Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay! Went on vacation for a week, then had family out here for another week. All of which got me behind on writing. But I am posting two chapters! Mainly because it got too long and I had to split it. Hope it works out. But thank you all for your patience and for all the faves, follows, and reviews!
NightElfCrawler: Ben is slowly starting to realize he can't quite stomach violence like he used to. But that doesn't mean it will stop him from enacting it in the future. He still got some growing up to do. Aleta Wolff: Thor Skywalker was just laying out all the evidence on why Reylo was going to happen. The video is good, and he should be coming out with a part two sometime. Lots of Reylo vids can be found on youtube! I think Finn was grateful to an extent. It was just shocking to see that happen. But hey, nobody gonna miss having that gang in the galaxy! So really, Ren did everyone a service. lol. Natalie-S-246: I'm sorry you had to wait so long for this next installment! You'll find out soon about Soniee! Larik: I love hearing that someone binged read my story! Makes me feel so giddy inside. lol. Hope you did well on your exam though. Wouldn't want to be the reason you didn't. *laughs nervously* I do A LOT of research for each chapter. That's one of the reasons why it takes me so long to write. I want this to feel like Star Wars. Not just a love story. I'm happy you like the dynamic between Kylo and Rey. It was kinda hard to write it in the beginning, but it's much easier now. To answer your question, Rey did pick up a lot of things from Kylo before. So she is unknowingly blocking Kayani. And as Kayani said before, Rey has total power over her own mind and body. Future chapters will explain that later when Ren and Rey talk about Kayani. Finn does love those pretty faces! It was never my intention to write a love triangle between Ren, Rey, and Finn. There is chemistry between Finn and Rey, but to me, it's like a friends chemistry. Funny you should mention Luke. He does have his own moment in this chapter. And towards the end of the story. Don't worry. Luke is a formidable opponent and is stronger in the Force than Kylo. Luke just knows how to control his anger. Vivien755: I apologize that the chapter was overly long and boring for you. I think we all know by now that one of my problems is I write too much. Working on it. Kimmycocopop: We are getting closer to the tipping scale of the story. The end is approaching my friends! Probably in about ten chapters or so. Poe and Jess's assignment is significant. You all shall see why later. Next few chapters will reveal Rey's lineage. So buckle up ya'll! SheLitAFire: Layering a story is what I find fascinating. So I try to do that with this story. I love how you hate Kayani. She is not very likeable, I agree. People always have their own agendas. She does want her brother gone. But is she telling them everything? Nope. I was worried some might think that a love triangle was going to happen between those three, so I wanted to shut those thoughts down before they gained any traction. There is a lot of misdirection in this story. Just a warning. hehe. I don't mind the slower review response. It's nice getting a review weeks after I posted a chapter. Helps give me extra motivation when I start slowing down. I could totally see Ren pushing Finn out of the way to get to Rey. That would be hilarious. I should have written it that way! lol. KatMichBow: Yeah! Welcome back! I'm glad you loved all those things about the previous chapters. Made me crack up laughing when you pointed out how Finn started a vlog. I didn't think of that word while writing. Rey was having a hard time managing that guilt. But I think it speaks to her strong character that she picked herself up and went searching for her family on her own. And she decided that after she found them, she would go help the galaxy next somehow. Ren didn't face his worst hour that way. He gave in and went off to become a monster. Finn will always be that person who has a good heart. He's one of my faves! When this story started, I had every intention of Rey being the main character. As it has gone on, Ren has definitely matched her. Like you said, he has such a huge metamorphosis to go through. More than any other character. This gives him more screen time essentially. I loved adding in the Wookies. It showed how he still cared for Chewie. And there will be a reunion between Chewie and Ren. I really wanted to bring the Guavian Death Gang story full circle. What better way to do that than to have Han Solo's son take care of them? lol. I still can't believe I hit my one year mark of writing this story. I initially thought it was going to be a six month journey. Boy, was I wrong. I am pretty sure I am not even gonna finish by the time the next movie comes out. Fingers crossed I do! It's so weird to read through the story and to see where the characters are at now. It literally feels like yesterday I was writing that first chapter. Thanks to everyone who has stayed with me this far! Hopefully, only six more months to go!
Chapter Thirty-six:
Finn stared fixedly out of the foreport. His vision swept over the evergreen trees, rolling hills, and Ren's freighter Rey had stolen. Ren was quiet in the pilot's seat, his position mirroring closely to Finn's. Though, the man seemed to be a thousand times more tense than Finn felt.
Getting to Dandoran had been a longer process than both of them were willing to acknowledge. Neither one ever talked about the wasted time; speaking of it made it seem more real.
Spira had been a failure. From deciphering recent landing patterns on the outskirts of the island, they'd concluded Rey had been there. Probably left no more than a half-day before their arrival. Ren had even gone off on his own, trudging through the tropical landscape in hopes that she had relocated the ship.
He came up empty.
Her presence was no longer on the island.
Finn mostly kept his thoughts to himself after that. While he still didn't get along with Ren very well, he could tell the guy was trying to leash his frustration. And Finn did not want to be the reason he exploded.
Dropping the Wookies at the nearby space station had been a learning experience for Finn. He able to observe a side of Ren he usually saved for only Rey: Patience. Understanding. Courteousness. Honestly, Finn had been expecting Ren to dump the Wookies and leave, in turn forcing Finn to be the guardian of the two hairy humanoids. But Ren escorted them to the embassy of the Mid Rim Mytaranor Sector all on his own, with Finn in tow. Once inside, the man even acted as an interpreter. Of course, Finn had to wait outside before Ren would do it. Force forbid he hear Ren speak Shyriiwook.
Before leaving, Finn brought up how Threepio would have been useful at a time like that. All that earned him was a very long, uncomfortable stare.
After figuring out the Wookies travel arrangements and bidding them farewell – in which both Kylo and Finn received two big, furry hugs – the men reconvened back on the Falcon. Brainstorming all possible scenarios, they both named the only possible place that meant anything to Rey: Dandoran. The place her mother was from. The planet that might hold her ancestral secrets.
There had been some sort of desperation behind Ren voicing the idea of Dandoran. It wasn't about the worry over not finding Rey there. It was something Finn couldn't decipher.
But he didn't pry.
And now here they were, sitting in the cockpit for almost an hour in complete silence. One would think Ren would have at least cracked a smile at finding the freighter. Or run off the ship yelling Rey's name. But he never showed a single sliver of emotion. Over the last hour, he looked more like a sculpted piece of plastoid rather than a living piece of flesh.
Finn leaned against the armrest and stared intently at the pilot. "So... what's the plan here?"
"You've asked that three times already," Ren replied, his tone sounding irritated.
"And you haven't responded till now. I just want to know how you want to handle this." Finn sank back into the chair, head resting on his knuckles as he grumbled, "If I'm annoying you, it's only a bonus."
"You only annoy me when you're breathing."
Finn was getting used to Ren's frequent usage of dry humor. At least he liked to think those sharp comments were hidden sarcasm.
The alternative was unsettling.
"You should learn how to fly a ship," Ren said suddenly.
Finn's eyes widened as they slowly shifted to the strange man. "Yeah… I should. Someday I'll–"
"I can show you some of the basics tomorrow, or whenever we get time. Flying is a valuable skill to have."
"It is." Unless you purposefully teach me how to crash. Then I'll be conveniently dead and you can blame it on my lack of piloting ability. Finn's stare narrowed. "Are you being serious right now?"
Kylo glanced at him, and then went back to staring at the scenery. "I don't want to be flying the freighter around the whole time."
"Rey knows how to fly."
"You want to learn or not?" Ren snapped.
Finn lifted up a palm to ward off the temperamental outburst. "Yeah. Fine. I want to learn."
I do think Poe would be a better teacher.
Ren reclined back to his usual position. "He probably would be."
Finn huffed. "Do you always hear what I'm thinking?"
"Actually, I've been trying not to. You've been thinking about that bounty hunter way too much." Finn's face flushed. Ren peered at him from the corner of his eye.
Finn unnecessarily cleared his throat. Pulled at his collar. "Anyway, uh... What exactly do I say to Rey?" This got Ren's full attention. "It's not that I don't know what to say. It's just I don't want to say the wrong thing."
Ren stared down at his hand clutching the armrest, looking at the limb in a way Finn wasn't sure he was aware of. The angle really showed off the man's hollow cheeks, the dark bags under his eyes. Now he seemed more human. "Tell her what she wants to hear," Ren quietly answered.
"Which would be what?"
"That it's never too late to come back." He looked up. "That there are people who still care about her."
Nodding his head, Finn ground his teeth, sensing that what Ren spoke of was probably more personal than he would like to admit. "I'm still rather new to this whole friend thing," Finn confessed with shame.
"So am I."
"And we're the ones looking for her? You, who's anti-social, and me, who grew up as nothing but a number?"
"I'm not anti-social. I just don't like people."
Finn gave him a flat stare. "Label yourself however you like, you're still you." Ren's lips became a slant. "You know, having Poe here would be helpful. At the very least, he could charm her into coming with us."
"Don't devalue your importance to her," Ren stated. "You're a good friend to Rey."
Mark that under things-I-never-expected-Kylo-Ren-to-say-to-me. "How do you know?"
Ren adjusted his weight in the seat. "I can tell by the way she talks about you. How you are around her."
"I don't know. I treated her pretty badly after finding out about you and her."
"Rey is a very forgiving person."
"I guess you'd know."
"Only partly." Finn frowned, wondering if Rey truly hasn't forgiven Ren for everything he's done. Then how could she be with him?
Ren leaned over the console, pointing to the right of his commandeered ship. Finn sat up, eyes following. "That road looked to lead straight into the city as we flew over. Walk about half a mile in and wait for her. Any closer and she might be able to sense I'm here."
"She's gonna know you're here when she sees me. What if she bolts?"
Ren gazed at him as if the answer was obvious. "Then run after her."
"What if she fights me?"
"Try to pin her down." Ren's face lit up with an idea. He began to stand. "Or actually, there's some rope in the utility closet–"
"You want me to tie her up?!"
Ren froze and then dropped back into the chair, running a hand through his dark hair. "No. You're right. Her abilities in the Force wouldn't allow you to get close enough."
Finn rapidly blinked, his mouth agape. "Yeah, that's not why I was disagreeing. Tying someone up in the middle of a forest doesn't exactly look innocent."
Ren shrugged. "As long as the job gets done."
Finn couldn't believe that the person who actually had a childhood was struggling to recognize proper social behavior. "Okay," Finn breathed out as he got to his feet. This weird turn in the conversation was Finn's cue to leave. "Wish me luck."
"There's no such thing as luck; there is only adequate or inadequate preparation to cope with a statistical universe."
"Without luck, how else would you explain the success of people who don't deserve it?"
Ren opened his mouth. Closed it. The man was completely taken aback by Finn's quick retort.
Finn smiled to himself as he walked through the cockpit access corridor and down the boarding ramp. It felt nice stumping Ren for once. That guy needed to learn he wasn't the smartest person in the galaxy.
()()()()()
Leia entered the private medical room, her brother and Artoo accompanying her. In the middle of the hygienic, acrid smelling quarters laid a propped up Ematt, a light blanket folded up to his chest. Braced by his shoulders, a metal halo wrapped around his head, four metal screws embedded into his skull to keep him from moving. Heavy, dark bags swelled underneath his eyes. If she didn't know him personally, she would have thought him to be twenty years older than he actually was.
Off in the distance, the muffled cries of a baby could be heard. During the night, the young woman from Lothal had given birth to a healthy baby boy. She should ask Harter when would be a good time to visit the family. From what she'd witnessed, those people seemed to be friendly with her son.
It had been a long time since Ben had any friends.
"General," Ematt greeted, his voice scratchy and low. "Master Skywalker." Leia moved closer, eyeing the machinery and tubes as Luke walked to the opposite side of the bed. The ambiance of the facility was robotic, stiff, an atmosphere Leia wasn't particularly fond of.
She stood over him, opting out of using the chair since he wouldn't be able to turn his head to see her. "How are you feeling?" Leia asked, genuinely wanting to know.
Ematt licked at his lips, rubbing them together. "Lucky to be alive."
"Harter told me you have some feeling in your toes. That's a good sign."
"She wants to start me on liquid metal therapy to reattach the nerves that don't respond to the normal treatments."
"I've heard promising things about that therapy."
"Yeah… I could get full functionality back." Leia picked up on the bitter tone, but couldn't decipher where it was pointed. "Pardon my frankness, but we both know why you're here. You want to know what happened to Rey's parents."
Leia intertwined her fingers, looking of authority in her regal blue gown. "I do."
"You've seen the recording?"
"We have," Luke responded curtly.
Ematt glanced at the Jedi Master, but couldn't keep eye contact with that hard stare. "It wasn't supposed to go like that."
"You came off threatening enough," Leia pointed out.
Ematt briefly closed his eyes. "I know, but that was just to make her talk. Neither of them were to be harmed. All we were after was information."
"You accused Maridia of being a secret descendant of Palpatine," Luke stated. "How did you even come to that conclusion?"
"I didn't. The New Republic did. Shortly after the Empire fell, one of the senators set up a meeting with me. We had grown up together, our careers taking us in different directions. By the time he got in touch with me I was only a lieutenant, but he trusted me and wanted to put me in charge of a confidential assignment." Ematt hesitated for a moment, his voice getting low. "Made it seem like if I did an exemplary job, I would be promoted."
"Other senators backed it?" Leia asked.
Ematt twitched, as if trying to nod. "Yes. About a dozen of them knew about it."
"What was the assignment exactly?"
Clearing his throat – more out of discomfort than necessity – Ematt went onto explain the specifics. "When going through the Empire's archives, there were these private lists of names that were found, the only person allowed access to them being Vader. Speculation arose as to what they were. Some thought it to be Vader's way of keeping track of Palpatine's descendants – either in fear of one of them surpassing him in power or at the bequest of Palpatine wanting Vader to make sure they were safe."
A hard line drew in between Leia's brows. "I remember hearing whispers that Palpatine had offspring for the sole purpose of creating powerful Force wielders. But the rumor never gained much traction. Sith believe in the power of only two."
"But what if Palpatine wanted to change all that? What if the rumors were true?" Ematt spoke passionately. "This is what people feared after the Empire fell: Another Palpatine taking power."
Leia shared a glance with Luke.
"So…" Luke peered back down at the man. "Your job was to go through these lists?"
"I was given a small team, and each person I assigned to a name. They would research heavily into their family background, finding things that didn't add up or were questionable."
"And Maridia's background didn't fit together," Leia surmised.
"No. We checked the mother's medical records going back nine months from Maridia's supposed birth, and there was not one doctor visit. With her other two children, she'd been consistent with prenatal care, but there was nothing for her last pregnancy. Also, the documentation of the birth was a forgery."
Leia moved closer, avoiding the machinery to her left. "How did the mother come to get the child?"
"I don't know. We visited her home, but Maridia wasn't there and the mother refused to answer any of our questions. We never found out how she came to have the child."
"And then the operation was shut down and the details destroyed," Luke added.
"They tried covering it up," Ematt said. "But I was able to save some of the information by hiding it deeper in the archives."
Leia was briefly shocked into speechlessness. Luke was the one who broke through the silence. "Why would you do that?"
Ematt averted his gaze to the ceiling. Leia heard every gulp of his repetitive swallowing. "I… I've always felt horrible for what happened to Maridia and Jacen. Even after all these years, I've never forgotten their names. Their faces." His skin flushed with anger. "But those senators did. That shouldn't happen to someone. People shouldn't be erased like that." He paused. "And…."
"And?" Luke pushed.
Calming down and frowning, Ematt said, "Something wasn't right about that whole operation. One of the names didn't fit with the others. All manner of his background checked out and I couldn't figure out why his name would be there."
"What name?"
"Korkie Kryze."
Leia and Luke responded simultaneously. "House Kryze of Mandalore?"
Ematt's eyes bounced between the two. "Yes. His name made me question what the list was for." It should, Leia thought. There would be no reason for the Empire to look into House Kryze. "I tried bringing it up during a meeting, but the senators ignored me. It was then I thought them to be wrong. But I was young, trying to rise the ranks." His eyes shimmered, cheeks burned. "So I kept doing my job."
He's ashamed, Leia observed. Ambition always has its own set of consequences.
Deciding to look into House Kryze personally, Leia dampened her confusion and asked, "Did the senators ever try searching for Rey?"
"Only I did. They didn't care, so I did it personally. But after a year of looking, I came up with nothing." Taking in a shuddering breath, Ematt could no longer control his remorse. Tears streamed down his cheeks, getting lost in his thick, white beard. "I've been waiting my whole life for some sort of punishment. Only thing is… I deserve worse than this."
Narrowing her eyes, Leia became stern. "You're doing the liquid metal therapy, Caluan."
"Why should I?"
"Because you aren't the type of person who just gives up," she countered.
Ematt sniffled, trying to stop his nose from running. Grabbing a nearby tissue, Leia wiped at his face and patted his nose, a gesture she'd done for Ben when he was just a boy. It was odd to do it for her friend.
"My time at the Resistance is over, isn't it?" Ematt asked.
Leia placed the tissue on the nearby table. "Yes."
"Am I to be prosecuted for what I've done?"
"A trial like yours would fall under the jurisdiction of the New Republic. Seeing how what's left of the government is scrambling to keep control, I doubt they would ever look into this."
"What will happen to the girl?"
Luke's stare burned into her, waiting for Leia to answer. "We're still trying to figure that out."
Like a true politician: Never giving a complete answer, her inner voice said.
The rods connected to Ematt's head squeaked as he tried to turn his head. "She can't be punished for this, Leia," he implored. "I ruined that girl's life. She deserved justice."
"What she did was revenge."
"Does it really matter?"
Leia wasn't sure.
The door opened. A medical droid entered and asked them to leave so Ematt could have privacy for his daily changing. Ematt watched her as she walked to the entrance and left.
Leia was allowed only two steps into her office before Luke pegged her with his questions.
"What is going to happen to Rey?"
Wheeling around, Leia didn't hide her annoyance. "I could ask you the same thing, and neither of us would have an answer." She went to the desk, rifling through the stacks of datapads.
"She can't be arrested or detained."
"I know."
"She's important not just to Ben, but to–"
"I know!" Leia repeated harshly, slamming the datapad onto the desktop. Luke stared at her, expressionless. Artoo's head swiveled from one twin to the other. "You act like I've forgotten the underlying problem of Snoke. I haven't. But I also have an entire Resistance to run and a government on the cusp of disintegrating entirely. Both take up the majority of my time." Leia sat indignantly and picked up the datapad. Luckily, she didn't break it. She put on a show of going through reports and memos, but really, her brain didn't register a single word of what she was reading.
Luke waited a couple minutes before taking a seat in the guest chair across from her. "Still haven't heard from Ben?"
Frustration mixed with worry at the mention of her son's name. Leia glanced up. "Finn sent me a message that they were fine, but they still haven't found her."
"You were hoping to hear from Ben, though." She heard the lack of a question in his tone.
Leia remained silent. Luke already knew she wanted to hear from Ben. She didn't need to add anything. Not much to add anyway. Was she disappointed that her son still wouldn't take the time to contact her? Of course. Was she tired of complaining about it? Absolutely. Should Luke stop trying to talk to her about it?
Yes.
Luke sat there, staring at her with all the patience in the universe, looking like the knowledgeable Jedi Master everyone thought him to be. Keeping her eyes on her hand-held, Leia went for a change in subject. "I'm going to organize an assault against one of the First Order's factories. Plans should be finalized by tonight." Halfway through, she had started frowning, a deep tug in her mind stretching to the pit of her stomach, making her squirm.
As always, Luke picked up on it. "What's bothering you?"
Leia sighed, but tolerantly this time. "There are some details that just don't make sense." Placing the datapad to the side, she rested her arms on the desk. Her voice dipped low, even though they were alone. "If these factories are indeed as important to them as Ben said, why was there no measure of security? Snap and his team could have flown directly over them if they wanted to."
Luke stroked his beard, thinking. "Could be they think those locations are safe."
"It's not like the First Order to think that way. And Ben is with us now." Mostly. "They have to know he would give us intel."
"Maybe they're pulling most of their military elsewhere."
Leia considered that for a moment. "You think they could be moving against Coruscant?"
"That's a very strong –"
Statura abruptly entered. His eyes went immediately to Luke, making him freeze as if intimidated.
"Admiral, the meeting isn't for another hour –" Leia stopped as she further scrutinized Statura's demeanor. His eyes were sunken in, beads of sweat culminating above his brow. His hands shook.
Before she could speak Luke shot to his feet, lids popping wide. "Sound the alarm to evacuate the base," he hastily ordered Leia as he grabbed her.
"What's going on?" Bewildered, Leia twisted her arm from Luke's tugging grasp.
"The First Order isn't going to Coruscant," Luke spoke quickly. "They're coming here."
Unmoving, she held her brother's hard gaze. Then she was staggering to the panel behind her desk, frantically entering the code to initiate the evacuation signal.
The low, rhythmic alarm sounded off from the hallways.
"I'm sorry," Statura whispered, down casting his pained stare to Leia's ornate rug. "They have my wife and daughter." Luke and Leia stilled momentarily.
"How much have you told them?" she asked.
"Everything."
Leia walked up to Statura. "How much time do we have?"
"Minutes. I came to tell you. And now my family will die because of it. But I just…" The man now looked to be a child, conflicted and terribly desolate. "I didn't know what to do, Leia. I'm so sorry."
"Leia. Lets go," Luke said from the entryway. Leia ignored him.
She stepped closer to the man that has been her confidant for so long. The man that was there for her when her own brother and husband couldn't be. "We can get your family back. If you come with us –"
"No," he said sternly. "I have cemented their fate. As well as my own.
Lips quivering, voice cracking, Leia whispered, "But I need you."
Statura's features slightly softened, his voice low and full of absolute sincerity. "General, you've never needed anyone." They held each other's gaze for a moment, her heart threatening to burst.
Leia extended her hand. Statura took it.
"Leia!" Luke yelled as this time he forcibly pulled her away. She didn't fight him. "He doesn't want to leave, and we need to go."
Leia stole one last glance at her dear friend before being led into the hallway.
()()()()()
Poe meandered through the breakfast line, stacking various foods onto one plate, creating a mound of calories. Should be enough for both him and Jess – or just him. He wasn't exactly sure what she preferred to eat in the mornings.
Munching on one of the berry muffins, he walked back to Jess's room, his bulky orange flight suit swishing with every step.
All through the night, the two of them had gone over the plans for their upcoming mission, both not wanting to get a second of sleep until everything was in order. Most was done by the time Jess conked out at five in the morning, but Poe kept working on the back up plans. From experience, he knew those were just as important as the original design.
But even Poe had his limits when it came to lack of sleep. To wake himself up, he took his X-wing for a much needed maneuver drill, viewing the sunrise in the process. Those quiet, tranquil moments had a way of reminding him of his mother. Like she was actually there with him. Pointing out the different colors in the sky as his childlike eyes looked upon it all in wonder.
Entering the room, Poe slowed his footsteps and lightly walked to the desk. Jess was hunched over, her head resting on her arm as strands of dark hair hung over her relaxed face. Quietly setting down the feast, Poe moved closer and crouched by her side. To get a better view, he carefully brushed the hair from her features, the tips of his fingers softly caressing her youthful skin.
Her eyes opened. Poe froze. There was a long moment where neither moved. Both just stared.
And then he kissed her. Kissed her like he'd forgotten any other mouth his lips had ever touched. Kissed her until she moaned. Kissed her with his hands cupping her face. Slowly. Taking his time like there was nowhere else he'd rather be.
Both now standing, she grabbed onto his flight suit and pushed him up against the wall, their soft lips now turning into passionate tongues. Hands dipping below her shirt, his fingers scrapped against the contours of her back, causing her to groan.
Jess answered his touch by going for the zipper of–
An alarm sounded out in the hall, making Jess scramble back and instinctively get in a fighting position. Poe's heart, which was already beating fast, now skyrocketed.
"The First Order," he said. Jess met his stare.
They darted from the room and through the maze of corridors. As he pushed through the throngs of people, Poe commed BB-8 to meet him at his X-wing.
The base shuddered.
Lights went out, casting the halls into darkness before the emergency power activated. Even though the base was old, they had taken the necessary precautions to have an off-site battery and a supplementary generator. But that was only going to last so long.
Sprinting into his assigned hangar, Poe skimmed to a halt. He heard the screeching of incoming TIE's.
Outside fire entered the open hangar, hitting Poe's precious X-wing. It was a perfect shot right on the fuel line.
Poe hit the ground hard. His sight took a few seconds to refocus. Sloppily, he wiped soot from his face with the back of his hand, but smoke had filled his eyes with tears.
Just as he started to believe BB-8 had perished with his ship, the astromech was by his side, nudging him fully back to consciousness. He sat up, trying to show his elation over his best buddy being alive. All that came out was a string of coughs.
Poe gazed at the damage. All the X-wings were in flames. People were running away, wraiths in the smoke. Others were so brightly lit by the fire, they looked like they were burning. Then they were obscured by more smoke.
Jess ran up, panting. Poe stood.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
He cleared his throat. "We need to find a ship."
Jess agreed.
The two humans and droid trekked to the next hangar, one that was used for bulkier storage. Poe recalled seeing some A-wings in there last week.
No luck. All the fighter ships were either gone, or crushed from parts of the fragmented ceiling, leaving Poe with minimal choices of the bigger transports. His roaming eyes stopped on a CR90 corvette. It was the smallest of the ships, and the only one to be manufactured by the Corellian Engineering Corporation. If anyone knew how to build fast, turbo packed vessels with a punch, it was the Corellians.
"The corvette is our best chance," Poe decided as they sprinted to their only lifeline.
"You aren't worried about the axial blind spot?" Jess asked when they got to the ramp.
"Our options are–"
"Poe!" They turned at the sound of his name, seeing Terr rushing towards them, holding a bundle of blankets in his arms.
Scratch that. It wasn't just blankets – it was a baby.
A few meters behind Terr was Lizari and Garreaus, the burly man holding on tight to a small child.
Loading ramp lowered, Poe motioned for them to run faster. Another explosion. Another chunk of the ceiling crashing down not too far from the vessel. Poe put his sleeve up to his nose, trying not to breathe in the duracrete dust, his eyes squinting as he tracked the outlines of the trio.
Helping the newly acquired passengers onto the ship, Poe ordered them to go to one of the back cabins to strap in. Jess and him headed to the front.
In the cockpit, Poe took the lead, firing up the engines as BB-8 tethered himself to the floor. Launching the ship through the newly created hole, his heart skipped a beat from dread. Two Star Destroyers blanketed the sky. Hundreds of Tie fighters swarmed the convoluted battle. Beyond the atmosphere was unpolluted space, evidence that Trend had ordered the Resistance fleet into hyperspace before all hell had broken loose.
Immediately the ship was pummeled by laserfire. Targeted by seeker drones. Swarmed by wave after wave of TIEs. The Star Destroyers left little opening for straight out escape. The only option was to fly parallel for as long as possible till they cleared the Star Destroyers.
But Poe was being overwhelmed. Already the shields were at half capacity. It was going to take a lot of jinking and junking to make it.
There were hundreds of flashes, each propelling their own repercussion that rattled his bones. Astromech squeals could be heard over the radio, along with their masters – then, nothing. They were gone. Not just from their demise, but the radio signal was starting to be jammed. Cockpit going silent, Poe's pupils were still able to witness the Resistance pilots and soldiers being taken out in mass quantities.
Maybe this was the end for him as well.
And for those on board.
The children.
Shoulders tensing, Poe pulled the steering yoke, sending them arching upward after a TIE as he initiated the dual turbolasers. He would have to fight his way through. Jess handled the ion cannons, her mind synched with Poe's resolve.
But then a gap between the two Star Destroyers appeared as one of them drifted to the east. Poe couldn't calculate why the change in formation, but he wasn't about to let the confusion occupy his mind for too long. Scrapping his old strategy, Poe made a daring decision.
"Reroute all utility power to main thrusters," he ordered.
"Roger, Black Leader." Jess's hands danced across the console, her expertise aiding in getting his command done in seconds.
Poe launched them straight up, the extra power gluing his spine to the back of the chair. His stomach clenched, lungs ached from the sudden acceleration and gravitational pressure. But he didn't blink. Didn't allow his hands to slip from the yoke.
This attempt at escape was so forward and so crazy, he was banking on the First Order not being prepared for someone to attempt it.
And he was right.
Breathing through pursed lips, grasping onto consciousness, Poe pushed the vessel beyond its capacity, soaring right through the small gap. He cleared the duo battlecruisers.
Jess looked over at the sensory readings. "Four plasma cannons coming at us."
Well, almost cleared them. "Hyperdrive ready?"
"Ready."
A little more. A little more. The blue sky was swapped out for the blackness of space as Poe waited for the precise moment. "Now!" Jess pulled the hyperdrive lever and jumped the ship to lightspeed.
Poe's body slackened, his chin resting on his chest, arm dropping to his lap. Breathing heavily, he glanced over at Jess. Her pained stare remained straight ahead. Her shoulders curled over her chest. Skin drenched in sweat and dripping down her face. Some droplets could've been mistaken for tears.
Poe went for the radio, altering the communication channel. It was difficult to do with the sudden onset of hand tremors.
"What are you doing?" Jess asked, her inflection laced with confusion.
"The radio signal needs to be adjusted so we can contact the others when we drop–"
"Why bother?"
Poe stopped. His gaze flicked upward. "Excuse me?"
She met his stare without blinking, her features a mixture of frustration and anguish. "Did we not just experience the same thing? There's no one in the Resistance to contact."
"General Organa –"
"Is dead."
"She's alive," Poe snapped at her. "And before you ask me how I know, it's because the one person who could survive an attack like that is Luke Skywalker. Your idol. Remember? And he would make sure his sister made it out with him. No matter the fucking cost."
Jess looked down at the metal flooring and fell silent. After a few breaths, she gently said, "Poe. The Resistance is gone."
Unbuckling from the pilot's chair, he stood and glared down at her. "As long as I'm still breathing, I am the Resistance. And I will make sure the First Order pays for what they've done." He headed for the entryway. BB-8 stayed in the cockpit.
"Alone?!" Jess exclaimed, following him down a hallway. "That's suicide."
He wheeled around, causing Jess to almost walk right into him. "I'd rather die fighting than rot in a far off planet like a coward. And frankly, I'm surprised you don't feel the same."
"I just watched my friends die out there," Jess's voiced hiccuped. "People who were your friends, too."
"Go take a minute to cry about it. And then get back to work." Jess recoiled as Poe turned and went into a small room used as an armory. He picked up one of the blaster pistols and ran a check on it, reading the bolt levels, assessing the weight and sight.
All the while, Jess watched him with a disapproving glare. It took a moment before she found her voice. "How can you be so callous?"
Weapon still in hand, Poe slowly faced her. "Callous? I'm not the one who wants to make their deaths stand for nothing. You want to know what being callous actually looks like? If you don't want to fight with me, you can see yourself out the airlock." Jess's mouth slackened, her shock over what he just suggested morphing her features into disgust. Poe took a step closer. "I am done with the back and forth defeats and wins. More people die and more planets are decimated from this war. So you're either on my side, by my side, or in my fucking way." Jess stayed silent. Poe read that as an answer. "What's the destination you're sending us to?"
Jess clenched her jaw before saying, "My home planet."
Poe laughed with an edge. He holstered the pistol. "How convenient. You can move back in with your family while I do what needs to be done."
She reached out to him. "Poe–"
"Commander Dameron," he corrected her harshly. She lowered her arm. "And while you're at it, scrub what happened between us back at the the base from your memory. Cause I don't fall for quitters."
He stomped out, feeling like he was being suffocated in that room. Not really familiar with the corvettes layout, he thought he was going in the general direction of the kitchen. The tremors were spreading across his body and getting worse. Some sugar should help with alleviating that problem.
Passing the passenger cabins, his ears caught the low timbre of voices. And high pitched wailing.
Poe slowed. Then came to a complete stop.
Terr came out at the precise moment to find Poe standing there. At first neither knew what to say.
Terr put his hand out. Poe grabbed it. "I didn't think we would make it," Terr voice cracked as he gave Poe's arm a shake. "Even I wouldn't have been able to fly through that." The two men unlatched their palms.
"Guess that makes me the better pilot," Poe commented.
Terr smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "You saved us. I mean it when I say thank you. And we'll always be in your debt."
Poe nodded, suddenly losing his voice. A voice called out to Terr. He went back inside, leaving Poe to be alone.
The shakes took over his legs. He grabbed at the wall. There was nothing to hold onto. He went to the floor. Pressure built up inside his lungs, his face turning red as he tried to hold it in. He crawled to the nearest quarters before another person came out to show him gratitude.
There, Poe cried for lost friends. Unfair disadvantages. Insurmountable odds. And for some reason, his dead mother.
Poe kept the sobs quiet. And did his mourning in private.
()()()()()
Luke and Leia hurried down the long passage, their footfalls intermingling with the rest of the frenzied soldiers. Everyone was scrambling to fulfill protocol. Luke was never officially assigned any duties upon arriving at the base, but he didn't need orders when it came to protecting his own sister.
Luke wondered how long it would be before the walls became breached and stormtroopers flooded the area. Did they truly only have minutes? He quickened his pace, pulling Leia along in an attempt to get to her shuttle.
But everyone knew the face of Leia Organa. They were stopped and bombarded with questions at every turn. Her responses would be short, but Luke would prefer her to ignore the queries all together.
Suddenly, everyone started to slow and hush, listening to what sounded like a distant vibration. A dull current, like blood in the ears. Star Destroyer. It was the engines. And they were now out of time.
The roar of canon fire came first, the furry of destruction next. The blast tore the corridor apart. The light from outside streamed in, bathing the damage. On the ground, Luke stood quickly, his ears ringing as his eyes scanned the scene. Off in the distance, another boom. More quaking.
The base was now a keg of cordylleum on a countdown to explode.
"Leia," he croaked and coughed. "Artoo." His voice was almost drowned out from the echoes of groans and shouts.
"Here." To his left, Leia lifted herself up, a cut above her right brow leaking blood down her face. Her hair, once elegantly tied up, was now in disarray, as well as her woven azure dress.
Artoo came up beside her, helping with her balance.
"Are you hurt?" he asked, looking her up and down.
"Ask me that when we're out of here." Leia quickly looked over the injured soldiers, her hesitance to leave them obvious in her strained stare.
"Go General!" a man shouted. "You must go!"
Leia turned, grabbed Luke's hand, and ran down the only intact hallway. Artoo followed. The life of the base surged all around them: lights flickered, walls crumbled, people ran wherever they could to survive.
Gaging from the direction they were going, Luke concluded Leia was trying to get to the hangar that housed her personal shuttle. Veering to the right, she was going to cut through the mess hall to save on time.
The three of them came to a sliding halt.
Stormtroopers filled the wide room. And immediately zoned in on their abrupt presence.
Turning back the way they came, Luke blocked incoming fire with his plasma blade, noticing that the blasters were set to stun. Rounding onto another hallway, they were met by more of the opposition. Artoo beeped for their attention, and then launched himself up the stairs. The only route available.
The twins trailed behind him to the next level.
The troopers were firing more methodically now, their aim on Leia. Blocking shot after shot was starting to slow Luke down. And against his many protests, Leia refused to leave his side. She kept frantically firing, her arm never wavering. But then Leia went down, hit with a stun shot that had gotten through his defenses.
"Leia!" he shouted, kneeling down over her to give protection.
Even though he knew she was alive, the sight of Leia's limp body rocked him. Luke felt the panic swelling up inside. He couldn't breathe. His heart pounded in his chest. His veins filled with ice water.
Luke looked from Leia to the troopers and back again.
Boom.
Luke was suddenly on the floor, stunned. His focus came back more slowly this time. Grit was in his mouth, his ears. In his eyes. Smoke and filth and his eyes were streaming. He spit, trying to get his mouth clean. Rubbed his eyes gently, trying to dislodge the dust. He glanced next to him. Leia was still alive, covered in soot, but essentially unharmed. The corridor the troopers had been in, however, was completely gone.
Artoo came up beside him, letting Luke use him as an anchor so he could stand. He hacked some more, clearing his airway before bending down for Leia.
With Leia back in his arms, Artoo lit the way through the base. He wasn't sure where Artoo was leading him, and it was eerie not to pass a single soul along the way. He heard screams. He heard shouts. He heard blaster fire and felt canon vibration. But never saw anyone. Alone was his plight. And at this point, it was all about putting one foot in front of the other.
Artoo stopped and opened a rusted door to the outside, the light making Luke squint. Stepping onto dirt, the sight of ships almost lifted his spirits, but then he realized that all of them were only halfway together. If that. This place was the scrapyard for ships. Maybe with a week's time, Luke could make one of them decently function.
Walking through the decrepit vessels final resting place, he made it to the edge, getting a full view of the valley. With a probing gaze Luke watched the massacre in the sky, as well as down below. Ground troops had come on transports, engaging with those who were fleeing from the crumbling base on foot. The loss of life was a tear in the Force that made him want to fall to his knees and plea to the greater universe to stop the bloodshed, to spare the innocent.
No prayers. No begging. This was his life – to survive one battle after the next. Always moving forward. Till even the smallest of chances gave him the victory of peace.
Luke wasn't sure what prompted him to look up at the Star Destroyer. Didn't know where the radical idea came from. It's only radical until you've proved it possible, Leia had told him after the Empire's demise.
But exhaustion weighed him down. If he were to do this, he needed more energy from a piece of organic matter.
Laying Leia under a ships wing, he placed his palm on her forehead and held her hand. He left her with enough strength to stay alive, but not enough to wake anytime soon. She'd understand, Luke inwardly told himself. Truly, he felt guilty doing this, but good people were being slaughtered out there.
And he needed to give them a chance to escape.
Luke stood, the blood running through his veins now potent with power. Arms stretched out, palms open, robes tossing in the breeze, he sought after the energy that ran through the targeted Star Destroyer. Such power was a beacon unto the fabrics of existence and was not difficult to find.
Luke blinked furiously, trying to physically focus. His vision was weird. More than just exhaustion. A blur that turned neon when he moved his eyes slightly away. But then he realized that physicality had nothing to do with the fundamentals of the Force. Yoda had taught him that.
Closing his eyes, he let go of the tension in his shoulders and dove deeper into the epicenter of his will.
Tethering to the energy, the connection became complete. And he pushed. Mentally. Spiritually. Aggressively. The core of his being raged with his might, the strength of the Force igniting his atoms and morphing him into something cosmic, otherworldly. Suspension of sound and feeling made him lose grasp on time. But he could sense his progress. Could envision the Star Destroyer drifting further and further to the surface, until finally…
A shockwave sent Luke staggering back.
Link now severed, Luke fell to the ground, small pieces of stone cutting into his palms. Head hanging, he willed himself to look up. The Star Destroyer jutted out of the earth, the roaring fire in the engines blowing the structure apart piece by piece. This shocking sight seemed to slow the fighting, especially on the side of the First Order.
Artoo wheeled up to him, whistling.
"I'm fine," Luke reassured the droid. Eyes drifting from the crash, Luke searched among the closest First Order transports. There, in the middle, was a command shuttle.
Hoisting Leia into his weakened arms, Luke and Artoo hurried down the slope, the sight of them going unseen. All of the stormtroopers were either still fighting, or their attention was on their obliterated battlecruiser.
Once at the shuttle, Luke dispatched a group of security troopers with a Force push and walked onboard. Two officers came at him. He stunned them and telekinetically shoved the bodies off the spacecraft.
In the cockpit, he strapped Leia and himself into the pilot seats and fired up the engines. Soaring into the sky, he met little opposition. Clearing the atmosphere, he punched in the coordinates to one of the last remaining friendly planets he could think of. The navicomputer dinged a moment later with a clear route.
Luke sent the ship into hyperspace.
Removing the flight restraints from both him and Leia, he placed her down on the hard, cold floor, voicing his apologies on needing to take from her own personal well of power. Slowly, he lowered himself next to her, his heavy lids fluttering from fatigue, the pull of sleep impossible to fight.
Silently, Artoo watched the twins, his observant radar eye never leaving the slumbering duo.
A/N
There be some hard times ahead folks! Poe had his own emotional spiral, Luke and Leia are off on their own, the Resistance is scattered. Next chapter is all about Ren and Rey. So for those who miss the main duo, read on!