Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter nine of "Not So Far." This chapter features scenes and dialogue from The Force Awakens. Han, Chewie, and Luke will be seeing Ben and Rey very soon. Stay tuned for chapter ten.
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Chapter 9: Hangar/Interrogation/Revelation
Vari's shuttle and the transport ships flew toward the Finalizer around midafternoon. It folded its wings as they went into the hangar and landed with big bounces. The ramps lowered to the floor. Stormtroopers marched everywhere. Two stormtroopers dragged a handcuffed Poe down the ramp of the second ship. He tried to pull himself away, but he couldn't.
"Come on, you rebel scum!" the first stormtrooper snapped.
"We don't have all day!" the second stormtrooper added.
"All right!" Poe yelled and jerked himself away as his captors stopped in their tracks. "All right!"
Poe looked around, his heart beating quickly. He listened to the whimpering of the surviving children as they were dragged off the ships and herded away. His captors took hold of him again and led him off. FN-2187 watched from a distance. His breathing was hard and fast. He looked both ways, finding no one was looking at him.
FN-2187 sneaked to a small hallway and slipped inside it. His breathing became harder and faster as he took off his helmet. Sweat continued to pour down his face. He could hear the screams of the adults and the cries of the children echoing in his mind. He was horrified that he witnessed a massacre of innocent civilians and did nothing to stop it. He doubted his faith in the First Order now. He hoped his superiors didn't notice him not firing.
His thoughts shifted to FN-2003. He couldn't believe his friend was gone. He remembered all the times they had shooting practice together. They enjoyed cracking jokes about the hits they made on their targets. They even pretended to shoot at each other's backsides and that of their comrades occasionally. They found that to be loads of fun.
FN-2187 shook his thoughts out of his head. He knew he needed to get back to the other stormtroopers before someone noticed he was gone. He hated to be lectured about running off somewhere and the need to be around them at all times. He took deep breaths in which it released much of the tension from his body. He shuddered somewhat before closing his eyes. He opened them after ten seconds.
"FN-2187," a female voice shouted.
FN-2187 looked over his shoulder to see Phasma standing behind him. She growled irritatingly, her head tilting a bit.
"Submit your blaster for inspection," Phasma barked.
"Yes, Captain," FN-2187 answered as he looked ahead.
"And who gave you permission to remove that helmet?" Phasma demanded in a sharp way.
"Sorry, Captain," FN-2187 apologized in much guilt.
"Report to my division at once," Phasma said and began walking away. "Do not fiddle-fart around. I mean it."
"Of course not, Captain," FN-2187 answered and put his helmet back on. He turned around and went after her.
00000
Poe let out a loud groan in the interrogation room in the late afternoon. His hands and feet were restrained in the chair that happened to be in an upward position. It was leaned back a little bit. The left side of his head had blood trickling down it, as did the right side of his mouth. He panted heavily before swallowing hard. He squeezed his eyes shut, his breathing turning to shudders.
Poe felt his heart beat fast as he started thinking about his friends. He was hopeful they made it to Yalu. He wanted to flee with them so much, but he knew he made the right decision in covering their escape. He didn't see the transport ship explode, but he did hear it. He was glad he and the others weren't there when that happened. He knew Leia would have gotten very worried if she had not heard from them several hours after the last contact and would have sent a team to investigate.
His thoughts drifted to Vari. He had a feeling she would come to see him as he had refused to give up any information about Luke's whereabouts, but he did reveal some about himself to his torturers. He recalled their excited chatter as they were leaving. This was a time he wished he was Force-sensitive and could call a blaster to his hand or do a mind trick to escape.
The sound of hissing caused the young man to open his eyes. He observed the door opening fully. Vari walked in, her hands curling into fists. She flared her nostrils while narrowing her eyes at him. It closed behind her. She stopped close to him and uncurled her fists. She huffed and tilted her head slightly as he stared at her with great defiance and ferocity.
"I had no idea we had the best pilot in the Resistance here," Vari said with a chuckle. "Are you comfortable?"
"Not really," Poe admitted.
"I find it amazing no one has been able to get you to say whether or not you've seen Luke Skywalker recently," Vari hissed in some anger. "Many people would have given up the information by now."
"You might want to rethink your technique," Poe retorted through clenched teeth.
She scoffed and emitted a loud snort. "A smartmouth, are you?"
He chuckled humorlessly. "I guess I am."
"I don't like smartmouths, but I give you an exception," Vari commented while moving her eyebrows up and down.
"What exception is that?" Poe snapped while flaring his nostrils.
"I like your feistiness. It reminds me so much of Leia," Vari responded and clicked her tongue twice.
"Oh, really?" Poe asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes," Vari replied and nodded in a slow way.
Poe snorted. "If you had gotten rid of your obsession with finding Ben and killing him, you would be back with Luke. It will get you killed someday."
Vari gritted her teeth and held out her hand. She breathed deeply while putting in much concentration. A dull humming sounded as she began to probe Poe's mind. He grunted softly and leaned his head forward a tiny bit. He narrowed her eyes at her, determination lining his face. She yelled in rage and did a Force push. He groaned when the back of his head hit the chair.
Poe breathed so loudly that it sent an echo through the chamber and into the hallway. He shuddered, his heart beating quite fast. Vari moved her hand closer to him. She concentrated even more while gritting her teeth again. He leaned his head to the side, fear and uncertainty showing in his eyes. She narrowed her eyes at him.
"Have you seen Luke recently?" Vari demanded in much ferocity. "Tell me right now!"
"The Resistance will not be intimidated by you," Poe said in a strained voice. "That's a fact."
"Sure, you won't," Vari said sarcastically. "You are no match for the First Order. We will succeed in taking over the galaxy. We will rebuild the Empire's legacy."
"Not if we have anything to say about it!" Poe shouted in much fierceness.
"Such defiance," Vari said, a chuckle leaving her mouth. "I have to admit that I admire you."
Vari hissed while putting in more concentration. Poe groaned in much pain before squeezing his eyes shut. She moved her hand backward. This pulled his head forward. He opened his eyes, a fearful whimper leaving his mouth.
"Now, tell me," Vari demanded. "Where is Luke Skywalker? Have you seen him recently?"
Poe grunted as the dark warrioress went deep into his mind. He panted heavily while letting out a soft shudder. He cried out painfully when she ventured even deeper.
00000
Hux waited outside the interrogation room. He had his hands behind his back. He listened to the sounds of grunting and groaning. He could hear inaudible words being spoken. The door opened with a very loud hiss. Vari stepped outside, chuckling sinisterly as it closed behind her. He tilted his head as she came up to him.
"What's so funny?" Hux wondered.
"The scum revealed he did see Luke at the Resistance base recently. He said Luke has gone with Han and Chewbacca on another trip to find Ben. They are heading for the Unknown Regions," Vari explained with a smirk.
"The Unknown Regions is the perfect place to hide. Many planets are charted, but they are not explored often," Hux pointed out.
"A number of planets across the galaxy have been erased from archives. People didn't want anyone to know what they were up to on them," Vari murmured.
"Like the cloners creating the Grand Army of the Old Republic on Kamino," Hux responded, smiling as he remembered when he learned about that moment in galactic history. "The old Jedi Order thought they had the clone troopers under their control. It turned out it was Palpatine who held it."
"Palpatine was very intelligent. He controlled both sides of the Clone Wars," Vari admitted. "As the war dragged on, he became more and more powerful in his rule and his Sith powers. After he formed his Empire, the clone troopers became stormtroopers. Then ordinary people signed up to become stormtroopers."
"You may not identify as a Sith, but you are quite powerful in your own right," Hux replied. "None of our stormtroopers are clones. They are ordinary people."
"Although I admire Palpatine for his rule over the galaxy, he was foolish to think he could live forever as Emperor. His overconfidence led to his death," Vari commented, a huff leaving her mouth. "He should have invested in an heir who could have kept the Empire going."
"Vader could have stepped into his shoes if he had not turned on him to save his son," Hux said honestly.
"Vader's love for his son was what led to the Empire's downfall," Vari said, shaking her head in disbelief. She curled her hand into a fist as she flared her nostrils. "That won't happen this time. The First Order will take control of the galaxy."
Hux couldn't help but chuckle. He had much admiration for Vari's confidence. He had a feeling he would have not had any for Ben if he had joined them. He saw him as having too much conflict in himself to serve the First Order effectively. He was determined to see the end of the Jedi for good.
"If we find Luke, there is a good chance we will find Ben," Hux commented.
"We had better. It has been six years since he killed my comrades at the Jedi Academy. I see his death as the ultimate revenge for them," Vari snarled. "Once he and Luke are gone, the Jedi will never rise again."
"I like how you kept your name instead of changing it when you accepted Snoke's offer for greater power," Hux said, moving his eyebrows up and down. "You may be the master of the Knights of Ren, but you refuse to wear a mask."
She huffed. "I consider that to be stupid, though I allow the knights to wear their masks. I believe showing the face puts more fear into people than hiding it. Vari was a name that was once admired. Now, it is feared throughout the galaxy."
"No one can argue with that," Hux said, a sinister chuckle leaving his mouth. "A name feared is a name respected."
"That it is," Vari agreed.
"What makes you even better is how calm and composed you are, even when you are angry," Hux said with a furrowed brow.
"I say I am like Vader. He always kept his cool, even when things went wrong. He preferred to give his soldiers quick deaths for their failures by choking them. Palpatine liked to torture them to death with Force lightning," Vari explained.
He smirked. "You have become a master at Force lightning yourself. When you first tried to use it, you were clumsy. With proper training, you were able to control it."
Vari chuckled while holding up her fist. Small bolts of Force lightning shot up from between her fingers. They fizzled down to nothing. She put it at her side, her breathing turning soft and steady.
"I remember all the times Ben and I shot dirty looks at each other during our days at the Jedi Academy. I considered him too arrogant for his own good much like his grandfather was," Vari said, snorting.
"The Skywalkers have always had a problem with arrogance and impatience," Hux said seriously. "Luke's rush to save his friends at Cloud City cost him his right hand."
"That never slowed him down for a second," Vari pointed out honestly.
"I am sure Ben is arrogant enough to think he will never be found," Hux answered with a shake of his head. "Sooner or later, the exile's hideout will be found. Whether he is dead or alive does not matter."
"It may not matter to you, but it will to me. I want to fight him one last time before I put an end to his miserable existence," Vari commented fiercely.
"How about you Force choke him first before you torture him with Force lightning?" Hux suggested with an evil smile. "He should suffer as much as possible."
"I agree," Vari said with a slow nod.
He chuckled. "I am glad you agree."
She raised her eyebrows. "I am glad that you are glad."
Hux and Vari turned to see two stormtroopers walking by. They heard them speaking inaudible words. They shifted their attention back to each other. She cleared her throat.
"Tell a couple of stormtroopers to keep an eye on the prisoner," Vari ordered sternly.
"Yes, ma'am," Hux replied respectfully.
"After that, you are to alert the pilots and let them know we are plotting a course for the Unknown Regions," Vari said.
"I will after I speak with Snoke," Hux responded in a calm yet firm voice.
"Of course," Vari said, nodding slowly.
"Just remember, Vari," Hux responded in seriousness. "Never let your personal interests interfere with orders from Snoke."
"I know," Vari said. "Go. Time is wasting away."
Hux nodded at the dark warrioress and walked off. She went to the window and focused her attention on the stars.