Star Wars: Episode X - The Rescue Mission

Chapter Fourteen: Schematics

Rey stepped through a portal into the room Poe was using as an office, adjacent to his quarters on a Corellian corvette. Most of the Resistance had simply been living on ships on Ajan Kloss's surface, particularly the Tantive IV. With a start, Rey realized this was the Tantive IV! But how? It had been destroyed in the Battle of Exegol, and illustrious Rebel Captain Nien Nunb had perished, along with the rest of the crew. Rey considered things for a moment and went over her friends' accounts of the space battle in her mind. It was all a tangle, because she now had two different versions from each of her friends in her head. She sat down on a cushioned chair and slowly, carefully sorted through her memories.

She thought of what Poe had told her, what Finn had said, what Lando and Chewie had described. The picture became clear. Because they had saved the Hosnian System, the Resistance had had allies. Their band on Ajan Kloss, and their fleet, had been larger. And Lando had been able to amass an even bigger group of ships from around the galaxy, too. They had had a lot more firepower, meaning fewer of her Resistance friends had been killed. And when the Emperor shot his lightning into the sky, it had been divided among twice as many ships, weakening its effects. It had damaged, but not destroyed, an engine on the Tantive IV.

Rey was overjoyed at this revelation. Captain Nunb was alive, and the Alderaanian ship which had belonged to Bail Organa and meant so much to Leia still existed. She was smiling when she pressed the chime on Poe's door.

After a long minute, Poe's sleepy-sounding voice came through the speaker. "Rey? Is that you? You gave me a good scare for a second when I saw that uniform and an unfamiliar face on the security system screen." He huffed. "And it's so early!"

"Sorry about the disguise; I forgot for a second that it was on." The door slid open and a scruffy-looking Poe appeared. "As a general, aren't you used to being woken at all hours?" Rey prodded.

"Yes, but..."

Rey put her hand on her hip and stared at him. "I thought I'd run into fewer people by coming now."

"All right. Never mind. What's up?"

"Do you have the report on the Exegol survey?"

Poe fished out his communicator. "Yes, I'll send it to you."

Rey pulled her own communicator out and verified the transfer. "Great. We've removed the kyber crystal array from the Derriphan. It can't destroy any planets, unless there's a supply of extra kyber somewhere."

"Perhaps on Exegol?"

"Perhaps. I'll read the survey as soon as I leave, but I know there are still Republic personnel there, right?"

"Yes. And there's a protective squadron in orbit above the planet."

"Better increase the protection. It just occurred to me that the Derriphan might come looking for more kyber on Exegol."

"I had the same thought," Poe stated grimly. "The First Order has been weakened, but they could still be trying to amass a force right now to go back to Exegol. They need a superweapon to give them new life after a seemingly mortal wound. They don't give up."

Poe brought up his communicator. "Connix. Get me Admiral Starkey on the line. I want to speak to him in fifteen minutes." Poe waited for a response. "Thanks." He tucked the communicator back into his pocket.

Rey continued. "Now, about the plan to get rid of the hyperspace trackers. Ben and I are going to grab the list of ships with trackers. We're also planning to blow up the databases containing the schematics, since Ben does indeed know where they are. We need a case of thermal detonators."