CHAPTER 45
NO QUESTIONS ASKED

SHE was up bright and early the next morning. Her alarm hadn't even blared its first ring as she slammed her hand down to shut it off, ripping the sheets away and jumping right out of her bed. Granted, this wasn't her usual wake up time. While Raena did have to wake up fairly early every day to make her morning rounds, today was even earlier. She was dressed and ready – adorning her usual black outfit, scarf, and tight braid – before anyone could see her.

Slinging a bag across her chest, Raena looked both ways to make sure no one was around and headed out of her room. She walked a few corridors down to the sergeant wing, where Gerardo's room was one of the first few doors on her right. It probably would've been smart of her to brief him on their little trip today, but then that would ruin the fun, and you only had so much of that around here. She had thought of going alone, but Raena assumed it looked less suspicious to be going with someone. Grand Admiral business was always suspicious.

She knocked twice on his door. No answer. Gerardo hardly got up past eight, so this was expected. She knocked a little harder this time and received nothing. Pressing her ear up against the door, she heard his loud snores reverberate through the surface. Raena groaned, banging her fist against the door until she heard someone stumbling on the other side. Eventually, the door slid open, revealing a very tired and distressed Gerardo.

He blinked, adjusting his eyes to the light. "Nhagy," he muttered sleepily, rubbing a hand over his eyes, "what are you doing here? What time is it?"

"Doesn't matter," she replied. "I need you dressed and ready in five. No questions asked."

Gerardo leaned against the door frame and pulled at the collar of his white t-shirt. "Why? It's too early. I have things to do today –"

"Not anymore. I'm in charge of the ship while Ren's gone, and I overrule your duties for the day. Now get dressed." She jabbed a finger into his chest, and Gerardo staggered the tiniest bit. "And what did I say about no questions?"

"Fine, whatever," he sighed, closing the door once again.

Raena turned away and leaned back against the side of the door. She looked around the corner, making sure no one was coming, and hugged her arms tightly around herself. Before she knew it, Gerardo was tripping out of his quarters with tired eyes and evident bed head. Raena looked at the time. "Wow, one minute early. You're on a roll this morning."

"Funny," he commented, following her as she took the lead.

The two friends sprinted towards the hangar, checking corners every so often. They were almost seen by a few stormtroopers passing by, but they missed them by going in the opposite direction. Somehow, unbeknownst to Raena, they still ended up at the hangar, and without having to beat anyone up along the way. Raena punched the passcode into the console and watched the doors to the hangar split open before them.

Stepping through the entrance, Raena tugged on Gerardo's sleeve and led him towards the pods located near the exit. The hangar was completely empty, except for the few mechanic droids that lingered around past their night shifts. As Raena headed towards the first pod on their right, she found her feet coming to a sudden halt as another person appeared beside the ship.

Hux arched a brow in their direction. "Looking for something?"

Raena frowned. "What are you doing here, General?"

"I was just ..." He rounded the ship, hands laced behind his back. "... Roaming around ..."

She lifted her chin to the ceiling. "I'm losing my patience."

"And then, I thought to myself ..."

"You really won't like me when I lose my patience, Hux."

The general stomped loudly. "You can never let me have a monologue, can you?!" He spat, groaning with annoyance. Raena tilted her head to the side, while Gerardo was still frozen in shock. "Look, I cleared out this pod for you. It should be all set. I told everyone that you're out tracking a Resistance spy."

Raena hummed under her breath, passing by Hux to look the pod up and down. Her inspection wasn't thorough, but she only did it to give the general the admiration that he wanted so badly. Looking past Hux, she nodded towards Gerardo and said, "Get in the passenger's seat. I'll pilot."

Gerardo did as he was told, jumping slightly when Hux tried to scare him as he went around the general. Raena approached Hux once more and smiled, "Thanks for the ship, General." Reaching out, she cupped his chin and squeezed. "But you're still not helping me. Just keep watch of things while I'm gone."

She wiggled her fingers goodbye while hopping into the ship. General Hux rolled his eyes as he watched the pod rumble to life. "As you wish, Grand Admiral."

Raena strapped herself into the pilot's seat and started the ignition. The ship rumbled to life. Gerardo clutched the sides of his seat with a panicked expression. "That was close," he huffed. "I know you said no questions, but ... where are we even going?"

She shifted the gear with a wide grin. "A place I call home."

•••

Upon landing the ship on the pale, grassy fields of Takodana, Raena felt a part of her undying soul implode.

She almost didn't believe her eyes as their pod neared the planet's surface. Had she just been blind to the destruction of her homeland when she had been dumped here more than a year ago, or did she simply forget? When the ship settled on the ground, Raena knew it all to be true. She hopped out of the pod, slowly walking forward on the ashy grass that was once so vibrant and full of color, and sighed at the sight before her.

Takodana was still suffering from the battle with the First Order just over three years ago. While Maz's castle had been rebuilt, it was still a far cry away from the utopia it used to be. Some parts of the surface were a vivid, bright green, while others were still covered with a blanket of ash and dirt. The planet had half of the wildlife and flowers it used to. It looked dead, yet still full of life.

Gerardo appeared beside her, looking around in awe. "So this is where you grew up."

"Somewhat," she replied, kneeling in the grass and letting a handful of ash filter through her fingers. "It's not what it used to be. Not since ..."

"The First Order," he finished, patting her shoulder. Raena stood back up. "I remember reading about this place in books about the Nhagy family, but it's so –"

"You what?"

Gerardo whipped his head in her direction, flashing Raena a guilty smile. "Nothing."

Raena continued to raise a brow, but decided to ignore his comment. Tugging her old, red scarf over her mouth, she began to walk forward. "Follow me, Gerardo."

They trekked through the tall grass for what seemed like an hour. Raena always forgot how easy one could get lost in these fields. While she did have allies on this planet, she prayed no one would suspect their identities. She managed to land the pod ship in a secluded area, and besides her scarf, none of their clothing had one hint of a First Order emblem. Raena was surprised that she still had clothes that didn't depict anything about the disgusting regime she had decided to join a long time ago. But things were different back then. It was always about survival, and she had a legacy to protect.

She could sense Maz's presence the closer they got to the castle. She had never felt a sensation like this before – something so clear, precise – but she knew her guardian was here the moment she stepped foot on the planet. The feeling only got stronger as she neared the fortress that was once home to her. She breathed in, and the familiar scents of fried meat and grog invaded her nostrils. This was home.

Patrons hanging outside the premises watched them carefully as they walked up the steps to the castle. Raena made sure not to look in their direction, and even tugged on Gerardo's arm when she caught him peering at them from the corner of her eye. Pushing open the castle doors, Raena didn't know what to expect, but it was certainly not this.

The band that once played music until the late hours of the night was hardly a band anymore. There was only half of the original crew left. The bar was hardly full. A place that used to be paradise for spies and dubious travelers alike was almost ... empty. Empty enough for everyone to turn at the sound of their arrival, several sets of eyes burning into theirs.

"The kitchen isn't open!" A loud voice came from behind the bar counter. "But grog is half-priced."

Raena laughed, squeezing herself in between two creatures with three eyes and slimy, green skin. Gerardo waited hesitantly behind her, keeping his stare on the ground. Pulling down her scarf, Raena revealed the smirk planted on her lips, and Maz Kanata turned. "What about free grog for an old friend?"

"Oh my!" The tiny creature jumped up on the counter, much to her patrons' disgust, and latched her arms around Raena's shoulders. Raena hugged her tightly, never wanting to let go, but they only had so much time. "Child, where have you been?"

"You'll be disappointed once I tell you," Raena said, voice muffled against Maz's coat. She leaned away with a frown. "I don't have a lot of time. We must speak in private."

Despite Raena's urgency, Maz still tried her best to make every guest feel welcomed, per usual. She set up a booth for them near the back, filling the table with fruits of every variety, and placing a large pitcher of beer in the middle. Gerardo immediately picked up a starfruit, ignoring Raena's glare on his left. Maz slid herself into the booth beside Raena and patted her hand. "Whatever it is you have to tell me," she smiled warmly, "I could never be disappointed in you, child. However, it does look like you have yet to kill that bastard who destroyed my castle."

Raena's expression twisted into a guilty frown.

"Are you here on a Resistance mission?"

With a mouthful of starfruit, Gerardo whispered, "We're part of the First Order."

Maz's eyes went wide. She switched lenses on her glasses and narrowed her beady irises in Gerardo's direction. "Who even are you?"

"Doesn't matter," Raena answered quickly. "I have a lot to explain."

"Obviously," Maz scoffed.

Running a hand through her hair, Raena closed her eyes and tried to mentally debate on how she was going to justify her actions. "You see," she sighed, "it's kind of complicated. I made a promise to General Organa during my time with the Resistance that I would bring her –" Raena stopped herself, realizing that not everyone knew about Leia Organa's son falling victim to the dark side. "I would bring the Supreme Leader, Kylo Ren, to the light, and thus ending the war. But that's been –"

"Difficult," Gerardo finished, taking another bite of the fruit.

"Yes, thank you, Gerardo," she said through clenched teeth. Raena turned back to Maz. "In order to bide myself time and still help, I need you to bring a message to the Resistance. You're still friendly with the general, correct?"

Maz lowered her voice to a whisper, "Yes, but in secret." Raena opened her mouth to continue until Maz held up a long, bony finger. "Excuse me for interrupting, child, but can you answer one question for me?"

Raena shared a glance with Gerardo, and then nodded firmly.

"I just want to make sure I'm getting this correct," Maz said. "You think you can magically turn the Supreme Leader of the First Order to the light and that will save us from more bloodshed? How? By what force can you accomplish that?"

"You see, I haven't quite figured that part out yet," Raena replied. "But I will. Maybe. I don't know."

Maz switched her lenses yet again, narrowing her eyes at the blonde. "I thought you wanted to execute him for ... well, you know."

"I do, I do, but ... things have changed now. I want to change, and Leia Organa has helped me realize that. I'm doing this for her, and I think our plan is the only way to end the war, Maz." Raena paused and gave her guardian a pleading look. She reached out, placing her hand on top of Maz's. "That's not the point of me coming here. Can you deliver the message to the Resistance for me?"

With a heavy sigh, Maz bobbed her head and gave Raena's hand a tight squeeze. The blonde admiral looked around the room, eyeing the small crowd of smugglers and slimy creatures, before glancing towards Gerardo once again. There were no wandering eyes, no careless whispers. No one suspected a thing. It was the perfect meeting place for a spy. After a beat of silence, Raena leaned into Maz's ear.

"A broadcast came through the First Order's hypertransceivers recently, containing a mysterious message in the voice of Emperor Palpatine ..."

•••

A/N: IT'S REUNION TIME!!!! I was SO HAPPY that I found time to include a maz/raena reunion! maz had become such an important parental figure in raena's life when her parents died. even though raena was a full grown adult when it happened, she needed someone like maz in her life to help and shelter her. they're both so 🥺🥺🥺 we were also robbed of more maz in TROS and I wanted to fix that soooooooo here u go 💓

next chapter...............raena heads back to hell and kylo makes an INSANE proposition 🤔 get ready gorls