Bonded

Chapter 22: Becoming

"Actually, he did." Daja pulls out a chair next to Finn, shaking a silver cylinder as she sits.

"What?" Poe twitches.

"He did earn the Heart of Delphon."

"Why? Because he blasted the Black Hole gang into space? So what?"

"No." Daja sets her drink on the table. "Because he blasted the Black Hole gang into space and saved over ten thousand lives."

"Wait, what?" Poe knits his brow.

"See, Poe, this is your problem." Daja takes a swig of her drink. "You're passing judgement on something without bothering to get the details."

"I don't need any details. A brutal dictator doesn't deserve a humanitarian award. Period."

"Do you even know what the Heart of Delphon is?" Daja raises an eyebrow. "It's an honor given to anyone who promotes peace on the planet and improves a majority of the population's lives. Kylo Ren did that. So, he earned it."

"Listen." Poe grunts. "Black Hole was a menace. Everyone knows that. But just because Kylo Ren took five seconds out of his day to give approval for an army of TIE fighters to blast their bases to smithereens doesn't mean—"

"That's not what happened." Finn interrupts.

"So, what?" Poe challenges. "What'd he do?"

"Well..." Finn shares a glance with Daja. "For starters, he didn't blow up Black Hole's bases. He went in with ground troops this time."

"Yeah. So?"

"So, Black Hole controlled all the mines on Delphon, right? They have over ten thousand slaves working down there, most of them people they captured in raids."

"Yeah, yeah, Black Hole's heartless."

"Exactly." Finn points at him. "They're heartless. So, when the First Order showed up and surrounded their bases, they emptied out the mines, drove all the slaves to the outer edges to make a human wall."

For the first time, Poe looks genuinely intrigued. "Ok..." He knits his brow. "So, how'd the First Order get through without killing them?"

"As it turns out..." Finn tsks. "The troops surrounding the bases were just a decoy. The First Order found a secret way into the mines and their special forces snuck into the bases from below, so when the fighting started, the slaves were all outside, away from the battle. Not a single one of them died."

"Gotta appreciate a clean victory like that." Daja takes a swig of her drink. "Even if it is Kylo Ren."

"The bastard's brilliant sometimes," Finn adds grimly.

"Oh yes," Poe spits. "The bastard's brilliant, alright. You know what this is, don't you? A distraction. It's all just one big decoy. You think Kylo Ren actually cares about those people's lives?"

Daja and Finn shake their heads, the latter mouthing "no".

"Of course not!" Poe beats the table. "It's part of a pattern, you see. Think about it." He points to Finn. "Remember when he took out the Merdos Syndicate and the whole galaxy just fawned over him?"

Finn nods.

"Well, what happened not two days after that?"

"They invaded the Salient system." Daja beats Finn to the punch.

"Right!" Poe points at Daja. "And they completely demolished Zidon. Zidon!? They've been protecting the people in that system for decades. If it weren't for them, half the population would've starved! But did the galaxy kick up a fuss about that?"