Allegiance | Kylo Ren

XXIII

We moved quietly as a unit, staying covered behind the many tall sand dunes. As we neared the city, I could see lights and barely make out the sounds of voices. Several Resistance jets rested just outside of the city, alerting us that the delivery was here and it was time to move. We picked up the pace, transitioning into a light jog.

The delivery was to be made in the center of the city, and we made our way easily through the outer layers. When at last there was only one row of buildings left, we stopped and hid, hearing quiet voices from around the corner.

I swallowed shakily. The exchange was being made. We had to move now, before the Resistance had time to escape.

Taking cover behind a building, we awaited our order to attack. The designated scout trooper crept around the side of the building and disappeared. I held my breath as I waited for its return, sparing another glance at Kylo. He stood tall and alert, waiting for the scout's report.

Shouts echoed from the other side of the building. Our scout had been spotted. All at once we flooded through the alleyway and into the city center. Staying true to my word, I lingered in the back with Kylo, waiting for him to make his entrance so I could accompany him.

The quiet night was shattered by yells and the flashes of blasters and other weapons. The city citizens were scrambling to hide the delivery's contents while the Resistance fighters were locked in combat with troopers. Fighters on both sides were falling. A couple of the Resistance fighters had lightsabers, and I was momentarily entranced by the graceful swinging of the neon swords.

Kylo moved forward at last, igniting his scarlet lightsaber as he went. I stayed close to his side, firing a few shots at nearby rebels. We fought our way to the center of the courtyard, where a few boxes of supplies remained. I hit them with my blaster, and they burst into pieces as if they had been made of flimsy paper.

The sound of explosions overhead indicated that the aerial battle had begun. The Resistance jets were circling the city, pursued by First Order fighter jets. Their shots cracked through the black sky like lightning.

I turned and rejoined the battle. Kylo and I were fighting back-to-back, him cutting down rebels with his lightsaber and occasionally throwing people using the Force while I fired shot after shot with my blaster. I caught sight of a Resistance fighter with a gun aimed at Kylo. As they fired, I instinctively pushed Kylo aside and threw myself in the path of the bullet. The electric green shot paused midair, and I stared at it in confusion. I turned to look at Kylo, who with a flick of his hand had stopped the bullet before it could get close to us. His hand moved again, and the shot rebounded, flying straight back at the rebel who had fired it.

"Would you stop trying to take bullets for me?" Kylo's voice was thick with exasperation through his mask as he swung his lightsaber at a nearby Resistance fighter.

"Just doing my job." I muttered as I fired a shot, hitting a rebel square in the chest.

"How about,"—there was a pause as Kylo used the Force to fling a man through the air—"How about you just tell me when there's a shot coming, and I'll stop it."

"Yeah, okay." My eyes scanned the battle field, assessing our progress. Troopers had stormed the buildings and destroyed most of the delivery. The Resistance was noticeably losing, their numbers heavily depleted and still falling. Those who remained seemed to be trying desperately to get to Kylo—perhaps they thought they could take out our leader and disfigure our mission. Of course, by trying to get to Kylo, they were also trying to get to me, as I had not left his side the entire battle. This meant we were under relentless fire, even as troopers took out more and more fighters.

Movement caught my eye of a fighter nearby taking aim at us. "Kylo!"

Kylo spun and deflected the shot easily before swinging his lightsaber again. "See how well that worked?"

"Yeah, yeah." I couldn't help but smile, glad that my helmet concealed my grudging grin. I spared a glance at my cloaked accomplice. His fighting was impressive—he gracefully transitioned from using his lightsaber to utilizing the Force and back, his movements fluid and seamless.

I was startled by the feeling of a grip on my arm. An unarmed rebel grabbed me and threw me to the ground. I managed to get one shot off, grazing his arm, but it wasn't enough to stop his effort. His hands closed around my neck as I struggled underneath him. Panicking, I aimed a kick into his stomach and felt satisfaction as my knee sunk into his stomach. I took advantage of his temporary pain to roll him off of me, scrambling to my feet. He was standing in an instant and lunged at me again. I dodged his attack, hitting him in the side of the head with the butt of my blaster, causing him to stumble.

"Cal!" I turned as I heard Kylo's voice, catching sight of him just in time to see him tossing his lit lightsaber in my direction.

I caught it with a stiff hand and swung it with all my strength at my attacker. It cut easily through his body, and he fell to the ground with a final cry of pain. I stared at the lightsaber in awe before it left my hands and flew through the air back to Kylo's outstretched one. He used it to strike down one last rebel before the battlefield fell quiet. We looked around, surveying the damage. A collection of rebels and troopers littered the ground, illuminated by the burning buildings around us.

The growl of an engine caused me to turn. I watched as a single Resistance jet shot through the air, tailed by two First Order jets. The jet quickly shifted into lightspeed and vanished.

A trooper approached Kylo, giving me a quick glance before addressing our leader.

"Sir, all city inhabitants have been exterminated and all delivered resources have been destroyed."

Kylo turned to stare at the spot in the sky where the Resistance jet had disappeared. "And the Resistance fighters?"

"All were eliminated..." The trooper hesitated. "Except for the three that escaped on the jet, sir."

"Which three?" Kylo's voice was dangerously quiet.

"The two with lightsabers—the traitor and the girl—and the one pilot... sir." The trooper was visibly nervous, taking a step away from Kylo.

I glanced at the sky. The traitor. FN-2187. He was here, and he was fighting against us. I felt a small surge of anger at his abandonment, at his shift in allegiance. And the girl... I had never seen her. I had only heard stories of how she was taken prisoner and escaped with the help of the traitor and Han Solo.

Kylo ignited his lightsaber and swiped at a nearby wall in anger, letting out a yell of frustration. The trooper took this opportunity to make a quick exit, leaving me alone with an erratic Kylo. He turned off his lightsaber after a moment, keeping his back to me.

"How do they keep escaping us?" His voice was quiet, but his rage was communicated fully.

"I don't know," I sighed, brushing off my blaster and tucking it under my arm. "We'll get them, though. They'll keep coming back, and eventually we'll be able to make it so they can't get away."

He turned and stared at me. I felt uncomfortable as I was unable to read his expression through his mask.

"Let's go." Kylo said at last. I took one last glance around the ruined courtyard before following him back to the ship.