Chapter 6
Inside the Resistance
It's now been three days since the White Storm landed on D'Qar to steal information from the Resistance. The infiltration goes well, even if the mission lasts longer than expected. Dorvaas, Harbinger and Doc have managed to gain General Organa's trust and rub shoulders with other soldiers who consider them friends. The three infiltrators share the same dormitory, and fortunately, they're alone there.
"This mission is dragging on and on, we're going to end up being discovered." Harbinger says as she sits on a chair.
"Take it easy. The longer we stay here, the more we can get what we need. We're doing this for the First Order."
Dorvaas grabs his communicator to contact his teammates. He addresses the ship's group first.
"Is everything going well for you? Can you keep up with the resources?"
After a short while, Brains answers him.
"We've got more than enough to last for weeks here, so don't worry about us. What's more, we haven't seen any soldiers around here today either"
"Great, I'll get back to you when we have news."
Dorvaas changes frequency to contact Bullseye and Butcher.
"Guys, how's your cover going?"
"Pretty good, apparently the two soldiers we replaced didn't really have to be renamed because we can still pass ourselves off as them." replies Butcher.
Bullseye takes the communicator from his partner.
"And I've found some interesting information, so meet us at the x-wing hangar."
"Noted, we'll be there in 10 minutes."
Dorvaas cuts off communication. He wondered what this information might be, and whether it was of sufficient value to satisfy the First Order's top brass. If so, they could finally leave this planet.
Meanwhile at Starkiller Base, Arya spends time alone in her quarters. She still wonders if she belongs here.
"Why does he have to be so hard on me..." she says to herself with a low voice.
It's true that her master isn't always gentle when training her. Kylo Ren knows what he wants, especially when it comes to Arya. He's training her to become much more than just an apprentice, the kind of training he himself would dream of having.
Suddenly, to her surprise, the door to Arya's quarters opened to reveal her master. She rises from her bed to adopt a more formal posture. Kylo Ren approaches her, forcing her to look higher and higher due to their height difference. She wished he hadn't been wearing his helmet.
"Prepare to accompany me on my mission."
These words took Arya by surprise, especially the intonation in her master's voice despite the sound distortion caused by his helmet. She hadn't expected to go on a mission, even less with him.
"When and where?" she simply asks, not wanting to appear too inquisitive.
"Soon, and information on the location will arrive shortly."
Indeed, this mission relies solely on the information the White Storm is able to pass on. Kylo Ren, unlike many officers, feels that this infiltration mission has the potential to lead the First Order to something great.
On D'Qar, Leia's mind is full of thoughts. She thinks of her brother in particular, remembering the day he came to see her, alone, to tell her that her son had turned to the dark side. She thought that with the fall of the Empire, everything would be simple and she could live a happy life with Han and her son, but everything happened very quickly. Han had gone back to smuggling, leaving Leia alone and unprepared. But on this day, she felt she needed her brother, only he could help her and there was no one else she could blindly trust.
Dorvaas, Harbinger and Doc join Bullseye and Butcher as planned. The surrounding area is rather quiet, as many people seem to have left their posts.
"A rather quiet meeting place. It was well found." Doc says.
"That's the problem, something's up." Bullseye says before making a sign to Butcher.
He steps forward, pulling out a small hologram projector.
"We observed this conversation this morning, involving two pilots."
Butcher turns on the spotlight and the two pilots appear, seemingly chatting away from view.
"Apparently the General is looking for a trusted pilot for a secret mission." one says.
"Of course she's not going to select us, I think Dameron will be the one."
Dorvaas listens carefully to the recording.
"Dameron? Isn't that the pilot we saw when we got here?"
"Poe, that's his name, isn't it?" Harbinger adds.
Butcher turns off the projection.
"A board meeting is currently taking place, and it is expected that the pilot will be selected during this meeting." Bullseye says
"And that the lucky one will have a private briefing with General Organa before leaving." Butcher adds.
Dorvaas analyzes the various possible scenarios to find a way of bugging this future exchange addressed to the pilot. He quickly came up with a solution. He reached into a satchel of his Resistance soldier's gear to grab a listening device he'd taken with him before leaving the ship.
"I need to get this onto the pilot."
"Are you crazy? You'll never make it." Doc replies.
Dorvaas put a hand on his friend's shoulder.
"I have a plan, and a hunch."
And on these words, he quickly leaves his companions to join the command center. His plan is simple: take advantage of the general mass to get close to Dameron and attach the listening device to his clothes. Once there, he slips into a room packed with soldiers, pilots and technicians. A lot of murmuring can be heard, but neither General Organa nor the pilot Dorvaas is looking for are in sight. But his wait was short-lived when he felt a fairly heavy mass strike him in the leg.
"Easy BB-8!" says a voice in the crowd.
What had accidentally hit Dorvaas was a droid, but not just any droid. It belongs to the man he was looking for.
"Are you all right?" Poe asks as he gets within range of Dorvaas.
The undercover soldier looks at the droid, then at the pilot.
"It should be fine; it just hurts a little."
"See, you've hurt him!" Poe says as he bends down to speak to his droid.
Dorvaas does the same, taking advantage of the occasion. He takes the opportunity to put a hand on the pilot's shoulder.
"I'll get over it, no need to scold that droid for so little." he says, slipping the small device discreetly into Poe's brown jacket.
"That's nice, but this little guy should be careful. Well, I'll leave you now, I've got an appointment." the pilot says, placing a friendly hand on Dorvaas' shoulder before continuing on his way.
The latter takes the opportunity to leave the command center, having no further business here. On the way, he takes the opportunity to activate the listening device and equips himself with a small earpiece to listen to the conversation. The meeting had already begun.
"You're the only one I can trust. I want you to join an old friend and a man you've helped in the past. It's Lor San Tekka. He recently contacted me to tell me that he has the map to find my brother Luke."
"Where can I find him?" Poe simply asks.
"He arranged to meet me on the planet Jakku in the village of Tuanul."
Lor San Tekka. Dorvaas knew this name, it's in the First Order's registry and it's said that he could possess valuable information. But little did he know that this information would have something to do with the legendary Luke Skywalker, hero of the Rebel Alliance and the man responsible for the destruction of the Death Star and the downfall of the Emperor and Vader.
"I'll leave now." Poe says.
Dorvaas realized he had to act quickly. He puts his radio on the global frequency linking all his soldiers to transmit a general message.
"Everyone, back to the ship now! We're leaving right away!"
The sergeant speeds through the forest towards the ship. He has to warn the First Order so that the troops can reach Jakku before the pilot leaves the desertic planet. When he arrives at the ship, everyone is already there.
"What's going on?" Brains asks.
"I have some vital information. A Resistance pilot will go to a village on Jakku to retrieve a map leading to Luke Skywalker."
When the name is announced, everyone is speechless.
"THE Luke Skywalker? You've got to be kidding me!" Corny says in disbelief.
Brains immediately heads for the cockpit to get the White Storm out of D'Qar. In the meantime, all those who had worn Resistance clothes put on their white Stormtrooper armor. Then Dorvaas sits down at the communications terminal to contact the First Order.
"This is Sergeant FN-2687, I have in my possession information of the utmost importance."
On the other end of the line, an officer answer.
"We have you loud and clear. What is this information?"
"The fugitive Lor San Tekka is hiding out on Jakku in the village of Tuanul. I have in my possession proof that he possesses a map to the Jedi Luke Skywalker."
A long silence followed.
"The information is taken into account, and the high command has just been notified. You'll join the Finalizer in Jakku orbit to take part in the assault on the village. Over."
And that's it, the information had just been passed on. Everything's going to happen very quickly now, and Dorvaas knows it. If they manage to recover this map and find Skywalker, the imminent and direct war against the Resistance could be over before it really begins.
This announcement may have shaken up daily operations at Starkiller base. Many troop transports are already leaving the base to join the Finalizer positioned in the atmosphere. Kylo Ren had warned his apprentice and the two force users were already on the bridge. They were joined by General Armitage Hux. The Finalizer being the flagship of both him and Kylo Ren, he wanted to take part in this assault.
As he arrives, Hux gives young Arya a rather degrading look. Since her arrival in the First Order, he'd always taken a dim view of her, just as he'd done with Kylo since his arrival too.
"We're ready to go." says a bridge officer.
"Then what are you waiting for to make the jump into hyperspace?" replies Hux.
The gigantic three-kilometer vessel begins its entry into hyperspace, heading for Jakku. There's a reason why this ship is the one used by Kylo Ren and Hux. The First Order obviously has similar ships in its possession, such as Drayen's Servitor, but the Finalizer is far more powerful and technologically advanced. This ship alone could jeopardize everything the Resistance owns.
The travel to Jakku wasn't long. The Finalizer finally arrived over the planet, looking menacingly ready to bring dozens of Stormtroopers down on the small village of Tuanul. The soldiers on board begin to make their way to the belly hangar, where four troop transports await them.
It's at this very moment that the White Storm emerge from hyperspace aboard their civilian ship. As their arrival was scheduled, the ship was able to land on board the destroyer without any problem. When they disembark from their ship, the members of the White Storm can see just how important this mission is, given all the Stormtroopers that have been requisitioned.
"Well, they didn't decide to do things by halves." remarks Reaper.
"That's because the high command must want this card back more than anything. I hope we find it." adds Dorvaas.
The four AAL-1971/9.1 Troop Transports each hold two squads, for a total of twenty Stormtroopers. This means that either the village is larger than expected, or the First Order has decided to send far more soldiers than necessary. The second option seems the most likely.
A Stormtrooper in a hurry accidentally collided with Dorvaas, who caught him to prevent him from falling.
"Are you all right, mate?"
The Stormtrooper gets back up and, through his helmet, looks at the sergeant's pauldron.
"A-Are you the White Storm? What an honor!" the Stormtrooper says in admiration.
"No need to make such a fuss kid, what's your serial number?" Dorvaas asks.
"FN-2187!" he replies with a salute.
Dorvaas appreciates the determination shown by the young soldier.
"I take it you'll be joining us for the assault."
"Affirmative, but this mission will be my first real combat experience. I'm only used to simulations." replies FN-2187.
"Don't worry, stay close to your comrades and everything will be fine."
But suddenly, Captain Phasma enters in the docking bay. The seven Stormtrooper squads line up, while the White Storm stands to one side.
"Soldiers, your sole objective is to find and apprehend a fugitive of value to the First Order." Phasma says in her helmet-modified voice.
She holds a holopad in her hand and turns it on. The bluish image shows an elderly man wearing a rather weathered tunic.
"The man's name is Lor San Tekka, he holds vital data and must be taken alive for interrogation. Anyone else can be shot if they oppose us." she continues.
Everyone watches the hologram of the old man. The Stormtroopers wondered how a simple fugitive of advanced age could require an operation including a Destroyer and eighty soldiers to apprehend him.
"The villagers are considered traitors and enemies of the First Order for harboring a notorious opponent. They are therefore considered armed and dangerous, but your training is far superior to theirs. Is everything clear?"
"Yes, Captain!" the unnamed Stormtroopers reply.
After that, Phasma points out the transports.
"Get on board now!"
Three of the four transports fill up quickly and Phasma heads for the White Storm.
"All of you will come up with me." Phasma says in a tone so cold it sounds inhuman.
"Right away. Did you hear the captain, boys? Onward!"
And so, accompanied by ten other Stormtroopers including FN-2187, the White Storm and Captain Phasma board the last transport. The boarding ramp closes and the interior lights come on. Silence reigns on board, especially for the ten soldiers accompanying the experienced White Storm. For these newly-promoted cadets, the mission seems exciting but at the same time terrifying. Their hands tighten around their blasters as the transport takes off and leaves the Finalizer. The four troop transports begin their descent to Jakku, the planet on which the Empire definitively lost the war thirty years ago. For many, this mission promises to be a glimpse into the hell of war, and their first encounter with death. For the White Storm, it'll be just another day.