The Mechanic

XIV

XIV Mission Romeo.Echo.Yankee

"So, instead of the original plan which got blown up we're going to use this ship which has not got a weak point on the base. In fact, it has basically no weak point. Unless someone shot at a very small gap at a very precise angle," we sat around the meeting table a few hours before Romeo.Echo.Yankee went live(?).
It was Hux's idea to use the phonetic alphabet as the mission name. I told him it was easy for anyone to decipher, but it stuck anyway.

"Right, we fly in grab the target and get out," Ben clarified.

"At the bare bones of it, yes,"

"The other AAL's land prior to you and engage, then you come and..."

"I blow the place to the sky," I finished Hux's explanation.

"Okay so let's go," Ben stood up.

"No, we're not ready," Hux also stood up.

"Just 2 hours 37 minutes, then we can go,"

"This is not good! I need- I need to do something!" Ben was tense.

"Then go to sleep, Ben. You'll be no good if you are too tired and we need you. I'll wake you in time," He sighed and begrudgingly did as I said. "Everything, everything. Make sure it is all ready," Hux nodded, "Armitage,"

"Yes?"

"Everything is at stake, our lives and Armitage, Armitage...I don't want to die,"

He looked at me, confused "You're not going to, Aelin. You're not,"

"I've spent the last 5 years running from death and this is what it's come to. I can't run from this Armitage. I can't, and that's what scares me,"

"You're not going to die, Aelin. You're being unreasonable, just calm down. It's going to be fine,"

"Okay, okay, I'm okay. I don't know what happened, I'm fine,"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm fine," I walked off to get changed and arm myself.

1 black shirt, 1 pair of trousers (which are only ever worn when I'm going into a fight), 64 weapons and a bag of explosives later I went to wake up Ben, but he was already awake and making his own way to the control room.

"Hey," I caught up with him.

"Are you ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be,"

"Good,"

We reached the control room. Hux and Phasma were waiting.

"Is everything ready?" Ben asked.

"Yes, Supreme Leader, everything is as planned," Hux stood straight.

"Let's go," He said.

Alright, see you out there," I gave Ben a mock salute. Hux and I were to take a different ship and land in a cave out of sight on Crait where I would run in and plant the explosives. I would be one of the first in and the last out. While I ran in the stormtrooper squads would enter and engage the rebels, then Ben and Phasma would arrive grab the target and leave. I would still be planting the charges as the remaining stormtroopers left then run like hell back to Hux and leave. The whole thing should take about 10-20 minutes.

"I forgot this was your first battle," Hux said when we left the base.

"Against multiple people and being the target of and targeting multiple people, yes,"

"Good luck then,"

"Thanks," We sat in comfortable silence the rest of the way. I'm sure you've worked out what Mission Romeo.Echo.Yankee is by now, but if not it's Mission R.E.Y. That's right, we're going to kidnap Rey. A pretty obvious move if you ask me, but I can't change it. We arrived.

"I'll be waiting for you, good luck,"

"You too," and I ran off. We had parked the ship a good distance from the rebel base so I had quite far to run but it didn't matter. Like I said, I've been running from death the past 5 years.

Everyone was already engaged when I got there. Bodies littered the ground. I ignored them and ran in- unnoticed in the chaos. My job was to de-mobilise their ships and destroy their base. Piece of cake. One rebel was getting into an X-wing. I lit a bar of TNT and lobbed it over there. There was a big explosion. I continued planting the charges, tossing a few thermal detonators along the way. Done. I ran out, stormtroopers we're running back on ships, but Ben was still here. He had Rey, but he was still here. He beckoned to me. I shook my head.

"Go!" I shouted. I ran right past his ship. I could hear the blasters shooting at me, but I kept running.

"Aelin!" I could hear Finn, "Why are you doing this?"

I kept running but shouted, "This is a war, Finn. It's just how it is,"

I could see Hux, he was shooting the rebels chasing me. A shot streaked past me. It grazed my side. "Ach!" I found one of my inventions and threw it behind me. It electrified everyone witching 5 metres of it. I reached the ship. "Go!" The door began to close. I scrambled in and pressed the detonator. The base went up. We left, just.

"Are you alright?" Hux turned to me as soon as we were safely travelling through hyperspace.

"Yeah, it's just a graze," my hand was sticky with blood from holding the wound. "You?"

"I'm fine. Not even a scratch,"

"Good," I flopped onto my back.

"Here," he threw me some bandages. I lifted my shirt half way up and inspected the wound. I wrapped the bandages around tightly. "Aelin... where did you get those scars?" He looked at the half of my back which was exposed. They were angry and red and there were so many. They covered all of my back.

"I've only ever been caught once. When I was an assassin. Once. It was maybe a day or two after I had been paid to kill an important leader of a group who sealed in...slavery. I thought I got away with it, but there was a...man-hunt and they found me, these two men. They found me. I couldn't reach any weapons and they, uh, dragged me through the streets. Then they tied me to this chair and whipped my back. There were two different whips, one was normal but instead of one strap it had nine and the other had one strap, but it was electrified. In the morning they would use the nine-tails and in the afternoon they would use the electric one. Then in the evening they would come back and say they were going to clean my wounds and they did. But they used salt water," I took a shaky breath "They did this everyday for 2 weeks. But I refused to die, I wanted to, but I didn't. So they gave up and threw me out onto the streets, in the mud. I could hardly walk. Everyday I was in so much pain I could barely think, I felt detached from my body. And that's why I don't sleep because whenever I close my eyes I remember and it's unbearable. I only sleep if I'm about to collapse, because I have spent years trying to forget those two weeks and every time I dream I dream of that and I have to relive that time over, and over again,"

"Oh my lord," Hux was shocked.

"Earlier, when I told you I didn't want to die today, I lied. I'm not afraid of death, I'm afraid of dying in pain. I know that if I am caught by the rebels they will make me hurt-"

"The general wouldn't allow it, she-she's your mother,"

"The general wouldn't have any control over the bloodlust of the people. I would hurt before I died and that's what I'm afraid of,"

"I'm sorry,"

"I know," We sat in silence the rest of the way. I had propped myself up against the wall. We were the last to arrive in the control room. Rey was tied up. Ben was talking to her in lowered tones.

"Aelin! You're okay,"

"Of course I'm okay, because I followed the plan. You jeopardised the entire mission Ben! You should have been gone when I got out of there, but no! You were waiting! Idiot! You're an idiot! I was fine! Everything g was fine! You should have left,"

"Aelin...I was waiting for you. I wanted to make sure you were alright,"

"I know how to look after myself Ben! You don't need to be protecting me all the time! I did fine without you for 5 years you don't need to baby me now! We're the same damn age! I'm not your younger sister! Just, stop, please," I left the room.