HUX

Hux nudged the boy, but he remained unresponsive, his eyes closed and legs crossed in a meditation position. Something didn't feel right. Too much time had elapsed. Hux had tried to tune in to what the boy was doing when leaving his body and travelling. It was amazing that someone so young had such skill, and with no training. The boy's presence had moved about for a moment then seemed to leave. Hux had tried to lend him some of his own strength, something that just came naturally without thinking. But now he felt nothing. Temiri seemed an empty shell, sitting on the counter in front of him. Like a lifeless robot, yet he was still breathing. A concern for the boy hit Hux so hard his throat began to close up.

"Temiri," he said, shaking the boy gently.

There was no response, and the lack of his presence made Hux uneasy.

Maybe it just took a lot of time, to travel so far.

Hux clenched his fist tight. What had he been thinking? He shouldn't have asked such a thing of the boy. What if he couldn't came back? Hux didn't know enough about the ways of the Force to know what to do if that happened.

He picked the boy up into his arms. There was no more time to wait. He had to find General Leia, and fast.

Temiri was ridiculously light in Hux's arms. Were all kids this light? Hux hurried out into the hall and headed for the Command Center. Maybe the Resistance General had returned already and they were strategizing. Snoke was also strategizing and likely lying to everyone. The most susceptible to his lies was Ren. It all made sense suddenly, why Ren had taken off in a TIE Fighter and left them. Snoke was probably behind that too.

Hux took the elevator, trying to ignore the horrid feeling that he was holding a dead body. The boy would be fine. He would return... but what if he couldn't find his body where he'd left it?

Hux sighed, pushing down a wave of anxiety that threatened to overwhelm him. No, he'd fix this. He'd never stop trying until his son was back.

The elevator door opened and a First Order Commander almost ran into him in his rush to get out and Hux's rush to get in.

"General Hux! I was just-" he stopped, seeing the limp boy in Hux's arms. A display of emotions moved over his face. He probably assumed the worst, that Hux had killed an innocent child. "I was just.. We were looking for you."

"I'm looking for General Leia," Hux said, but the Commander ignored him and continued with what he was saying.

"The fleet stopped their attack on the Command Stations. We watched their progress until a few moments ago when the sensors stopped working. Now we can't track them anymore and the systems have gone down."

Hux swallowed hard. So Temiri had been successful in reaching the pilot after all.

"When did they all abandon the mission?"

"About half an hour ago. We didn't have contact with them, so we assumed you'd found a way to warn them."

Hux frowned. Half an hour ago was when Temiri had done his outer-body transportation, which meant he had reached Poe really fast. Then why hadn't he returned yet? Was he trying to?

Hux pushed past the Commander. "Do we have access to any of the internal systems control?"

"No sir."

"And General Leia?"

"General Organa is still missing."

Hux cursed and started walking. He'd take the boy to his room for now.

"How do you want us to proceed?" the commander asked.

"We need to-" Hux stopped, not wanting Snoke to overhear them somehow. He had ears everywhere on this ship. Hux leaned in closer to the Commander and whispered. "We need to get off of this ship undetected. But first, turn off the systems control completely."

"But what about the fleets?" the Commander asked in an equally quiet whisper. "How will they contact us?"

"They can't," Hux responded in a regular voice. "We'll find a way to reconnect, but for now, take my message to the others and find a way to communicate it to them... non-verbally."

"Understood."

KYLO

Kylo brought the TIE Fighter to a complete stop and checked his sensors again. Nothing. No planets anywhere nearby, not even an asteroid. How could they have vanished into thin air? This was where the trace signature of the escape pod stopped.

He closed his eyes and tried to calm himself. He was so angry he could destroy anyone in his way, but he couldn't focus on finding Rey, when he was in this state. And he had no army at his beck and call, no resources to help him on locate Rey, they were all off fighting a war and trying to survive.

Kylo moved slowly through space, looking for the exact spot the trace signature ended. Once he dealt with FN2187, he'd find where Snoke's mainframe was stationed and blast it to the next Galaxy. He had to be behind all this.

A flashing light indicated that the gas was getting below half full. Kylo turned the engine off and the quiet of space engulfed him. At this rate, he wouldn't have enough gas to get all the way back to base, but he could get close enough to send a communication to them that he was there.

It was cold inside the TIE Fighter. The temperature gauge showed a normal thermal reading. Kylo tapped it with his finger, but it stayed the same. It had to be broken. He was so cold. He'd never been so cold in his life. 

REY

I want to scream, but I can't do anything, not even shiver. My body is too tensed up and I can't unclench my muscles, even if I wanted to. No one is saying anything. We're all too cold.

Rose shifts behind me. she's leaned against my back, trying and warm up. Finn is on the seats above us, making some strange shivering noises, like a mumbling sound. Rose tried to rewire some things inside the escape pod panel to get a signal out, even just a short range one. But the power wouldn't come back on so it was useless. When she finally thought of using the emergency light battery to boost a comm signal, her fingers were so cold they began to stick to everything metal. Mine did it too. I'd never experienced anything like it before, coming from a warm planet like Jakku. 

My breath puffs out into the air in front of me. The cold is relentless. It feels like a burn from fire, pinching at my fingers and any exposed skin. It presses in from all sides. It's exhausting yet won't let you rest for one moment. If I could rest, I imagine I wouldn't wake up from it.

The emergency light still holds onto its last bit of battery, bathing everything in a sickening red glow. It too will succumb to the wrath of the cold. Then we'll be left in darkness.

An angry shiver forces its way through me, using up my last stores of energy. I try to imagine the Jakku sun. I hated the heat of the day but now I'd give anything for it. If I make it through this, I'll never complain about the heat again. 

Suddenly I think of Poe and his view on friends, not wanting to make human friends because they can die. Finn and I are the only ones he's open to. Does he see us as indestructible? Or did he accidentally let his guard down? Now we're both here and if we die, Poe will lose both of his friends at the same time. I can't let that happen. I can't do that to Poe. Even BB-8, his best buddy, got sick with the Ruling Order's virus. 

I close my eyes and gather my last bit of strength. 

Poe, I won't let you lose everyone you care about.

TEMIRI

Temiri felt the message travel through him before it hit Poe. 

Poe jumped, startling both of them.

"Rey," he whispered, sitting up in his seat. Temiri had sensed her communication too, but just her essence reaching out. He didn't know what the message was. Somehow Rey had managed to reach out to Poe, from so far away. She must be so powerful.

Temiri waited, hoping to catch any other message coming through. He knew it had travelled from his right, but had no idea from where exactly. Did Poe know?

Poe turned on his X-Wing's engine and flew out from behind the asteroid he was hiding on, along with the other planes in his fleet. He headed in the same direction Temiri had sensed Rey's message coming from. He knew which way to go. 

"Red-leader to Blue Ace," he said. There was a pause and he continued. "Heading for a rescue mission. Notify the others to remain in hiding until further notice from base."

He pushed a button on his helmet then took off at full speed.