Chapter Text
A decimated RESISTANCE struggles to replenish their numbers after the devastating blow on the planet Crait. General Leia Organa orders a plan to infiltrate stormtrooper battalions, led by newly appointed Generals Finn and Poe Dameron.
Meanwhile, Rey of Jakku continues her Jedi training with the help of ancient Jedi texts recovered from Ahch-to, in order to better understand her mysterious connection to the now Supreme Leader Kylo Ren.
The FIRST ORDER continues its reign of terror across the galaxy, taking advantage of the destruction of Hosnian Prime. However, the rest of the galaxy is unaware of the discontent brewing in the ranks of its leadership…
Rey gazed out at the trails of light flying past the viewport. Even though she’d experienced it many times by now, the feeling of being in hyperspace was still surreal sometimes. It could be a peaceful respite or, in this case, a possible calm before a storm. The thrum of the engine was a stark contrast to the Millennium Falcon, which had...personality to say the least. The stolen First Order transport ship Poe was currently piloting hadn’t been easy to get a hold of, but General Organa - Leia - had deemed it a necessary risk. The Resistance’s new objective required more subtle tactics as opposed to outright warfare.
“Falling out of hyperspace in about ten minutes, guys,” Poe’s voice spoke over the intercom. Rey adjusted the high collar of her black jumpsuit before turning away from the viewport to face the rest of her companions.
Their appropriated ship was a standard stormtrooper transport shuttle, with only the bare essentials. A singular row of seats wrapped around the interior of the hull facing inward, and loops and straps hanging from the ceiling acted as hand grips for anyone standing while in flight.
Finn sat in one of the seats lining the wall, adjusting the strap on his blaster with a determined look on his face. It was also First Order, standard issue, and it, along with half a shipment of others of its kind, hadn’t been easy to acquire either. He also wore a similar jumpsuit to Rey’s. Rose was crouched by BB-8, who sported an impressive new paint job, much to Poe’s displeasure. The droid’s unique white and orange coloring had been replaced with the black, silver and grey of the First Order droids. There wasn’t anything they could do about the domed head, but at least the new color scheme helped him blend in more on these missions.
One of BB-8’s disks was open, exposing the tool compartment inside. Rose tossed her hair out of her eyes as she fiddled with the arc wielder that protruded outward.
“Just making sure it doesn’t come loose like last time,” she told the droid reassuringly. “Try to avoid taking anymore nasty falls.” She tightened the final screw with a smile. BB-8 let out a series of cheery beeps as he closed the disk.
“In BB-8’s defense, he didn’t know the vent he was in wasn’t strong enough to hold his weight,” Rey piped in, smiling. “Or that it was over a thirty-foot drop.”
The little droid chirped in a way that seemed to say See? Not my fault! Rose laughed and patted BB-8 on the dome as she stood.
“Well, this base is on flat ground, so that shouldn’t be a problem.” They both looked over as Finn rose from his seat.
“Alright, let’s go over the plan one more time,” he said, gesturing for them to follow him towards the front of the ship, BB-8 trailing behind them.
Poe glanced over as they all entered the cockpit. BB-8 rolled over to the pilot, beeping happily as he extended the arc wielder and gave off a little spark.
“Hey buddy! You got it fixed!” Poe beamed at his droid. “Thanks, Rose. I owe you one.”
Rose waved her hand dismissively, going over and taking a seat in the co-pilot’s chair. “Don’t worry about it,” she said, punching a couple of buttons.
A hologram appeared in the air between the four of them, detailing the area within and surrounding the First Order base on Kriselist, located in the Mid Rim. The planetoid was suspended in an asteroid field and had large, coral-like structures dotting the landscape, which provided cover against prying eyes for anyone occupying it. But that also gave their little team an advantage when stealthily making their way to the surface.
The diagram showed a large, cleared area of the coral forest that covered the planetoid, with two large buildings at the center with a parade ground between them, then a series of smaller outlying buildings that could be either barracks or hangars for TIE fighters. Their recon intel hadn’t been specific.
“Okay, so,” Finn began. “One more time so we all got it in our heads. Poe sets us down here,” he pointed to one of the structures visible on their map, about a quarter mile from the eastern-most outbuilding. “Then you and Rose stay on the ship to provide backup and a quick getaway if we need it.” He looked over at Rey.
“You, me and BB-8 will make our way to the base, acquire a couple sets of armor,” she said, then she wriggled her fingers in the air. “I’ll use my Jedi mind trick thing in case anyone gets too suspicious.”
“I’ll be guiding you around the buildings over the comms once BB-8 patches in and gets a detailed map of the place,” Rose added.
“And I’ll do all the talking, since I know the lingo,” said Finn. Rey nodded.
“We make our way to the communications center,” she continued. “Where BB-8 leaves our little message-”
“Which you did great on, by the way,” Poe interrupted, putting a hand out toward Finn. “Very inspiring, it almost always moves me to tears.” Finn rubbed the back of his neck self-consciously.
“Thanks,” he said, clearing his throat before nodding over at Rey to continue.
“Then we simply sneak back out with hopefully no one the wiser,” she finished.
It was the standard formula they’d developed over the past few months. With their resources almost destroyed and support lacking, the Resistance had retreated underground to run stealth missions against the First Order. This wasn’t their first go-round doing this type of thing, and there was always the possibility that it could go horribly wrong. But any little thing they did to inconvenience the First Order, or any little scrap of intel they could get, was one step closer to ridding the galaxy of the second repressive regime it had seen in the last century.
“The sooner we get this mission done with the sooner I can get that paint off my droid,” said Poe as Rose shut off the hologram and they swiveled their chairs around so they were facing forward.
“I don’t know, I think he looks rather handsome,” Rey teased, smiling down at BB-8. He wiggled his round body on the spot, emitting a questioning trill. Poe groaned as Rey laughed.
“Yes, exactly like the spies in those holovids Poe likes to watch!” she replied, still chuckling. Finn let out a huff of laughter.
“Hey!” Poe protested. “I will not feel shame about what entertains me on my downtime.” Finn sidled up to Poe’s chair and placed his hands on the headrest.
“You know,” he said, “that’d be a pretty fun holodrama, wouldn’t it? A lone droid, using nothing but his wits and charm to take down corruption and evil? And he gets a new paint job every episode as part of his disguise?” Rey saw the aperture in BB-8’s photoreceptor widen as Finn spun his tale. Poe chuckled, patting Finn’s hand over his shoulder.
“Well, General,” he teased. “Seems like you’ve already got a career pegged for when the war is over.”
A light flashed on the dashboard next to Poe’s hand, then the trails of hyperspace light shrank back to regular stars. Outside the viewport, fragments of rock and asteroid floated gently past. Poe maneuvered the ship around a particularly large one, and Kriselist came into view. It was the largest body in the asteroid field by far, but not quite large enough to be considered anything other than a planetoid. Even from this distance they could see splotches of shadow and discoloration made by the coral-like structures on the surface.
“You three had better head to the back,” said Rose, flipping a couple of overhead switches and the ambient lighting in the cockpit dimmed. BB-8 led the way with Rey following close behind. She looked back to see Finn squeeze Poe’s shoulder briefly before he, too, followed her. Poe’s eyes followed Finn’s retreating back, admiring the way the jumpsuit fit so snugly. He saw Rose smirking out of the corner of his eye.
“What?” he asked, turning back to the controls.
“Nothing, General,” she said innocently.
Rey, Finn and BB-8 gathered at the rear of the ship. Other than their comms and their blasters, they carried nothing else to make movement easier.
Rey pulled the loose half of her hair back into a low bun and smoothed the braids on the sides of her head. Finn set his blaster to stun and she followed suit, remembering to turn off the safety. The low hum of the engine slowly rose in pitch as they felt the ship enter the planetoid’s thin atmosphere.
“Get ready for landing,” Poe’s voice came over the intercom once again. Rey and Finn reached up to grasp one of the hand loops and bent their knees to brace themselves, with BB-8 at their feet rocking back and forth to keep himself balanced. The ship gave a slight jolt before becoming still again, and the ramp opened slowly before them.
“Good luck out there, guys. And may the Force be with you.”
Rey and Finn made their way down the ramp, BB-8 rolling along behind, and saw the dim landscape laid out before them. What little starlight hit Kriselist was mostly blocked by the towering shapes that dotted the surface. A long-dead forest of coral with its twisting, branching columns in shades of pale blue, purple and gray. Rey looked up and saw the hole in the canopy Poe had guided the ship through, which was just barely big enough. The pilot-turned-General continued to impress her.
BB-8 activated a small light on his head which lit up the area to about five feet in front of him. With a gesture for Rey to follow, Finn headed off in the direction of the base, sweeping his eyes over their surroundings. Rey slowed her breathing and reached out with her senses, feeling the Force flowing through and around her. If there had ever been any native life to Kriselist, there certainly wasn’t now. The looming corals were the only skeletal remains of a long-dead ocean, and all around them was a vacant silence.
After about ten minutes of walking Rey sensed movement and life ahead of them, off to the right. She stuck out a hand and Finn halted in his tracks. Rey silently indicated in the direction of the movement and he nodded, then he leaned down and tapped BB-8’s flashlight and put a finger to his lips. The droid turned off the light, plunging them back into deep twilight.
They crept toward one of the corals directly in their path with BB-8 trying to roll as quietly as possible behind them. Crouching at the base of the trunk, they readied their blasters. Rey peered out from their hiding spot and saw light in the distance, shining between the trunks of other corals. The soft whine of approaching speeders made her duck her head. She reached out again with her senses in the direction of the speeders, where she could feel two life forms.
How convenient, she thought wryly, holding up two fingers to Finn, who nodded to show he understood. She moved out of the way to let Finn peer around the trunk, then he propped up the nozzle of his blaster. BB-8 gave a little wiggle of anticipation, but Rey held a finger to her lips and he stopped himself.
The whine of the speeders gradually grew louder until they emerged from between two of the corals, a pair of stormtroopers astride them. Rey felt Finn take a deep breath, then he fired two stunning blasts in quick succession, each hitting their intended target directly on the chest plate. The stormtroopers immediately went limp and crashed to the ground. Rey jumped up and stuck out her hands towards the speeders, willing them to slow down and stop before crashing into any of the corals.
Finn rushed over to the closest trooper started stripping them of their armor as he put it on himself. Rey went over to the second trooper and did the same while BB-8 stood as lookout.
She’d come to hate wearing stormtrooper armor, since it never quite fit right and the rigid plastoid gave her a weird claustrophobic feeling. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Finn methodically putting on the armor, the training that had been ingrained in him for most of his life coming to the surface at moments like these. He adjusted his wrist comm under the gauntlet before speaking into it.
“Alright Fathier One, step one is a go,” he said. Rey slipped on the bucket helmet and secured her blaster at her hip. Grabbing the legs of her trooper, she began to drag them back towards their hiding spot.
“Good job, Fathier Two,” Rose’s voice came over the comms in their ears. “Try to keep us updated if you can.”
“Will do.” Finn bent down and grabbed the legs of his trooper and dragged them over to the base of the coral, grunting with the effort. With a heave, they propped the troopers up against the trunk.
“Do your thing, Fathier Four,” Finn panted before standing and making his way towards one of the speeders. Rey knelt in front of the troopers and gently slapped their cheeks. The first trooper groaned, bringing a hand up to their head, while the other trooper grimaced as their eyes fluttered open.
“Wha-?”
“You haven’t seen anything out of the ordinary,” said Rey, gently waving a hand in front of their faces. Their eyes glazed over and their faces went slack as she infused her voice with her intent.
“We haven’t seen anything out of the ordinary,” they repeated.
“Your speeders malfunctioned and your comms went down. That’s why you’re late getting back to the base.”
“Our speeders malfunctioned and our comms went down. That’s why we’re late.”
“Good,” said Rey, satisfied. “Now sleep.” She reached over and touched their foreheads, and their eyes rolled back before they went limp once again. One of them started snoring softly and Rey smirked under the helmet. Readjusting her shoulder piece, she stood and made her way over to Finn.
“You ready to go?” she asked.
“One second…” He reached under the seat of the speeder and fiddled with something, then jerked his arm back quickly, pulling free what looked like a small connective device. The speeder thumped to the ground, no longer able to hover. Finn tossed it off to the side. The other speeder lay forlornly on the ground as well.
“Now I’m ready,” Finn said, sliding the helmet over his head and squaring his shoulders. Rey looked over at BB-8, who extended his lighter and gave her a thumbs up. She grinned and returned the gesture. They turned and made their way towards the lights of the base in the distance.
As they trudged along side by side, Rey couldn’t help but admire the way Finn carried himself. Even though they’d told her all that had happened while she’d been on Ahch-to, she was still amazed at the change that had come over her first true friend in just the span of a few days. And that confidence, in himself and his friends, had only gotten bolder since they’d reunited on Crait.
For her part, she’d been more than happy to help when Finn and Poe had proposed a long-term plan to incite a rebellion within the stormtrooper ranks of the First Order. They would have smaller, guerilla-style teams working to dismantle it from the bottom up while the rest of the Resistance worked to build support in secret. After running these sporadic test missions to assess the First Order’s alertness to infiltration, Rey knew Poe was getting antsy to start training other groups as well.
They could only hope that, if they stayed under the radar, the First Order would underestimate their chances of succeeding.
The lights grew brighter as they began to see the outlying buildings appearing. Rey squared her shoulders in imitation of Finn, trying to project an air of belonging and authority. In truth, she was starting to sweat and the sound of her own breathing in the helmet wasn’t helping. She breathed deeply through her nose and out her mouth to center herself.
Finn held his wrist comm up to his face. “Fathier One, we’re approaching the first set of buildings.”
“Copy that.”
Coming around the last trunk of coral, they could see a wide walkway lit by light posts interspersed down the length of it. The buildings off to the left were a row single-story barracks, and to the right was a cluster of what looked like storage sheds. Each had its own keypad and dataport next to the doorway.
Finn nudged Rey with his elbow and pointed towards the closest shed, then waved BB-8 ahead of him. They made their way quickly over to it, Rey glancing around to make sure they weren’t being noticed. There was movement in the window of the barracks across the way, but no troopers were out nearby that she could see or sense.
BB-8 rolled up to the doorway, extending his data probe and connecting with the port. The interlocking machinery whirred and rotated as BB-8 searched for what they needed. After a moment, he looked up at Finn and let out an affirmative beep.
“Good job, buddy,” he said, then spoke into his wrist comm. “Fathier One, map coming your way.” BB-8 retracted his probe and stood still as he transmitted the intel back to the ship.
“Copy that. Receiving transmission now.”
“We’re between a row of barracks and some storage sheds, on the eastern-most edge,” said Finn.
“Gotcha. Give me a sec.”
A tense moment followed as they waited for Rose to examine the map of the base and plot out their path. Rey gripped her blaster tighter, wishing, not for the first time, for the familiar weight of her staff or a lightsaber in her hand instead.
Rose’s voice piped up over the comms. “Okay, I’m pretty sure I know where you guys are. Head west until you see the intersection of officers’ quarters on the left across from a commissary on the right.”
“Copy. Heading that way.” Finn gave Rey a two-finger salute, and she returned the gesture before they moved west along the walkway, all the while keeping their eyes peeled. The overhead lights were harsh after the darkness of the coral forest, and they glinted off the silver detailing on BB-8’s body as he rolled along beside them.
“So far, so good,” Rey heard Finn mutter under his breath to himself. Her head jerked up when, ahead of them, a small contingent of troopers rounded the corner and headed towards them. They walked two-by-two, led by a trooper with an orange shoulder pauldron, obviously their captain. Rey kept her breathing steady as they got closer, and she saw Finn straighten his back ever so slightly beside her. She remembered his advice to her before every mission: Confidence is key. Act like you belong and no one will question you.
The group carried on right past them without a glance, heading towards the barracks behind them. Rey, Finn and BB-8 continued on, passing one intersection, then another, the buildings on either side morphing from barracks and storage sheds to single-occupant quarters and speeder storage bays. They passed by troopers walking in groups of two or three, but none of them paid them any mind either.
Finally, just ahead of them on the right they could see a larger building with long, low windows across from a cluster of the smaller buildings that had to be officers’ quarters. They could see small groups of black-clad officers mingling and conversing through the windows. The doors on two of the buildings across the way slid back and they watched as two officers greeted each other and headed towards the commissary. Finn put out a hand and Rey and BB-8 stumbled to a halt.
“Salute,” he quietly hissed, before doing so himself. Rey stood to attention and saluted, watching as the officers glanced in their direction briefly, nodded, then looked away as they continued onward. Finn and Rey held their salutes until they passed by completely before relaxing. Moving forward, Finn spoke into his comm.
“Fathier One, we’re at the intersection.”
“Take a right and then an immediate left. You should see a large hangar and a big open space at the end. The central computer bank for their communications is in the building attached to it.”
“Copy.”
Following Rose’s directions, they turned onto another, narrower walkway. Just as Rose said, in the distance they saw the walkway ended in a large, open parade ground. A hangar bay, its doors wide open, stood off to the side. As they made their way towards the parade ground Rey’s skin began to crawl with the feeling of the plastoid armor moving over it, even with the extra layer of her jumpsuit in between. She couldn’t fathom how Finn had worn armor like this almost every day of his life before he’d met her.
BB-8 looked up at her and tilted his domed head to the side. Rey waved her hand dismissively.
“I’m fine,” she said softly, not wanting to draw Finn’s attention. BB-8 seemed to give her a skeptical look before he looked away.
Luckily, they didn’t encounter any other troopers as they emerged onto the parade ground. Belatedly, Rey realized it must be late in the day on the base, with most troopers done with training exercises for the day. They skirted the edge of the open area, still on high alert.
The sharp smell of hyperspace fuel and cold metal permeated the hangar as they entered it, but even with the chill Rey could feel sweat begin to drip down her neck underneath her armor. About a dozen TIE fighters sat in a neat row, the cables and tubes attached to them snaking across the floor. The only movement in the hangar was that of a couple of astromech droids repairing the shielding on one of the fighters at the far end. They made their way towards the open doorway at the back of the hangar that would take them further into the building.
A middle-aged man with dark hair, who appeared to be an officer given his crisp, black uniform, materialized in the doorway in front of them. Rey, Finn and BB-8 stopped dead in their tracks.
“What are you doing out past curfew?” the man snapped. “Are you authorized to be here?”
Finn stood to attention. “Yes, sir. Code 734, sir. Speeder malfunction while on patrol.”
The officer narrowed his eyes at Finn. “And you didn’t use your comms to call for backup or support?”
“Code 429, sir. Our comms went down as well, so we had to walk all the way back to report in.”
The officer crossed his arms, inspecting Finn up and down. He quickly glanced over at Rey before turning his attention back to Finn.
“This is most irregular,” he said, then pointed down to BB-8. “And why do you have an astromech with you? This isn’t part of standard patrol procedure.” His lip curled up in a look of distaste. “Especially one as outdated as this.”
BB-8 rolled back slightly and let out an indignant trill. Rey saw Finn stiffen and could sense his tension as the officer continued his line of questioning. She took a step forward and waved her hand in front of the officer’s face.
“It’s alright that we’re here,” she said, keeping her voice even as she willed him to believe her. The officer’s brow furrowed in confusion, and she was surprised to find some resistance.
“It’s alright that we’re here,” she repeated, pushing a bit harder. She saw his throat bob up and down as he swallowed hard.
“It’s…alright that you’re here?” he asked. Rey nodded, waving her hand in front of his face again, seeing sweat beginning to gather on his upper lip. He was a stubborn one, so she moved closer until she was right in his face.
“You will take us to the central computer bank.”
“I will take you to-”
Rose’s voice unexpectedly came over the comms. “Fathiers One and Two, any progress updates?” The officer’s eyes instantly refocused from their glassy stare. He’d heard Rose’s voice and Rey froze as her control over him snapped. His expression hardened and he reached for his own comm device. Rey wheeled around to Finn, who sprung into action.
“All systems-” was all the officer got out before Finn’s stunning blast hit him in the chest and he dropped to the ground unconscious.
“Guys? You there?” Rose’s concerned voice said in their ears. BB-8 let out a series of nervous beeps, looking back and forth between the two of them. Rey grunted in frustration, searching around for a place to hide the man.
“Slight detour but we’re almost there!” Finn’s voice was breathy as he replied. He went over and crouched next to the officer, patting him down until he had found his comm and what looked like an access key card which he attached to his own belt. Rey spotted a tool storage locker that looked big enough to hold the man’s body.
“Over there,” she said to Finn, pointing. “Let’s lock him in there, quickly.” Finn grabbed the man’s legs and Rey lifted his upper body and began dragging him over.
“Did your Jedi mind trick just fail you?” Finn panted as they heaved the officer upright into the locker. Rey’s glare was ineffective under her helmet.
“Some people are more stubborn than others,” she replied tersely. “It doesn’t work all the time.” She shoved the man back as he began to tip forward and shut the door of the locker. “Let’s get going before someone realizes he’s gone.”
“Right,” he said, then spoke into his comm as they headed for the doorway once again, BB-8 trailing behind them. “Slight change of plan, Fathier One. Fathier Four had some trouble with an officer, so we’re gonna speed up the mission a bit.”
They heard Rose sigh. “Just stay safe, guys.”
“When do we ever not?” Finn teased, and Rey could hear the smirk in his voice.
They passed through the doorway and entered a long hall that extended for about eighty feet in front of them before ending at a large, sealed door at the other end, with two more sets of hallways branching off in between. The air was warmer in here than in the hangar, but the overhead lighting was just as harsh as the rest of the base.
They cautiously but quickly made their way down the hallway, BB-8 swiveling his domed head around anxiously. Rey sensed the presence of other living beings in the building in rooms further away, but none that seemed to be moving in their direction. Finn reached the sealed door first and examined it quickly before pulling the officer’s key card from his belt.
“Let’s hope this works,” he said under his breath before inserting it into the slot to the left of the door. The light above it flashed red three times before changing to green with a prolonged beep. The door split down the middle and slowly began opening.
Rey felt the air around her seem to crystallize, her stomach dropping as she realized what was happening. All sounds, the ambient hum of the building, the whirring of the door’s machinery, faded away as if she was in a vacuum.
No! she thought frantically. Not here! Not NOW.
Her breath hitched, feeling his presence materialize in their bond. She slowly, deliberately, turned her head to look down the hallway to her right, her heart hammering in her chest.
Kylo Ren stood in the middle of the hallway, as if he was solid flesh and blood right in front of her. He wasn’t looking at her, instead looking at something on the datapad he held. His dark hair was swept away from his face, the angry scar she’d given him standing out on his pale skin.
Rey felt her anxiety skyrocket the instant she saw him, and he must have sensed it along the bond, his head snapping in her direction and his eyes locking on her face. Rey stiffened, realizing he was seeing her in a stormtrooper uniform, of all things. His brow furrowed and she felt his confusion trickle down the bond.
Rey quickly ran through all the possible reactions he could have in her mind, the consequences of which would almost certainly mean capture for herself and her friends once he figured out what she was doing. He would sound the alarm, and she, Finn and BB-8 would be taken away and possibly tortured for information. The Resistance would lose a valuable leader, their only Jedi, Poe would lose his beloved droid, and it would be all her fault.
Kylo continued to stare at her as she felt herself begin to succumb to her panic. His eyes slowly raked over her, and she felt his confusion fade. Vaguely, as if from outside a thick bubble, she could hear Finn saying her name. Kylo blinked, his expression oddly vacant.
“I prefer the wrap.”
And then he was gone.