Chapter 10
The biggest of all time bombs
Two days have passed since the droid and its contents were captured. Kylo Ren had returned to Starkiller Base to analyze the map fragment alongside his loyal apprentice. He had nevertheless decided to isolate himself to verify the veracity of the information, wanting to be the first to ensure that these efforts had paid off. He had just combined the fragment with the rest of the map held by the First Order: the map is now complete.
Arya enters the room, but Kylo Ren doesn't react to her presence at the moment. He continues to look at the map, and the path leads into the Unknown Regions. Finally, he turns around.
"What are you doing?" he asks to Arya.
The young woman, surprised, kneels down.
"That's not- Stand up, I would never ask you to kneel before me. I'm just surprised you came here." Kylo Ren replies, beckoning his apprentice to get back up.
Arya immediately gets to her feet.
"Sorry, I thought it was necessary."
The master approaches, placing a hand on the young blonde's shoulder.
"I'm not Snoke. I'm not that kind of master. I've never asked you to kneel for me in the last five years, have I? It's true that we're often together, but I never thought I'd see you do this of your own free will. There's no need to"
The apprentice looks at her master, or at least at his helmet. There are times when she wishes she could look him in the eyes, just a little more often...
The ten members of the White Storm wait in a meeting room, specially emptied for the occasion. They have returned to the Servitor since the operation on Jakku. They all stand at attention as Colonel Drayen enters the room at the precise time of the appointment he had informed them of.
"At rest, soldiers. You may take a sit." he tells them.
Everyone follows the order and takes their place around the rectangular table, five on each side. Dorvaas, Doc, Butcher and Reaper remove their helmets. Meanwhile, Shon Drayen positions himself at the end of the table, with his back to a bay window overlooking the empty space.
"Your mission to Chandrilla was a success, albeit a moderate one due to the lack of information on the spot, but that's not your fault. That's why you're heading directly for the New Republic capital in the Hosnian system."
Everyone listens to the colonel with the greatest of attentions.
"According to our sources, Chancellor Lanever Villecham is organizing a reception on Hosnian Prime in the capital Republic City. Your goal will be to take part in the reception, get the information you think necessary and leave before anyone notices you're there."
Colonel Drayen looks at them one by one.
"No plan or mission is perfect, there are just too many variables that prevent such a result. Nevertheless, I expect you to approach excellence. That's why I'll let Sergeant Dorvaas give you his instructions."
The White Storm sergeant stands up, thanking Drayen with a nod. He then presses a button on the table to light up a hologram.
"I'm going to ask you for your utmost attention. This is what I propose..."
On Hosnian Prime, Reaper and Doc had been assigned to play the role of a couple of wealthy aristocrats, invited for the occasion. She's wearing a white dress made from a highly prized fabric that really sets her off. The V-neck gives a relatively open view of her small breasts.
"I could get used to this." the young woman giggles lightly.
"That's why you're the one doing it and not me. I would never wear that." Harbinger replies, remaining on board the ship.
The squad had to split up for the mission, as on D'Qar. Doc and Reaper are tasked with finding information by infiltrating the party, while Dorvaas supervises the entire mission from the civilian ship they've been using since their first mission. Brains is also on board to handle communications, while Harbinger takes charge of piloting if they have to leave the system in a hurry. For obvious reasons, Cyclops and Grim also stayed behind. Corny, Bullseye and Butcher serve as guards for the so-called aristocratic couple.
"We're approaching the Senate, is everything going well for you?" Doc asks his friend Dorvaas.
"No worries on the horizon, your devices seem to be working."
Dorvaas refers to the tiny communication devices placed in the ears of the five infiltrators. They're so discreet that even someone looking directly into the ear of one of those involved would be unable to see anything. What's more, Reaper has a vidcam concealed in the gemstone of her necklace, enabling Brains to transcribe sound and image to a screen in the ship for the other members of the squad.
Doc checks that his black tunic is smooth before the couple, arm in arm, present their invitation on a datapad. Brains had spent the entire trip crafting perfect identities for the couple with a fairly solid but simple story if Doc and Reaper become the target of questions.
"I'm Gil Harik, aristocrat from Coruscant, and this is my wife, Mala Harik."
The guard seizes the datapad, watched by two New Republic soldiers on either side of him. His expression becomes much more open once the reading is over.
"Sir and Milady Harik, it's a pleasure to welcome you. I see you've come at the last minute, so I hope you haven't run into any problems."
"Not in the slightest." replies Reaper. "My husband had just had some health problems in the last few days, so we weren't sure we'd be able to make it."
She leans over Doc, looking into his eyes romantically. It's not unusual for a public display of love to make people uncomfortable, and this time was no exception.
"Ehm- good. I'll let you in. You have VIP access thanks to your status." the guard says, looking away slightly, as do the two soldiers.
Reaper smiles before the couple resume their walk inside the building. The plan runs smoothly.
"Wait a minute." the guard's voice makes Doc and Reaper stop dead in their tracks. "These three men are your bodyguards, aren't they? If they want to get in, they'll have to leave their weapons outside. Chancellor Lanever Villecham is a pacifist."
Both let out a slight gasp before turning around.
"They can stay outside; I doubt they'll part with their weapons." Doc says, approaching the three men.
"Yes, darling. It's safe inside, they can go back to the ship." Reaper adds.
Doc looks at his three supposed guards.
"You don't see any problem with that?"
"None, sir." Butcher replies.
Reaper extends her hand to Doc, who nods to the three members as they head back to the ship. He grabs the delicate hand of his so-called wife and the two enter the Senate.
The building of the Senate of the New Republic has been carefully decorated to celebrate the second year of Villecham's first term in office. The room in which most of the guests are gathered has a sumptuous marble floor and paintings of previous chancellors, such as the one who founded this Senate, Mon Mothma.
"Don't dwell on the decor, we need to be quick and find the Chancellor's office." Brains says through the communication device.
"Understood." replies Reaper.
Thanks to their status as wealthy and important aristocrats, the search promises to be relatively easy, as the Harik couple can access a large part of the area, as long as it's open to guests. But one event will greatly increase their chances of success.
Chancellor Lanever Villecham descends the grand staircase, surrounded by senators. The appearance of the old Tarsunt, with his white hair and yellow skin, elicits a shower of applause from the guests. Doc and Reaper watch from a distance.
"And there he is... Brains, do you think we can find his office if we follow the direction he came from?" Doc asks.
"Certainly, but it may be a forbidden zone, even for you."
"We'll work it out, just let us know if you see anything important we've missed on the vidcam."
He may be Chancellor, but Villecham must have important documents to hand, and the only place to store them is in his office. His intervention will distract attention, but no one knows for how long. Doc and Reaper have to act fast.
The two would-be lovers venture into a corridor with a long bay window overlooking the city. Despite the night, the city-planet is so lively it's like being on Coruscant.
"This planet is truly sumptuous, darling. It reminds me of home."
Doc looks at Reaper strangely.
"What are you doing? We don't need to keep the- "
But he is interrupted by his partner, who puts a finger over his mouth. She shows him a door out of the corner of her eye, guarded by two New Republic soldiers. Doc then understands why Reaper keeps their cover. But suddenly, the two men approach the couple.
"You have no business here, the party's downstairs."
"We are distinguished guests of Chancellor Villecham. He's the one who gave us permission to be here." Reaper says, attempting a bluff.
The two soldiers look at her questioningly.
"Show us your identifications." one of them asks.
"With pleasure."
Reaper holds out the datapad to the guards, who look at it sharply.
"You are indeed distinguished guests, but there's nothing in this to show that Villecham has given you permission to go near his office. I'll have to go and tell him about this in person."
As the guard begins to advance, Reaper manages to show great agility despite the dress she's wearing and delivers a kick to the soldier's head, knocking him to the ground.
"That won't be necessary." she says, turning to look at the second guard.
He doesn't have time to react before Reaper knocks him down too.
At the same time, Butcher, Bullseye and Corny arrive at the ship. As they remove their guard disguises of the Harrik couple, they hear Brains.
"Well done, Reaper. Rather rushed and tough, but at least you can get into the office."
"And don't forget to drag the unconscious guards into the office." Dorvaas adds.
On the other end of the line, Reaper answers.
"Of course."
The two infiltrators open the office door, which wasn't even locked, and drag the soldiers inside.
The office is filled with collectibles, paintings and other valuable items. A large bay window behind the chair offers a breathtaking view of the buildings of Hosnian Prime. But Doc and Reaper aren't here to visit or enjoy the beauty of the view. While the medical specialist searches the floor for a potential safe, his colleague removes the paintings to see if they hide anything. And after a while, Reaper finds what the White Storm has come for by removing a painting of Villecham himself during his election.
"Hm, rather egocentric for a chancellor. We have the safe."
"I see it, it's a relatively classic model. Use the decoder I've provided." Brains reply.
Doc approaches the safe. He was in charge of guarding the precious object, which is well hidden as he removes a cufflink and inserts it into the lock. That's what the decoder is. After a few seconds, the safe opens. Inside are numerous data chips and three holo-recorders.
"You still see that, Brains?" Reaper asks, ensuring that the vidcam is able to record the interior of the safe.
"Five out of five, it's a real goldmine."
"Perfect, we'll take it all." Doc adds.
The two pick up the entire contents of Villecham's safe, stuffing everything into their clothes as best they can. Doc manages to stow the data chips in his pockets while Reaper takes care of the holo-recorders.
"Too bad I don't have a bra to put them in, it would have made my breasts look bigger." she says randomly, laughing a bit.
"No comment on that." Doc says looking at Reaper "Can you still take them?"
The young woman thinks for a moment before coming up with an idea.
"Don't look." she says and so Doc closes his eyes
Reaper lifts her dress and places the three holo-recorders at waist level, pressing them against her skin thanks to the elasticity of her panties. She makes a shaking motion.
"Perfect, it stays. We're good to go."
Doc and Reaper leave the office to join the party again. They don't meet anyone on the way back. Once at the grand staircase, they can see Villecham chatting with a dark-skinned woman. She wears a Resistance officer's uniform.
"Chancellor, you must listen to me. The First Order is a real threat, and the Resistance needs your support."
The Tarsunt puts a hand on the young woman's shoulder.
"Sella, they haven't violated any New Republic treaty. You're worrying about nothing."
Reaper had moved closer to the two so that Brains could see and hear the conversation.
"Are you receiving this?"
"Perfectly so." he replies, tapping on a keyboard. "According to the party's database, this woman is Korr Sella. She serves as the Resistance's envoy to convince the New Republic of the threat posed by the First Order. According to her register, this is not her first visit."
"So, her warnings always fall on deaf ears in the Senate." Dorvaas adds.
But suddenly Brains receives a transmission. However, their frequency is private, so it can only come from the Servitor.
"Colonel Drayen? What's going on?" Brains asks after opening the communication channel.
"Leave the planet immediately! Get as far away from the Hosnian system as possible!" the colonel responds in an unusual way.
Dorvaas, standing right next to Brains, exchanges a surprised look with the latter.
"What's the problem, Colonel? The Resistance is coming?" Dorvaas asks as well.
"It's much worse than that... Go away!"
Then communication suddenly breaks down. Even if he doesn't fully understand what's going on, Shon Drayen's tone suggests the worst, and Dorvaas understands this immediately.
"Doc, Reaper, do you copy? Return to the ship immediately!"
The two also exchange astonished looks.
"Sergeant, there's still a lot we can learn, especially about this Korr Sella." Reaper says
"There's no time, it's an order from the colonel."
"All right, we'll be there as soon as we can." Doc replies.
Sneaking through the crowd, Doc and Reaper elbow their way through. They leave the building and, just before reaching the gantry, Doc starts to fake a cough. The man who had let them in earlier notices the couple.
"Mrs. Harik, is something wrong?"
"My husband isn't feeling very well. I take him back to our ship to administer the necessary treatment."
The guard approaches to help Reaper support Doc.
"I can help you get him there." he says.
"I appreciate it, but don't worry, I'm used to it. We'll be back in a few minutes." Reaper replies.
"In that case, take care of him and see you soon."
The two pick up the pace and reach the ship after two minutes. The ramp lowers and they rush inside. Harbinger immediately lifts off the ship.
"Do you have the data?" Dorvaas asks at the returning duo.
Doc puts his hands in his pockets and Reaper under her skirt to pull out everything they've recovered.
"But why did we have to leave so suddenly?" Doc questions his friend.
As Harbinger leaves the planet's atmosphere, a red light appears on the horizon and seems to be closing in on them.
"Hey, I think you should come and see this..."
Surprised, the members of the White Storm gather in the cockpit.
"What's that? A ship?" Corny speaks first.
"Mother of moons… Change course!"
With a sudden movement, Brains takes control of the ship and turns it to the left, having understood what's going on. The sudden capsize caused almost everyone to lose their balance.
"Brains! What's wrong with you!" Butcher yells.
"It's the superweapon from Starkiller Base..."
The red energy beam splits into five, heading for the planets Cardota, Courtsilius, Hosnian, Raysho, and of course Hosnian Prime. From their ship, positioned some distance away, the White Storm observe the final moments of these worlds. Cardota is hit first, the laser penetrating the crust and mantle of the small planet.
On Hosnian Prime, some of Chancellor Lanever Villecham's guests, as well as himself and Korr Sella, had gathered on a balcony. The night sky filled with a blinding red, before the horrified and incomprehensible eyes of the citizens. Korr Sella realized that all this time spent trying to convince the Senate had been for nothing. The beam pierced the planet, reaching its core. Pieces of its surface rise up into space, destroying the entire New Republic fleet stationed in orbit.
Aboard their ship, the White Storm couldn't believe it. They were here just a few minutes ago. Dorvaas is the first to speak.
"Brains... tell me. How many people lived in the system?"
"Including the fleet, the total is close to 250 billion."
Everyone gasped.
"We have to go back to the Servitor."
Dorvaas says, his eyes still fixed on the cockpit window. Billions of lives had just been wiped out in an instant, before their very eyes. Having heated and exploded five planetary cores, the beam's wake combined the entire Hosnian system into a new binary system. What was just a few minutes ago the jewel of the New Republic, a sort of second Coruscant, is now just two gigantic suns, devoid of the slightest life...