There was plenty of running. Little of it had a purpose apart from to make the people doing the running feel better, but it lent the underground bunker the feel, and the smell, of panic.

Rey gazed up at a viewscreen projecting the image of the planet's orbit. She still didn't know the name of the planet, or the system, or even what its surface might look like, but all that was irrelevant since it was about to be blasted out of the sky.

She counted quickly. 'He brought the whole fleet.'

'No, they have more Star Destroyers than that.'

This was someone named Poe Dameron, one of Finn's friends, who had taken an instant dislike to her which was manifesting itself in being overly sarcastic and correcting everything she said.

'No,' replied Rey testily. 'There were ten more, but they'll have gone back to the shipyard in Kuat by now, we owe them money.'

'We?' This was Rose, one of Finn's friends, who had taken an instant dislike to her, resulting in plenty of crossed arms and frowning.

'The First Order? Big on uniforms and shouting? You'd better hope I can work out a way to stop them before they turn you into an ugly smear.'

'Just order them to stop, Supreme Leader.' This was some unnamed Resistance fighter, so unimportant he didn't even have his own jaunty jacket, who had taken an instant dislike to her because everyone else in the room had.

Rey thought quite seriously about joining the dark side, just so she'd have an excuse if she punched him in the face.

'Unfortunately, there is another,' she said.

The other Supreme Leader's voice echoed though the speakers so loudly that everyone in the room flinched. 'Give me the girl.'

Kylo Ren filled the screen, resplendent in full cowl, cloak and mask ensemble, the voice modifier cranked up from 'downright terrifying' to 'reincarnated Vader.'

'This is bad,' muttered Rey.

Leia nudged her. 'Do you want to speak to him, or shall I?'

'I'll do it.'

Dameron elbowed the General out of the way. 'Hey Ben, can I call you Ben? How've you been, buddy? Long time, no see. Rey's told me so much about you I feel like we're best friends already. You two should come over for dinner sometime. She says hi by the way.'

Through the speakers, Rey could distinctly hear the sound of a lightsaber igniting and she pushed the cocky pilot off the comms console.

Leia sat in his place. 'Ben,' she said. 'I've talked to Rey. She says you're in love and you're willing to change for her – is she right?'

The impassive face of Kylo Ren disappeared from the screen, and was replaced by the back of a chair, and the noise of a lightsaber pulverising something expensive. Hux's face swam into view, as Rey swapped seats with Leia.

'The Supreme Leader can't come on the call right now, I'm afraid he's indisposed.'

In the background, Rey could hear shouts, and the sound of blaster fire. 'Hi, General.' She waved a hand.

'Hi, Supreme Leader.'

'What's he destroying?'

Hux glanced over his shoulder. 'Looks like weapons targeting, the secondary power relay and…there goes the garbage disposal.'

She pulled a face. 'I need to get back on board, is that going to be possible?'

He took a seat. 'The Supreme Leader has been very concerned that your allegiances might have changed. I'm not sure he'd be supportive of your return, at the moment.'

'Has the Supreme Leader reviewed the surveillance footage from the officers' corridor? I'm confident it will show me being abducted.'

'He's reviewed the footage, and he's interrogated the cleaner concerned, but he remains…unconvinced.'

Rey sat back in her chair, conscious that the Resistance were eyeing her with a mixture of disgust and awe, which was a hard combination to pull off.

'Why did you bring the entire fleet? Shouldn't they be busy managing the regrouping arrangements we discussed by now?'

He inclined his head. 'They should. But the Supreme Leader was most insistent that all our forces were present to wipe out the Resistance. As always.'

'You mean he's thinking with his lightsaber and not his brain again?'

Hux quashed a smile.

'Take me off the big screen. I really need to get back on board. Can you send a shuttle for me, General? And the Resistance will need safe passage out of here.'

Hux's face disappeared from the screen with a surprised squawk.

'The Resistance will not be allowed safe passage. The Resistance will be wiped from the galaxy like the filthy scum they are. You will not be able to save them a second time.'

'Ben. Your mother's here.'

The waves of rage flowed like a thick river through her brain, but she refused to let them wash her away.

'She means nothing to me,' he intoned.

'I know that, but I'm still not going to let you kill her. I won't let you do that to yourself. If you want me back, you have to let her go.'

'What makes you think I want you back?'

She closed the comms channel with a snap. 'If you want to get out of here alive, you need to be packed up and on whatever transport you came in in fifteen minutes. I can use my access codes to disable all the weapons in the fleet, but it won't last long.'

Finn said, 'You can disable all their weapons?'

She grinned at him. 'I'm Supreme Leader of the First Order. I can do anything I like.'

Leia touched her hand. 'Will you be alright?'

She shrugged. 'Probably. Alone, unarmed, being hunted through an underground bunker by a madman in a mask. What could possibly go wrong?'

But Leia smiled, and the expression in her care-worn eyes had softened a little. 'Look after him for me.'

And then she reached into a locker and took out Rey's lightsaber, pressing it into her hands.

Rey quirked an eyebrow. 'Isn't that rather a mixed message?'

'That's just the kind of family we are.'

Finn paused once, as the rest of the rebellion was departing. 'I'll see you again, won't I? When this is over?'

She gave him an encouraging smile, although privately, she worried that the chances of this ever being over were slim. 'We're on the same side, Finn,' she said. 'Just playing for different teams. I'll see you again.'

Then she turned back to her most pressing problem and flicked open the communicator.

'If you want me, come and get me.'