A roar echoes in the darkness of night. Rey starts awake. Their ship still sails on a cushion of air above the river, Ben sitting cross-legged in the bow and R2 at the stern. She asks what that roar was about, and Ben says that he doesn’t know. He is staring up at objects in the sky. As Rey follows his gaze she can see against the darkness the light of morning beginning to glow on the underside of a fleet of Star Destroyers hovering many miles above the forest. They have just arrived, Ben explains. She asks if they will obey the laws of the planet and Ben says that if they broke these laws there would probably be quite a light show, which he hasn’t seen. He says that they can only hope that the First Order will take their path, by which point they will be far away. Rey looks back, worried about Chewie on the Falcon alone.
They arrive at the end of the river where it opens into a large lake. On a hill abutting this lake is the castle, though it looks more like a tower with many spires made of stone and bone. The three suns strike the top of the tower even as they gaze upon it, and it glows starkly white. They move under one of the many buttresses supporting the cathedral-like structure of the lower tower, seeking the center of the structure. In the very center of the space is a looped chain affixed to a small platform. On one side of the space is a waterwheel. An axle connects the chain and wheel. The three assemble on the platform and release the catch, whereupon the power of the flowing water carries them slowly up the interior of the tower to the sound of a mechanical jingle and clank. Rey notes that these people sure are serious about their old-school solutions to problems.
…
Connix sits in the cockpit of the cloaked reconnaissance craft on the edge of the Arkanis system. Through her instruments she views the shipyards. They seem very quiet. BB-8 chirps worriedly from his socket, and Connix agrees that there doesn’t seem to be any presence from Thrawn’s fleet, only the remnants of Kylo’s fleet which show only flickers of activity from repair crews. The life signs on the ships correspond to the original crew size, most still in the forward section designated as reconditioning. She doesn’t trust it, but the sensors can’t be lying. She patches through to the Admiral.
On the bridge, Finn and Poe stand in full uniform ordering everything to be in readiness. The fleet is assembled in empty space close to the Arkanis system awaiting the reconnaissance. Connix’s image appears on the viewscreen and she reports the situation. Threepio translates BB-8 and says that by his estimate and based on the lack of military presence in the system, their plan has an eighty-seven percent chance of success. He cautions, however, that BB-8 has a bad feeling about it. Finn wasn’t aware that droids had feelings, and Threepio echoes BB-8’s sentiment, surprising everyone. Poe admits that this might be merely a ruse by Thrawn to draw them in, but states that they must act regardless, for the stakes are far too high.
He asks if Finn’s troops are assembled and Finn asks the question into a communicator. In the main hangar, a collection of troopers and officers stands ready to board the transports. He goes over the plan once more. Poe will go in with the fleet and take care of the light TIE defenders guarding the shipyards, then they will storm the operational center of the shipyards and lock down the destroyers from this central location. They shout in assent to Finn’s question and Finn gives the order for boarding. Poe suggests that Finn get to his transport if they are to capture an entire fleet, and Finn goes to the lift. Rose accompanies him. Finn asks why she would, and she responds that they have another chance to retrieve the Master Codebreaker, and this time they can get it right. Finn smiles at this half-jest and the doors close.
The Resistance Fleet jumps into Hyperspace.
…
As they reach midway up the tower, a large window coincides with the rising suns and almost blinds them in its brilliance. A stained-crystal artwork in the window splits the suns into a multitude of colors which wash over the three. They arrive finally in the underbelly of the castle keep. Moving through servant’s quarters and kitchens, they make their way to the convocation chamber at the highest level. As they walk through what looks to be a main hall, they hear the telltale whine of Kylo’s wide-winged shuttle. Death Troopers quickly file into the hall to secure the area, while armored royal guards file out in stately fashion. The three quickly rush into a side alcove which turns out to be little more than a disused closet. Inside they find a rusting droid long deactivated. R2 burbles in surprise, but Rey and Ben move to shush him as the Death Troopers approach their position. Ben readies his blaster and Rey grabs a broom handle as a makeshift quarterstaff. Ben looks askance at the weapon.
Suddenly the deactivated droid comes to life. R2 retracts his manipulation arm from the droid’s head, and the droid rises to its feet. R2 burbles excitedly and the Death Troopers converge on the closet, drawn by the noise. Ben and Rey are almost frantic, but just as the Death Troopers arrive R2 and the other droid exit the closet. The Troopers pull up their weapons and order the duo to identify themselves. The mystery droid pulls itself up to its full height, a lanky seven feet, and introduces itself as ZE-7, the sparring droid of Luke Skywalker’s New Jedi Order and more recently the misused and forgotten butler of the Knights of Ren. He also introduces R2 as his counterpart, essential in holographic demonstration of Jedi Masters and their training. The Troopers seem exasperated by this spiel and order the droids to lead them to the Knights of Ren. ZE-7 complies happily, saying that they will probably be waiting in the convocation chamber. The group moves away, allowing Rey and Ben a moment to find another way to the chamber. They locate a small spiral staircase that leads outside the tower and wrapping all the way to the chamber and beyond to the very spire of the tower.