~ 𝚒𝚜𝚘𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍 ~ A Ben Solo/Kylo Ren Story

2.

"Celeste. Are you sure you can handle this? You haven't been training in the ways of the force for very long at all," General Organa asked softly, "I understand if you feel that you're not up to the task."

"No, please, ma'am, I need to prove myself to the resistance. They need to have someone to put their hope in, and I need to be that person," Vega replied quickly, slightly panicked. The General gave her a sympathetic, searching look, before nodding.

"Commander Dameron, please escort her back to her quarters and make sure she is back in no later than 20 minutes for a run-down of the plan to get her aboard," She commanded. Poe grinned at the girl and patted her shoulder, whispering some words of encouragement in her ear. She couldn't hear what he said, so she only smiled weakly back.

Celeste packed a bag quickly when she got to her quarters, taking one last look around the cramped, dirty room that had been her home for the last few years of hardship. She fully realized that she may never see it again. She ran her hand over the bedspread, touched the faucet handle to ensure that it wasn't dripping, then stood in the doorway for a moment, looking at the room with fresh eyes and new purpose.

She turned around and watched the view into the base for a moment. Rebels of all species, ages, genders, and backgrounds ran to and fro, some frantic, some relaxed. Even plenty of droids went along, dodging in between people and obstacles with calculated ease. Some rebels stopped to exchange words with another, but others were there with a purpose. Celeste wished she could have a purpose as strong as theirs.

Poe cleared his throat awkwardly.

"We shouldn't keep the general waiting too long, you know how she gets..." He said. Celeste nodded and swung the bag over her shoulder. They walked mostly in silence, until a few steps from the closed-door leading into Leia's office, they both instinctively stopped.

"Look, Poe," She started, sighing, "If I don't come back, just know, that you've been the best friend I could ever have. Keep up peoples' hopes, please," She stumbled over her words slightly. Poe's ears turned pink, as did the tip of his nose.

"Elle, you..."

"You don't have to say anything back, Poe, don't worry," The blonde smiled at him softly.

"No, really. You've been one of my closest friends of all time, other than BB-8 and her, of course, and I'm going to miss you, buddy," He swallowed hard, "But you'll be back. How could you not come back? All you have to do is get some information and get back. No sweat."

"No sweat, huh?" She laughed. "Then why didn't you volunteer, loser?"

"Hey! That's cheating, don't use the words of my pep talk against me!" She laughed again and hugged him briefly before pushing open the door.

~~~~~

The plan itself? Terrifyingly bare. Celeste was to take a small craft and fly to the planet that Kylo Ren's personal Stardestroyer was landed. From there, she would use her only slightly trained force skills to get herself inside the craft, then wait there for as long as she could without getting caught. She would do this by hiding in various empty spaces, such as closets, collecting information and sending it back to the rebels. She would use the force as little as possible, if Kylo sensed she was aboard, there's little knowing what would happen to her.

There wasn't time to waste, she would leave in the next hour and arrive at the planet that was housing Ren before sunset. Celeste's knees shook ever-so-slightly as she agreed to the plan. Some rebels attached technology to her so they could track her and communicate while she was on the ship. She had a tracking chip implanted in her upper arm, on the inside, where the scar wouldn't be visible, and a communication device in her ear, so small that she could barely see it, even when she was looking for it.

"Vega? You should say good-bye right now. Your ship is scheduled to leave in exactly a half-hour," Leia said softly. The girl nodded in reply. She turned to Poe and hugged him tightly, then pulled away.

"I just need to say good-bye to Finn, then I can get going. You can have the ship ready now, General," Celeste stated, saluting to the room at large, filled with high-ranking resistance officials, before turning to find her other friend. She spotted him quickly, standing anxiously just outside the building, shifting his weight from foot to foot.

She called his name and raced over, jumping into his arms and hugging him. His eyes were watering and his throat burned, making it difficult to talk.

"May the force be with you," Was all that he managed to choke out. She nodded.

"And you as well," She replied, squeezing his arm.

Suddenly, a small, orange BB unit rolled up to her, followed by R2-D2 and C3PO. The astro-droid chirped hopefully, while BB-8 seemed to nuzzled her leg, beeping as well.

"I'll be back before you know it, BB-8. Don't worry, I'll be safe," Vega smiled, leaning down to check that his antenna was straight. "R-2, 3PO, be good. Don't get into mischief." She commanded. The gold droid expressed disbelief that he could ever get into any sort of mischief, before wishing her well. Then, she was on her way.

~~~~~

One short flight later, Celeste landed softly in a patch of deforested land. She could see the destroyer from here and could feel thousands of presences, a far cry from the few hundred rebel presences she normally felt. She felt an especially strong force user as well. Kylo.

She pulled her cloak closer around herself and marched with a false display of confidence. She waited at the front ramp of the destroyer for a moment, biting her lip, before a tall, red-headed man walked past her. He did a double-take and stood in front of her.

"Who are you? Are you even authorized to be here? Where is your I.D.?" He asked, sounding severely annoyed. Celeste took a deep breath and reached into his mind, seeing his thoughts. Irritation, for the most part, but also surprise. He hadn't seen anyone of the opposite gender outside a stormtrooper suit for years now.

"It's fine that I'm here. You will let me in, continue on your way, and forget of this encounter," Vega waved her hand in front of his face, weakly.

"What? Do you know who I am? I am General Hux of the First Order. Your fake Jedi tricks will not work on me," He sneered. She began to panic and felt his thoughts shifting from her to calling a guard over to take care of her.

"It's fine that I'm here. You will let me in, continue on your way, and forget of this encounter," Celeste repeated, stronger this time. She felt strength and power flow through her as the force twisted Hux's mind.

"It's fine that you're here. I will let you in, continue on my way, and forget of this encounter," He suddenly said, monotonously, his eyes glazed over. Celeste grinned slightly and walked into the base, her heart pounding. Now to find a hiding place.....

A/N: Hello! If you're enjoying this story so far, please consider leaving comments, votes, add it to your reading lists, or even follow me for more stories in the future. It really means the world to me, and I love seeing everyone's comments and thoughts! This story is currently under editing, and your support keeps me motivated to continue. If you like my writing style, be sure to be on the lookout for more, similar stories in the future! Thank you! :)

EDITED