Allegiance | Kylo Ren

LXXXIII

Leia sat at an elongated table in the conference room, her eyes scanning over the handheld tablet clutched in her hands. She glanced up as Ben and I entered, regarding us calmly.

"I'm glad you could join us." Her voice was even.

Us? I glanced around the room, my entire body tensing as I spotted Luke Skywalker sitting silently at the other end of the table. Rey sat in the chair next to him, unable to keep herself from glaring at Ben. On her other side was Finn, who offered me a half smile.

Leia motioned for us to sit, and I hesitated.

Just one glance at Luke's face transported me back to that night in the government building, as I fought desperately for my life while he calmly continued to try and kill me time and time again. A shiver went down my spine at the vivid memory, and I couldn't bring myself to move closer to him.

Ben's hand gently touched my lower back, letting me know that he had read my thoughts and acknowledged my fear. He gave me a purposeful glance as he took the seat next to Luke, providing a buffer between the older man and me. I sunk into the chair on his other side, staring stonily at the table.

"I've called you here to discuss the continuation of the war." Leia began, her gaze sweeping over all of us. "As is quite obvious, some major changes have taken place in the past few days, and I think it is important to reconsider our options."

"Having Ben and Calia here changes everything." Leia gave us a nod. "The First Order has lost one of their most important leaders, as well as one of their most respected fighters."

I was suddenly very conscious of Luke's intense blue stare on the side of my head. My hands began to shake beneath the table, and I felt Ben's fingers slip in between mine, comfort blooming from his fingertips and spreading through my palms.

Leia continued. "This will no doubt be a major blow to their leadership structure. However, this may also result in their becoming more desperate and attacking more viciously than ever. I think we can all agree that this war needs to end as soon as possible, and if the First Order begins more rapid attacks, it may be difficult to stop it."

"I am certain that the Order will begin to attack more frequently." Ben cut in, his voice formal. "Before we left, it was becoming apparent that their forces were already growing thin, as they had begun putting younger troopers into combat before they were finished with training."

"That could be an advantage." Rey glanced at him. "It may look like they have more numbers, but if the fighters are unprepared for fighting, they should be easier than ever to take out."

"They're children." I found my voice, not liking how weak it was. "We need to do everything within our power to spare them."

Rey looked uncomfortable. "I understand where you're coming from, but that may not be an option anymore."

I stared down at the table, tears stinging my eyes as I thought of Malia. "I think we should reconsider our tactics."

"What do you mean?" Luke spoke at last. My head shot up at the sound of his voice, having never heard it before. His eyes were trained on my face, interest clear in his expression.

I found it hard to meet his eyes. "I mean, I think we should find a different way to end the war. One that would spare more lives. Instead of matching the First Order battle for battle, trying to take out their troops, we need to cut off the threat at its source."

The others still seemed confused, but Ben nodded slowly, understanding what I meant. "She makes a valid point." He glanced at Luke. "Killing troopers won't work—the Order will only continue to send out younger and younger soldiers instead of surrendering. We need to readjust our target to the top of the First Order. We need to eliminate the Supreme Leader."

"We've been trying for a long time to locate Snoke." Leia mused. "But he's impossible to find, let alone track."

"But we have something now that may change all that." Luke pointed out. His eyes darted between Ben and me. "We have them."

Ben nodded, taking the focus off of me. "I'll admit, finding Snoke is not going to be easy. His movements are erratic, and difficult to keep track of. He travels on a constantly-moving base, a ship that is forever moving throughout the galaxy. But I think I may be able to find a way to track him down, if you give me permission to do so."

Leia exchanged a glance with Luke, and a silent conversation seemed to pass between them. Then the general gave a curt nod. "Very well. How long do you think it will take to find him?"

Ben thought for a moment. "Maybe two weeks? It depends on how easily I can access the Order's servers, and how far your tracking equipment can reach."

I flashed him a surprised glance. Two weeks didn't seem long at all.

"Then we will depend on you, Ben." Leia addressed him. "We will supply you with all the assistance that we can in the meantime. Once you have located Snoke, we will launch an attack immediately, and put an end to this horrid war."

That seemed to be our indicator that we were dismissed. I held tightly onto Ben's hand as we rose to our feet, still nervous at my proximity to Luke. We made our way quickly to the door and exited. As I passed Leia, I couldn't help but notice the expression of pride across her face as she watched Ben, and I smiled, nuzzling into his shoulder briefly.

My smile faded at the sound of Luke's voice behind us.

"Calia, may I speak with you for a moment?"

I swallowed shakily, exchanging a glance with Ben. He gazed at me with concern in his dark eyes.

"You don't have to." He whispered, letting me know that I had a choice.

I closed my eyes briefly, chewing the inside of my cheek before turning to face the older man. Ben gave my hand a quick squeeze before departing, flashing one last glance at me over his shoulder as he went.

I was left alone with Luke. As that realization hit me, I began to shake again.