"Captain. We're ready," the squad leader confirmed. It still felt wrong that Athena was commanding a squad of stormtroopers. Not because she didn't know how to lead, but because the stormtroopers were so anonymous and uniform behind their masks. They were trained to obey. But with the metallic voices and the white armors, one could almost forget that they were humans. To the First Order, they weren't.
"Thank you, TR-5150. Greet them at the front gate, sent a dozen around on each side and make sure no one escapes through the back. If you find the girl, don't shoot. If you see the droid, bring it to the transporter immediately. You know Commander Ren's orders," she summarized their assignment. The transporter opened slowly, giving Athena enough time to gather herself. She led the squad, a small figure between the tall troopers. Her combat boots with the block heel gave her a little more height. The black fighting attire was completed by a black leather corsage on top, protecting her while giving her enough space to move. The dagger she had used in the fight against the knights was tightly attached to her thigh. A harmless weapon compared to the lightsaber, but it had proven useful enough to keep.
Athena swirled around, easily handling the lightsaber. The small patch of rebels stood no chance against her, backed by her stormtroopers. Adrenaline rushed through her veins, as she focused on nothing more than killing her enemies. A cold fire of hate took hold of her, controlling her completely.
Smoke rose from the ruins of Maz Katana's palace on Takodana, dead bodies seaming the gate. With a small nod, Athena sent the stormtroopers after the last batch of rebels, hiding behind the remains. Athena carried out her mission with precision, channeling her rage, her frustration and fear just as Kylo Ren thought her.
Suddenly, it seemed like an invisible rift caused everything to tremble. Red shooting stars appeared on the sky, red melting into the blue like crimson wine.
The fighting stopped for a moment, all eyes following the red lights with confusion and terror.
She knew what they meant.
Something unfathomable.
Using the confusion, she reached out with her mind trying to find the droid she was meant to bring to Kylo. She felt something lit up not far from her. The Force? With fast strides, Athena walked away from the battle, leaving the troopers behind.
The vast green forests of Takodana greeted her, moos steaming the sound of her boots. The woman brushed aside leaves and branches as the force showed her the way. No was not the time to think about what had just occurred. Athena pushed the feeling of nausea away, trying not to get distracted. Something crumbled deep inside her. What if she simply ran away?
There was no running from the First Order anymore.
Disrupting the dark green scenery, a young woman appeared behind a tree, gasping as she spotted Athena. She was dressed in light brown fabric, her brown hair pulled into three small buns at the back of her head. Athena spotted hazel eyes and delicate features as the woman ran from her. Without any mercy, Athena hunted her down, the red lights on the sky still right above her.
The girl shot at her with a blaster, leaving no effect on Athena, defending herself with a flick of her wrist.
Finally, Athena faced her, as the girl could to nothing to escape her. With a tight grip of the Force, Athena held her in place, watching her struggle like a snake watched a rabbit before striking.
The girl gritted her teeth and stared at Athena in horror as she felt herself unable to move.
"You're the girl I've heard so much about," Athena looked at the young girl, scanning her from head to toe. The defiance in her eyes was unmissable. Somehow, Athena knew the girl was trying to protect something from her, to hide something….
"You have seen the map, have you?" the countess asked, feeling a slight moment of victory. She used the Force to put the girl to sleep, catching her in her fall. The arriving troopers immediately took her from her arms, carrying the unconscious girl.
OoOoO
Back on the transporter, Athena allowed herself to confront her feelings. The girl was chained to the wall of the cell, slowly waking up. Athena was guarding her, as it had been her mission to find the droid – now she was bringing the girl instead. It was a welcome excuse to hide from the other officers and stormtroopers.
While Athena had done everything she was asked to, she did no longer care. The sight of the crimson red light was edged into her mind. The wall kept crumbling, leaving only painful shards in her chest, digging into her heart and lungs with every breath.
Trillions of people had died. The Hosian system had been destroyed completely. Athena could not fathom it. Athena hadn't pulled the trigger, but she might as well could have. The blood was on her hands as well. The galaxy seemed to cry out its pain in unisono, the sound ringing in her ears.
She let out her breath with a sound of distress.
"Who are you?" the girl asked softly. Athena sat on a chair right in the corner of the cell, holding her head in her hands in despair. She rose her head as the girl started to talk.
"You're the apprentice, aren't you? The politician?" the younger woman inquired. Athena swallowed heavily. She wasn't a politician. She was a murderer.
"Stop talking," she hissed. She didn't need this weird scavenger to interrupt her in her self-pity.
"I heard about you…" the scavenger ignored Athena's command. "They say you have agreed to serve the First Order in order to save the Outer Rim."
She was pretty, even though Athena considered her a little thin. Probably a consequence of poverty, she assumed.
"Why are you doing this? You could fight them! You could join the Resistance! You could be a Jedi!" the girl rattled her shackles.
Athena's irritation turned to annoyance. She had better things to do than to have a discussion with some meaningless girl. Her violet eyes flashed in anger towards her.
"I am definitely not a Jedi, scavenger."
"My name is Rey," the girl muttered.
Athena growled in annoyance. "I am not interested in your name. I will hand you over to Commander Ren, and then I will no longer have to deal with you."
Athena envied Kylo for wearing a mask. Perhaps it would emphasize her own authority if people didn't see the young woman behind it.
"I don't understand. Aren't you supposed to care for people?" Rey accused her in a self-righteous tone.
"I care for order. For peace," Athena answered, even though she had no nerve for this. Her stomach was revolting again.
"Then let me go. I've done nothing to you," Rey argued, pulling at her chains.
In a fit of rage, Athena light up her red lightsaber and walked to the younger woman, holding the blade only inches from her face. The red light reflected in Rey's hazel eyes. The blank terror made Athena stop in her movement. For a second, she saw her own reflection in the girl's eyes. Her features were distorted in pain and anger.
Slowly, she let the lightsaber sink down. Athena could no longer do it. She didn't want to betray Kylo. But she could not continue her path any longer. Tears ran down her face before she could stop it.
"I am sorry," her voice cracked. Something inside her had shifted, changed. The death of the Republic was something she knew would happen, but to see it happen, was something different.
"You should be more afraid of me," the countess advised the younger girl.
Now it was Rey who looked at her in confusion. Athena sat down next to her, her cape dragging down the floor.
"When I'm scared," she muttered, "I go to a place of happiness. Of calm and peace. It protects me. I breathe, letting my intuition guide me. I find that Force in myself, connecting me to everything else around me. The Force... it flows through every single being around us. When I do that, no one can get to me. The secret is to stay focused and to push back. The Force is with you. I can feel it. We don't have much time until we land on Starkiller… but I can try to teach you."
So sorry for the long wait! I have exams coming up, but I'll try to upload more often. I hope you guys had nice holidays and a good start into the new year 2023. Thank you for reading my story and giving me so much joy writing it. I wish you all the best!