Ouroboros

Six

Six:

Alendo Tai was like a thousand space ports-grimy, dangerous and mostly lawless with only small pockets of civilisation. There were a couple of bosses who ran local rackets and a selection of bounty hunters, smugglers and general low level criminals mixed in with the rest of the population who were just trying to get by. Somewhere, you could buy most supplies or barter for what you needed-provided no one killed you before then.

The Millennium Falcon limped into the port and settled down as far away from the commercial centre as she could, trying to attract no attention. Fortunately, there were a score of beat-up freighters of all shapes and sizes docked so no one spared her a second glance as she settled creakily. It was only when she landed that a cloud of acrid smoke billowed from the exhaust and merged with the drizzle that kept the port clammy and miserable. The sky was overcast with grey, green and purple clouds that blocked the sun and reddish lamps burned hesitantly in all the arches and in the covered walkways that meandered between stone and metal depots, the cramped shops and plentiful cantinas.

Three cloaked shapes emerged from the Falcon into the gloomy afternoon, heading straight from the ship though Finn was carrying a pad with the precise components they required. Poe was carrying a blaster and watching Ben carefully, his eyes still suspicious. Chewie had known which spares they would need and most seemed pretty standard-except for a specific VR-1W97 power flow transformer that had burnt out beyond repair and was going to be a challenge to locate. What had also been a challenge was where they would leave the fugitive while they went out on the mission with everyone having a different opinion. Poe was all for hitting him over the head or drugging him to insensibility and leaving him locked up and shackled in a smuggling compartment while Finn had wanted to leave him locked in the cabin. Chewie wasn't that happy at having him on the ship at all because it meant the Wookiee would have to act as jailer as well as engineer so after a lot of argument, they had decided it was safer to take Ben with them.

The generally inhospitable climate meant most people tended to wear warm clothing-and hooded cloaks were the best option and reportedly the most popular. At least the Falcon was well equipped with a wide variety of protective clothing in various sizes so all three men were swiftly kitted out in the all-encompassing cloaks. However, Poe shook his head as they headed for the nearest walkway to the centre of the port, glancing back at the familiar saucer shape of the ship.

"This isn't going to work," he realised. Finn sighed.

"Now what?" he asked.

"Ren," Poe hissed. Finn gazed at the tall man, walking quietly concealed under the hood and cloak.

"Yeah?"

"This isn't a disguise. All it does is make him look like...Kylo Ren!" he hissed.

"And how many people have seen him in action?" Finn asked, his mind sliding back to his first encounter with the man on his only deployment as a stormtrooper on Jakku before his defection.

"More than you would think," Ben murmured. "They tended to keep me busy. I got around. Though to be fair, I always wore my mask-except occasionally on the Finalizer. Pretty much everyone who saw Kylo Ren in battle is dead anyway. Almost no one would recognise my face."

"And the fact that you look exactly like him but without a mask isn't going to fool anyone!" Finn retorted.

"Well, at least could you stop striding around and looming," Poe hissed at him. Ben stopped.

"I don't loom," he protested.

"Uh...yes, you do," Finn told him, his tone almost apologetic. "Everything about you screams LOOMING and MENACING. Can't you be a bit...smaller? Or less...intimidating?" Ben turned to look at him, his brow furrowed..