Kylo Ren

XV

It was shortly after Afren's sixteenth birthday when the next transmission came through, and about three and a half years since the massacre at the Academy.

The race for the fourth transmission began.

Connix and Grisal worked together and pinpointed its destination within hours.

This time, Aura volunteered.

When Poe tried to protest, she said it was her duty.

"Mother, you can't do this. I'll go!"

"We're wasting time. I'm going." Aura held her son for nearly a minute, kissed his forehead, and loaded her old R2 unit into her X-Wing.

Poe ran to the communications room. "Mother?"

Her voice came through. "Poe, don't fly after me, if you do--"

"I'm not following you. I'm in the communications room."

She sighed. "Good. I love you, Poe."

"I love you too."

Aura Dameron patted her pocket, where a comlink was stashed. If she needed help, she'd just call for it.

She was headed to Dantooine, to one of the little villages, Ina.

Luke had a friend there he'd sent it to. She jumped into light speed and came out over the planet, flying low over the base where the academy had been.

Just in case the First Order was already there, she landed under the cover of the forest.

Aura jammed a blaster into her belt and pulled her brown jacket tighter around herself.  It was getting chilly on Dantooine.

Ina was a short walk from where she'd left the X-Wing.  Checking to see if the comlink was still there, she set off.

Winding through the trees, which had lost most of their leaves in the colder weather, she snuck up towards Ina.

No activity but that of the villagers. She reported that into her comlink and was released when Connix answered, and not Poe.

She didn't want him to worry. She could do this.

Aura stepped into the village. A pair of children stopped their playtime to look at her.

"Hello," she said, bending down to speak to them.

They watched her warily.

"Can you help me find somebody?"

Neither moved.

Aura stood and walked past them. Quiet footsteps behind her indicated that they were following.

The next villagers she came across were two women, sitting outside of a small house and working.

"Hello," Aura greeted. "A transmission was sent here sometime today, and I need to know who it was sent to."

"Why?" asked the blonde woman.

"We need it before the First Order gets it."

"How do I know you're not the First Order's spy?"

Aura sighed. "I am Aura Dameron of the Resistance, my son is Captain Poe Dameron, Black Leader, of the Resistance, who trained at the academy until he was about sixteen years old."

She was peeved that she had to essentially list every reason she wasn't the First Order.

And speak of the devil, a troop transport vehicle landed at the their edge of the village.

Aura looked back at the women. "Quick. I need to hide."

The dark haired woman was more compassionate. "Come."

She helped Aura into the basement of the house and closed the door.

Aura Dameron was plunged into darkness. It pressed in on her from all sides as she moved around, trying to conceal herself better.

Once she'd pulled a blanket over herself, she felt around for the comlink.

It wasn't there.

Her heart stopped for a second as her stomach dropped.

Just then, the door opened and a beam of light spread through the room. Heavy boots descended from the upstairs down the steps.

She held her breath.

"What's this?" asked a mechanical voice.

"A comlink?" another said, confused.

"Resistance," said a third voice. "Search the room."

Aura slowly moved her blaster from her belt to the inside pocket of her jacket, hoping the stormtroopers' masks made her movement almost undetectable. She fastened the pocket so it wouldn't bounce around and moved her arm down away from it.

That movement pulled the blanket from her head.

A hand seized her arm and pulled her to her feet. She winced as the gloved hand tightened around her bicep.

"Found one."

Another stormtrooper approached. "Are there more?"

"No!" she gasped.

He raised his gun to her face.

She closed her eyes. I'm sorry, Poe.

The one holding her stopped him. "Let's take her to Kylo Ren."

They pulled her up the stairs and out into the center, but behind a pile of dead plants. A group of villagers were being herded to one side and a trio of black figures were surrounding a man.

He said something, and the leader of the three motioned for a figure to search a hut. The other patted down the man, coming up empty.

The one who'd entered the hut came out with a little device, which they pressed into the leader's hand.

A group broke away from the villagers and two of the stormtroopers holding Aura left to help contain them, leaving only the one holding her.

She waited until his grip loosened and drove and elbow up at his mask. It fell off backwards, revealing a boy younger than Poe. She punched under his nose and he fell to the ground, dead.

Aura glanced around. Nobody had noticed.

She dropped behind the pile and fumbled with the pocket, trying to get the blaster out. Once it was free, she shot at one of the black figures, one with a staff that sparked with purple electricity.

They dropped.

The center fell into commotion. A group of stormtroopers ran and seized her. The leader watched as the other figure knelt by their comrade.

Aura was patted down in front of the leader as the figure pulled the dead one out of the way. Then she was pushed to her knees.

"Aura Dameron."

She recognized him then. "Ben?"

His lightsaber sprang to life. "I killed him. He was a coward."

Before Aura could speak again, Kylo Ren gave an order for her to be loaded onto his special ship, to be taken back for interrogation.

She was shoved in a tiny cell in the ship after being cuffed and searched again.

The momentum of the ship starting threw her into the wall and she tried to use her shoulder to push herself up.

She fell down again, and pulled her legs towards her head to deflect a mid-sized barrel from hitting her.

The next time the ship turned, her attempts failed and the barrel knocked her into unconsciousness.