“What do you think?” Leia asked.
Rey blinked, as if she hadn’t expected Leia to ask her opinion. “They both have pros and cons…” she started.
Nien Nunb cut in, arguing his point. Leia held up a hand to quiet him.
“Rey?”
The girl continued. “If we go to Tovash Tchii we’re more likely to find the fuel we need, but we’re also more likely to draw the attention of the First Order. If we go to the place Chewie’s talking about we’ll get our privacy, but if the fuel isn’t where he says it is then we’re definitely stuck.”
Chewie roared a complaint.
“I’m not saying that,” Rey countered. “You said yourself that you weren’t sure it was still there.”
“I have a third idea,” Leia said. “Ryloth.” She quickly sketched out her plan to the trio.
Rey leaned over her console, hands working the navicomputer. “It’s within range,” she said after a moment. “Not a bad option, but are we any more certain of what we’ll find there?”
“No,” Leia admitted. “But I’m willing to take the chance.” She looked to Chewbacca and Nien Nunb.
Neither had an objection.
“Then Ryloth it is,” Rey said. She nodded to Chewie, who accepted the coordinates and set their course. Within minutes they were burning the last of their fuel reserves and hurtling through hyperspace on the strength of Leia’s wild idea.
Leia sat in the seat behind Rey, her pulse racing and her mind running through a dozen scenarios. She wrung her hands, anxiety getting the best of her. She knew it was a risk, but the Resistance would not be welcomed no matter where they chose to go. At least they had a potential ally on Ryloth. And if they didn’t? If her gamble didn’t pay off and they were stuck without friends and without fuel…no, she wouldn’t let herself think that. It would work. She would make it work.
They were all silent as the Millennium Falcon hurtled them closer to their fate, the hours in hyperspace passing, the weight of their limited options sitting heavily in the cockpit.
“Are you well, General?” came a voice from behind her.
Leia startled as C-3PO entered the cockpit. She had been so lost in her own thoughts that she hadn’t heard him approaching. She forced herself to take a deep breath, and then another, before she glanced over at the fussy protocol droid.
“I’m great,” she said, brightly, heart still racing in her chest. “Why do you ask?”
“I can’t help but notice that your cheeks are slightly flushed, and your heart rate is elevated. It would not surprise me to discover your blood pressure is higher than the recommended range, which current medical standards set between—”
“It’s called nerves, Threepio,” she said, cutting him off gently. “I’m just a bit anxious.”
“I am familiar with the emotion, Your Highness—I mean General.” he replied primly. “Nevertheless, it is my duty to inform you that the medical droids did advise you against becoming agitated so recently after your illness.”
“Thank you. So noted.”
“But Your Highness, I must insist—”
“We’re coming out of lightspeed,” Rey informed them.
Leia watched as the telltale blur of stars disappeared abruptly and the planet of Ryloth filled their view. It was beautiful, a blue-and-red ball with bands of green, the swirl of weather systems wrapping the planet in shades of white. She’d spent very little time on Ryloth and knew less than she would have liked about the planet’s history and people. She wished this visit could be under better circumstances, but she didn’t have that luxury.
“Something’s coming up on the scanner,” Rey said tersely from the pilot’s seat. “Looks like ships approaching. Any chance that we’re expected?”
“Not likely,” Leia admitted. “Our luck with communications hasn’t been the greatest, if you recall. So I thought we’d just…show up.”
Chewie growled a response.
“They could be just patrolling their local space,” Leia agreed, “but we haven’t even entered orbit yet.”
“And those are fighters,” Rey said. “Two ships, Can-Cell class. Reading as Ryloth interceptors registered out of the capital city, Lessu. Official government call signs. Shields up?”
“Not yet,” Leia said. She was more wary than worried at this point. “We come in peace. Let’s not give them a reason to think we don’t.”
“How do you know they won’t fire on us?”
“I don’t.”
Chewie made an urgent sound.
“He says they’ve powered up their weapons!” Rey exclaimed.
“I know,” Leia said through gritted teeth. Now she was worried. She knew a hostile welcome was a possibility, but it still surprised her that the Ryloth government would be willing to shoot first and ask questions later of a simple cargo ship. Perhaps things were worse here than she realized.
She hurried to the corridor. “Finn,” she called down the long hallway. Finn appeared at the entrance to the main corridor, Lieutenant Connix and Rose at his side. “We might have a problem. I need you and Rose on the turrets, just in case.”
Finn nodded sharply, and he and Rose ran for the guns.
“Is there anything I can do?” Connix asked.
“Get on the communications console in the crew cabin. Run through our ally frequencies again. Anyone within shouting distance of Ryloth in case—”
“Leia!” Rey’s voice was high and sharp. Leia gestured Connix away before she turned back to the cockpit.
The transmission light on Rey’s console blinked green. Leia had been expecting the worst, but that light meant they wanted to talk. Relief flooded her body. They had a chance.
“Answer it,” she said to Rey.
Rey looked back at her, eyes wide.
“Go on.”
The green light blinked, more insistent.
“Oh my!” C-3PO exclaimed. “You must answer their hail. Protocol rule 12B6 states that when entering any c-class planet’s sovereign orbital space, it is required to respond to a government—”
“What do I say?” Rey asked, voice panicked.
“You’ll think of something,” Leia assured her.
“I thought that was your job!”
“I’m too well known. I don’t think we want to reveal who we are quite yet, just in case the First Order beat us here.”
“Won’t they know the Millennium Falcon?”
“Maybe. But they won’t necessarily know I’m on the ship. And we won’t know anything for sure until you answer that.”
“I-I can’t!”
“Of course you can,” Leia said simply. “And now.”
“I—”
Chewie roared, exasperated, and reached over to flip the green button on. The cockpit filled with the slightly threatening masculine voice. “YT-1300 freighter, identify yourself and your purpose in the Ryloth system or we will be forced to bring your ship down. You have thirty seconds.”
“Ominous,” Leia murmured. “I guess they don’t get many visitors.” She was being flippant, mostly for Rey’s sake. Of course they didn’t get many visitors. She imagined most of the galaxy was hunkered down and waiting, terrified that their skies would fill with a First Order occupying force at any moment. Or worse, a red pulse of light like the one that had decimated the Hosnian system. These were dark times and Ryloth had good reason to be wary, even of an old Corellian freighter. She was of two minds about it herself. On the one hand she had meant it when she said that it might not be wise to identify themselves to the Ryloth government. She didn’t think they would be specifically hostile to the Resistance, but they had never joined the Republic and had certainly never taken sides when the Populists and Centrists had ripped the Senate apart, politically. She couldn’t imagine they wanted to be openly seen supporting either side. She had hope
d to slip onto the planet and track down her old friend without engaging with the government, but she should have known better.
“YT-1300 freighter,” the voice repeated, “identify yourself and your purpose—”
Chewie groaned. C-3PO muttered something quietly worried. Leia waited, eyes on Rey.
“This is…Rey!” the girl said suddenly. “And we’re out of the…” She paused and then, “…Han system! We’re carrying medical supplies to the southern region.” She grinned excitedly, clearly extemporizing. “We’re expected!”
It wasn’t bad. It would at least buy them some time.
“Pilot Rey of the Han system, transmit your clearance code now.”
Rey looked at Leia, eyes big. What do I say? she mouthed.
Think of something, Leia mouthed back, letting her know she was to solve this problem on her own.
“I…we lost our code. Terrible incident on Teedo Minor. Do you know it? But I assure you we—”
“I’ll take it from here, Lessu command,” a female voice cut in, saving Rey from whatever she was going to say next.
The voice was authoritative and sounded like it expected to be obeyed. Rey frowned, and then whispered, “Another ship on the scanner. Rycrit-class. Stealth model.” She let out a low, impressed whistle. “That’s a nice ship.”
“Identification?” Leia asked.
“Transponder’s not broadcasting one.”
Leia frowned. Friend or foe? “Get those shields ready just in case, Rey. We don’t know if this new ship is on our side or we’re about to jump from the skillet into the scalder.”
“Copy that.”
“—not your jurisdiction,” the first ship, the Ryloth government party, was saying to the new ship. “We can handle this.”
“Sorry, but I’ll be pulling rank on you, Lessu,” the female voice from the second ship said crisply. “You are to disengage this freighter under the authority of the RDA. We will take it from here.”
Silence on the Millennium Falcon as they waited. Rey kept her finger ready to bring up the shields on Leia’s order. Chewbacca muttered into his mike, a command for Finn and Rose to hold steady. The whole ship seemed to hold its breath.
“Copy,” the male voice said, finally. “RDA One, we have received your authorization code and are disengaging. With our apologies.”
“Copy, Lessu.”
Again, silence as the Millennium Falcon waited and then, “Corellian YT-1300 freighter, I am switching communications to a secured channel at the following frequency. Please engage in three, two…”
Rey let out a gasp of surprise. “It’s the Resistance channel.” She quickly punched in the new frequency. Leia leaned over Rey’s shoulder and pressed the TRANSMIT button. “Who is this?”
“Millennium Falcon, you are required to follow me.”
“This is General Leia Organa of the Resista—”
“We know who you are, General. Please follow us. We’ll explain once we get on the ground. You’re attracting too much attention up here.”
Leia raised an eyebrow at no one in particular. They weren’t exactly being rude, but they were being obtuse. Well, perhaps that’s what happened when one showed up unannounced. And they did have a point.
“Do as she says,” Leia said, dropping back into her seat. “Let’s see where this goes.”
Chewie growled an acknowledgment, and the Millennium Falcon fell into formation behind the ship.
“They’re leading us away from the capital city,” Rey reported.
Not surprising. “Which way?”
“Toward the southern hemisphere. There’re forests near the equator, but after that, it looks like open desert.” She made a small distressed sound. “Looks like Jakku,” she said, so quietly that Leia almost didn’t hear her.
Leia waited, but when Rey didn’t elaborate, she said, “Well, you did say the Millennium Falcon was headed for the southern hemisphere, so maybe they’re covering for us.”
“Why would they do that?”
“Maybe they want our cover story to stand up, too.” Well, as far as it could. They weren’t actually carrying any medical supplies, of course, but maybe way out here no one would look too closely if they were parked at the right place and left when expected. Or maybe it would be easy to make them disappear out here. No one would remember the Corellian freighter on such a routine run.
Soon they had crossed the equatorial forests and were flying over vast expanses of red-rock desert, cresting dunes and scattered striated mesas. Small settlements dotted the landscape but nothing that looked like a city.
A wide flat-topped mesa came into view. The lead ship, RDA One, flew in close, dipping into a canyon that blended effortlessly into the landscape. The Millennium Falcon followed.
“I don’t like this,” Rey said quietly. “Not a lot of room to maneuver down here.”
“Stay the course,” Leia reassured her. The cockpit thrummed with tension, all of them waiting to see if her gamble paid off. Only Chewie looked calm, as if following strange and potentially hostile ships into unknown territory was all in a day’s work.
The opening narrowed. Despite her earlier protests, Rey handled the challenging landscape easily. RDA One dipped abruptly, and Leia saw it was leading them into a cave of some kind, a natural opening in the mountainside.
“Do we follow?” Rey asked, voice taut.
“We’ve come this far,” Leia replied.
“It could be a trap.”
“I don’t think so. If it was a trap, why bother bringing us all the way out here?”
“To hide the evidence?”
Leia glanced at Rey to see if the girl was joking, but her face looked serious. “I don’t think so,” she said.
“Excuse me, General,” C-3PO interrupted. “I don’t mean to counter your years of military experience and expertise—”
“Then don’t,” she murmured.
“—but the statistics are alarmingly high that a trap is likely considering—”
“Thank you, Threepio,” she said, as politely as she could manage.
“They’re landing,” Rey said, sharply, and Leia turned her attention back to the scene in front of her.
They had entered a hangar of some kind. The cave expanded exponentially, the ceiling lost far above them in the darkness. The floor below was buffed to a gleaming obsidian, traced over with glowing lines that delineated acceleration lanes and landing pads. They were in a cave, deep inside the side of a desert mountain, but in a fully functioning landing base.
“What is this?” Rey asked quietly.
“The RDA, apparently,” Leia said. She laughed quietly. “I think we’ve stumbled into exactly what we need.”
“SHOULD I LAND?” REY asked.
Leia could see that a rectangular pad was pulsing brightly a few hundred meters in front of them, an obvious invitation to set the ship down.
“Yes,” Leia said. “Let’s go see what, and who, we’ve found.”
Rey brought the ship in smoothly, putting it down between the green glowing lines. The Millennium Falcon settled gently, the first time it had touched solid ground in what seemed like weeks.
Leia exhaled and pushed herself up from her chair. She realized she hadn’t had a chance to clean up and had slept in her clothes. Well, whoever was waiting for them below would have to excuse her breach in civility.
“Shall we?” she asked, unnecessarily. They were all on their feet, awaiting her command. She led the way and Rey, Chewie, Nien Nunb, and C-3PO followed her out of the cockpit, the droid keeping up a steady stream of disapproval, citing terrible statistics and probabilities. Leia ignored him, focused on the task at hand. So much was riding on finding someone friendly on the other side of that door.
Finn, Rose, and Connix joined them at the outer doors. She gave them each
a tight smile. Strength in numbers, she told herself. Even if the combined age of her entourage, not including Chewie, was nearly equal to her own. Well, maybe it wasn’t quite that bad—she wasn’t that old—but looking at their faces, knowing that their futures were not guaranteed, she certainly felt so today.
Chewie made a questioning sound.
“Open the door,” Leia said. And to the others, “Weapons close but not drawn. I’m still hoping this is a friend.”
Chewie punched the button. The boarding ramp of the Millennium Falcon lowered. Leia prayed that she wasn’t about to get anyone killed. She straightened her back, rising to her full height and lifting her chin. She was tired and hurting and it took effort. She reminded herself that she was still a princess so she damn well better look like one, even now. Especially now.
The view opened onto the bay they had seen from the cockpit view. Approaching them were two Twi’leks. A female with orange skin and eyes, dressed in a fitted sand-colored jumpsuit that had a definite utilitarian cast. Everything about the way she held herself said fighter, including the blaster in her hand. The other Twi’lek was male, pale purple with dark eyes, his lekku wrapped in black leather. He wore a version of the same jumpsuit. Leia noticed an unfamiliar insignia on the chest: two arms raised to fists, the chain connecting them broken down the center. She didn’t recognize the symbol, but she made note of it. Both Twi’leks looked competent and professional. Whatever they had stumbled into was, as she had deduced on the ship, an organized fighting force. She dug through her admittedly feeble knowledge of Ryloth history, trying to recall if there was any sort of guerrilla army on the planet anymore. The most notorious guerrilla leader had been Cham Syndulla, who had liberated Ryloth from the Separatists during the Clone Wars. But that was more than fifty years ago. These days Ryloth had a government and no need of an underground army. At least that had been her presumption.
“Welcome, Leia Organa,” the woman said, and Leia recognized her voice from the earlier transmissions. She also noticed that the woman had not used any of Leia’s numerous titles to address her—princess, senator, general. Interesting. Oversight? Insult? Or some sort of Twi’lek emphasis on egalitarianism? She would find out soon enough.
Resistance Reborn (Star Wars) Page 9
