Send Your Rain

You'll Find that You've Nothing to Prove

A/N: Thank you for reading!

General Hux stood with his hands clasped tightly behind his back as he glared out the viewport. This weapon was supposed to end things, once and for all. The Resistance was evacuating while the blast from the weapon hung suspended. The Stormtroopers were reported to have defected to the last man, so he did not have the manpower to scramble the fighters to go after them. Most of their ship's power had been used by the weapon and it would take a few moments to be able to fire more effective alternatives. And this day had been going so well.

Suddenly, the green beam of light moved again. The bridge went silent as they watched it reach its target at last, enveloping the planet in the sickly green hue. Then it was gone.

"Did it work?" he demanded.

"The structures remain intact," one officer reported.

He snorted. "What of the Resistance?"

"It appears, sir, that they had completed their evacuation."

"What?" This was unaccountable. All that for nothing? Force-users! Their ideas always turned out to be useless.

"General, the Resistance is making contact."

He struggled to compose himself. "Fine, patch them through."

"General Hugs?" a familiar voice echoed through the bridge and his lip curled in disdain. He knew better than to answer. "I have a real message this time, General."

"Let's have it, then," he snapped.

"Your weapon was ineffective. Your Stormtroopers defected. The officers in your fleet could all fit on one transport. Are you willing to surrender?"

"Yes, fine."

There was a pause. "What are your terms?"

"I'll consult with my officers and send them to you."

"Thank you."

Hux turned toward the tech and indicated that the connection be severed. Then he addressed his people. "Send a message to the rest of our fleet, but do not engage with the Resistance. Surrender, whatever the terms. You understand that I will not be here when we are boarded." He waited to see if anyone would protest, then headed for the escape pods.

Poe Dameron kept an eye on the First Order ship from his X-Wing. It was a victory today, hopefully a lasting one. There was the rest of the fleet to consider, but the Stormtroopers in it were likely to join their fellows in mutiny. A surrender would be in the best interest of the officers of the First Order. Especially since they were not known for their heroic behavior. There was little chance that they would remain affiliated with the regime when it was definitively the losing side.

"Kaydel, did everyone make it off the planet?"

"Everyone's reported in, Poe."

"Good. Are there any remaining effects from the weapon?"

There was a pause while she checked. "Our scans show that the little plant life on the surface was destroyed, but the infrastructure for the mines and the city remain intact and are presenting no continued effects."

"Thank you. Send them back to Cloud City. We can help the Stormtroopers settle in. Then I think we should move to a new base, keep it from being too crowded."

"You think the galaxy will still need the Resistance?"

He considered. The idea of not being part of the movement had not occurred to him. He'd spent his whole life with Rebellion leaders and they had naturally morphed into the Resistance when the First Order rose. Still, it was not a dissatisfying thought. "For a little while. Until the rest of them are locked up or something. Is there anywhere you'd like to go?"