Finn stood, listening to General Organa briefing the Resistance on Yavin-4. How did I get here? He thought to himself, shaking his head in wonder. After Starkiller, Finn had woken up on D'Qar, confused and disoriented. If Poe hadn't been there to fill Finn in, on all that he'd missed, he'd probably still be catching up. I mean, come on; Rey? A Jedi? He'd believe it when he saw it. Rey had been on Ach-to with Luke Skywalker for almost six months now. He couldn't believe it had been that long.
At first, when Finn woke, they figured he'd be paralyzed for sure. But then, one morning, Finn's toe had twitched. The doctors couldn't explain it; they kept repeating, over and over, that Finn shouldn't be able to walk, let along fight for the Resistance. The first four months after Kylo-Ren had nearly killed him were physically some of the most demanding of his life. He and Poe had become good friends over that period of time; Poe was there for whatever Finn needed; he even moved into Finn's quarters to help him take care of himself. Finn had never had a brother, but he thought that his friendship with Poe was the closest thing he was likely to get.
The final two months of his recovery were mentally the hardest he'd lived through. Finn had wanted nothing more than to snatch up a blaster and fly off in search of Kylo-Ren. Finn would never forgive that bastard for what he'd done. What kind of monster kills his own father? If Poe hadn't been there to talk Finn down from doing something stupid countless times, who know what might have happened? So, when General Organa came to Poe, asking if he knew any good fighters that could be of use as her personal bodyguard on Yavin-4, Poe had immediately indicated Finn. Three days later, and here he was, in the thick of it. Finn still couldn't quite believe his luck.
Poe tapped him on the shoulder and leaned in to whisper, "Anybody home? You look like you're about to fall asleep!" Finn smirked and nodded once. The General turned towards him, which Poe knew was his cue. He stepped forward, taking a datapad out from his jacket pocket and handing it to the General.
General Organa smiled at him, "Thank you, Finn." She turned back to the assembled mass and returned to the briefing, "This is what we know so far about their forces. Kylo-Ren leads the Knights of Ren, and trains them to be as ruthless as he is. However, he intentionally leaves gaps in their training so that he can defeat them if he needs to. We have learned that The Knights of Ren structure their hierarchy by means of strength, meaning they frequently fight to the death for leadership. General Hux seems to be a man of few weaknesses, or at least few that he allows to be found out. However, one of these weaknesses seems to be Captain Phasma. It has been suggested to me that there may be...something more to their relationship." Someone gagged, "Yes, I feel exactly the same way about the man. However, it may come in useful later. Now; as for Supreme Leader Snoke, we know exactly where that son of a bitch comes from," many looked down or gasped at the General's use of language; she almost never swore. "Their finances seem well-secured, and their 'recruitment' methods are...effective. Though kidnapping infants and murdering their families hardly seems like 'recruitment' to me. However, there is a new threat that has come to light, or rather, stepped out of the abyss and into shadow. All we know currently is that he goes by the name of Master Ren, and even Snoke is afraid of him. If anyone ever encounters this 'Master Ren,' get out of their as fast as you can. No ifs, ands, or buts, no plan B, no 'but I wanna's. Run. Other than that, you know how to handle Stormtoopers. Don't miss. May the Force be with you."
Recognizing the dismissal for what it was, the Resistance slowly filed out, leaving Finn, Poe, and the General alone. "Well. That was fun," Poe teased. "Just wait until Rey gets back; if she's half so great as everyone seems to think she is, we'll have the First Order running for the hills once she gets all trained up."
Just then, a young woman came running up to Leia and bent over to whisper in her ear. The General's eyebrows shot up, "The Falcon? When and where?" The girl handed over a datapad, which Leia quickly perused. "They've entered the system? Finn! Poe! Come with me." She strode briskly out of the briefing room and into the massive hangar bay. Being here gave her a massive sense of deja-vu, but she thought the ruse might work, given the right circumstances. Word had reached the General's ears of a certain prophecy, concerning the heir of the Kenobi line; if she was right, and she usually was, that heir was Rey. If she was right, then the girl was her son's last hope at redemption; Leia had to see to it that they were thrown together again; Powers help her if the girl died because of it.
Just then, she sensed him. He had returned, at long last. She heard the oh-so-familiar sound of the Falcon's engines, and within ten minutes, whispers were spreading through the crowd like wildfire; this could mean only one thing. "Luke!" cried Leia, as she rushed to her brother's side, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him soundly on the cheek, "I've missed you so much. Han..."
Luke squeezed his twin more tightly, "I know, Leia. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
Rey had decided to give the twins some space; Finn saw her looking around for them, and he thought he had never seen someone more beautiful. He counted his breaths until Rey's eyes finally slid in his direction, catching his for a moment before she smiled. As he watched her, he nearly laughed at how very out-of-place she looked.
Poe slid away from the wall and strode confidently towards Rey, "There's the galaxy's next Jedi!" He shouted, making Rey blush. He wrapped Rey up in a great bear hug before she turned to hug Finn as well. "Seriously, though," started Poe, "It's good to see you. You look great."
Suddenly, over the intercom, there came an announcement: Shuttles are approaching the planet. They are clearly marked as First Order vessels, and do not respond to our hails. Prepare for attack. Finn and Poe glanced at each other, adrenaline coursing through them both. Poe grabbed Finn and shoved a blaster into his hand as all three started sprinting for the Falcon. Rey drew up short, her face paling. "What's wrong?" Finn asked.
"He's here," Rey whispered. "Run, you two. Run! Get out of here! Go!"
Finn hesitated, half-reaching for Rey's elbow, but Poe took him by the other elbow and physically began to drag him to the Falcon as Stormtroopers rushed into the hangar. Sparse blaster-fire began to pepper Finn and Poe; they fired back, hitting both of their targets.
At last, they reached the Falcon, which they found defended by Chewbacca. They raced on-board, while dozens of smaller vessels did the same. They watched as Kylo-Ren's shuttle landed, and the man himself stepped out. Finn's eyes went blank for a moment as rage flooded through him; there was nothing that would make him happier than to see that bastard six feet under. He blanched as he saw Rey engage her double-bladed saber-staff, twirling it defiantly.
Just then, Luke came sprinting up. Finn had to admire the man; he was incredibly spry for his age. He bolted up the ramp, glancing quickly at them, "Good, good," he muttered, as though to himself. "Let's go; we need to regroup with the rest of the Resistance on the other side of the planet.."
"Wait, what? Are you insane!? Rey's still out there! We are not leaving until she's on this ship!" Luke looked at Finn with his eyebrows raised, "Is that so?" Suddenly, Luke's eyebrows knitted together and his eyes narrowed as he studied Finn. "Well, that is interesting," Luke said softly. "Look, I know you two are worried about Rey, but she can handle herself, I promise. She'll be just fine. Right now, what is needed is someone to protect my sister; that's our job now. Besides; Leia's planning something. I can sense it, and whatever it is, it will affect this war." His eyes unfocused slightly, "Yes; her plans will change everything. Clever woman."
Without another word, Luke hurried to the cockpit and punched in the ignition sequence. He punched it, and the Falcon lifted into the air and headed for the other side of Yavin-4. Within 30 minutes, they had landed at the new base and were searching for the General. At last, they found her, surrounded, as per usual, by dozens of aids, Captains, and whatever other staff was necessary. Chewie roared in greeting, and the General quickly made her way over to them, dismissing the small crowd that encircled her.
"Luke, thank goodness. I was worried for a moment there. Did you see him? Did you see my son?"
Luke nodded, "I did; we fought. Don't worry, he's fine. I only knocked him out; I only engaged with him so that it would serve as a distraction for Rey to get some distance, and maybe work on taking out some of those Knights. She'll be fine, don't worry."
Leia sighed, "I hope you're right. Hello, Chewie; I'm glad to see you. I've missed you around here." Chewie chuffed out a laugh and pulled his old friend into a gentle, one-armed hug. "Well, I suppose we should get to planning and regrouping. Who knows how far our forces scattered when the First Order showed up?" With that, the five made their way to a small briefing room, where they could discuss strategies uninterrupted. Finn, however, felt somewhat uncomfortable; Luke kept staring at him, and he could not think of why. He resolved to corner the old Jedi and get an answer from him. But for the time being, he focused on the task at hand.
