Bonded in the Silence: A Reylo Fanfiction

Chapter 28: Traitor

Members of the Resistance appeared one by one, hesistant at first. Gasps were heard throughout the small crowd of men, women, and various species at the sight of Kylo Ren among the leaders.

"You have brought destruction to us by bringing him here!" a man shouted loudly at the front of the group.

"Are we surrendering?" another asked aloud.

"No," Maz held up one orange hand, "please listen to Rey for a moment."

Rey's cheeks flushed with the rising tension in the room, knowing that this conversation would be heated due to his presence at the base.

"Fighters, there is a new threat to not only our cause, but the rest of the galaxy. The First Order is now under the command of a Sith Lord more powerful and merciless than Snoke. Kylo Ren and his Knights are here to shift the tide against them with us."

A silence held the crowd. "How can we trust him?" a woman with short cropped hair challenged.

"We've spent months slowly recruiting many of you, and that was not in vain, I promise you that."

The members shifted uncomfortably back and forth, some of them leaning toward each other to whisper under their breath.

A younger man stepped forward from a close knit group of three that had been deep in a discussion.

"Can anyone leave before the departure?" he asked. "Surely this is a death wish seeing how our numbers are so small.."

Rey couldn't help but turn to Poe, who nodded his agreement with the young man's question. "Yes. Whoever does not want to partake in this may leave now. We cannot provide you transport at this time however."

A handful of people worked their way through the crowd until they appeared at the forefront. A T'wilek male bowed in respect to Rey, before heading toward the exit out into Takodana. He was followed by the younger man who asked the original question.

A humanoid woman with pale skin approached next, her auburn hair tied in a severe ponytail at the nape of her neck. She didn't make eye contact with any of them as she took a shallow dip with a limp hand over her heart before proceeding toward the exit as well. Passing Kylo Ren on the end, she noticeably scowled crossing him.

Rey watched in shock as his hand flung out from his side, an invisible force halting the woman mid-step. Clutching at her throat as she was yanked backwards toward Ren, her body rotated to face him as some of the Resistance members yelled in surprise.

Before Finn and Poe could react, Rey was at his side, grabbing his outstretched arm as she pleaded with him. "What are you doing? She wants to leave, so let her go!"

"Do you know this one?" he asked in a low voice as he concentrated on suspending woman, her boots just an inch from the ground.

The crowd continued to shout and complain behind them.

"I...no...I don't" Rey stuttered as she turned her attention to the woman, who clawed at the invisible hand around her throat, the air whistling in her windpipe with each breath as her face went red with effort. "She was recruited about three months ago from a planet on the Outer Rim by another team...I was not a part of that mission."