appeared to be space suits, and the people behind them in brown trousers, white robes that went down to their knees, and brown hoods covering most of their faces.
"I have a bad feeling about this," Poe muttered as he began his approach. "Excuse me!"
He jogged over to the clan once they had noticed him and his counterparts, extending a hand to the nearest gentlemen he saw. The man took his hand, and clasped another one over it in greeting.
"My name is Poe Dameron, and these are my friends, Finn and Chewbacca," Poe introduced the trio. Finn raised a hand in greeting. "Is there somewhere private we could speak? This is an urgent matter."
The head of the group lowered his crystal blue eyes onto Poe in an understanding manner. "Yes, of course. Please follow me."
Poe looked back to Finn with a smile on his face, as if to say that so far this was going well. They followed the clan of native inhabitants to a small conference center in the middle of the facility. On the way there, Poe couldn't help but notice the intricate details they had put into the mining. There were machines doing everything for them, and a great number of people out in space suits, examining the rocks and debris. It fascinated him to see the mining – it was always something that he had grown up with, and it vaguely reminded him of home.
As soon as the inhabitants took their seats and closed the door, Poe sat across from the man he had previously spoken with, Finn at one side of him, and Chewie standing behind him with his crossbow at the ready in case anyone tried anything foolish.
"My name is Aren, and I am the Administrator of this facility," the man introduced himself.
"I'm glad we found you right away," Poe breathed a sigh of relief.
"What can we help you with, young Poe?" he asked.
Poe took a deep breath and scratched the back of his head, as he always did when he got nervous. The fate of the Resistance was lying on his shoulders, and he absolutely cold not in any way have this conversation go southward. So, he interlaced his fingers together on the table and looked Aren in his crystal blue eyes to prove that Poe was desperate.
"Aren, sir, we come to you to seek your assistance," Poe said. "But first, I need to know something… Are you friendly to The First Order?"
Poe could feel his heart pounding a hole in his chest to the point where it was about to rip out of his ribcage.
Aren leaned back in his chair, almost touching the window behind him, and interlaced his fingers in front of his face. "No, The First Order has no sympathizers here."
Poe let out a breath of relief. "We are some of the last of the remaining Resistance members. The rest of us, and quite a few Sullustans escaped Sullust from The First Order but we are running low on fuel, supplies, and people to join our cause."
"You didn't come here to recruit for The Resistance, did you?" Aren asked as the rest of his group began to murmur.
Poe felt his blood turn to slush. He was losing their support. "No, sir. We need help to get back on our feet. Anything you can give us, we will take and be on our way."
"So, Mr. Dameron… is it your plan to go from star system to star system asking for help until you gather enough followers to take on The First Order?" Aren demanded. He set his hands in his lap and waited for Poe's response.
Poe understood now what Aren was doing. "Yes, sir. We cannot defeat The First Order without support. I know there are people who support our cause, it's just finding them because everyone is afraid. We need people to stand and fight, not back down and let The First Order win."
Aren exchanged a look with the man on his left and woman on his right, who both nodded. "Very well. We will refuel you, and we will put the word out that if anyone wants to join you in your cause to report to the hanger which you are docked."
"Thank you," Poe stood up in relief and took Aren's hand, shaking it considerably longer than he should have. Aren stood, towering over Poe and immediately, Poe dropped his hand.
"Son, a word of advice," he said and leaned down so only he and Poe could hear him speak. "You did a good job with asking for help this time, but next time, don't be so desperate."
Poe nodded and clapped Aren's shoulder before turning back to Finn and Chewie. "Alright, let's go tell the General that we are a-go."
Poe felt accomplishment in the pit of his chest as he, Chewie, and Finn went back into the maze of windows and outlooks. Never in his life had he felt so achieved and superior (unless he counted the moment that he took down the Dreadnaught, but that feeling was quickly diminished). Maybe he could indeed lead the Resistance. He believed in himself, and so did General Leia. More than power, however, there was an ignition of hope in his heart. The Resistance had a fighting chance now, and the more systems that they could find that supported them, the faster they would build their forces and take down The First Order.
There was hope, and with hope, came happiness.
