The Prettiest Star - Star Wars - Kylo Ren

XXVIII

Although the droid did not like Aya, it trusted her, and in turn she trusted it. An unspoken connection raged between droids and users of the force. Especially when concerning the legendary R2-D2, few droids would turn down Aya's offer. In return for its service, she had reluctantly agreed to deliver it to the planet of Coruscant, where it would meet with its rebel comrades. The planet was a central part of the galaxy, one that Aya had been purposely trying to avoid in order to remain under The First Order's radar, but there was no other option.

The starship she drove was a small trade-ship that she had bought earlier. It was inconspicuous and honest, hopefully they would enter the planet undetected. Now dressed in a series of grey rags and some large, decrepit goggles, Aya sat in the cockpit beside the droid. Not a single word had been exchanged on their journey so they sat in silence with Aya tightly gripping the controls of the ship. Her mind had been occupied the entire time, she was racing through all of the possibilities that could take place when they landed. She knew that the longer she spent on the planet, the more likely someone would slip through her guards and alert the First Order of her presence.

Since her dramatic exit from the Star Destroyer, the search for her had increased at an alarming rate. Despite her cutting the connections between Kylo and herself, she could still feel his pain and anger as he persistently tried to find her. Her actions had done more damage than she had anticipated. Since her departure, he had become more ruthless in his methods and quicker to anger. His change in attitude had not gone unnoticed among the ranks. General Hux in particular relished in his pain and had begun to use it to his own tactical advantage.

After gaining permission to land, Aya descended towards Coruscant. The planet consisted of one gigantic city. It was crawling with over one trillion inhabitants resulting in a cacophonic mess of uncontrollable life. Due to its prosperity, it was considered one of the most important parts of the galaxy. It was like the heart of the entire network of life that was pumped across the star systems like blood. It was the home of the New Republic and it had eyes everywhere.

She stepped out of the starship whilst wrapping the grey material tightly around her head. Accompanied by her blacked-out goggles and tight leather gloves, not a shred of her skin could be seen. An observer wouldn't even be able to tell what species she was as she strode across the floating platform. Behind her, the droid followed, its steps mirroring hers.

Silently pressing some credit chips into the palm of a blue character stood to her right, Aya made her way to the transporter that hovered next to the platform with the droid in tow. All around them was a throng of whirring life. Speeders and starships sped past along the giant highways that stacked on top of each other like bricks in a wall. Skyscrapers bearing bright lights displaying the whole spectrum of neon colours towered over everything, racing towards the polluted sky above them. They emerged from a void below them that never seemed to end, the floor of the planet had been all but forgotten. Everything was alive with sound and movement that was an attack to the senses. Aya grimaced as the droid sat beside her and the ship began to move.

As soon as they landed on the main walkway they were whisked away among crowds of moving creatures of all shapes and sizes. Now following the droid, Aya pushed her way through the throng of life, almost losing it in the crowd on numerous occasions. At points she could hardly breathe. They were illuminated only by the lights of the bright buildings and speeders above them so they were showered in odd colours and irregular shadows. The noise was almost unbearable but it was expected of one of the main walkways of the city.

She followed the droid as they walked across buildings and walkways. They passed through doorways, across ledges, up stairs, and into buildings on a seemingly endless journey. Slowly, the crowds began to thin as they entered the lower parts of the city. Everything became darker and the noise dripped away, one decibel at a time. The paths held more shadows, in which she could feel dangerous eyes watching them as they passed into the darker parts of the city. Aya tightened her grip on the blaster at her hip as she felt them linger on the spotless chrome droid that strode in front of her.

The buildings were smaller and more depleted as they walked on. Soon the noise was reduced only to the distant sounds of moving starships, the gentle humming of the buildings, and their harsh, echoing footsteps. By the time the droid stopped, night had fallen and they were only illuminated by the light pouring out of each window and the bright neon sign that hung limply before them. In flickering blues and reds were the words 'Doc's Bar'.

Without hesitation, the droid opened the door and walked straight in, it didn't even check if Aya was following. Raising an eyebrow, she entered behind it. The bar was depleted and depressing. Every square inch seemed to throb with grime; the air was heavy with dull fumes so that Aya could hardly see through the goggles she wore. In one corner of the hazy room, a group of reluctant musicians played a sad tune that was once uplifting. The atmosphere made her shudder, especially under the gaze of the few inhabitants. Yet, she still walked on.

Earlier, the droid had told her not to follow it through the building, so she swiftly walked to the decrepit bar, not sparing the droid a second glance. Scattered across the few tables were occasional silhouettes that sat slumped over their drinks, yet she could still feel their eyes on her and their malevolent thoughts shouting out. As the bartender sidled up towards her, she felt the droid slip through one of the back doors and deeper into the building. Behind it were people it recognised. "I'll have whatever's cheapest." She grumbled, her voice muffled by the cloth.

Soon a glass filled with smouldering brown liquid was seated in front of her on the grubby, metal surface. She slid a few credit chips across the counter as she listened to the droid. It was talking to its contacts about the mission it had been on, but she could hear it thinking about the map piece. Not a single electrode in its mind even considered handing the map straight to the rebels. She felt it leave the building. She knew it would complete its task. She knew that, now, everything was safe.

Aya took a deep breath and visibly relaxed. Leaning further over the counter, she removed the goggles so that they hung over her neck and gently lowered the cloth to reveal her face. Relief spread across her like wildfire as with one hand she wiped her brow, and with the other she clasped the cold glass in front of her. It was over. Everything she had been sent here for, was over. A small smile played at her lips as she recollected the chaos of events that had taken place in this small life.

For the first time since she had awoken in that small, damp cave, she felt tired, in every sense of the word. Sluggishly, she brought the glass to her lips and felt the burning liquid trickle down her throat. It was disgusting. Her mind wandered towards what she could possibly do next. The important part of her mission was over: she had changed the fate of the galaxy so that it would naturally find a balance in the force once more. She remembered the old man Lor San Tekka telling her about the girl on Jakku. Maybe she could try and find her.

Suddenly her thoughts were ripped apart when a shout from the corner of the room grabbed hold of her attention. She spun around to see a man pointing at her and shouting. In that split second she recognised him distantly as someone who she had met at the rebel base all those months ago. "Get her, she's here for the droid." He shouted, complete, untainted anger lacing his words "She's with the Order!"

Before anyone could react she was sprinting towards the door. All thoughts were discarded as she focused on nothing but fleeing. It felt like her brain wasn't driving her actions but her feet were doing the work themselves as she sprinted through the darkened streets. She heard people behind her begin to gather but she ignored them. Instinctively she ran towards a more crowded part of the city, following the route that the droid had taken.

Suddenly a strange sensation washed over her that she reluctantly recognised. She almost tripped as it hit her like a ton of bricks. It was only small, like a headache. Yet it was there. The First Order was there. Kylo Ren was there.

Just as she had feared, someone had slipped through her guards. They had found her.