Darkness Within

Coward

"We found your daughter."

"Where is she?" Rey asks, feeling like the ground is about to give out under her, the walls seeming to close in as her breaths deepen and become more rapid. It's been over two months since she has seen her daughter, held her in her embrace, or been able to access her through the force even though Ben mentioned he was able to reach her once before she closed herself off entirely.

"Pasaana," General Parnadee says and both Rey and Ben look at her with their eyebrows raised.

"I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you correctly," Rey musters out in shock.

"We found it strange too and rather surprising, but we have had multiple sources confirm now that the Resistance Base is in fact located in the mountains far enough from all towns that the Aki-Akis ignore their existence."

"But how?" Rey asks her face pinched together as she glances over at Ben.

"Pasaana is affiliated with the First Order," Ben adds and steps forward to the holo-table that the officers have since loaded a map on. Ben's movement effectively cut off Pryde from the others, requiring the old man to hobble around to another opening around the table to continue to be part of the conversation.

"Was affiliated," Pryde corrects as he comes to a shaky stop and shoots daggers at Ben out of annoyance. "In your absence, there were quite a few changes including the loss of many planets under our control."

"Dare I ask what else we lost?" Ben snaps at him, noticing that something is being hidden from them.

"I wouldn't," Paranadee says simply in her usual indifferent tone.

"Yet I will," Ben counters wildly at Parnadee and then turns to look back at Pryde. "Well?"

Both Pryde and Parnadee glance at each other then down at the floor, Parnadee's lip twisting up like a kid who is getting scolded by their parents. "Someone speak," Rey orders loudly, shivers running up the spines of the generals in response.

"Our fleet," one of the officers who came in with Parnadee blurts out and Rey turns to look at him, his skinny face pale and tense.

"Our fleet of what?" Rey asks, raising her eyebrows in bored expectation.

"Our fleet," the officer gulps and stutters. "Of Xyston-Class Destroyers," the officer gulps again.

"Someone help the poor man and explain," Ben cuts him off with an eye roll and looks at the Generals who are still too scared to say anything. "Where are the destroyers?"

"Gone Sir," Parnadee says flatly and looks at him while trying to hide how terrified she is of the reaction that is sure to erupt. "Destroyed."

"There were thousands of Destroyers," Rey points out. "Thousands. How did you lose so many destroyers?"

"The resistance," Pryde begins and Rey turns on her feet, immediately reaching out and wrapping her hand around his throat through the force.

"The Resistance? The puny resistance destroyed all of them?" Rey yells in question.

"To be fair," Pryde chokes out with his hands around his neck as he gasps for air in what has become a routine interaction for the two of them, "they grew significantly in your absence."

"So it's our fault?" Rey asks with a laugh. "It's our fault that you couldn't get your shit together long enough to hold back a fleet of x-wings and bombers?"

"Rey," Ben mutters and glances over at Zyan in a reminder that their son is watching, causing Rey to release the general and massage her hand out as she shifts her shoulders back and forth to release the tension in them.