Spark of the Resistance

by Justina Ireland

  “We do not use ships,” Jem said. “So I do not think we can help you.”

  “But there are many things that might be useful in the Forbidden Lands,” Lim said, her ears going flat. “We could lead an expedition there for you to look.” It was clear that was the last thing she wanted to do. Lim was incredibly brave, and Rey thought that even if they hadn’t been certain about whether or not to fight, that would have decided it. It was hard to help other people when you were scared, but Lim and the rest of the Zixon seemed like good, brave people.

  Besides, they’d asked for the help of the Resistance, and Rey felt like that meant more than anything. The Zixon were about to be in a battle not just for their world but for their very lives. The Resistance would be nothing if it didn’t stand up for people like that.

  Rey nodded. “Okay, so it looks like we have a plan. First, repair the Falcon. And after that, find a way to get the First Order off of Minfar.”

  Poe grinned. “All in a day’s work for the Resistance, huh?” he said, and Rey couldn’t help but return his grin.

  Once more, she understood why Poe enjoyed fighting the First Order.

  Because if the Resistance didn’t stop them, who would?

  Jem’s whiskers twisted into a grin. The expressions the Zixon’s green-furred faces made were uncannily akin to human ones. Rey found herself smiling back at Jem. “Excellent. Thank you for coming to our aid, brave fighters of the Resistance. But for now, we shall welcome you in the proper style of the Zixon.”

  A line of dancers appeared out of nowhere, and music—a combination of squeaky horns and deep-voiced drums—kicked up a lively beat. Rose’s face lit up as she jumped to her feet and began to clap in time to the music. Poe grinned wide, his cheeks flushing as one of the Zixon gave him a crown of flowers to wear.

  “I, uh—thanks?” he said.

  Rey and Rose were given crowns, as well, the flowers the same beautiful deep purple as Poe’s. Rey sniffed the flower crown when no one was looking. She didn’t want to appear rude, but she found it sweetly scented and utterly delightful. Even BB-8 got one, and he beeped his thanks to a shy Zixon who ran off with a chorus of squeaks and chitters.

  Bowls of food were brought out, and Rey’s stomach grumbled once more. If the food was even half as good as the stew they’d eaten in the tunnels, they were in for a treat.

  The line of dancers began to wind through the gathering area, and as they went, one of the dancers invited Rose to join. Laughing, she trailed behind, trying to follow the steps but looking just a little lost. Lim and a group of Zixon who were dressed similarly sat next to Poe, and Lim translated as the Zixon, who were apparently warriors, asked Poe about his adventures with the Resistance. BB-8 rolled around some smaller Zixon, and they laughed and chased him as though he was a toy.

  “Rey, this is okay?” Jem asked, coming to sit next to her.

  “Oh, yes, this is delightful. Thank you.”

  “Thank you for coming. We hope you can help,” Jem said with a solemn nod before he was called over to a group of Zixon to discuss something in a series of agitated whirs and chitters.

  Rey smiled, feeling at ease and at peace. Even though she was happy to be having fun with the Zixon, she just hoped they could find a compressor housing the next day.

  Because she could not let the First Order ruin all this.

  GLENNA KIP WALKED behind the team of stormtroopers sullenly, watching and listening but not speaking. Her plan after talking to Commander Spiftz had been to slip out and find the Echo Horn by herself, but Lieutenant Nivers was entirely too good at keeping track of the comings and goings in her perimeter. Glenna had been only a few steps past the first set of defenses before Nivers appeared, demanding to know what Glenna was up to.

  Nothing good for the First Order, of course. But she could hardly tell the young officer that.

  So Glenna had changed tactics. Convincing Lieutenant Nivers to accompany her on the mission before night fell had been easier than she’d thought. It seemed that the newly appointed leader of the ground forces was just a tad bit desperate for some guidance and direction, two things Professor Glenna Kip was well equipped to provide.

  “Are you certain that we’re in the correct area?” Lieutenant Nivers asked as they passed through what looked to be an incredibly familiar bit of jungle.

  “Not at all,” Glenna said with a slight smile. “As I said, my research showed that the entrance to the labs was somewhere in this area. We are looking for anything that would indicate a large creature has been here, dirt scraped away with large claws or the like.”

  “I don’t like this,” Nivers said, her blaster at the ready.

  “Minfar is home to many dangers, but being able to bring Commander Spiftz the Echo Horn will be well worth the risk, I assure you,” Glenna said.

  Nivers nodded and continued walking, oblivious to Glenna falling back just a bit. She wasn’t leading the group to the entrance to the labs. She was steering them right toward a grobel’s nest. Grobel were large, hungry, and not very picky creatures. They would enjoy a few stormtroopers as a snack.

  While Nivers and her stormtroopers were occupied with the grobel, Glenna would proceed to the true entrance to the lost laboratories and secure the Echo Horn for herself. And once that was complete, she’d find a way to get as far away from Minfar and the First Order as possible.

  But first she had to deal with the more immediate matter at hand: a squad of stormtroopers and a First Order lieutenant who was in way over her head.

  The group continued their trek through the jungle. Nivers’s face was flushed and sweaty, evidence of both the heat of the jungle and the difficulty of the terrain. The trees and underbrush pushed close together, making walking difficult. The air carried the dank, musky scent of soil and plant matter. It was a wholly nice place to be in Glenna’s opinion, even though she couldn’t reveal to anyone in the First Order just how many times she’d been to Minfar.

  Even though she’d told Branwayne that all her data were based on research, that was a lie. Minfar was like a second home to Glenna.

  The distance between trees began to widen a bit, and just as Glenna’s feet sank into a bit of freshly churned dirt, a shout went up from the stormtroopers at the front of the column. An answering roar made Glenna slow her pace and then take a step back.

  They had found the grobel’s nest.

  Although Glenna’s view of the grobel was partially obscured by the trees and surrounding vegetation, she knew what the stormtroopers had found: a large beast, nearly the size of a transport ship, covered in brilliant rainbow gemstones hard enough to protect its soft underbelly and grind tunnels through the planet. Once the grobel had ruled the underground of Minfar, but that was before the Zixon learned to fight. Before Glenna taught them how they could repel the grobel from the tunnels and live full and happy lives.

  But Glenna did not have time to think about her friends. She got the opportunity she had been waiting for as the grobel, with its cavernous mouth lined with rows of sharp teeth, turned around and gobbled up a stormtrooper nearly whole.

  The rest of the stormtroopers, five of them plus Lieutenant Nivers, began firing their blasters at the ravenous beast that had just eaten their colleague. Glenna could have told them that their blasters wouldn’t work against the massive creature, as the gemstones studding its sides had a curious way of deflecting the bolts in every direction, leaving the grobel unharmed but agitated. Glenna stepped backward and melted into the shadows.

  It wasn’t far to the entrance to the labs, and Glenna Kip was fast, faster than a human. She sprinted through the trees, dodging low-hanging branches and an occasional web to stop in front of a mountainside that jutted out of the ground, the black rock a stark contrast to the red dirt below.

  The secret entrance to the laboratories. She was so close to accomplishing her mission. The door to the labs was part of the mountainside, but up close one could see where door and stone met. Glenna and her original research team h
ad worked for weeks to make the entrance look like part of the natural landscape, using giant machines to mine the local rock. It was why the labs were so hard to find. There was nothing unusual about the mountain on a scan of the planet’s surface; every single trace of technology was muted under the strange properties of Minfar’s deep minerals.

  Glenna walked to the sleek edge of the rock, just as she had so many times in the past. This time, though, would be different. This time she would destroy all the terrible inventions inside, because she had made a promise.

  “Professor Kip!”

  Glenna’s hand stilled a short distance from the keypad to the lab. She turned as Lieutenant Nivers and a single stormtrooper stumbled into the clearing.

  “Professor Kip, we have to get back to the base. That creature—it—it ate almost my entire squad!” There was no way to see the expression of the lone remaining stormtrooper, but Glenna was willing to bet it was somewhere between horror and shock.

  Everyone panicked a little the first time they met a grobel.

  Glenna nodded and walked toward Nivers, hoping the officer wouldn’t notice the the black mountain behind Glenna. But Nivers looked past Glenna, her eyes widening as she spotted the doorway over her shoulder.

  “Those are the labs!” Nivers said. “I did it! I found it!”

  Glenna opened her mouth to make some excuse but quickly snapped it shut. She knew when a plan had stopped being effective, and there would be no way to convince the lieutenant that the wall of mountain behind them was nothing more than part of the natural landscape. Glenna was no Jedi who could use the Force to sway the woman’s mind.

  “Yes, indeed, I do believe that is the case. We should return to the base and let Commander Spiftz know.” Glenna paused as though she was considering. “Unless, of course, you think it would be better to make certain first. Perhaps by getting another team to open the lab?”

  Nivers nodded, frowning as she thought. “Perhaps. I wouldn’t want to tell the commander I’d found the labs without making sure.”

  “Of course not. Especially after losing those stormtroopers. You do know how Commander Spiftz is about resources.” Glenna added a reassuring smile to the last bit.

  Nivers shook off her hesitancy and straightened. “Yes, that is a much better idea. Commander Spiftz would be sorely vexed to know that I’d lost stormtroopers and had nothing to show for it. Thank you, Professor Kip, your help has been appreciated, but I think we can take it from here. You should return to camp. I believe you know the way?”

  Glenna nodded and swallowed a sigh as Nivers directed the stormtrooper to mark down the coordinates to the lab and request reinforcements to open the doors. She turned and walked into the woods, returning to camp as she’d been directed.

  She’d been so close to finding the Echo Horn and destroying it. But she couldn’t give up just yet. Keeping Nivers from relaying the information would buy her some additional time to figure out her next steps. Whatever she did, she would have to make sure she got to the Echo Horn before Branwayne Spiftz did.

  As she walked through the dark, surefooted and swift, Glenna Kip began to think. She would find another way to stop the First Order from finding the devastating weapon. After all, Minfar was a planet of many surprises.

  POE SMOTHERED A YAWN and followed Jem as he made his way through Ghikjil. A little way off, Rose and Rey murmured, exclaiming over the creek that wound through the town, brightly colored fish visible in the dark water. Gentle fluttering creatures had come out to sup on the flowering vines, which had begun to glow softly. Overhead, the sun was starting to dim, signaling the rest period for the Zixon. Rose had spent quite a few moments during the party asking their hosts everything there was to know about Ghikjil, most especially about the seemingly artificial sun. The light was created by a series of mirrors set into a large overhead tube. The mirrors reflected the Minfarian sunlight down into the cavern so the plants could grow, but they were impossible to find from the surface.

  “Our sun tube is located in a very dangerous part of Minfar, in the middle of a treacherous mountain range. If we were to go straight up, it would be very high, with lots of dangerous enemies,” Jem had explained while Rose listened, eyes wide with wonder.

  But that had been a while ago, and Poe needed sleep. It had been a very long day, and the next promised to be even more eventful. Jem and Lim had promised to take them to the Forbidden Lands, and once they’d fixed the Falcon, they’d have to figure out just how many First Order soldiers there were on Minfar. Poe might like giving the First Order what for, but he also knew better than to run into a situation without knowing the odds.

  Before, he would’ve demanded that they find the labs in the dark, repair the Falcon, and take the First Order by surprise. It would be impulsive and risky, and later he’d wonder if it had been a good idea. But after everything that had happened and all the friends he’d lost, including Rose’s sister, Poe was more cautious. Victory wasn’t worth lives, and with so few allies left, he had to be smarter about taking risks.

  And no matter what their chances of success looked like, a good night’s rest was key.

  Jem stopped in front of a house built to human specifications rather than the much smaller ones of the Zixon. The windows were twice as large as any of the other houses, and the door loomed above Jem.

  “When our friend came to visit, they would stay here, but it has been a long while since they have graced us with their presence. You can rest in this place. I will have someone send you breakfast early tomorrow, and then we will begin our travels to the Forbidden Lands.” When Jem said it that way, it sounded fearsome. Poe wondered just what about the location was so terrifying to the Zixon.

  He supposed they would find out soon.

  “Hey, Jem,” Poe said, something occurring to him. “Are you sure you don’t have a name for this person, this friend you keep speaking of?” Something about the whole mystery friend situation bothered Poe, like an itch in the middle of his back that he couldn’t quite reach. “They obviously cared about your people very much, and helped you out of a really bad situation.”

  “Our friend never gave us their name. They said names gave people power over each other. But they helped us settle this place, and showed us how to build the sun tube. Before that, my kind were hunted by the much larger creatures aboveground. We hid amongst the trees, and there were never more than thirty or forty of our kind at any given time. Those were very bad days. Our friend showed us how to make useful weapons, how to survive down here, safely.” Jem’s whiskers twitched. “They even showed us how to keep the grobel away without getting hurt ourselves. We owe much to our friend. Now, you must rest. I will see you in the morning.”

  “Good night,” Rose and Rey called as Jem left, making his way back down the path they’d just traveled.

  “Anyone else wondering who this friend of theirs was?” Poe asked.

  Rey frowned. “Not especially, but they do seem like a very generous person. Why, do you think it was someone we know?”

  “Maybe?” Poe said, opening the door to the house. “Jem and Lim mentioned their friend a couple of times, and I was just wondering, well, what if it was Skywalker?”

  “Luke Skywalker?” Rose breathed, and Poe could almost see her eyes turn to hearts at the prospect.

  “Yeah,” Poe said, entering the house. The place was cozy and warm, even as the temperature outside the house dropped. The only furnishings were several purple shapes in varying sizes. Were those supposed to be beds and chairs? Not that Poe was complaining; he had slept in much worse places. Even if it had been a room full of rocks he would’ve made do. “He was missing for a long while. What if he was the one who came here and liberated the Zixon?”

  Rey frowned. “I don’t know. I met Luke. He didn’t exactly seem like the kind of guy who would hang out and wear flower crowns.”

  Poe yawned. “They said the weapon used on them was designed by the Empire. Luke Skywalker helped defeat the Empire.”
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br />   “We don’t know that he wasn’t here,” Rose said, running her hand across the fuzzy fabric of a chair. “Maybe even for a little bit. What if the Force led him here long ago, and led us here now to help the Zixon? What if we’re meant to be here, and not just because we got the distress call?”

  Poe sank into a fluffy chair and kicked his feet out, sighing. It felt nice to have a moment just to relax, to spend some time considering all that had happened in the past day. He’d started the day loading supplies and ended it meeting the Zixon. And in between had been a nice moment of blasting TIE fighters and stormtroopers. He had to say, it was a pretty good day.

  But Rey was nowhere near as relaxed. She scowled as she dropped her staff next to the door, her pack falling beside it, and carefully removed the holster that held her blaster. “If I was better at this whole Force thing then I’d probably have an answer.”

  “I don’t know, maybe,” Rose said, dropping into a chair similar to the one Poe lounged in. She leaned back against the strange purple material. “But maybe you’re doing exactly what the Force wants you to. Isn’t that how the Force works? Everything happens for a reason, even if that reason isn’t clear until after everything has calmed down. Oh, this is really comfy.” Rose sighed. “Way more comfortable than the Falcon.”

  BB-8 beeped his disagreement, and Poe shrugged. “No charging port, you’re right. Sorry about that, buddy. Are you going to be okay until we get back to the Falcon?”

  BB-8 beeped an affirmative and rolled off.

  “Can we go back to this weapon Jem was talking about?” Rey asked, beginning to pace. “Do you think that’s what brought the First Order here?”

  “Maybe,” Rose said, considering her words. She pursed her lips in contemplation. “Maybe we should try to find this weapon before the First Order does.”

  Poe sat up. “Wait, you think we should take and use the weapon that enslaved the Zixon?”

  “No! I mean, not to enslave anyone,” Rose said, flushing. Rey stopped pacing, and Rose continued her explanation. “But maybe there are other uses for it. We need an edge against the First Order. Maybe this weapon could be it.”