Defect

iii

Kylo Ren stood before us all; his stance was powerful, not stuttering over any word he delivered. Our orders are to go down to the planet, Batuu, and acquire the escaped prisoner for interrogation. My squad would be the lookout, confirming his location before the ground team would engage. Although they will be patrolling the Black Spire Outpost for any further information; however, the primary responsibility for capture was on me. A test I assume to truly see where my loyalties lie and if it was a mistake to keep me alive.

That made it promptly down to the planet's surface; my unit departed from the ship. Another had delivered some Speederbikes for us to survey the adjacent area efficiently; no one would be getting in or out without us noticing. Before we sped off, Ren approached my Speeder, standing quite close to my personal space again. I am Repeatedly thankful to be wearing my helmet, for he would see that the look of fear that was beginning to fester, though he could possibly feel it with his skills.

"Captain." His mechanical voice was low, possibly trying to keep the others from hearing

"Yes, sir?" my throat was dry,

"I need him alive, understand?"

"Of course, sir." I swallowed what spit I could muster; was he goading me? Possibly trying to get another rise out of me; why? Finally, he turned from me to return to the troops and fly off to the post. I commanded the others to follow me, speeding away to begin our search as well.

We traversed most of the terrain for a few hours with no activity. I even split up the small party into groups of two, with that idea not gaining any traction. Most action would most likely take place at night; this port was a smuggler's hub. If he strived to leave this planet, this would be the perfect place to find transport wherever you needed to go. Moreover, the three suns were commencing to set behind the canopy of trees; this would be a telling sign if my hunch were correct.

"AN-308 report," I spoke into my walkie,

"Nothing to report yet, Ma'am!" she spoke enthusiastically,

"Man, how hard can it be to find a Bothan? Not like you see them every day." FN-180 said, his tone full of annoyance and boredom, as he leaned on the handles of his Speederbike.

"One Eighty, can you be serious for a moment?" I sighed, placing my gloved hand on my visor as if I was attempting to pinch the bridge of my nose through my helmet.

"But I am, Ma'am. If he were smart, he would continue to lay low."

"When have you known a rebel to be smart?" I snickered, getting a small chuckle out of him as well.

I recalled the others to regroup and form another plan. Just physically searching was a waste of time, I joked with my companion, but I know that they can be pretty clever like any beast that has found itself cornered. AN-308 and FN-91 came speeding through the trees, coming to an abrupt halt when they heard some chatter of the comms. The ground team was having just as much luck as we were, which was none.

"Commander, my team will take a small intermission and continue our search momentarily."

"Very well, Captain, but make haste; we are still pressed for time."

"Yes, sir."

We all dismounted our Speeders, gathering around one another. AN-308 reached into one of her bags, pulling out a few ration bars for all of us. Then, one by one, we removed our helmets; this was our scouts' freedom. No one was near for us bark orders, and we were at peace out in these desolate woods.

"So, what's it like to be bossing around us, little people?" FN-180 poked fun at me, lightly nudging my arm.

"It's not like it's such a cushy job; I have to deal with a knucklehead like you!" I nudged him back

"Well, I am happy for you." AN-308 smiled,

"I appreciate that." I smiled back, taking a bite of the bar

I'm quite grateful for these three; they are the closest family I have in this harsh galaxy. All of us came from different planets but were raised in the same unit. I would lay down my life for any of them, and I know they would do the same for me.

"So, you have to tell us...." FN-108 spoke with his mouth full,

"Tell you what?" my brow arched, taking in more of the bar,

"What's it like working for mister dark and gloomy?" he grinned,

"Honestly, he scares the hell out of me!"

"I bet; I don't envy you there," FN-91 said, chuckling

"Ever wonder if he gets 'excited' when he chokes someone?" waving half of his bar in the air as he used his fingers for air quotes,

"Ugh, you're disgusting, One Eighty!" she pushed him,

"Hey, don't tell me you haven't thought about it." He laughed, catching himself with one arm, so he didn't entirely fall over,

"I'm going to stand watch. I can't listen to you!" she stood to walk over to the base of the tall tree, where we were held up.

"We don't because we aren't gross like you." FN-91 threw the wrapper from his bar at his face.

We all shared a laugh; Force was this great. I am glad to be back with my team; it was as though nothing happened, and everything was the same as before. However, that strange feeling crept on me. It reminded me that nothing was the same. As the laughter subsided, my lips parted as though I had no control over them.

"Why do you think she did it?" my tone was low. I stared at the ground in front of me.

They looked stunned; the smiles were fading from their once happy faces, glancing around awkwardly as to try to think of a satisfying answer, not just for me but also for themselves. They were close with Three-Four, just as I was; although she was a Trooper, we still ran many missions with one another, shared the same barracks, trained in the same quarters. We were a family; not only did she abandoned the First Order, but she abandoned us.

"It's simple... she's a coward," FN-180 muttered angrily, throwing his empty wrapper over in a bush.

"One-Eighty!" AN-308 shouted, looking back over to the group staring daggers at him.

"What? Why else would she do it otherwise?" he shot his head at her,

"Well, she was a Trooper; she was in the thick of the action. It's not like us; we work from afar. We don't see the same things she does. Maybe she just had enough..." FN-91 said, trying to remain calm.

"That's bullshit, Nine-One, and you know it! We all kill, we all follow orders; what was so different from what she did and what we do?" he bit his lip, looking back and forth between the pair.

"Look, we all have done some shitty things for the First Order, but that's our job. We're soldiers at the end of the day, and it's us against the resistance. If one were to pop out right now, they would run us down in a heartbeat." He paused, peering over to me, who was silent the whole time.

"You shouldn't blame yourself, Six-Five; you did all that you could by trying to bring that traitor back, and that's more mercy than she even deserves..." he sighed, pulling his knees closer to his chest.

We all fell quiet, listening to the light breeze that whipped through the trees. I suppose that was the best answer I was going to get at a time like this. It's not as though I can ask her myself, though I still wouldn't be able to fathom the response if I did. AN-308 became stiff when she saw lights flicker further off in the distance.

"Hey, Captain, I see movement," her voice was hushed as she waved for me to approach.

Picking up my helmet, I rushed from my seat. Stepping next to her, struggling to gain a better look through the darkness of the night and the thickness of the trees. Lights, most likely lanterns, danced through the brush in a hurry. I cracked a smile as I looked back at the others.

"Look, alive people, it looks like he wasn't that smart after all." I grinned, putting on my equipment.