Rey couldn't help trying to calculate the portion value of everything she saw. Babu Frik's workshop was a cramped maze of tools and droid parts. The walls were wholly obscured by shelves, piled with wires and electronics. Every table surface was covered, every nook and cranny filled to overflowing. Parts even draped from the ceiling overhead; Rey noted a pair of dismembered legs hanging, possibly from an old battle droid. It was a fortune in parts. That astromech head dome, for instance, was in great condition. It was made of plastex, which meant it would be easy to buff out the scorch marks and sell it for—Something bumped her foot. A janitor droid mopped up a bit of melted snow they'd tracked in, then scurried away.
"I haven't the faintest idea why I agreed to this," C-3PO said, drawing Rey's attention back to the droid, "I must be malfunctioning."
He was reclined on a workbench, with so many wires sticking out of his head it almost looked like he'd grown fur.
"You're going to be okay," Rey assured him.
Babu Frik himself was nearly invisible, hidden behind C-3PO's rear head plate. He was one of the tiniest beings Rey had ever seen, his height barely stretching as long as her forearm. He poked around in C-3PO's head with an electroprobe, muttering in Anzellan, occasionally interspersed with words in Basic. He had a grizzled face highlighted by bright, intelligent eyes, and gray brows as long and stiff as whisk brooms. The welding goggles he wore on the top of his head were armored against scorching. What kind of dangerous work was this fellow involved in to require weapons-grade work armor?
Rey crouched beside him. "Babu Frik?" she said. "Can you help us with this?
Babu responded, but Rey had no idea what he was saying.
She looked toward the spice runner. "Zorii?" Rey said. "Is this going to work?"
Zorii said something in Anzellan, and Babu responded as though annoyed at being interrupted. The words were delightful, clanging against one another fast and curt, like metal parts tumbling into a melting vat. Rey wished she had time to learn the language.
"Babu says he's found something in your droid's forbidden memory bank," Zorii said. "Words translated from…Sith?"
"Yes!" Rey said.
"That's what we need," Poe affirmed.
The spice runner turned on Poe. "Who are you hanging around with that speaks Sith?" Zorii asked.
"Can we make him translate it?" Finn said.
Zorii and Babu spoke back and forth. Then Zorii said, "Yes. But doing so will trigger a complete memory wipe."
"…Complete memory wipe?" C-3PO said in a tremulous voice.
"Wait wait," Poe said to Babu. "You're saying we make him translate…and he won't remember anything?"
"Droid remember go blank!" Babu said.
"No!" said C-3PO.
"Blank blank," said Babu.
"There must be some other way," C-3PO pleaded.
"Doesn't Artoo back up your memory?" Finn asked.
"Well yes, but…"
"You know the odds better than any of us," Rey said gently. "Is there any other choice?"
C-3PO was silent a long moment, considering. He muttered, "If this mission fails, it was all for nothing. All we've done…all this time…"
Poe's exact words from earlier, before they'd all held hands and vowed to press on. Droids continued to amaze her.
The sound of a large vehicle filtered in through the walls. Babu cocked his head and said, "Uh-oh."
Zorii cleared her throat. "Night raids are starting. I'll keep a lookout." She moved as if to leave.
"I'm coming with you," said Poe.
"You never did trust me," Zorii said, laughing a little.
"Do you trust me?" he asked.
"Nope."
Together Zorii and Poe exited the workshop. Rey watched them go, wondering how far she could push Poe to talk about his history with the spice runner.
After they were gone, C-3PO addressed Babu Frik in a brave and steady voice: "You may proceed."
—
Poe and Zorii sat on the rooftop of Babu's workshop. The city spread out before them, dark and icy. Kijimi used to quiet down during this deep hour of the night, but no longer. Laser flashes glowed briefly between buildings. Distant shouts echoed strangely over the rooftops. Several blocks away, a First Order UA-TT walker thudded through the streets. Poe watched a small figure dart away from its heavy steps, fleeing for their life.
He was glad Zorii had brought a flask, because he really needed a drink.
Poe lifted the flask and sipped. The liquid burned his throat, warmed his insides. He sighed. It had been years since any skordu had passed his lips. It was a popular drink on Kijimi, distilled from a high-altitude fungus that grew in icy caves and crevices. Local legend was that the Dai Bendu monks had first invented it, back when Kijimi City had been a religious stronghold—almost a holy site—before the city was overtaken by thieves and squatters and refugees. Poe wasn't sure he believed that Kijimi City had ever been a place of peace and contemplation. But with a little skordu in his belly, he could almost pretend.
"Is every night this bad?" Poe asked. He stared off over the rooftops. Kijimi City was a drinking town, because drinking kept a body warm. Cantinas selling skordu or Ultra-Ox made a killing. If he could do it all over again, he might consider running booze instead of spice. He offered Zorii the flask.
"Most nights, worse," she said. "First Order's taken most of the children. I can't stand the cries anymore. I've saved up enough to get out. I'm going to the Colonies."
Poe whipped his head to look at her.
She took the flask, turned her face away. Out of sight, her mask swicked open. She tilted her head back to take a swig. The mask thumped closed. Zorii handed the flask back to him, her face shrouded once again.
"How?" he asked. "They blocked those hyperlanes." No one was getting to the Colonies these days without special authorization. The First Order wanted everyone to stay right here in well-mapped sectors, where they could be controlled.
Zorii fished into a belt compartment, drawing out a small object that flashed in the pale glow of a nearby oil lamp. It was round like a coin and latticed, with a port for connectivity.
Poe whistled in appreciation. "First Order captain's medallion. I've never even seen a real one," he said.
"Free passage through any blockade. Landing privileges at any garrison."
"Who'd you bribe? What'd you pay?" Poe asked, his voice incredulous.
Zorii touched the side of her mask. Her visor shield retracted, finally revealing depthless wide-spaced green eyes that seemed almost yellow in the lamp light.
"Wanna come with me?" she said, sounding suddenly vulnerable.
—
Inside the workshop, Rey watched Babu operate on C-3PO. The protocol droid's head plate had been removed, and Babu was elbow-deep inside C-3PO's head. Distantly, through the building's stone walls, came the muted sound of screaming. Occasional blasterfire. Rey wasn't sure if the First Order was tearing the city apart looking for them, or if it was like this all the time. She looked toward Finn, who winced at every sound of battle. Not in fear, she noted, but in empathy. He was one of the kindest people she'd ever met. No, the kindest.
Rey had waited so long on Jakku for her parents to come back for her, scratching out the days against the metal wall of her AT-AT scavenged home. No one ever did. She had vague memories of Unkar Plutt raising her for a few years in a halfhearted, ham-fisted way, before booting her out into the desert to fend for herself as a little girl. Even he had never bothered to check on her. To care.
But then she'd met Finn, and after a short time together, she'd been captured by Kylo Ren and taken to Starkiller Base. That's when Finn had done something no one in her life had done before, the thing she'd yearned for her parents to do: He'd come to get her. At tremendous peril to himself. Before anyone knew she could wield a lightsaber or use the Force or any of it. She was nothing, just another scavenger from another godforsaken planet, when he'd risked his life to save hers. And she'd never forget it.
Sparks flew from C-3PO's head, startling her. She couldn't stand to watch anymore.
Rey stepped away, out of view, and hunkered down on the floor. BB-8 rolled over and whirred at her softly. Behind him came D-O, trailing BB-8 eagerly, his uni-wheel squeaking with every revolution.
Rey grabbed an oil can and moved toward the tiny droid, who recoiled at the sight of Rey looming over him, an unfamiliar object in her hand.
"It's just oil," she said gently. "Won't hurt. I promise."
—
Hux joined Pryde and Admiral Griss in following Supreme Leader Kylo Ren as he strode away from the hangar bay and interrogation rooms.
Ren said, "I want all the Wookiee's belongings brought to my quarters."Hux hid his smile. Ren was practically frothing at the mouth. He had a history with his father's copilot, and seeing the Wookiee had done something to him. The Supreme Leader was likely not thinking with a clear head. Good.
"Sir," Allegiant General Pryde said. "The Knights of Ren have tracked the girl."
Ren's stride hitched.
"To a settlement called Kijimi," Admiral Griss added.
"They're searching there now," Pryde said.
Hux needed to insert himself before his peers brought any more good news. He asked, "Shall we destroy the city, Supreme—"
Ren stuck a finger in Hux's face, effectively shushing him. "Set a course for Kijimi," he said. "I want her taken alive."
His words dismissed them all, and Kylo Ren hurried off alone. Hux stood with his hands clasped behind his back and watched him go, wondering how he always managed to say the wrong thing.
—
Snow was drifting down, melting against Zorii's helmet. Poe stared at her.
"I can't walk out on this war," Poe told Zorii. "Not until it's over."
As the Kijimi night grew even colder, Poe remembered something Leia was constantly reminding him: Always be recruiting.
"The Resistance could use a pilot like you," he said to Zorii. Truly, she was one heck of a pilot, thanks in no small part to his teaching and encouragement. "We're down to almost no one."
Then he slammed his mouth shut. Admitting how dire things had become was likely not the best recruitment strategy. It was the damn skordu making him so flippant.
"Why?" she said. "You hear about pockets of rebellion all over the galaxy."
"Just stories," he murmured, looking down at his hands. "We put out a call for help at the Battle of Crait. Nobody came. First Order's made everyone so afraid…that I'm afraid maybe everyone's given up."
"I don't believe you believe that," she said. She stared up at the jagged mountain peaks; this time of night they looked like massive razors of shadow. "They win by making you think you're alone. Remember? There're more of us than there are of them."
Along the dark horizon, a handful of ships appeared, small at first but growing ever larger as they approached. When they breached the city boundaries, they spread out and flashed on huge searchlights. The lights swept back and forth, lighting up sections of the city brighter than day.
"The hell are those?" Poe asked.
Zorii stood. "Your cue to leave."
—
The first few drops of lubricant Rey applied to D-O did absolutely nothing. He was drier than the Rakith Plateau in high summer. But he made soft whirring sounds of happiness, so she kept at it—applying it to his head joint, his wheel rotor, even the base of his communications array.
"Squeaky wheel," he informed her solemnly. "I-I-I-I have a squeaky wheel."
"Now try," Rey said.
He rolled back and forth experimentally. Not a sound. "Squeak eliminated," he said. Then he shrieked in delight and took off on a freewheeling rampage, running circles around the workshop, whipping about BB-8 as if enticing him to play. "Thank you. Very kind."
Finn stepped over to see what the fuss was about and smiled. He gave Rey a light elbow to the side as if to say: Good job.
Zorii dashed inside, Poe at her heels. "The scanners are coming," she said.
"Did we get it?" Poe said. "Babu?"
Rey and Finn exchanged a startled glance. They couldn't leave; Babu wasn't done yet!
But another spark popped over C-3PO's head, and Babu climbed down to give the droid some space. "Ay-yep," Babu said. "Droid is ready!"
Something inside C-3PO seemed to purr, as if he was powering up after a long nap. His eyes flashed on—bright, eerie red. He cocked his head to look at them all—a sharp, jerky, almost hostile motion.
"Is okay," Babu said. "Is unlock! Droid unlock!"
The droid who used to be C-3PO sat up and spoke, his vocal intonators using a strange new modulation that was dark and low. "The Emperor's wayfinder," he said, "is sealed inside the Imperial Vaults. At delta-three-six transient nine-three-six bearing three-two on a moon in the Endor system. From the southern shore. Only this blade tells, only this blade tells…"
The droid jerked once, then slumped as if powering down. His eyes went dark, his body stilled.
Oh, Threepio, I'm so sorry, Rey thought.
"The Endor system?" Finn said. "Where the last war ended?"
"Endor!" Babu enthused. "I know this. Babu will help."
The little droidsmith started to reach for something, but the entire workshop began rattling. Bolts and screws spilled from shelves. The battle droid legs hanging from the ceiling swung violently.
Poe ran to the nearest window, and Rey followed. Together they peered up into the night.
A massive Star Destroyer cruised low over the mountains, blocking out the sky. The blowback from its thrusters shook the city, tossing trash and loose snow about, creating chaos.
"Ren's Destroyer," said Poe.
He had found them again. Rey tensed to flee. If they ran for Ochi's freighter right this second, they might have a chance. She was about to say as much, but she gasped instead.
Kylo Ren was near. And his conflicted mind was dwelling on torture. He'd ripped away someone's thoughts, the same way he'd tried to rip away hers when they'd first met, except with far greater results…
Her stomach turned over.
"Rey?" Finn said.
"Chewie…" Ren had done something to him. Recently. Maybe only moments ago.
"What about him?"
"He's on Ren's ship." She hadn't killed Chewie after all. She could still save him. "He's alive, I feel it! Finn, he must've been on a different transport!"
"We have to go get him!" Finn said.
Zorii's voice came out almost like a squeak. "Your friend's on that sky trash?"
"I guess he is," Poe said, in a voice as glad as Rey felt.
Something inside the workshop clattered, and they all whirled. Poe's hand flew to his blaster.
It was C-3PO, rebooting. His eyes flashed a familiar gold. "Allow me to introduce myself! I am See-Threepio, human–cyborg relations! And you are?"
"Okay, that's gonna be a problem," Poe said, but Rey's relief was like a punch to the gut. The droid was back, in some semblance of his former self.
"Helloooo," said Babu. "I, Babu Frik."
"You've got bigger problems," Zorii reminded them. "To the alleys. Let's go!"
—
The sounds of pursuit were all around them as Poe and his friends hurried through the crooked streets of Kijimi City, keeping low to avoid troopers. But their group was only as fast as their slowest member, which was C-3PO. Always C-3PO, shuffling along at half the speed of everyone else. If Leia were here, she'd no doubt make a lesson in leadership out of that.
But she wasn't here. Poe said, "Threepio, move your metal ass!"
"How dare you!" the droid said. "We've only just met!"
They turned a corner. Ochi's freighter was straight ahead, and Poe's chest was suddenly aching and empty. At least this time he wouldn't leave without saying goodbye.
Zorii and Rey exchanged a nod, and then by silent mutual agreement, Rey ran ahead with Finn and the droids, giving Poe and Zorii a moment alone.
Zorii pulled the captain's medallion from her belt and handed it to him. "Might get you on a capital ship," she said. "Go help your friend."
Poe stared at the medallion, his breath catching in his throat. The fact that Zorii refused to talk about its acquisition meant she'd done unspeakable things to obtain it.
He said, "I don't think I can take this."
"I don't care what you think."
Poe smiled. Still the same Zorii.
"Poe!" came Rey's voice. "It's the Knights. Come on!"
Poe took the medallion, but his feet were rooted. How could he leave Zorii again? What do you even say in a moment like this?
"Go," she ordered, giving his chest a shove.
Reluctantly, he stepped away from Zorii and then dashed after his friends.