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Fandom Star Wars: Chaos and Order [Closed]

As the thought of reaching out to Leia crossed his mind, Kylo blocked it all out. As such, he did not feel whatever Verena was referring to, and didn’t open himself to it. “No,” he denied, not at all sure what she meant…and very certain he didn’t want to know.

Now was not the time to be distracted from the mission.

“We need to focus,” he was talking to himself, more than he was to Verena, but he still pitched his voice low enough that he was unlikely to be understood by the Stormtroopers, “if we fail here, the weapon will fire again, and we will lose all hope of finding Skywalker. Snoke will destroy the Resistance if they get the droid first.”

And everything around the Resistance.

He didn’t know where they were, but it would be…a lot more innocents killed.

Weren’t they out to rule the galaxy and create order? Not…just destroy it? How did that prove they were right? He’d question it, he’d hoped it would only be used once, but right then, he understood – it wouldn’t.

They would lead by fear…and that fear would have to be constantly reinforced.

He hated that idea. And though he tuned out the feelings, his own still bled off of him. All that hatred. All that turmoil.

~***~

On another day, Neria would have been annoyed with Poe for trespassing. In truth, she would have been annoyed with Lenora, even if Lenora had been in here before. At least, Neria thought she had. The Orrineswa was one of Neria’s few spaces that truly spoke to her identity. It wasn’t made pretty or sterilized for visitors, beyond the lounge.

Her room spoke of the Carrion Plateau. Fur rugs, fur blanket, trees in pots anchored in place, tables with river motifs captured in resin, and weapons made not of metal, but bone. Nature’s place was obvious in the confines of the room, and when Beta returned as Poe asked his question, Neria took one of the water glasses, and stuck the bloom into it.

She set the other down for Omega.

“He sees with the Force,” Neria answered, “among other things. The sudden loss of life across the Hosnian system must have overwhelmed his senses, in a manner of speaking. He’ll be all right.”

“Wait—wait wait. Hosnian System? Loss of life?”

Neria nodded, “The First Order used the Stellar Forge plans and found a way to make it work. The fact they’re stationed on Ilum gives me thoughts as to how they did it. They launched a lightspeed attack on the Hosnian System. Everyone left behind is dead.”

Beta became a sickly yellow, and her shrill whisper spoke to her horror, “Why didn’t you tell me?!”

Neria shut her eyes, and calmly responded, “The chances of any of you doing something stupid with that knowledge were too high. I do not apologize for my deceptions,” she stood up, opened her eyes, “Mari and Milo…don’t need to know. They weren’t there long.” Beta hesitantly nodded, and stepped out to regroup, and return to the kids.

Omega shifted, letting out a groan as he started to come back to consciousness, “Easy,” Neria said gently, “there’s water, and a plant. Take care of the plant until I can.”

His blind reach was likely genuine, she couldn’t imagine his sight completely clear, but his hands wrapped around the plant-cup like a lifeline.

Something living.

Something peaceful. “I am going to return us to our path.” Taking the kids to Takodana was a fucking terrible idea, but Poe left her no choice.
 
Verena wondered at first if she overstepped and risked revealing her own thoughts that strayed from Snoke’s wants. And that if Kylo knew that, he would tell Snoke, and Verena wouldn’t know much more after that. No doubt killed by Kylo’s hands at the order of Snoke.

But when Kylo spoke again, low for only the two of them, that with his words gave her hope that he too saw the weapon as…too much. What’s the point in ruling a galaxy if one is merely going to destroy all the planets? And those who saw the First Order as their legitimate rulers, they didn’t deserve to become space dust.

She felt that turmoil, and that hatred, bleed off of him in waves. It gave her more hope that they were actually on a similar page regarding the Starkiller weapon and its use. She couldn’t just stand there in silence and wait for the shuttle to get to Takodana though. Her thoughts were too loud.

“I need to discuss something with you in private.” Away from the prying ears of the Stormtroopers. Verena gently tugged on his arm in the direction she started, letting go once it was clear he was following her. She led him into a supply closet, a tight fit for the two of them.

“We’re both thinking the same thing, aren’t we?” Verena would speak first, before Kylo could ask any questions. “About the Starkiller weapon, and what it could mean for the future of the First Order?”

~~~

The bloom in the glass of water was curious to Poe, but the explanation of his seeing with the Force and feeling the sudden loss of life made sense. To be a Force user and be able to feel all those people dying at once…he didn’t envy those with the Force at all right then.

Did you feel it, Ben, when your First Order’s weapon fired upon that system?

Maybe Poe would’ve done something stupid had he known ahead of time of the attack. Save some pilots. Some children. Rally as many people as he could into larger shuttles. But then he could have been just as likely on the planet when the beam hit.

Seeing Omega gently cusp the cup that held the water sparked a feeling in Poe he couldn’t describe. But when Neria announced she was returning them to their path, he spoke up with his gaze set on her, “Take us to D’Qar, in the Ileenium system. I have some friends there who can help us.”

If General Organa chastised him for bringing the Imperials there, then so be it, but this entire situation was much larger than either of them.
 
Kylo wasn’t sure where, exactly, they were supposed to talk in private unless they kicked the pilots out of the cockpit. It was in lightspeed, the pilots didn’t really need to be there. Even so, he followed, even when it became obvious she wasn’t going to the cockpit but a…supply closet.

He had to press up against the wall not to take up too much space, and even that didn’t help, much. They were practically chest-to-chest thanks to the limited space of the room. He felt like he shouldn’t even breathe.

He did, but he was disgruntled to be in the small space. “What?” he hissed before she spoke about the very important personal subject she had to address. Which, was about Starkiller. He should have expected that, and he let out an irritated huff when she spoke to it, without revealing her hand.

“I’m certainly thinking about what it means for the future,” he hedged. Verena could tell anything to Snoke. He didn’t need her telling Snoke he had his doubts about the weapon. Couldn’t Snoke feel this?

Didn’t he hate this feeling, too?

No, probably not.

“It certainly has many implications for how the First Order will rule in the future,” and he wasn’t daft enough to reveal discontent first, even if his emotions continued to give him away. Going by emotions alone wasn’t enough to Snoke, they were conflicted beings, after all. “Why does it matter?”

They didn’t get a say.

‘Not yet.’ That thought was far more deadly, and he focused his attention away from that.

~***~

It seemed seeing the weapon in action was what it took for Dameron to change his mind. Neria knew that planet. She didn’t quip something off at Poe’s comments, only nodded, and turned back to the cockpit to set new coordinates for lightspeed, relaxing back into the pilot’s seat.

Her datapad had several messages on it when she pulled it up, almost all of them asking the same thing: What happened? Are you alive? It was from the others she’d evacuated, but also friends off-planet, other senators who hadn’t made it for the meeting yet – or were staying out of it in protest, or for personal reasons.

Neria folded her legs underneath herself as she started to calmly respond to each of them with the truth: she was alive, and the First Order had a planet-destroying weapon.

It was to Adelaide that she stated Pandion was the source of the information. A few minutes later, she learned Pandion was in the brig, awaiting her decision.

Neria didn’t need to explain how Pandion became the source of information. She didn’t have a decision yet.

Take the Exigency to Takodana. I’ll meet you there.

She knew Poe and Lenora were hovering, but she did a quick look to make sure Mari and Milo weren’t, “What would you do, hypothetically, if the one who saved your life was only able to do so by putting it at risk in the first place?” it was a conundrum. She’d never have been saved if Pandion hadn’t spilled important information to Sindian, and she didn’t know what that information was.

The weapon would have fired.

She’d be dead.

Was mercy called for? Or was death? To Lenora, she said, “It was Pandion. He knew. Sindian told him to evacuate the planet, and he told me.”
 
In the closet, Kylo’s presence felt overwhelming. Not just from the Force that swayed between them, but from his sheer size. Verena already knew he was a tall man, but this close to him in the supply closet also proved that his skills just weren’t in the Force alone. He had physical prowess.

It didn’t intimidate her, but it did briefly give her thoughts she wasn’t used to.

Kylo dodged directly answering her question in any way that would have incriminated him to Snoke. She couldn’t blame him. Verena would have done the same if the tables were turned, but with how obvious in how he truly felt bleeding into the Force, and with how he phrased his words, she felt confident in continuing.

“The First Order will have no future if there are no planets left.” That they seemed they could both agree on. “And it all does matter. To make a decision as…momentous as that one without…” that was when Verena trailed off. She still didn’t exactly know how Kylo felt about everything.

He could be the one to turn to Snoke, just to off her.

She took a deep breath, the scents she breathed in reminding her of the charged air right before a thunderstorm with notes of leather lingering. “I know we have very little reason to trust each other, but I can promise you, that anything said in here, will not be spoken to anyone else, if you promise the same thing.” There was the offer.

The ball was in his court now. “You can even look into my mind if you wish.”

~~~

Poe was quick to follow Neria - it was his actions that led them to their new path. That warranted need in the cockpit.

But really, he just wanted to look at it more.

Lenora was a bit slower in following. Her mind warred with too many thoughts, the most of all realizing that this was going to be her family’s legacy: indirectly causing the destruction of many planets, billions of lives lost.

She ultimately followed them back into the cockpit, taking a seat while not allowing evidence of her overwhelming thoughts.

Neria broke their silence with a not-so-hypothetical question.

“This is war, we quite frequently have to put our lives at risk,” Lenora said with a slight smirk. “Do we know what information he gave Sindian? I’d say given this was a pretty big fucking secret to spill, I would personally forgive Pandion.” Maybe she was biased. She liked living.
 
Verena continued, and Kylo did mistrust it. This could be a test. It would hardly be the first time Snoke pulled something like that. Kylo couldn't show he was wavering. His faith was solid!

But what was his faith in? ‘Not this.’

He wanted something greater than this.

“A person can always change their mind.” Kylo said when Verena offered to let him in. Even so, this would prove if her mind, at the moment, was treacherous. With the small space, he didn't really need to bring his hand up, but he did.

If nothing else, it was a focusing ritual, as he hovered his hand in the air besides her head, and reached out to her mind.

If there was no resistance, it wouldn't hurt…much.

Kylo wasn't exactly practiced with a willing mind, and his method was always to tear and rend. He wasn't gentle by nature, but he would still try if Verena let him in.

~***~

Lenora chimed in. It was her place to. She was a part of this and Poe was distracted by the cockpit – expected. The odds of him seeing it again were slim. It wouldn't give him the secrets of stealth, at any rate.

Lenora opted for mercy.

Poe would have likely said the same.

Neria balked inwardly at the idea. How did she make this mercy sting? She knew, in many ways, she didn't want him dead for this. For other things, yes, but he was being judged on this. Once could claim the debt was paid. He risked plenty in telling them. He lost the alliance he had, certainly.

But Neria was never fair.

“You are so soft,” it was an insult that came out playfully. Still, she supposed he wouldn't die. What would happen, well–she didn't have the time yet. Perhaps inspiration would strike, as the ship came out of lightspeed.

Neria considered cloaking for the chaos, but didn't, “Where are you all on this planet?” She called to Poe as she activated her own hailing beacon.
 
“Yes, a person can change their mind. Either one of us could.” Verena showed she had just as much reason to not trust him as he her, yet she still wanted to see if they could form this strange alliance.

And to help sow that alliance, she put up no barriers as he reached out into her mind. The pressure was tense at first, and Verena let out a gasp at the unpleasant sensation. She was used to painful training sessions as Snoke taught her how to create those mental barriers for her mind, but those sessions came with a great deal of pain.

There was no resistance for Kylo. She offered up what she just spoke of. No hidden purposes. The raw emotions of what she had felt during the cataclysm were sent forth. Her silent thoughts of how such a weapon shouldn’t exist - it wasn’t beneficial to bringing order to the galaxy.

Only fear, anger, and further chaos.

She even offered deeply repressed thoughts of how she disbelieved certain plans of Snoke. How she herself wanted something greater than what she believed he was leading them down. I’m loyal to the grand cause would echo in Kylo's head.

Not to Snoke. That loyalty has slowly been wavering for a while now. If she couldn't be good enough for him, then she would be better than him.

~~~

Lenora scoffed. “You tell anyone outside of this cockpit that I’m soft, and you’re dead.” She was joking. Sort of. “Same goes to you, flyboy,” she directed at Poe.

Poe held up his hands in silent truce. No one he knew would believe that an offspring of a Krennic would be soft anyways.

When Neria asked him of their exact location, he walked up next to her, standing beside where she sat at the controls. The base did largely blend in with the planet’s jungle environment, so if one wasn’t actively looking for it, it was easy to miss.

He listed off the exact coordinates for her. “Do you want me to speak first?” he offered. “It may give them a good shock to hear that their missing pilot is arriving on one of these ships.”

It may confuse General Organa greatly.
 
Kylo sifted through the thoughts offered, poked under the surface of them, as he sought deceptions beyond what Verena was keeping from Snoke. There was plenty, but Kylo was no stranger to that. He could hardly blame her, when he was keeping plenty close to himself.

It seemed Verena had liked ideas of a future Snoke had, as Kylo did.

And it seemed she'd noticed him straying from it, as well.

When he extricated himself from those thoughts, he let out a heavy breath. “We're…in agreement. A weapon like this is not useful to bringing order to a galaxy. It will only leave it in fear, and a fearful regime is not a beneficial one.” Sure, some were kept down by fear, but many others reached breaking points and lashed out.

“This…situation should be approached.”

They both knew it couldn't be. Not with words.

But Kylo wasn't ready to fight.

The fear did work well on him.

~***~

Neria rolled her eyes. She'd absolutely tell others Lenora was soft if she wanted to and Lenora couldn't do anything about it. She shouldn't act soft if she didn't want to seem that way! But, the others knew, anyways. She was likely to have allies in her thoughts.

Adelaide.

Even if Adelaide locked Pandion up.

‘No I don't want you to speak first
.’ Neria didn't, but she understood the merits of it. She let out a harsh breath. This entire situation wasn't agreeable. She didn't want to deal with Princess Leia right after planetary destruction. Stars only knew how hostile the bitch was going to be.

“You may,” she allowed, “this isn't a meet and greet. I am just dropping you off.” So Poe would know how to temper his responses. She wasn't stepping on base.

She wasn't going to see the Princess.

It would be needlessly cruel to Krennic, as well.
 
When Kylo pulled out of her mind, Verena could feel her weariness try and take over again. She needed a nap, at the very least, but instead, she had to force herself to pull forward. There was still Takodana to take care of.

She nodded to Kylo’s words. “Exactly.” Too much fear could lead to unrest, violence, and other civil disobedience that would be a pain to extinguish, so why fan that flame to begin with?

“I agree, it should, but what should we do next?” Verena wasn’t ready or prepared to fight Snoke, she doubted Kylo was as well, and with Snoke’s guards nearby, they didn’t stand a chance.

Did they dare try and find more people on their side?

Oh how she wanted to lean her head forward, rest it on Kylo’s chest, and take a long nap. It seemed comfortable.

“So for now, are we…amicable?” She doubted they would ever reach above the acquaintance stage, but something that didn’t involve constantly irritating one another worked well.

~~~

Poe understood. There was urgency to get to Takodana, and he was aware of certain feelings between Leia and the Imperials, especially Nera.

He wondered if conversations were ever exchanged between Krennic and Leia.

A familiar voice to Poe came through, “State your name and business for being here.”

He could hear the barest hint of worry lace her words. “Why, Lieutenant, you almost sound concerned there. Or maybe you just missed the best damn pilot in the Resistance that much during my prolonged absence away.”

There was a brief moment of silence before he could hear a swift cuss. “I guess I can say it’s been a little too quiet around here recently.” Poe chuckled. There was always too much to do to have too much silence around there.

Another voice spoke up a second later, “You can land in hangar bay two.” General Organa. “And I’m sure you already know what I’m going to ask when you get off that ship.”

“I’m sure I can too.” Poe wouldn’t deny that. “But we need to take care of a little situation first. Tell Black Squadron they need to prepare for battle. Beebee is on Takodana, and the First Order is on their way as well.”
 
“We should continue, as we’ve been ordered.” Kylo stated flatly to the question. He wasn’t about to approach Snoke right then on this. Especially not with the threat of Luke Skywalker more real than ever. He wanted to deal with one problem, and one problem only, at a time. He would get rid of Luke.

Then…he’d see about the rest. “Getting rid of Luke is more important,” Snoke could obliterate 20 planets, but Luke had to be dealt with first. At least, Kylo was of that mind. Luke could only too easily destroy the Order if left alone, and then Kylo wouldn’t have anything at all to fight for, or want.

At least right now, he still wanted the Order. He still believed in its potential for greater change to the galaxy that didn’t necessarily involve planetary destruction.

But for now? “Yes, we’re amicable,” until minds changed. Until Snoke got to one of them more. “Is there more to say before we return to the shuttle?” not that there was a reason to return to the shuttle, but the cramped space wasn’t really comfortable, and it was getting stupidly hot in the small room from the body height emitting off of both of them.

Just what Kylo needed before a fight – he’d been sweaty too many times today.

He really needed a rest.

~***~

Poe didn’t waste any time in letting Princess Organa know the situation, just as the Princess wasted no time in letting them know where to land. There was no address to her, which was fine by Neria. She didn’t offer a response or interjection into the conversation, reminding herself she was not there to start any fights.

She had a fight waiting for her on Takodana, on Arkanis, and on Ilum.

She was picking all the battles today. She could neglect this one, as she swung down low and finally saw the base. There was already someone waving her ship over, so she followed the instructions. There were far too many people just running about the damn base, and Neria was sure that word spread for the numbers coming towards her ship.

Either they knew Poe was on the ship, or they anticipated issues from her.

Or both.

With the ship landed, she did not turn it off, fully prepared to leave as soon as Poe cleared the ramp. Still, she at least rose from her seat once the ship was parked. “I’ll see you soon at Takodana,” that was obvious. She resisted the urge to hug him. Somehow it felt both right, and absolutely not right, after how hellish this day had been for both of them. Not to mention, Poe was officially going back to the Resistance.

No question about it, parked in their base. It felt so final. “I’ll try to save you something to do other than fly around,” she absolutely would not.

She noted Omega in the doorway and frowned at him for it. Not that he'd see it, but he'd feel the disapproval. He should be resting.

But, he was ever a man of duty. She wouldn’t comment on his presence. Beta and the kids were absent; Neria hoped the kids had fallen asleep. Maybe the dog helped that.
 
Verena could agree with Kylo right then. Continue with things as normal, eliminate one threat at a time. They could think about future plans when one hurdle was cleared.

But while Luke Skywalker lived, people would have that silly hope that they could live free from order in a chaotic galaxy, and it would be harder to bring the planets under control. And maybe, in the time after Skywalker’s death, Snoke’s elation would distract him enough to not notice his apprentices’ betrayal until it was too late.

Yes, now that we’re amicable, do I have the privilege of seeing your face?

She already knew the answer, but she still wanted to ask just for his response. Instead, “I have nothing else to add for now.” Shame, it was almost cozy now that they had a temporary truce.

Verena would open the door first to return to the main area. She almost missed it, but she saw the Stormtrooper that leaned over to his friend, whispered something, and the both of them chuckled lowly.

“Would you like to say that again to myself and Commander Ren?” Verena asked the trooper in a tone that far suggested it was merely a suggestion.

~~

The goodbye felt so final. They still had Takodana to get through! Then after…not unless the Imperials had a change of heart.

Or if Leia changed hearts.

The kids weren’t anywhere to be seen, which Poe suspected was the best idea for now. He was sure he would see them after everything on Takodana was taken care of. But then the tears he would have to deal with. Would the tears belong to him or the kids?

Neria may have hesitated on hugging him goodbye, but Poe was feeling sappy. He grabbed her arm and gently tugged her closer into a warm embrace, wrapping his arms tight around her. “And I’ll try and make sure there’s something left for you.” Rather he would focus on finding his droid and trusting his squadron to take care of the rest.

And he allowed himself to linger in the hug a moment longer than what was necessary, breathing in her scent and enjoying the sensation of her body pressed against his.
 
Kylo offered a curt nod as Verena had nothing to add, and opened the door to get out of the closet. It was almost too hot in there, and the drop in temperature on stepping out was almost a relief. He could almost miss Starkiller base for the chill.

Except, the Stormtroopers still decided to be idiots. He could tell by the snickering, which Verena quickly spoke to, as Kylo strode forward to reclaim his space. Now he paused near the two Troopers, eyes somehow fixing easily on the truly guilty one and making it obvious with how he tilted his head.

“C-Commander,” he stammered, just a bit, “it was just a comment about the upcoming fight at Takodana. How the Resistance would, er,” he struggled for the lie, but Kylo let him, standing imposingly, impatiently, over the Trooper, “get beaten so bad they’d run back to their mothers.”

That was an absolutely pathetic display of lying if Kylo ever saw one.

“If they are beaten so badly they are only running, they are not beaten,” Kylo said, “but that isn’t what you said.” He looked to the other Trooper, “What did he say?”

“Commander, he was joking about the time you and the Herald spent in the storage closet. He thought the pair of you may be getting…intimate.”

Kylo canted his head a moment, not initially understanding how that would even work in such a cramped space, before he realized the logistics didn’t matter, and the mental images were not helping.

The other Troopers, who now knew what was suggested, were wise not to laugh or react.

~***~

Neria didn’t fight the hug. It wasn’t even unexpected, Poe offered warning in the tug, but she let it be. She did want it, after all, even if initiating it would have been a step too far for her liking. This way, she didn’t bother to offer even a token resistance, and wrapped her arms around him, holding him just as tight, and enjoying the sensations.

She was always starved for contact.

People were afraid of her, after all. It made her treasure those like Beta who just fucking went for it. Most of her friends were of a similar nature to her, and whether for public image, or a genuine dislike of too much affection, they didn’t express such things in touch. He smelled like a flyboy – the oil clung to him, but that was familiar. Nice.

‘Pity.’

She chuckled into his comment about leaving anything for her to do. As if he’d make it there first. “If you’re trying to stall for your squadron to prepare, it won’t help,” she teased about the hug, but didn’t break it immediately. She lingered, before letting out a sigh, and then breaking away, “Go on. Before I have to deal with Leia trying to get on my ship. Not that I’d be unhappy to explain this to her, but you might have more problems than I would have.”

She gave a wink and stepped back, offering a shooing gesture for him to get off, “And don’t worry, Krennic,” she turned attention, “I’ll drop you off on the Exigency so you’re nice and safe from the battlefield. Can’t risk ruining your cape, can we?”

Orrineswa was her baby, but the Exigency? Oh, that was a powerhouse. She’d been playing with that for a long time, keeping its power away from ‘destroy planets’ level, but definitely making it ridiculously over-tuned in the meantime. It was the only ship in her fleet that could punch through a planetary shield in a single shot.

A flagship had to be impressive, not decorative, in her opinion. Far too overpowered for Takodana, but she wouldn’t be using it as an attack force, just as a base of sorts.
 
The Stormtrooper could not lie at all. It was so pathetic.

Verena knew she would not be blamed if she ended his miserable life there for daring to make such a lewd suggestion about his superiors, but that wouldn’t teach him a lesson, would it? It would be the easy way out.

“And what would give you the asinine idea that such a comment about your superiors, within earshot nonetheless, was a good idea?” Her voice remained even, but anyone could hear the anger lingering just underneath the surface.

The trooper’s initial silence spoke of his fear, but as he began to try and stammer out an answer, Verena held up a hand. He immediately stopped. “Normally I would decide on an appropriate punishment, but I think I will alert Captain Phasma of what transgressed here, and she will think of an appropriate punishment for the two of you.”

The other trooper did, after all, laugh with him.

“She will be expecting you two after we return from Takodana.” Now they have the entire trip to anticipate what was going to happen to them.

“Understood, Herald.”

~~~

Poe didn’t want the hug to end. Neria was warm. She smelled sweet and a bit earthy, which he always enjoyed. He was used to contact all the time - he never hesitated to hug someone, but something about this hug felt different.

It almost felt too intimate for Neria’s friends to watch.

“Damn, you discovered my plan,” Poe chuckled. He wasn’t even thinking about his squadron at the moment, or of General Organa, but her words only brought him back to reality, and he let her go as she stepped back.

When addressed, Lenora chuckled, “I do have more than one cape, but thank you.” She could fire a blaster, but she preferred to stay away from the battlefield if necessary.

Poe got off the ship, and several people were standing there, waiting for him. It was obvious they were all happy to see Poe alive and well, but there were unspoken questions, and the look Leia gave was the loudest of them all as she glanced between the familiar ship and her pilot.

“I’ll explain later, I promise, but right now I need to get to Takodana as fast as possible with the Black Squadron.”

Leia didn’t say anything as she stepped forward to give Poe a quick embrace. “At least you know what’s coming to you,” she chuckled, stepping back. “Your squadron is waiting for you. Get back safe, and that’s an order. I don’t think I can survive not knowing the fate of our best pilot again.”

It may have been a joke, but Poe felt a twang of guilt knowing Leia felt some pain at his disappearance. She had already lost so much, he couldn’t be another one she loses. “Of course, General.” He wouldn’t wait another second before running off to the hangar with their X-Wings, where his Squadron waited for him.
 
Kylo Ren wanted to argue the point. Well, no, not argue – he wanted to execute the trooper, and the thought of doing so then and there, despite Verena’s words, occurred to him. The Order already knew there was a power struggle between him and General Hux, so he wasn’t one to care about how such a thing was perceived.

They knew not to piss him off.

However, before he could enact it, the shuttle shifted out of lightspeed, and he knew they were at Takodana. The brief shift between lightspeed and realspace was enough to jar him from the process of murdering troopers, especially so close to landing.

“Do not die before reporting to Captain Phasma,” Kylo growled, “or you will not know a second’s peace.” They didn’t truly understand the Force, so he was quite sure the threat would carry weight that he could influence their afterlife.

He could hear the TIEs scream ahead of the shuttle, and he heard some of Maz’s anti-aerial artillery begin to fire on them. No doubt, some of the brave few of Maz’s customers would try to join that aerial battle. ‘Did we have that many TIEs?’ something seemed…off in the sound.

Then the shuttle landed, and the doors opened, allowing Kylo to step out into the fray. Other troopers were on the ground already, and one look in the sky gave Kylo the answer he sought to the too-many TIEs question.

‘Imperials.’ His nose wrinkled beneath his mask to see that triangular destroyer above. They knew. ‘No matter.’ He didn’t care how much fodder died. He needed to find the droid. He kept the Force within, not wanting to pick up Han in the mess of all of this, as he turned towards the ruins of Maz’s castle.

“Find the droid!” he reminded everyone, “and capture it – intact!” a reminder they likely didn’t need.

~***~

As soon as Dameron cleared the ramp, Neria had it pulled up. The door shut automatically as she pushed her ship right back into the air, and cleared the Resistance airspace. If anyone was going to think about stopping her, they were wise enough to let it slide – this time – as she punched it into lightspeed.

She went back to check on the kids.

Milo and Mari were asleep, and Neria gave Beta a quick briefing on the situation, and asked her to stay on the ship even when they docked in the Exigency, so the kids would have a familiar face when they woke. Even though Beta wanted to join her on the field, she denied it.

The kids needed someone.

Neria arrived in good time, dressed for the fight below; the first of the First Order’s TIEs were wreaking havoc on the castle, though as promised, Neria didn’t bring the Orrineswa down to play. She docked, and found Adelaide waiting in the hangar.

“General,” Neria greeted, “what is the status?”

“I’ve dispatched two squadrons of TIE fighters to deal with the Order. I have Une on the ground to fight, and Vera on the ground to direct survivors. I do not believe Vera has yet made contact with Maz herself. No sign of the droid.”

“Of course not.”

“We are anticipating the arrival of Kylo Ren as well as the Herald of Lian, but they are not there yet.”

“Well, good. This will give me an opportunity to truly test project Black Hole then.”

Omega twitched at the mention of it, “I do not recommend that.”

“Noted, but I am still doing it.”

And so, General Tagge had the ‘Black Hole’ prototype brought out for Neria. Its current design left it as a belt, due to how far the field went in all directions, it seemed best to put it nearest to the center of a person’s body. The field seemed to extend approximately two feet away in all directions from Neria at that position, so most humans would be completely covered in it as a belt.

It couldn’t be turned off, though, and so it was often kept in an isolated area; it had a bad habit of killing things that went through prolonged exposure. Omega stepped out of the field immediately and was visibly uncomfortable, but he made no additional comments when he, Neria, and a select hit squad packed into a shuttle of their own to head down.
 
Verena had a similar thought to Kylo with the TIEs. Something seemed off in the noise, and it sounded like there were far too many flying around. Too many ships could be just as much of a hindrance to the mission as too few.

Stepping out into the chaos answered the question for her. The TIEs belonged to the Imperials, evident by their destroyer above. All traitors, in her eyes.

She watched Kylo stalk off in one direction, and she would turn off to another. Carnage surrounded her, with troopers and enemies alike engaged in battle, TIEs versus TIEs shooting at one another. The only thing missing was the Resistance, and Verena suspected they were well on their way.

There was no mention of spotting the droid by anyone yet, but she knew it still remained on the planet.

She pulled out her lightsaber and illuminated both ends. Her steps led her away from the center of the battle near the castle, and perhaps there was reason for where she headed.

Another shuttle not far off landed on the planet. More Imperials, she gauged from the shuttle design.

Why they wanted the droid was a mystery to Verena, but whoever was on the shuttle, she vowed to not let them get far and ruin their search.
 
A lightsaber was illuminated as the shuttle doors opened. The figure was not Kylo, but Neria knew her job immediately. Before anyone could truly realize the danger, she stepped forward and whistled, “Oh Herald!” She called to get her attention as she stepped onto the ground.

Omega was quick to step up into his own defensive position, though the others understood this wasn't their fight. Even Omega knew he wasn't hanging around long – with Neria's Black Hole, he'd become useless.

When Neria had attention, she pulled her shotgun into sight, racked it, and then used her stealth device to make herself invisible.

As soon as it clicked in that Verena couldn't sense her, she was likely to immediately disregard the others in the shuttle, but if not, Omega was braced with an electrostaff reminiscent of what purge troopers used.

Very prepared to fight against a lightsaber.

Meanwhile, Neria was intent to try and get close to blast a hole in Verena by taking advantage of her likely blindness in the moment, coming up along towards her left side before taking her shot.
 
“Governor Tarkin.” Neria was the only one Verena focused on. Anyone else, including the miraluka next to her, was inconsequential.

She still wasn’t all too happy that the Tarkin managed to escape from right under her nose.

The shotgun was revealed, and Verena narrowed her eyes in annoyance at the weapon. It wasn’t one she saw often, and she preferred not to. Then Neria completely disappeared.

With a huff, Verena called forth the Force to help her locate the Imperial, but…there was nothing. She couldn’t feel the woman at all. What the kriff is going on?

Her pulse raced as she faced down a situation she hadn’t dealt with before. How did Neria hide herself like that? It was impossible!

By sheer luck, Verena heard a slight shuffle to her left. She jumped to the side and into a roll right as she heard the loud discharge of the shotgun. Straightening up, fear was etched on her face as her eyes searched frantically for the invisible woman.

She knew as soon as the woman was able to get a shot, she would be fucked. “Why are you hiding? Afraid, Governor?”
 
Neria knew better than to answer taunts. She didn’t move from her place when Verena rolled away, she didn’t curse, she watched as that fear sunk in, and those in the shuttle quickly cleared away from it to assist elsewhere in dealing with the Order.

She had the attention of the threat.

She had one more shot before she had to reload, and that wasn’t a quiet process, so Neria waited as Verena’s anxiety mounted, until Verena had actually turned herself to face Neria again, likely with no idea where Neria would have run.

Because why would she stay in the same place?

Neria aimed at Verena’s chest, and fired again.
 
Verena scowled when Neria made no noise, no mention to uncover her exact whereabouts. She couldn’t hear any shuffling against the ground. Neria could be anywhere, as Verena’s eyes darted around, desperate for the Force to give her anything.

It was too quiet.

Then all at once, she heard the sound of thunder from before her. As if the Force finally heard her calling, she quickly spun her lightsaber to deflect the blast.

Except she didn’t deflect the ammo.

The shotgun pellets made contact with her saber, resulting in liquid hot metal flying everywhere, including on her.

Verena’s knees buckled as she screamed in pain from the remnants hitting her. She couldn’t pinpoint where on her body the hot metal landed, the agony was everywhere. Her hands braced on the ground were the only thing keep her from completely collapsing, as even her lightsaber laid beside her, dropped the moment she was hit.

I will kill you.
 
Neria dropped the shotgun with the scream. Sure, she could have taken the seconds to reload, but Verena dropped. The lightsaber was on the ground, and Neria had one hell of an opening she wasn’t passing up. She dared to sprint forward to envelope Verena in the bubble so she couldn’t pull the lightsaber into her hand with the force, shotgun clattering on the ground behind her.

At least, she hoped she would be that fast as she pulled her own vibrosaber into her hand, and swung down to try and take Verena’s head off at the neck.

She didn’t really want her to suffer unnecessarily. Verena had been kind enough to back out of her mind, after all – but she was still the enemy. Still, very much, opposed to her continued existence.

And someone who by their actions, supported the destruction of Hosnian Prime.

Neria wasn’t keen on letting her walk away alive.
 
To allow an enemy to hit you? To die at the hand of the enemy? You are weak, girl.

Verena could hear Snoke’s words now, chastising her for allowing herself to get in such a vulnerable position. But never had they considered the Force being blocked like that in their training! She didn’t even know how it was possible.

Somehow, perhaps due to the weapon’s weight, she heard the shotgun drop to the ground. In that moment of distraction from the pain, Verena scrambled for her saber, grabbing it and holding it up right as she began to hear the unmistakable hum of a vibroblade.

With all the strength she could muster, Verena started swinging the saber in any direction she heard the vibrations as she slowly got back on her feet. She could have sworn she hit the weapon a few times, but as the damned woman was still invisible, Verena was painfully still in the dark.

She was now aware of the pain centering on certain points of her torso and upper legs, but she pushed past that to focus on Neria.
 
Verena remained blind, but she was fighting again. Wildly – but fighting.

Neria knew the vibroblade hummed, that couldn’t be helped. She had to rely on the environment for some distractions, as she had to block the lightsaber a couple of times, adding distance first, waiting for Verena to regroup and get out of the violent, wild strikes.

It happened, of course, as Verena started to center in on the sound, and likely started to piece together the sound of Neria’s steps, quiet as they were, and anything else she could grasp. “Humor me, Herald,” she dared speak, keeping one hand on the blade to use it to shield herself, as she lowered her other hand to a blaster.

“How does it feel not to feel? I’ve had Omega tell me, but he relies so much more on it than you do. I need to improve this project, so anything you can offer….” It was spoken with respect, rather than a tease.

The input would be valued.

Mostly, she was hoping that respectful tone would throw Verena a bit more off-kilter. She didn’t need the vibroblade knocked from her hand while she held it with just one, after all.

While she tried to line up a good shot with the blaster.
 
Verena used Neria’s talking as a moment to regroup herself, to center herself and focus on where she heard the noises coming from. She tried to paint a picture in her mind of Neria standing nearby, and every little movement she made that Verena could pick up on.

She scowled at Neria’s question, and didn’t give her the satisfaction of answering it. Why should she, when that very weapon could destroy her?

When she easily pieced where Neria was standing, Verena attacked once again, swinging wildly to remove the vibroblade from her grasp.

There wasn’t much she could hope for right then except to tire out Neria and get a good swing on her, or hope the Imperials pull out.

Or maybe that the damned technology she wore would stop working.

But in the meantime, she used her pain to fuel her adrenaline and anger to keep going.
 
‘Damn.’

The one-handed grip had its flaws. The vibroblade was knocked out of her hand, leaving her with just the blaster. It was far quieter – Verena wouldn’t hear it until she fired it – but Verena had a much better lock on her position.

Neria didn’t make the stupid decision to make a run for her vibroblade. She only tried to add distance – both quickly enough, and quietly enough, that Verena would have a hard time following.

After all, she didn’t exactly have anything to shield herself with anymore, other than the armor plating on her attire, and she wasn’t really going to trust that against a lightsaber. Verena could probably guess that – but she couldn’t be sure.
 
Verena noticed the vibroblade falling onto the ground, and it gave her another rush of motivation to finish the fight before her adrenaline wore off, and the pain set back in again.

How many more weapons could the damn woman have on her?

Verena didn’t want to find out the hard way.

With a deep breath, Verena lunged in the direction she knew Neria to be, intending on tackling the woman to the ground and maintaining a hold on her. That way, there would theoretically be no more running for her, and Verena could keep her ‘eyes’ on Neria.
 
It was the same damn thing Terex did, but it was wonderfully effective. Neria needed a better strategy for this, as she was taken down to the ground. This was not ideal. She was far too close to getting murdered by a lightsaber wielding psychopath now.

Still, not even a grunt parted her lips as she hit the ground. Verena knew where she was. She had a better idea of where parts of her were, but it wasn’t perfect knowledge, and Neria didn’t want it to happen.

If she kept acting, it would remain difficult for Verena to get a good grasp.

So, she tried to pull away, using her legs to kick out at Verena, and squirming, while working to aim her blaster up at an unarmored part of Verena.

A good shot would make Verena reconsider her position. Neria intended to do several rapid shots once she had the ability to aim so she wasn’t at risk of shooting herself in the close quarters.
 

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