Kylo Ren

VI

General Organa's voice crackled through Poe's radio.

"Black Leader, we have an important development."

"This is Black Leader.  What is it?"

"The bartender at the Mos Eisley Cantina has sent us a message.  Apparently, Kylo Ren is trying to find Wedge."

"Do you think he has the transmission?"

"It may be so."

"Copy.  Where is Wedge?"

"The Lars Homestead."

"Coordinates?"

She rattled off a series of numbers.

"Copy."  He whispered them as he typed them into his navigating computer.

"And Red Leader?"

Jess's voice came through.  "Yes, General?"

"Go with Captain Dameron."

"Are you sure?" Poe asked.

"Positive.  Hurry and you might be able to get it."

"Copy."

"May the Force be with you both."  And then the general's radio beeped to say it was disconnected.

"Switch to the private channel, Red Leader."

"Copy that."

Poe switched.  "Well, Jess, what do you think?"

She let out a puff of breath.  "Honestly, I don't know.  But be ready for a bit of a fight."

He sighed.  "I sure hope not."

Jess read what he was thinking.  "Poe, he's not Ben anymore."

"He may say he's not, but I know somewhere in him, he is."

"Whatever you say."

They flew in silence for a bit.

"What's the plan, Poe?"

"Do you have plainclothes on?"

"Yeah.  Are we going to try to pretend we're visiting Wedge?  Because I think Kylo Ren will recognize you.  He saw you about a week ago, and he knows who I am."

"Not exactly, but against the others, the stormtroopers or whoever they might have, it'll be a decent disguise.  Just make sure you've got a blaster."

"Copy that."

They landed just below a low ridge, overlooking the Lars Homestead.

Poe looked down at it.  This was where Luke Skywalker had grown up.  Once he decided he didn't want to live there, he gave it to Wedge, since Wedge's home had been destroyed during the war.

They walked down, trying to engage in a normal conversation.

"You have a new protocol droid?" Poe asked.

"No, that's Kia who got one.  I did get a new R2 unit though.  Pretty convenient."

"What's the number on it?"

"R2-B6, it's pretty old."

They had reached the homestead without being shot.

"Hello?  Wedge?  It's Jess!"

Poe thought fast.  He couldn't call out his name, if Kylo Ren was in there, he'd recognize the voice with the name.  His last name...aha!  "And Damien!"

Jess shot him a questioning glance.  He shrugged it off.

No noise came from inside.

They took out their boasters and got ready for trouble.

The first room they entered appeared to be torched.  Poe bit his lip nervously.  Jess started fiddling with her belt loop.

Then they went into the courtyard.  Again, everything was burned.

"Let's split up," Jess whispered.

Poe nodded.

He went to one side.  It appeared that the First Order had decided to burn it all.

Wedge was probably either dead or a prisoner.

The second room had bits of droids that crunched under his feet.  A silver protocol droid's face watched him from a small fire, a meddroid's head sat on a stool.

Poe went and stamped out the fire, wincing as the heat flared up through his boot.

A scream came from where Jess was.

Poe sprinted over, taking off the safety of his blaster.  'What is it?"

Jess was leaning against a wall, hands pressed to her eyes.  She removed one and pointed.

Poe winced.

The room was the first he hadn't seen burned.  A figure in all black, with a long staff, was slumped against a wall.  Sprawled across a table was a thin man who he recognized as Wedge.

He sucked in a breath and let it out with a whispered "no."

"Looks like they were already here," said Jess, voice choked with emotion.

"But he didn't go down without a fight."

Computers lined the room, but all were slashed.  He recognized the marks as ones from a lightsaber.

"He has the transmission."  He walked over to Wedge's body and picked him up.  Once he had been strong, agile.  A pilot.

But the harsh desert has taken its toll on him, and he was surprisingly light.

Jess moved to help.  They buried him behind the homestead, leaving a large rock as a headstone.

She moved to go back to the X-Wings.  He held up a hand.  "Wait."

Poe ran down to the slashed computer room.

The black figure was still against the wall.  Dead.

Poe stepped forward and put his hands on the helmet.  It wouldn't budge.  He felt around until he found a button.  Part of the helmet sprung up.

Then it was easy.  He put the helmet aside, eyes closed.

Finally, he opened them.

It was a girl, olive skin, black hair, and a sprinkling of slightly darker freckles.  He let out a sigh.

But this meant that there was an elite guard of sorts.  He picked up her staff and pressed a button.  Purple electricity sparked out of the ends.

Poe put it down quickly.

There was a noise in the door and he turned to see Jess. 

"You were afraid he'd killed Kylo Ren?"

Poe nodded.

"Your loyalty will get you killed someday," she said as she followed him back to the X-Wings.

He merely shrugged.