BEYOND THE STARS → POE DAMERON

I. Old Friends

Chapter One

Pillio, 34 ABY

His head was throbbing in pain.

Del Meeko brought his hand up to his head to rub the spot where he'd been hit in the head with a blaster. He heard footsteps approaching him and he looked up to see a figure in black wearing a helmet.

"You know if you wanted to hire my ship, you could've just asked," he said to the figure standing in front of him.

"The map to Skywalker," the figure, Kylo Ren said. "You know how I can find it."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Del replied.

Del saw the figure raise his hand. "Show me where the old man took it," he demanded as he reached out with the force to probe his mind.

"AHHHHHH! Get out of my head!" Del screamed in agony as he grimaced and fell to his hands and knees.

The first place Kylo Ren came upon was Scariff under attack by the Rebels.

"This is where you began," he said as he began to cut down both Rebels and  Imperial Stormtroopers. "You hoped the Empire would make you brave. Do you feel brave now?"

"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about."

"You think this ship will protect you. Keep you safe. It won't. Do you feel brave now?" Kylo Ren taunted. "Lor San Tekka has the map to Skywalker."

"I don't know what you're talking about..."

"Where did he take it?" Kylo Ren asked. "Your memories are so easily broken. You will tell me. Eventually."

As Kylo Ren went through Del's memories he saw the bridge of an Imperial starship Do you feel brave now? with two people on the bridge. A younger Del and a woman.

"... What is it you want, Captain?..." Del asked.

"... Well, we'll just have to see..." the woman said.

"... I toast Admiral Versio..."

Next, Kylo Ren came upon another memory. This time on the forest moon of Endor featuring Del, another man, and a woman. The trio was looking up at the destruction of the second death star.

"... Impossible..." the unidentified man said.

"... grieve later..." said the woman.

"Iden Versio," Kylo Ren said as he pushed further. "She was brave enough for both of you."

"... first in, last out..." said Iden.

"She led you to ruin. You were born a coward."

"... we adapt or we die..." Iden said.

"Iden Versio made you a traitor. You think she changed you. That your daughter changed you..." Kylo kept pushing and then he came across the surface of a familiar planet and the image he saw in front of him was a coral cave with two individuals standing in front of an observatory. Del and Luke Skywalker. "Pillio. You've been here before. You found something."

"... a choice..." Luke said.

"You found faith," Kylo said.

"... the Jedi... why'd you help me?..." Del asked.

"... because you asked..." Luke answered, "... frightened of the wrong thing..."

"Faith led you to the Force. The Force brought you to the old man." Kylo said. "Where did he take the map to Skywalker?"

"I don't know anything about any map."

"You were a fool to come back here. It's how they found you," Kylo said as he came upon a scene of Jinata Security capturing Del. He pushed further back into Del's memories and came upon a planet that was once controlled by and very loyal to the Galactic Empire years ago but now much of the planet had been destroyed into nothing but rubble and ash. "Vardos. Where your family was broken. I'll break you here again."

"You're wrong... I... will... resist."

"The map," Kylo demanded again.

"I won't tell you!"

"Where is the map?"

Del was in excruciating pain. "Stop... Please... No more... I can't..."

"Tell me where Lor San Tekka took the map," Kylo demanded once more.

Del was in so much pain that he finally cracked. "Bayora! He took it to Bayora," he answered and gasped for breath as the figure ceased his probing.

Kylo Ren turned to the First Order officer, Commander Gideon Hask, behind him and said, "I have what I came for. He's yours now. Clean this up."

Commander Hask nodded as Kylo Ren walked past him. He then walked up to the prisoner he knew all too well and asked, "How are you, Del?"

"You spare me the pleasantries, Hask," Del replied, still gasping for breath. "We both know how this ends."

"Yeah, and you don't get to be brave! Because you're not a soldier anymore. Look at you, you're a coward," Hask taunted his former comrade. "You traded in your weapon for what? Fatherhood? Hauling cargo on the Corvus? You know Iden may have betrayed me, but you, Del, you let me down!"

"We all change, don't we? Eh?" Del shot back. "Look at you. You used to be dead."

"Well, Iden can do just about anything except kill me, apparently."

"Hask! Gideon!" Del pleaded. "Please. Don't go after her. It won't end well for you. Please."

Without another word, Hask drew his RK-3 blaster pistol, aimed, and without an ounce of remorse fired four shots at his former teammate, killing him. He then holstered his pistol and walked out of the Corvus into the sunlight to see his former headmaster at the Imperial Academy, Gleb, waiting for him.

"So... Project Resurrection can continue as planned?" she asked.

"On the contrary, Gleb," Hask replied. "I sought you out because you were useful to me once. We rebuilt your home. We allowed Jinata Security to maintain control of the system but in return, you've fallen behind schedule and you've allowed an outsider to discover our plan."

"An honest mistake, I assure you," she said. "My men will relocate the Philooperation, and double—no, triple our efforts on Athulla!"

"Well, I shall leave behind a few of my men to see that you do," Hask replied as he turned to leave. "Make sure you bury Del Meeko and his crew... but leave the Corvus alone."

"You know it will lead her back here."

"I'm planning on it."

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