The Last Jedi: The Spark of Rebellion

Where is the Boy Now?

Kylo Ren made his way through the dark underground passage leading to the weapons acquisition base. He hated Canto Bight, all the useless gambling, worthless extravagance and waste of time and money. He would have blown the planet up by now, except it gave the First Order access to the weapons they needed. Sellers used the city as a meeting place for trades, preferring the ease of spending their money on the same planet they acquired it on.

Kylo's footsteps echoed down the dark corridor, emphasizing the fact that he was alone. He quickened his pace. Ever since Snoke had connected him and Rey with the Force, always when unexpected, he was apprehensive about it suddenly happening again, whenever he was alone. But it couldn't happen again.

He entered an open area that was better lit and filled with rows and rows of the latest weaponry Canto Bight traders had to offer. The large canons were produced elsewhere and were on their way now, but Kylo still needed a new ship to put the canons on. The Weapons Trader's cruiser would be sufficient enough. It was already well armed and a top of the line ship. They would add larger cannons to it, once Kylo killed the Trader and took it from him. There was no time to wait for a new ship to be built or negotiated for. The Resistance had escaped on that detestable Millennium Falcon, but they were so few now. Once the remnant were destroyed, the other rebels scattered across the galaxy would lose their last hope. Then the First Order would rule without opposition; they were the one and only Ruling Order in the galaxy.

Why did you kill him?

The sound of Rey's pleading voice caught Kylo off guard. Her tear streaked face still haunted his thoughts when he least expected it. But Han wasn't her father. So then why did she cry for him, when Kylo himself couldn't? Or maybe she wasn't crying for Han. Maybe she was crying for Kylo and what he'd become, a man who would murder his own father.

Kylo turned to go back the way he came. He didn't want to check weapons right now. Hux could take care of that. He needed a distraction, something which was easy to find on Canto Bight.

A zipping sound caught his attention and he turned. The First Order Astromech droid, BB-9E, which Phasma had acquired to keep the starships and machinery operational, rolled towards him. Since Phasma was still in recovery, the droid didn't seem to have anyone to attach to. Hux wasn't fond of the BB unit, but it had certainly done its job well. 

If it hadn't been for BB-9, they might not have noticed that loathsome FN2187 and the Resistance Maintenance Worker walking the halls of their ship to turn off their tracker. And they wouldn't have gotten the intel that the Resistance escape shuttles were cloaked and leaving their cruiser. Hux was able to destroy almost the entire Resistance from the information provided by the Code Breaker. If BB-9 wasn't so invaluable to the First Order, Kylo would have banned her from being allowed in his presence. He wasn't too fond of droids, especially small ones like this.

"I have information that might interest you," BB-9 beeped.

Kylo kept walking. An unsettling yet familiar feeling stirred inside of him.

Rey

He sensed her presence. In fact, yesterday he was certain she was there, when they'd arrived. But he hadn't see her.

"We've just confirmed that FN2187 and a Resistance Maintenance worker were on this planet."

"FN2187?" Kylo asked. He didn't like the obscurity of basic droid language and wanted to be sure he'd heard right.

"Yes."

"When?"

"Five hours before they were captured on the First Order ship."

Of course. The Code Breaker had recently come from Canto Bight, when they questioned him. So FN2187 and the Maintenance girl had come here to get him.

"We've also been notified that there might be a rebel group that has formed in this city," BB-9 continued. "In alliance with the Resistance."

Kylo stopped walking. "Where are they based?"

"We do not know their headquarters yet."

He sensed it again. That stirring he now was sure had to be Rey's presence. Maybe she was on planet. Would the Resistance be getting weapons from Canto Bight too, like the First Order was?

"Is the Resistance here, now?"

"We don't have verification of any of them being on planet currently."

"Go tell Hux what you told me," Kylo said. "And find the location of the Rebel Group's headquarters in this city."

BB-9 turned and zoomed off down the corridor. If the last of the Resistance was coming here, Kylo would extinguish them, once and for all.

* * *

"Fathiers," the task Master, Bargwill said, wringing his fingers as he looked up at Kylo Ren. The male Cloddogran was sweating.

"A large animal?" Kylo asked, judging by the size of the stables.

The man nodded vigorously. "Yes, yes. We had them for races. We're rounding more of them up again. They escaped."

"How?" Kylo resisted the urge to cover his nose with his hand. The stables smelled of manure and dry grass. His mask had always been great for navigating different atmospheres when he went on planet. But he'd destroyed it, on account of Snoke's criticizing words. Wearing it was tribute to his grandfather's legacy, and Kylo would wear it again, someday. But why had his Force sensitivity lead him to these stables? Had Rey been here? Was this the secret headquarters of the Rebels? It seemed unlikely.

"Uh.. Uh..." the Cloddogran task master stammered. "Some men from off planet landed their shuttle illegally on the beach, a few suns ago, and they were imprisoned. Then they escaped on the back of one of the Fathiers."

Kylo thought about this for a moment. His silence seemed to make the Cloddogran more nervous.

"This stall," Kylo said, noticing a ragged blanket at the back of the stall. "Did it only have the Fathier in it?"

Bargwill hesitated. "No, Master Kylo Ren, there is a boy who stays here. A stable boy."

Kylo furrowed his brow. "A stable boy, from Canto Bight?"

"No. His parents were from a small trading planet, called Jakku."

Kylo turned to look at the Cloddogran. "Jakku?" His sudden movement startled the task master, who cowered and nodded vigorously again.

"Yes, yes," he said.

"Where is the boy now?"