Allegiance | Kylo Ren

XCI

My breath caught in my throat as Snoke stared at me. Even from afar, he was frightening. He didn't seem to be fazed by my presence, and I was suddenly struck by the feeling that he could read my thoughts, even across the long distance between us.

Tearing my gaze from his, I turned and ran. I ran through the halls, skidding around each corner, and I ran up the many flights of stairs that led to the roof. As I reached the door at the top, I stopped, my chest heaving and my heart threatening to break out of my ribcage.

Had he seen me? Did it matter if he had? Even if it didn't, the momentary connection had left a sick feeling in my stomach.

I became aware of Ben's desperate voice in my ear. "Calia, talk to me. Please. What's going on?"

"I'm okay." I replied when I had caught my breath. "He's just... scary."

"I know." Ben muttered. "He scares me too."

"He should be entering the base at any moment." An idea formulated in my mind. "Ben, the entire army is inside the loading docks area. If we place the bombs just right, we should be able to cut them off from Snoke without killing all of them. We could isolate Snoke inside the base with just a few others, and the rest would be trapped in the loading docks!"

"We can try." Ben didn't sound hopeful. "But I can't guarantee anything."

"I think it could work." I couldn't help but smile to myself. "It could work really well."

"Cal, the Stormtroopers don't mean nearly as much to the others as they do to you. I'll try and get the word out, but in the end it's not up to me."

My heart sunk. "I understand."

"Where are you now? We're about a minute away."

"I'm on the roof." I pushed open the door and emerged into the early morning sky.

"Good. Stay there until Poe comes to get you."

The sun was threatening the skyline, casting a hazy glow over the horizon and the surrounding forest. As I watched, a series of black dots in the sky grew larger and then morphed into jets, the crest of the Resistance painted proudly on their bellies. They soared overhead, the roar of their engines deafening and their generated wind whipping my hair around my face. I watched in awe as they seemed to skim the air directly overhead.

Then they began to drop the bombs. The ground shook beneath my feet and I stumbled backwards, caught off guard by how the entire base seemed to sway under the impact of explosives.

"Callie? Are you there?" Poe's voice sounded muted in my ear.

"Y-Yeah." I couldn't tear my eyes from the smoke billowing into the sky from the other side of the base.

"Get into the delivery pod."

I didn't move. I watched as black clouds puffed heavily into the sky, the sound of the ringing emergency alarm distant.

"Callie." Poe's voice was firm. "Get in the delivery pod. Now."

Even though I knew he couldn't see me, I shook my head slowly. "No."

"Calia! I said get in the pod!" He was shouting now, but I didn't mind. "I can't let you go back in there!"

"Ben needs my help. They all do. I'm not going to sit idly while they risk their lives." With that, I pulled the earpiece from my ear and tossed it aside carelessly, pulling the door open and disappearing back into the base.

I stripped off my armor as I ran through the halls, depositing it on the ground and feeling freer with each step I took. I quickly located the weapons closet I had been thinking about earlier and pulled out a blaster, holding it tightly to my chest as I continued towards the loading docks.

When I reached the impacted area, I gasped. The doorway was almost completely blocked by debris; I had to climb to the top to peek over and survey the damage. The floor of the loading docks was no longer visible; it was coated in piles of broken pieces of wall and ceiling. Bodies of troopers and guards were scattered throughout the area, with a few moving faintly but most not moving at all. Even from afar, I could spot the bright red hair of General Hux, his body lying broken underneath a large piece of concrete. His luck had apparently run out—there was no way he was alive this time. 

 Four large Resistance ships had landed atop the rubble, and streams of fighters were leaving the ramps, quickly dispatching any members of the First Order who made weak attempts to stop them. They quickly surrounded the second entrance to the base, blocking it completely for anyone who wanted in or out.

My eyes scanned the scene, but I was unable to locate any of the four people Ben had mentioned before. That meant that they were already inside. I scrambled off the pile of shambles and ran back the way I had come, turning only when I reached the hallway that connected the two wings.

I accelerated my pace. I wouldn't last long on my own if I came face to face with Snoke, and I had to find them before he did. I weaved my way in and out of halls, freezing only when I heard footsteps. I clapped my hand over my mouth to silence my heavy breathing, sending out a silent prayer that it was Ben or Rey and not Snoke and his guards. The footsteps halted, and so did my heart.

"There's someone here." I heard a quiet whisper, and a heavy sigh of relief escaped my throat as I recognized the gentle accent. It was Rey.

I turned the corner and revealed myself, my heart soaring as I took in the sight of Ben, Rey, Finn, and Luke. Rey and Finn relaxed visibly at the sight of me, while Luke looked grim. I hesitantly looked at Ben, whose face was white.

"What—Calia—I..." He seemed to be having a hard time finding the words he wanted. Then he found them. "I told you to leave with Poe!"

I shrugged. "It's too late now. I figured you could use an extra person to help out."

Ben made an exasperated noise, but Luke held up a hand to stop him.

"She's here now, and there's nothing we can do about it. We might as well make use of her." He turned his bright blue gaze on me. "You just came from the West Wing. I'm assuming you didn't see Snoke while you were there?"

I shook my head. "He's not there."

"Then he's still in the East Wing. We need to do a complete sweep of the area, so splitting up is probably our best bet. Rey and Finn, you take that hallway." He pointed down the hall on his left. "Ben and Calia, you go that way." He gestured to his right. "I will continue down this way. If you find him," He gave us all a warning stare, "You do not engage him. Wait until we are all back together before you do anything. Understand?"

We all nodded numbly. I fidgeted with the blaster in my hands, sparing a glance at Ben. He was staring at the ground, looking almost sick. Our squad split up silently, each going down our assigned hallways.

"Ditch the blaster." Ben muttered after we had walked a bit in silence. "It won't help you against Snoke."

I gave him a surprised glance, but set the gun down quietly. "But now I'm unarmed."

He dug in his pocket for a moment before pulling out a familiar black object and handing it to me. A grin spread across my face as I took in the sight and feeling of my lightsaber, wondering why he had it in his possession.

"I had a feeling you wouldn't listen to me." He spoke quietly, checking around a corner as he read my thoughts. "I brought it in case I was right."

I clipped my lightsaber onto the waistband of my belt with a sheepish smile. Ben stopped dead in his tracks and I crashed into his back, letting out a squeak at the sudden impact.

"I can sense him." Ben whispered. "I know where he is."