Spark of the Resistance Page 3

  “Absolutely not,” Spiftz said, not bothering to hide his disgust at the idea. “This is a military operation, and although your knowledge has proven useful, there is no way we could let a civilian interrupt or observe how the First Order runs a mission.” Spiftz did not add that he also didn’t trust anything or anyone not human. Regardless, she was not truly of the First Order and, therefore, was inherently inferior. Just because she was useful did not mean she deserved respect.

  Glenna nodded. “Well, then I believe you have the update that you requested?”

  “Not quite. What about the fauna of the planet? Are there any species down there that could be attacking my stormtroopers?”

  Glenna Kip waved her hand and the hologram of Minfar dissipated, a number of figures taking its place. “The scientists working on Minfar had a fascination with the planet biome. It somehow factored into their work. They tracked three major populations, but only one was sentient: the Zixon.”

  The other two figures shrank in size while the third grew. The creatures had large, slender, diamond-shaped ears, and paws with razor-sharp claws. Their bodies were covered in thick green fur, not long and shaggy like a Wookiee’s but shorter and denser.

  “Zixon? What a funny-sounding name,” Commander Spiftz said.

  “Yes, it was apparently tied to a squeaking noise the creatures made when they came upon the team. The scientists document trying to teach the creatures Basic, but they were hopelessly inept at learning any kinds of languages. But here is information you might find to be of use: the creatures lived almost exclusively underground.”

  “Is that so?” Spiftz said, rubbing his chin as he considered that bit of knowledge. Lieutenant Aderat had said that the creatures seemed to disappear. Perhaps they weren’t actually vanishing so much as hiding themselves away. An entrance to an underground tunnel would be a good way to evade detection.

  “The stormtroopers need to look for entrances to tunnels, then,” Spiftz finally said with a decisive nod. “If these Zixon continue to be a threat, we will neutralize them and then find the laboratory. How hard can it be to subdue creatures that cannot even learn Basic?”

  Glenna inclined her head wordlessly, but Commander Spiftz was already thinking about how the operation would be a victory.

  Success would mean a promotion, and Spiftz spent a moment daydreaming about being given command of a larger ship, of a more robust fleet of TIE fighters.

  Oh, the order he could bring with more power. He could finally make a name for himself. If General Hux, a child with a complete lack of vision just blindly following the philosophies of his father, could command a Resurgent-class ship, the most fearsome in all the galaxy, why couldn’t Spiftz?

  The mere idea of it made his palms sweat.

  Commander Spiftz’s reverie was interrupted—this time not by Glenna Kip and her hypotheses but by the shipboard communications crackling to life. “Commander Spiftz, sir. We have a situation.”

  Commander Spiftz gritted his teeth and turned back to Glenna. “Send these coordinates to Lieutenant Nivers and her team.”

  “Yes, of course,” Professor Kip said with an inclination of her head. Commander Spiftz wasn’t sure whether she was being insolent or not, but he didn’t waste time on the matter. He just spun on his heel and made his way back to the command deck.

  As Commander Spiftz arrived on deck, chaos greeted him. Battle analysts sat at their terminals with looks of mild panic and horror, and a number of alarms beeped distressingly.

  “What is going on?” he demanded, and everyone on the command deck stilled.

  “The ship that we reported earlier, sir? It, um, just destroyed four TIE fighters,” offered one of the analysts, his expression somewhere between terrified and resigned.

  “How. . . . Did. . . . A. . . . Transport. . . . Ship. . . . Destroy. . . . Four. . . . TIE. . . . Fighters?” Commander Spiftz ground out each word slowly. He’d been away from the command deck for only a moment, and somehow those fools had lost a third of his fighters. He’d made it clear to his crew that his resources were very limited, and now he was down to a small number of TIEs.

  “It’s the Millennium Falcon, sir,” one young analyst blurted out, two spots of color appearing high on her pale cheeks. “The ship we detected earlier was the Resistance.”

  Commander Spiftz straightened, and a glimmer of excitement quickened his pulse. “The rebels are here?”

  “We aren’t sure,” another woman said, clicking through several screens and giving the other analysts a long look. “What we do know is that it was a YT-1300 Corellian freighter, which is the same model as the Millennium Falcon. This ship destroyed the initial group of TIE fighters we sent out to investigate and then headed toward the planet surface.”

  “And you let them get away?” Commander Spiftz growled.

  “They were flying erratically when they fled, sir,” the young woman hastily added. “I, uh, we thought it likely they went to the planet to make repairs.”

  “Why didn’t you send a team in pursuit?” Spiftz asked. His pulse thrummed in his skull, and he could feel his control over his temper weakening dangerously.

  “We didn’t want to waste resources just in case we were wrong about the ship being Resistance,” she said, her voice barely a whisper.

  “We are tracking them, sir,” another analyst chimed in. “As soon as they land we’ll be able to send a team after them.”

  Commander Spiftz sank into his chair, feeling opportunity shine its benevolent light on him. If he could deliver the Millennium Falcon, the rebels, and a legendary weapon to the First Order high command, he would be due for a promotion for certain. And not just a single rank, either. He might end up promoted all the way to admiral.

  “Excellent, most excellent,” Commander Spiftz said, steepling his fingers, his previous anger completely evaporated. The barest hint of a smile played across his lips. “Please send for Lieutenant Nivers. I do believe our plans have changed.”

  The rebels would have no idea what hit them.

  REY HELD THE SHIP STEADY as they bumped the rest of the way out of the ice ring around Minfar.

  The creaks and thumps coming from the ship made her wince. She knew the Falcon would hold together—it was a surprisingly resilient old rust bucket—but that didn’t mean she wasn’t worried. Her heart hadn’t stopped pounding just yet, and her palms were sweaty on the yoke. Those engines going out in the middle of a fight was a bad sign, and Rey couldn’t help but worry that they’d made a mistake going all the way to the edge of the known galaxy to help people they’d never met. It was the right thing to do, but sometimes doing the right thing led to nothing but trouble.

  And didn’t they already have enough problems?

  As though it sensed her mood, a porg landed on the control console and cooed soothingly. Rey smiled tightly. “Now, are you Erci or Mady?” she asked.

  The porg trilled in response.

  Poe jogged into the cockpit and strapped into the seat next to Rey. He still wore a goofy grin from their battle, and Rey tried not to scowl at him. At least one of them was having fun.

  “Are you okay?” he asked as BB-8 rolled in and beeped a similar inquiry.

  “Great, just trying to get us to the planet without any further disaster.”

  Poe nodded and stared out the window at the star-studded inky blackness before them. “That was some really great flying back there. I’m sorry I doubted you,” he said.

  Rey turned as much as the seat belt would allow. “What do you mean, you doubted me? You didn’t think I was a good enough pilot to outrun a few TIE fighters?”

  Poe’s expression turned contrite. “Yes, I know you’re an okay pilot, but you even said yourself that you haven’t been flying that long, just since you left Jakku. I kind of figured I was better at it than you, and now that I’m saying it out loud I realize how much that makes me sound like a jerk.” Poe took a deep breath and let it out, his expression troubled. “I know you’re a great pilot, okay
? I just sometimes forget that I’m not the only great pilot. And don’t say a word about the First Order destroying my ships,” he said with a pointed glance at BB-8.

  Rey pressed her lips together and said nothing, but the porg on the control console screeched before flying away. She didn’t know Poe that well, but his doubt in her abilities stung, even when he was apologizing for doubting her.

  “Are you mad at me?” Poe asked.

  “No, I just didn’t know you didn’t think I was a good pilot.”

  “Why did you think I kept asking to fly?” Poe asked, amazed.

  “I thought you just wanted to fly!” Rey said. “You are a little bit of a control freak.”

  “What? I am not,” Poe said. BB-8 beeped a reply from the corridor that made Poe scowl. “Okay, maybe a little bit. Either way, I was apologizing!”

  “And I appreciate your apology,” Rey said.

  A dozen sensors began beeping, and Rey turned her attention back to the controls. Whatever was going on with the engines had also damaged several other subsystems, and the Falcon was not happy about it. They were clear of the ice ring, so Rey was able to send the ship hurtling toward the green-and-red planet in the distance. Minfar. She just had to hope they could find a place to land before the remaining engines gave out.

  They broke into the atmosphere with a bump, harder than Rey would have expected, and she didn’t ponder why. The faster they landed, the sooner she and Rose could give the ship a once-over. Until then, she just had to focus on flying. And landing.

  A dark shadow swooped past, lighting up a number of sensors, and Rey banked the Falcon hard to the left.

  “Whoa, did you see that?” Poe asked, leaning forward in his seat.

  “Yes. What was it?” Rey asked, her previous worry blossoming into full-fledged panic. Was it more TIE fighters?

  But the shadow came back, and this time Rey was able to get a good look at it. A giant flying beast swooped past, letting out a primordial scream. The noise of it reverberated through the ship, leaving Rey’s bones vibrating. The creature had two sets of wings—one black, the other white. What looked to be interlocking black and white scales coated its sinuous body, giving it a patterned look that shifted as it flew through the air. The creature was at least twice the size of the Millennium Falcon, and Rey’s mouth went dry as the beast circled back around.

  “Uh, Rey, does that thing look angry to you?” Poe asked, eyes wide.

  “It does not look happy, not at all.”

  The creature flew right at them, and Rey moved quickly. She banked the Falcon so the monster flew past them.

  “Rey, get us out of here!” Poe yelled.

  “I’m trying!” Rey yelled back.

  Rey didn’t have much time to think. A heavy canopy of trees stood not far off, and she steered the ship in that direction.

  “Where are you going?” Poe asked, his gaze on the thing chasing them.

  “Those trees are pretty close together, and that thing is pretty big. Let’s see how it does in the jungle.”

  Poe leaned back in his chair and gave Rey a slightly panicked look. “I said I was sorry I doubted you were a great pilot. That doesn’t mean you have to prove me wrong.”

  That made Rey grin. “Hold on.”

  The Millennium Falcon tilted hard, BB-8 rolling this way and that as he tried to account for the rapid change in direction. The ship was slower than Rey would have liked due to multiple engines being down, but it still zigzagged through the trees, faster and easier than the creature chasing them could.

  The intercom crackled to life. “Um, guys, what’s happening up there?” Rose asked, her voice a little shaky.

  “We’re trying to avoid being eaten, Rose,” Poe said.

  “Oh, well, good to know. But if you keep pushing the engines like this we’re going to—”

  Rose was cut off as one of the remaining engines went out, and Rey gripped the yoke. “HOLD ON!” she yelled. The Falcon pitched and rolled, threatening to smash into the trees that pressed in from all directions. Rey managed to keep the ship from crashing into any of the huge green towers of the jungle. Just when she began to despair, an open space appeared.

  Rey turned the ship toward the perfectly sized clearing, the Falcon landing harder than usual. The ship creaked and protested as it slid to a stop, and the restraints pulled tight against Rey’s body as she was yanked forward and then thrown back.

  In the quiet that followed the hard landing, Rey took a deep breath and let it out. “Is everyone okay?” she asked.

  BB-8 chirped a positive and Poe groaned. “Great crash.”

  “That was not a crash,” Rey said. “It was a rough landing.”

  Poe nodded and unstrapped himself. “Well, bright side: we did not get eaten.”

  Rey undid her restraints, as well. “At least something’s going right. Let’s go check on Rose.”

  They made their way to the engine room carefully, and when they got there they found Rose standing with her hands on her hips, staring at the seven sublight engines. Grease streaked her cheek, and her expression was somewhere between grim and annoyed.

  “Are you okay, Rose?” Rey asked, and the mechanic nodded.

  “I’m fine, but our engines are shot. We pushed them too hard, and now the compressor housing is completely broken, not just a little broken,” Rose said, crossing her arms. “We’re going to have to find a new one.”

  Rey sighed. “Well, let’s hope our new friends can help. Otherwise, we’re going to be here for a very, very long time.”

  THE LADARA VEX was a maelstrom of activity. Lieutenants barked orders as technicians ran this way and that, preparing transports for departure. The heavy sound of stormtrooper boots echoed throughout the loading bay. Commander Spiftz watched the activity with a satisfied smile. About an hour ago, the Millennium Falcon had landed on Minfar. In another hour Commander Spiftz and his full contingent of stormtroopers, all fifty of them, would be on the planet, as well. The Millennium Falcon might be a formidable opponent in a fight, but how much could it do on the ground?

  Commander Spiftz would find out.

  “Branwayne,” Glenna Kip said, sidling up to him with her sinuous grace. “What is going on?”

  Commander Spiftz couldn’t quite keep the joy from his face as he turned to look at the scientist.

  “The Resistance members and their ship, the Millennium Falcon, have just crashed on Minfar. I am sending a devastating force to confront them. I do believe this will be an even better outcome than we’d hoped.”

  Glenna’s usual pleasant expression slipped, her thin lips nearly disappearing as she pressed them together. “The rebels are an unfortunate complication, but our mission is clear. We need to find the hidden labs and extricate the Echo Horn. It is, as you know, a weapon that has the ability to use sound to control any group that hears its call. To let such a powerful weapon fall into the wrong hands would be folly. We should do all that we can to recover it.”

  “And we shall, my dear,” Commander Spiftz said, his tone clearly dismissive. “But first, we are going to capture these upstarts. Once we have them securely on board the Ladara Vex, we’ll be free to continue searching for the laboratories. Do not despair. You will have plenty of time for research while we wait up here on the ship for the operation on Minfar to conclude.” Commander Spiftz adjusted his black gloves, pulling them on more securely. He had no intention of going down to Minfar and living in a command tent. That was why he had junior officers. But he would enjoy watching the operation unfold. “This is a fruit ripe for the picking, Madame Kip. We would be foolish to overlook it.”

  Glenna Kip’s expression didn’t change. She still appeared vaguely disgruntled, but she did incline her head in acknowledgment, if not agreement. “Professor Kip. As you desire, Branwayne.”

  “Sir.” A breathless technician ran up, his salute sloppy and undisciplined. Commander Spiftz gritted his teeth but said nothing. At least the man’s uniform was orderly.

 
“What is it?” Commander Spiftz said.

  “There is a call for you from command. It’s urgent.”

  Commander Spiftz would normally experience a deep sense of dread at the idea of a call from General Hux, but not that day.

  That day, he had good news.

  “Patch it through to the command deck. I’ll answer it there.” The communications node on the command deck could be heard by everyone on the deck of the Ladara Vex. He wanted to make sure that everyone heard as he gave his report. It wasn’t often that they had such an exciting development.

  Commander Spiftz made his way through the ship, entering the command deck with as close to a smile as he was capable of. The command deck was sparsely populated. Disappointing. There should be more of an audience for such a tantalizing announcement. That was the problem with running a relatively small ship. The light cruiser seemed like a child’s toy next to the Dreadnoughts commanded by General Hux. With only a hundred crew members, not counting the stormtroopers and TIE pilots, nearly all the shipboard staff had been assigned to the mission to find the rebels. The ship would be a veritable ghost town once the transports left.

  This would never happen on a Dreadnought. Or a Star Destroyer. When Commander Spiftz was promoted, he would never have to worry about having too small of a crew again.

  “This is Commander Branwayne Spiftz,” he said, sinking into his chair.

  The hologram projected on the communications node was not that of General Hux, as Commander Spiftz had hoped. It was instead Commander Janson Hidreck. Her stern expression caused Commander Spiftz to sit up a tiny bit straighter in his chair.

  “Commander Hidreck,” Spiftz said, not trying to keep the distaste from his voice.

  “Branwayne, what is this nonsense I’m hearing about the Resistance operating on Minfar?” she said. The blue hologram did nothing to lessen the appearance of the deep wrinkles of her forehead as she scowled at him.

  “It isn’t nonsense, Janson. Four of my TIE fighters were just destroyed by a known Resistance freighter.” Spiftz omitted that it might be the Millennium Falcon. If he suggested that, every ship in the fleet would descend on Minfar, and then he would get nothing: no promotions, no medals, just pushed out of the way so another officer could take the credit and the glory.