KYLO

"There are more ships approaching," Hux said, looking down at the control panel in front of him. The wires underneath still sparked from all the damage done by the recent battle.

Kylo leaned against the Tactical Officer's chair. The aftereffects of his drained energy from healing Hux were making him light headed. He'd never brought anyone back from the brink of death before, it wasn't something he was aware he could do. He hadn't needed to do it before. But seeing Hux get shot through the heart made him furious. Hux was his Commanding Officer, just like Rey was his partner in the Force and Temiri was his future apprentice. No one took what was his away from him.

"Why don't they just blow up our entire ship?" Hux mumbled under his breath. "Wouldn't it be easier?" Despite the concerned expression on his face, he'd never looked healthier. Even the dark circles under his eyes were gone. Kylo's healing had been very effective. Maybe too effective.

"They want the ship for themselves," Kylo said. "Do we have any more stormtroopers on board?"

Hux shook his head, avoiding Kylo's gaze.

"Fighter planes?"

"A few, your Supreme Leadership, but we can't send out any transmissions to them."

The ship shook and Kylo gripped the back of the seat in front of him tighter. Another ship had docked. Kylo suddenly remembered Temiri. The boy was still alive and on board, somewhere. They had to find him and get off this cruiser.

"Supreme Leader-" Hux started to say, but Kylo was already leaving the bridge and heading out into the corridor. There had to be a way to get the bay doors open and the escape pods back online. He simply didn't have the energy to fend off another assult of Droideka robots.

Temiri's presence was strong, but it seemed to be coming from all directions as Kylo hurried down the hall. He couldn't pinpoint its source.

Kylo stopped walking and Hux almost ran into him. He'd been following him and Kylo hadn't even noticed. Hux quickly stepped aside. There was no trace of the familiar look of annoyance on his face, which he always had when Kylo stood too close. Hux didn't question the sudden change of direction as Kylo headed the opposite way to the launch bay area.

They rounded a corner and Kylo stopped again, his frustration growing. He couldn't focus. Where was the boy? Why hadn't he thought to get a personal device for the tracker, one that he could keep on him, instead of relying solely on the ship's system? Now the system was down and he couldn't use any of the control consoles.

"Supreme Leader," Hux said again.

Kylo glared at him. "What?"

Hux pointed up. "The boy is directly above us," he said. "I sense him, one deck higher."

Kylo frowned. What did Hux mean, he sensed him? He didn't bother to ask, but hurried to the nearest elevator.

When they reached the next level, Hux stepped out first and immediately turned right, as though he knew exactly which way to go. "The droids are coming," he said, pointing down the hall to the other end. "Heading down that elevator."

"How do you know?" Kylo started to say.

"Master Ren," Temiri said from the shadows. Kylo hadn't even sensed him, right there only a few steps away, huddled against the wall in the dark hallway. But Hux was already standing next to him, looking down.

The boy lifted his head. Kylo couldn't see his face clearly but he heard the shakiness of his voice. "My friends are in trouble,"  he said.

Kylo leaned down and grabbed the boy's arm, pulling him to his feet in one quick motion.

"Stop crying," Kylo said in a calm voice, gripping the boy's arm tight.

Hux stepped forward, as though to intervene, but then quickly stepped back again.

Temiri's breaths came out staggered, but there was no point in deceiving the child. Canto Bight wouldn't survive the droid attack, not if all their machines and robots were compromised and fighting against them. His friends would all be dead soon.

Kylo dragged Temiri along to the elevator on the opposite end to the one Hux had said Droidekas were approaching in. Temiri's feet barely touched the ground as Kylo pulled him along, yet the boy did his best to keep up.

How did Hux know the droids were coming down from the other elevator? Even Kylo couldn't get any sense of the lifeless robots with his Force sensitivity, especially not now, when he felt so drained.

They hurried into the elevator and Temiri started crying again.

"Temiri!" Hux reprimanded the boy in a stern voice.

Temiri stopped crying immediately, his eyes going wide.

"Stand up straight," Hux looked down at him. Temiri stood taller and Kylo let go of his arm. His eyes were still wet with tears but he no longer looked sad. Rather, he looked angry.

"I'm going to go save my friends," he said.

"Your friends are probably already-"

Kylo raised his hand to stop Hux from continuing.

The elevator doors opened and they hurried towards the launch bay area.

HUX

Hux heard the robots behind them before Supreme Leader Kylo Ren did. They's almost reached the launch bay when the distant march of the Droideka army caught his attention. He turned, grabbing Temiri and pushing the boy to stand behind him.

The frightful robots opened fire and Kylo stepped in front of Hux, blasting the Droidekas back before another round of laser fire flew at them. Kylo deflected the shots with an invisible shield, one which Hux had never seen him use before, but the power seemed to be radiating not only from the Supreme Leader, but from behind him too. Hux glanced down at Temiri. The boy's teeth were clenched in concentration, his hand outstretched toward the invisible shield in front of them. They were creating it together. The droids stopped firing all at once, as though realizing it was to no effect. They advanced towards them, their pointed legs and arms crawling forward like spiders. Kylo's hand dropped and Temiri moved behind Hux again.

"I can't keep-" Kylo began to say, his shoulders slumping. The Droidekas lifted their weapons again.

"Commander Hux," a mechanical female voice said from behind them.

Hux turned to see the Stormtrooper Captain step into the glow of a nearby emergency light, with an army of Stormtroopers piling into the hallway behind her. There was no time to welcome Captain Phasma back, as both sides opened fire on each other.

-----

(Author's Note: switching to first person, present tense for Rey. Thanks ^_^ )

REY (Aboard the Millennium Falcon)

"No!" Rose yells. "We have to go to Hays Minor! I have family there!"

An uncomfortable silence fills the cockpit as everyone exchanges glances. Hays Minor, in the Otomok System, is one of the places transmitting a distress signal at the moment, along with the Rebels on Cantonica and two nearby ships, who are also under attack; the messages being sent to the Resistance base, automatically redirected to the Falcon.

"Rose," General Leia says, leaning against the passenger seat. "The Otomok System is in the opposite direction of Cantonica-"

We're all gathered in the cockpit, standing awkwardly in the small space with too low of a ceiling, as the distress signals continue to come in.

"Who cares about that place?" Rose says, her face flushed. "It's full of criminals and spoiled wealthy aristocrats."

"Our cruiser is also there," the General adds. "We can't fight off an army of robots by ourselves, in the Falcon. Not to mention, Luke's grandson is-"

"Temiri," Rose says in a low voice. "Is not my family."

No one says anything and I hold my breath. Did she really just say that?

General Leia crosses her arms and gives Rose a stern look. Rose turns to Finn, as though looking for back-up. He simply shrugs.

"We have to help the Rebels on Cantonica," the General continues. "They're our allies and we need all the troops we can get." She uncrosses her arms. "I'm sorry about your home planet. I really am."

"The cruiser isn't responding," Poe announces. He turns in the pilot's seat to look at us. "We don't exactly have any way of getting to Cantonica, or anywhere, in this ship."

"We can get to Hay's Minor in this ship!" Rose says. "It's close enough. The cruiser's probably already been overtaken by the A.I. droids, anyway."

"We don't know that," the General responds.

"What about that pilot," Finn says to Leia. "Who dropped you and Poe off?"

"The First Order pilot?" Poe and Leia say at the same time.

"I have his contact signal," Poe offers.

General Leia nods. "Send a transmission."

Rose suddenly storms off. Finn hesitates for a moment, then follows after her. Leia sighs and takes a seat in the co-pilot's chair.

"Black leader, this is the Resistance," Poe says into the comm unit. "Requesting help so we can join the battle on Cantonica and secure more troops to stand against the droid army. We are on the same side, with a common enemy. I repeat, we can offer assistance. Please respond."

MAGNEZ (Outskirts of Canto Bight)

The Rebel leader, Magnez, raised his left hand, signaling the others to stop advancing. A light rain drizzled over them as they hid behind buildings and trees near the front gates, leading into Canto Bight's downtown district. The gates stood closed, in an attempt to keep out the invaders. Yet somehow Magnez didn't think the gates would do much to stop this unfamiliar threat.

Faint gun shots and screams traveled on the breeze, drowned out by the tapping of rain on the tin roofs of the nearby shops. Magnez's feet ached. The wet ground seeped through his old boots and his feet were ice cold.

The Rebels were in place, ready to protect their neighborhood against this sudden attack. Their working-class neighborhood didn't have the many machines and robots that the casinos and hotels did, all of which had turned against them. The only machines their sector had were small vacuums at a few of the restaurants, which remained off when not in use, and the food ovens and currency exchange tills.

The working staff on duty in the city's core tonight, along with the Vacationers, were defenseless. Cries of fear and pain rang louder now as the mayhem neared the gates. Magnez's heart pounded in his chest. He hated not helping them, but he couldn't send his limited troops to their certain deaths out to the city core. He'd brought them to these gates instead, to keep the battle from advancing into their streets. They'd sent a distress signal to the Resistance. If they could hold off the attack from reaching their homes and families long enough, surely the Resistance would come and save them.

Magnez gripped his blaster tight. He was one of the few who had a gun, which put him on the front lines of their defence formation. The attack didn't make sense. The First Order did a lot of business in Canto Bight and this chaotic strike seemed too irrational to be their doing. It had to be some other enemy. But who?

A blaster beam shot between the closed iron gate and into a nearby trash receptacle. Magnez ducked. The enemy was at hand.