13 | SITH DECODING
Zorii led the group to Babu Frik in a secret base the spice runner crew had. The base was full of people enjoying themselves and their company as if life was normal. As if there weren't stormtroopers right outside looting and killing locals. Music was playing and lighting was set. The sheer amount of people in what seemed like a pub bothered Celestia. There were too many eyes on them, and too many mouths that could easily snitch.
Babu took no time to hook up Threepio to his machines to recode the droid. "I haven't the fainted idea why I agreed to this." Threepio groaned as he fidgeted with the wires streaming out of his head. "I must be malfunctioning."
Babu didn't speak the basic language, causing Zorii to be the translator for Babu. "He says he's found some words in sith," Zorii explained.
"That's it." Finn nodded eagerly.
"Who are you hanging out with that speaks Sith?!" Zorii chastised Poe, who was standing in a corner of the room to avoid any more contact with his ex.
"Babu, can you make him translate it?" Poe ignored Zorii.
"Yes, but it will cause a complete--" Zorii began.
"A complete memory wipe." Threepio finished for her as he understood everything Babu said.
For once, Cel felt sad for a droid. Though Threepio was a pain in her ass, she had grown to get used to him trailing behind her and her team. Her heart shattered when she heard those shaky words leave his robotic mouth. Celestia gulped. "There must be some other way, I mean, you guys, this is Threepio we're talking about. He's been through it all with us and the people that came before us. With Luke, Leia, Anakin, and everyone else."
"Doesn't Artoo back up your memory?" Finn asked the droid.
"Oh, please. Artoo's storage units are famously unreliable." Threepio shook his head.
"You know the odds better than any of us. Do we have a choice?" Rey asked Threepio with wide, sad eyes.
Threepio went silent as he leaned back and looked down at his feet. He stood up and looked Celestia right in the eye as if she somehow would be the one to ensure the mission would be a success. "If this mission fails, it was all for nothing." He walked past Cel and turned around to take a look at the whole group who had become great friends.
"All we've done, all this time..." Threepio pondered off as he stared at the group.
"What are you doing there, Threepio?" Poe's voice was shallow, he felt horrible.
"Taking one last look, sir...at my friends," Threepio replied, causing Cel's heart to break even more. He was plucking at the strings of her heart. She didn't even like droids. But...now that she had spent time with this one and got to know the hundreds of adventures he had been on over three generations, she respected this one.
A loud thud came from the ceiling above the secretive base they were in, causing everyone to break out of the sad trance they were in. "Night raids are gonna start soon," Zorii informed the group. "I'll keep a lookout."
"I'm coming with you," Poe spoke as he followed her out.
She chuckled. "You still don't trust me, huh?"
"Did you ever trust me?"
"Nope."
* * *
Celestia couldn't bear to watch as Babu prodded around in Threepio's mind, so, she decided to go up to the roof where Poe and Zorii were. At least that way, she wouldn't feel so helpless since she could be an asset to defend the base if needed.
Cel took a seat next to Zorii while she and Poe chatted away about her future plans to escape Kijimi. "So you're the new girl?" Zorii chuckled at Cel, nudging her with her elbow.
Cel rolled her eyes. "You could say that."
"You're a real badass, I can admit." Celestia could feel Zorii's smile from under her helmet.
"I guess he's got a type." Cel laid her back on the cold metal roof to look up at the night sky.
"I feel like I shouldn't be in this conversation." Poe butted in.
"You know--technically--we're still broken up." Celestia began to speak.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. She doesn't need to know all that!" Poe hurried to cover Cel's mouth.
Zorii seemed amused and wanted to know more. Cel peeled his hand off her mouth and sat up. "You gonna get out of here?" Cel asked, suggesting that the planet they were currently on wasn't exactly a nice place to be.
Loud rumbles of blasters and explosions echoed through the city. "That's the plan."
"How?"
Zorii pulled a small little medallion out of her pocket. "A first order captain's medallion," Cel whispered, placing a finger to her bottom lip.
"Free passage through any blockade. Landing privileges, any vessel." Zorii pressed a button on her helmet to reveal her eyes to her new friend.
She was certainly a sight to see. Her blue eyes and blonde hair weren't a common sight where Celestia was from. "And you're gonna be okay, all alone?" Poe asked her. He clearly had no feelings whatsoever for her anymore, as her face reveal didn't phase him.
She nodded. "Why don't you come with us?" Celestia inquired. She'd fit right in with everyone. A trained rogue. That's what the resistance was all about. Rebellion.
"I can't." She shook her head, her eyes flickering away from her toward the night sky.
She was incredibly easy to read, no wonder why she wore the visor to cover her facial expressions. Cel could see she was still in love with Poe, and it would hurt her so much to be so close to him yet not being able to be with him. It would be torture if she followed them.
From afar, the three spotted an incoming destroyer and hurried inside to alert the others. "We gotta go now, did we get it? Babu?" Poe asked as he hurried over to Threepio.
"Yep! Droid is ready!" Babu powered Threepio on to life. Threepio's eyes lit up red as he sat straight up in his seat. "The Emporer's wayfinder is in the Imperial vault. At delta 3-6, transient 9-3-6, bearing 3-2 on a moon in the Endor system. From the southern shore. Only this blade tells." Threepio then powered off, his red eyes dimming into lightless eyes. His voice was a dark, evil one. It certainly wasn't the familiar voice Threepio once had.
Babu cheered as Threepio collapsed into his seat. "The Endor system? Where the last war ended?" Finn asked. Before anyone could answer, the base began to shake and all the parts in Babu's shop began to clink against each other.
"I think that maybe our cue." Celestia nodded over to Poe. Rey hurried outside to take a look at the origin of the powerful vibrations. It was the First Order destroyer, likely carrying Kylo Ren.
Poe, Finn, and Cel chased after her as she stood frozen staring at the ship. Using her Jedi senses, she sensed a familiar presence, other than Kylo's on that distant ship. "Chewie, he's alive." Rey's voice cracked as she spoke those words.
"How?!"
"He's alive! He must've been in another transport." Rey exclaimed, her wave of sadness washing away as she realized she didn't kill their comrade.
"We've got to go get him!" Finn spoke sternly.
"Your friend's on that sky trash?" Zorii asked Celestia and Poe.
Poe smiled over to Celestia. "I guess he is!"
Celestia smiled too, her brows raised in shock and delight. Babu Frik suddenly powered Threepio back on, this time not in his sith form. "Might I introduce myself." Threepio shot up from his seat.
Celestia shook her head, still smiling in disbelief, at the droid. "We know who you are, C-3PO, human-cyborg relations. I'm Celestia, that's Poe, Finn, Rey, BB-8, D-O, and Zorii. Oh! And that's Babu Frik!" Celestia's words shot out of her mouth so fast, Threepio could barely understand her. She grabbed Threepio's hand and pulled him along out of the base to their ship.