Darkness Within

Panic

Zyan runs to keep up with Rey as they rush down the hallways, both of them navigating the confusing maze of passages and doors with ease after nearly four months on the destroyer. Lights flash on panels on the side, along with alarms blaring from a few of them as well but they don't take a moment to stop and address what the problem is.

"You'll come with and follow me," Rey yells to him as they run, glancing over her shoulder back at him.

"Where's Dad and Kira?"

"They're both already down there."

"What?" Zyan asks as they load the elevator and take a moment to pause, noticing that they lost the trooper who was supposed to be watching them at some point.

"Dad took her with," Rey explains and grabs her side, acutely aware that she isn't in quite as good of shape as she used to be. "It was supposed to be a routine check."

"And?"

"And," she pauses, still trying to catch her breath. "The Resistance showed up."

"This is a common thing isn't it?" Zyan observes.

"Yes, yes it is," Rey rolls her eyes at the annoyance that the Resistance under her former friend's command was becoming to her again. It's a normal pattern, one side tries to do something and the other steps in, intentionally fighting against them and rarely doing enough to cause any damage, more just be a general annoyance like a small gnat on a hot day.

"So what do we do?" Zyan asks.

"Push them back, and secure the town again," Rey explains while checking that her lightsaber and blaster are safely secured on her belt.

"Sounds easy enough," the teenage boy acknowledges, his voice calm and collected despite him heading into his first battle.

"Stay with me and don't go off on your own," Rey warns as the elevator comes to a halt and they exit, turning abruptly into the hangar and moving towards their ship.

—

"Kira stay close," Ben orders as he storms down an alley of the unfamiliar town that the First Order had acquired control of during their absence. This city is technologically advanced, that much is clear, but many of the back alleys are dingy, crowded, and clearly not somewhere you find people of high social status making Ben and Kira stand out significantly.

Men and women in dirty and poor conditions watch them from the shadows in their shanty towns they have fashioned on both sides of the alley, their interest particularly trained on Kira. Ben grabs her hand, making sure to keep her close, realizing bringing her with may have been the wrong decision.

"Sir," a trooper says as they round the corner back into a less crowded space. "The Resistance is here."

"Of course they are," Ben growls and thinks of what to do. "Where at?"

"The west side of the city so far," the trooper responds.

"Can you take her back to the ship while I go check on the situation and assist if needed?" Ben asks the trooper, distracted by the added stress he didn't miss of this life, yet knowing Rey will kill him if she finds out he sent Kira with a trooper unsupervised.

"Yes sir," the trooper agrees and Ben pulls Kira to him and plants a kiss on her forehead.

"I'll be there shortly," he mumbles close to her face with his hands on either shoulder. "You'll be safe with him."

"Okay," Kira agrees.

"Come with me," the trooper says professionally and Kira walks behind him, noticing that she can't read him like she can the other troopers that are usually assigned to her.