The Force Awakens (Star Wars) by Alan Dean Foster Read Free Book Online Page B

You
are
nothing!”
    “On the contrary,” she shot back, “I just told you who I am. As to what I have, that would be my freedom and my pride.” Murmurs of assent rose frombehind her, from the vicinity of the worktables. She had said aloud what her colleagues and compatriots, regardless of species, all wanted to say but dared not. At least not to Plutt’s ugly face.
    All pretense of deference gone, Rey took a step toward the chair and shot the merchant behind it so steely a glance that he visibly flinched. BB-8 reacted with a beep of admiration. Resisting theurge to give the sphere a reassuring pat, Rey concluded the day’s dealings with Unkar Plutt.
    “The droid is not for sale.”
    With that she turned and headed toward the big tent’s exit, the excitedly beeping droid pacing her effortlessly.
    Plutt watched her go. He was starting to calm down, his mind working systematically. The confrontation had almost escalated beyond repair. Such lossof control was not like him. In the course of negotiations he would often shout, yell, occasionally pound the service shelf in front of him. But all the time, he was calculating. It was all about the business, all about the profit. Never personal. Not even now, when it involved the lovely but disrespectful Rey. That was something of a pity, he mused as he picked up a communicator.
    A voiceanswered. Ignoring the newly arrived scavenger who had tentatively approached, Plutt turned away and lowered his voice.
    “I have a job for you.” With a free hand he slammed the service portal opening shut, leaving the scavenger holding his bag of goods and staring blankly at the merchant’s back.
    —
    Slumped and shackled in the seat, Poe was still breathing. Beyond that, he no longer caredmuch what happened to him. It wasn’t his fault, he kept telling himself. For an ordinary person, no matter howstrong they thought themselves, resisting the probing of a creature like Kylo Ren was simply not possible. He had tried. There was no shame in the failure.
    He didn’t much care what they might do with him now, though he could guess. Having given up what little of value he had possessed,he was no longer of any use to them. There was nothing about X-wing weapons systems the First Order did not already know, and as a mere pilot, he would not be expected to know anything about military movements or tactics. He had rendered himself expendable. No, not expendable. Less than that. He was now extraneous. As such, he doubted they would keep him alive. He would not receive food, buthe might become it.
    His head came up as the door to the holding cell whooshed open and a stormtrooper entered. At least, Poe mused, it would be over soon. He could look forward to freedom from any further tormenting thoughts. The trooper’s words to the room’s single guard surprised him, however.
    “I’m taking the prisoner to Kylo Ren.”
    Poe sagged in his seat. What more did they wantfrom him? Everything, anything of value that he had known was now known to them. Had they overlooked some line of questioning? He could not think of one. But then, at the moment, his mind was not functioning properly.
    The guard wondered, too. “I was not told to expect you. Why would Ren wish to question the prisoner outside the cell?”
    The new arrival’s voice darkened. “Do you dare to questionKylo Ren’s motives?”
    “No, no, that’s not what I meant! I…” Without another word, the guard proceeded to release the prisoner from his shackles. It took twice as long as it should have, since in his sudden nervousness he kept fumbling the task.
    Procedure demanded that the trooper keep his weapon trained on the prisoner at all times as together they made their way down the corridor. Anothertime, another place, Poe might have considered making a grab for it. But he was far too weakened to contemplatesuch a likely fatal effort. In any case, the trooper seemed as competent as all his kind and gave no indication of relaxing his