Vegas stepped inside with me scooting along in proverbial tow. The quarters were large—we entered a furnished sitting area with a glimpse of a dim bedroom just beyond. I stood behind Vegas and to the side as Ren turned to face us, appearing as a giant in the small room.
"We're not going to Csilla just for crowd control, are we, sir?" Vegas asked.
"Excellent observation, Corporal," Ren praised. "The Supreme Leader requested that I keep this investigation as discrete as possible. I expect discretion from both of you. Understood?"
"Yes, sir," we said in sync.
Somehow, I found Vegas' presence to be a comfort.
"We are here based on intel acquired about Senator Elias. His recent correspondence links him with a weapons supplier on Csilla."
My breath froze in my lungs. That intel was supplied by me!
His helmet tilted slightly before he continued. "Moreover, we have cause to believe that these suppliers are associates of the Resistance. Records of their trade routes will likely lead us to a haven of Resistance fighters, or better, a base."
Vegas was nodding beside me, and I sensed his excitement.
"Rather than chasing after supply vessels leaving the system, I have chosen a more direct approach. We'll confront the supplier unawares at his private residence and extract the intel. He is Chiss, male, and wealthy."
"Sounds easy," Vegas said, rolling his shoulders restlessly.
I shifted uneasily as I got the feeling that this was a run-of-the-mill mission for them.
Suddenly, the communicator on Ren's wrist went off, and he answered it with a flick of his fingers. "This is Ren."
"Lord Ren, this is the bridge. We'll be at the LZ in twenty minutes."
Vegas straightened in surprise. Ren thanked the pilot and then waved both of us away. "Dismissed."
Vegas saluted and spun on his heel right away. The mask then turned to me and seemed to glue me to the floor. I stared at it until the swoosh of the door brought me back to reality.
"S—Sir," I stuttered, saluting.
I felt his eyes follow me out of the room.
I didn't know what our landing zone looked like until the exit ramp was swinging open, letting in a blast of humid air. A small town sat among the idyllic rural landscape of Csilla, the remote homeworld of the Chiss. The night was warm and sticky, and I felt the air drag heavily through my respirator. I gripped the handrail tighter as Stormtroopers filed out onto the ramp with the town rapidly approaching behind them.
Ren appeared as soon as the shuttle touched down. One Stormtrooper hovered particularly close behind him, wearing a red shoulder guard just like mine. I struggled to read the rank insignia on his collar.
"Vegas?" I whispered.
The helmet turned slightly. "Mhm," he hummed, annoyed.
I followed him so closely that I clanked pauldrons with him a few times.
Chiss were already beginning to gather in the streets, excited to get a glimpse of the mysterious First Order. They pointed with their blue fingers and watched us with their large red eyes. Ren strode across the dim courtyard, unbothered by their stares. As the crowd ahead of us closed in, Vegas pulled the blaster rifle off his back and pointed across me to the right.
"Keep those civilians back," he told me, veering off to the left.
"Oh..." I drew my blaster pistol and copied him. "Um..."
"Stand clear!" I heard him shout.
A group of Chiss exclaimed in awe when I neared them. Their curious noises made me balk in surprise. It's not because I'm human, I suddenly realized. It's because I'm a Stormtrooper.
"Get back!" I barked.
The people scattered away from me immediately, their voices raised in fear. I felt an undeniable rush of satisfaction as I regrouped with Vegas behind Ren. As instructed, the other Stormtroopers established a safe perimeter in the courtyard as the three of us continued down a side street.
Very quickly, we reached what appeared to be a residence. It was much larger than the modest homes around it. Ren stood in front of the entrance and waited for some unknown reason.
"Vegas," he whispered, for our ears only, "there is a door in the back. See that no one leaves."
"Sir."
He immediately vanished behind the building, leaving me biting my lip so hard that I saw stars. Would I be expected to defend Ren myself? I tried to channel some of my training but my mind felt hazy. The darkness and stillness pressed around us for several moments, and then Ren glanced over his shoulder unexpectedly.
"So afraid," he said, his voice gentle through the mechanical growl. "Why?"
My stomach twisted horribly, and I scoffed, forgetting I was speaking to a superior. "I—I'm not."
He turned back to the door and squared his shoulders, seeming to ignore me. If I had so much as breathed in the next moment, I would have missed the faint word whispered under his helmet.
"Liar."
The wooden door suddenly creaked open of its own volition. With a surge of bravado, I followed Ren inside and immediately checked for someone behind the door. No one. How...?
Since the house was dark, I reached for the flashlight button on my blaster. Ren's hand immediately appeared above mine, issuing a silent order. His head tilted to the side as he listened and waited. At length, he pointed to the stairs on the left.
I followed him shakily. He stalked through the dark like a predator—his presence alone was enough to make the air itself tremble with fear. My leather boots squelched quietly on the wooden steps. We passed two open doors, and I prayed to the stars that they were empty as we approached a final door that was closed.
Ren shrugged his cloak over his shoulder, revealing a glimmering weapon on his belt. As he silently pulled it out, my eyes attempted to identify the shape that wasn't quite a blaster—
The sudden booming sound of ignition made me jump.
The red beams of light trembled in the dark, sending deadly waves of heat in every direction. I stared, open-mouthed, as it bathed the room in a hellish red glow. It hummed dangerously when he lifted it, revealing a glowing crossguard.
It was unmistakable. A lightsaber.
When he delivered two graceful slashes across the door, it fell apart in two smoldering pieces.
A scream of pain filled the house.
The Chiss male stumbled away from the door, clutching his burnt and bloody shoulder. The blaster in his hand flew away from him and over my shoulder, grazing my helmet in the process.
"Oh, please!" he screamed. "Spare me!"
He fell to his knees at Ren's feet, trembling all over. I watched with bated breath as he leveled his sword at the alien's neck. Its red light reflected off his visor in a single line.
"Answer my questions and you will be spared, Chiss," Ren commanded.
"Y—Yes! What—Whatever you want!"
The saber did not move a centimeter. "Tell me of your dealings with Senator Elias."
I watched his human-like features contort in confusion. "I—he—I sold him some arms recently, but...b—b—but that's all!"
"These arms," he continued, lifting his hand threateningly, "where is the record of their transport?"
The Chiss panted for a moment. "It's, um—they're...not in the house."
Silence arose for a few breaths, isolating the chaotic crackling of the lightsaber. The supplier collapsed to the floor and whimpered, and I realized that Ren was reading his mind. I gulped between my shallow breaths, feeling a drop of sweat work its way down my temple beneath my helmet.
"Trooper," Ren addressed me without turning. "You will find a datacube on a desk on the east wall."
I hurried to follow the order. As I passed the sword, I felt its heat even through the many layers of leather and plastoid covering my body. I clicked on my flashlight with stiff fingers and quickly located the desk. Snatching the small purple cube, I returned to Ren and presented it to him. He nodded, and I closed my fist around it securely.
The Chiss' moans of fear had morphed into despair. I was more than ready to leave this place forever and never think about it again.
Ren lowered his sword slightly. "Stand, Chiss," he ordered.
The supplier raised his arms as he stood, shielding himself from the heat of the blade. From my new angle, I saw heat waves warping the air around it. Before he could breathe another word, Ren lunged forward and severed his head from his shoulders in one clean slash. His limp body crumpled into a heap on the floor beside his oozing head.
I stumbled back, my mouth falling open in utter shock.
The smell of burnt flesh filled my senses immediately, followed by a wave of nausea. No amount of training or holovids could've prepared me for this moment. Ren retracted the sword with a screeching hiss and straightened. As he left, I noticed a trembling figure underneath the bed. I stepped closer. A child?
A stern voice called to me from the bottom of the stairs. "Trooper, with me."
