Far Away From Nowhere
Summary: When Finn is captured by the First Order, Poe and BB-8 come up with a plan to rescue him. But could they be walking into a trap? Features some nice Finn/Poe bromance, BB-8 endangerment, angsty Rey, and Kylo's favorite type of psychological torment. Takes place about a month after The Force Awakens, so spoilers abound. And, yes, this fic borrows a healthy amount of plot from The Empire Strikes Back.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Star Wars… Darn.
Warning: Torture
Chapter 1: Paradigms Shifted
The thought kept racing through Finn's mind: It wasn't supposed to happen like this.
A probing heat pinched the metal brace along his back, causing him to grind his teeth with pain. But he wouldn't give Hux the satisfaction, or Kylo Pyschopath Ren, or any of them.
It had been a routine mission for the Resistance, his new family. A trade of information at a base that would give Mos Eisley a run for its money in terms of sleaze and villainy. He could have sworn he saw two cousins of Jabba the Hutt sprawled in the back, smoking something green, sweet, and sickening to look at.
It was supposed to be a straightforward trade. Get in, get out. Pass off the satchel of costly emeralds and sapphires for some classified First Order info, and get the heck out of Vera 5. Who could have ever come up with the idea to set up a trading post underground on a poisonous planet anyway? Buildings were carved into the stalagmites, black and glittering with minerals. For being closer to the planet's core, Vera 5 was frigid and smelled of sulfur.
Finn wrinkled his nose at the memory of his informant—a person whose eyes glinted yellow and whose nose (if one could call it that) permanently dripped. He should have known not to trust Jax D'Jen. It wasn't even five minutes after they had shaken hands when the Jen scuttled away with his bag of jewels and Finn was surrounded by stormtroopers and a row of blasters.
Now he lay on his stomach on a metal slab and tried not to think of Rey, or where she could possibly be at the moment, or Poe and BB8. Finn cringed. Poe would show up at the rendezvous point, and he wouldn't be there—then the pilot would come looking for him. Finn groaned at the thought. He would not forgive himself if his friend became captured because of him. Silently, he prayed that Poe would bring a heavy amount of back up with him if he were to locate his whereabouts in the underground city. The reason for his abduction would be easy to obtain; Vera 5 was under siege by the First Order.
Hot metal on metal screeched in his ears, and a searing along his back mirrored phantom pains that had plagued him ever since that snowy evening in the woods with Rey and Ren. Twin tears tracked down his cheeks, but he resigned himself to silence.
The swish of a door opening. Finn's eyes darted to the darkness behind him, which was beyond his peripheral vision. But he didn't need to see who it was to feel his presence.
Like someone sucked the cheerful out of the room, thought Finn. And it was more than that—a pervading evil that was ancient, tantalizing, and potent in its seduction. Finn could feel the Force reaching out to him, crushing and enticing at the same time, his mind growing fuzzy.
"Whatever you've got in mind, Kylo, it won't be enough to make me talk," he said slowly, concentrating.
The responding chuckle echoed like cold steel clanging around the interrogation room.
"What makes you think we want you to talk?" the deep mechanized voice queried, twisted delight in his tone.
"Torture for torture's sake usually isn't effective," Finn muttered, his back spasming, spirals of agony running up and down his spine.
The outline of Kylo Ren, positioned on his immediate right, was a shadow. "A traitor can't be choosy." He crept closer—the ominous dread growing closer to Finn, a physical sensation creeping across his skin. "You walked so perfectly into my trap, like an insect drawn to a flame."
As the Sith's apprentice drew closer, Finn focused his mind on pleasant memories. Sadly, the only happy memories he could recall occurred recently. Still, they filled his mind with images of Rey—streaking through space on the Falcon, the way she smiled excitedly when she worked out a problem with Han Solo's old ship. And Poe—a whoop of laughter as they shot into the sky together after fleeing the First Order, when Poe gave him his name. Waking up in the medical bay to BB-8's surprised chirps—the first face that popped into his sight was Poe's—tousled black hair, tan face, and tired eyes.
"Finn!" he had exclaimed. "Hey, you're back with us!" There was the pilot's broad smile, BB-8's cooing noises, and the scent of freshly baked bread wafting in from the cafeteria. That was when Finn knew that he was going to be all right.
The following day, he had taken his first tentative step, a med droid on his left, Poe securing his right shoulder.
"You got this, buddy. Nice 'n easy."
Finn had licked his lips, placing a cautious foot on the ground. Those first few days, he had been acutely aware of the mechanic brace along his back—its cool kiss stabilizing vertebrae that had been melted through by Ren's lightsaber. But he could feel the plate working as he gained his balance. Unsteady, he leaned on Poe in a fleeting second of panic.
A comforting squeeze on his shoulder and a supportive grin. Dameron repeated, "You got this."
The glow of peace and assurance in the pilot's eyes gave Finn a boost of strength, and he had walked slowly, stiffly, yet on his own, down the hallway.
Poe shouted in triumph, trying to wipe his eyes before Finn saw them, but it was too late.
"You okay?" Finn turned around, frowning.
Poe had run a hand through his hair, shaking his head emphatically. "Just a big day."
The warmth of this memory ended when all of the happiness Finn felt drained away, and he was only aware of the gloved hand touching his forehead. With the touch came an icy chill over his entire frame and a lump in his throat.
When Finn spoke, his voice came out rough and raw. "No matter how hard you try, you can't take them away from me."
"But that's exactly what I plan on doing," Kylo Ren taunted, the skull-shaped mask gleaming, gloating over him. "Once they join you. And they will join you."
The mask leered closer, and Finn felt his eyes widen as the realization sunk in.
I'm the bait. I'm the BAIT.
A playful whisper was muffled by proximity and the mask. "What would happen if I removed this metal plate along your back?"
Knowing what would follow, Finn frantically dove back into the well of pleasant memories, but they were blocked to him now. All he was left with was the metal slab, the evil man in the cloak, the darkness, and the anticipation of more pain than he would be able to handle.
Finn had sworn he would not cry out, but that promise was broken the moment Kylo Ren tore the brace from his back.
Rey knew instantly that something was wrong. She was balancing on a tightrope above a rocky chasm, her staff in her hands, and the roaring ocean below, when she felt it. The stab of pain in her lower back was so intense that she lost her grip on the weapon.
"Finn!"
A flash of silver mask, a scream of agony. Images flickered in front of her: the sneer of General Hux, Finn cowered in a filthy corner, BB-8's neck craning over him in concern.
"Rey—concentrate!"
Luke's gravelly voice was stern but could not reach her as she not only saw what would happen to her friend, but felt it as well. Her eyelids fluttered as she lost balance on the tight rope, tipping over so that the churning mass of grey and blue water beneath began to drown out the ex-stormtrooper's cries as they mirrored her own. She was going to collide with the water in a matter of seconds.
"No!"
It was as if a thick tether had fastened onto her waist and resisted springing back. Rey felt the salty spray lick her face before she had the courage to open her eyes. She hung suspended, mere inches from the crushing waves, her arms and legs outstretched. Rey swallowed back the devastating emotion that nearly killed her and attempted to move her head, but her entire frame was frozen in place. Just like when Kylo Ren had captured her in the forest of Takodana.
Just what I need. Another man controlling my body. At least this one's trying to save you.
"Th-thank s?" she called, face burning with embarrassment.
A sharp laugh devoid of amusement met her ears from the outcropping above.
"What have I told you about focus? About concentration?"
"It was Finn. He was…" Her voice cracked as she relived the terrifying emotions conveyed to her across the vastness of space. She could still feel the touch of Kylo Ren on her skin—Finn's skin—hear his apathetic dialogue. The pain of torture was only part of the horror of these memories—it was the pervading darkness that numbed her senses.
"Rey?"
She was too overwhelmed to reply. Moments later, Rey felt her body float upwards, away from the sea spray and above the cliff edge. Luke Skywalker's cloaked figure stood stark still against the green field, his flesh and blood hand outstretched, unblinking with attentiveness. If Rey hadn't been so preoccupied with worry, she would have felt another surge of awe for her mentor. How easy using the Force was for him! It never ceased to amaze and inspire her.
Luke set her gently on the ground, and she regained her own movement again. But instead of standing up and brushing herself off to try again, Rey remained crouched, fingers on her temples, trying to sort through the surges of feeling transmitted to her.
Luke approached his apprentice slowly, his left hand still extended, probing. After a while, he said gently, "Tell me what you see."
Rey almost didn't respond, or thought about a snarky response instead. Luke knew exactly what she was seeing in her mind's eye—he had that ability. But with her body's fatigue from the past month's extreme physical training, and her perpetual headache from concentrating, she was too exhausted to disobey.
"It's Finn. He's in pain. Kylo Ren has him, or will have him. Oh, it's awful!"
"What else?"
Rey opened her eyes, confused by what Skywalker meant. He was sitting beside her now, his face neutral and peaceful, as always. She new that he was trying to use this experience as a lesson, but the fact of the matter was that she had failed the day's exercise and found out Finn was in danger to boot. So she wasn't that keen on acquiescing.
"No."
Luke's eyebrows shifted in vague surprise.
"No?"
"No, I don't want to know what else will happen to him because it's terrible and—"
Luke placed his left hand on her shoulder. At the same time, she felt her breath even out, and her pulse normalized. The tranquility of the Force flooded her with much-needed relief and clarity.
"I know all you can feel is his fear, but fear—"
"Fear leads to the Dark Side, I know," Rey said, a mantra she had repeated so many times in the past few weeks that she was beginning to tire of it.
"And it will prevent you from processing this situation rationally," Skywalker said, never missing a beat. His voice was soft, eyes kind. "Delve deeper."
Rey didn't want to. She wanted no part of peering through the key hole of the uncertain future, an endless twisting tunnel of multiple outcomes, but she took a deep breath, shut her eyes tight, and zeroed in on the darkness.
"There's a cell… I—I see a dark cell and Finn is there. He… He's lying so still!"
"Keep going," came Luke's encouraging comments.
"And I see an X-wing landing on a deserted surface… above a city… the city is made of rock… underground? BB-8 is in the cell with Finn… And if BB-8 is there, it must mean Poe is there too. He's Finn's friend." The images began to flash more rapidly as she searched further into the future. Once again, she was overcome by fear, a looming evil, suffocating and complete, then misery and more misery.
"Steady," Luke whispered, sensing her distress. His voice was a balm to her aching mind, but Rey couldn't stop the endless cycle of events to unfold before her.
"Poe! He's being tortured too. And…"
Rey saw Dameron restrained to an elevated silver table, saw the red pouring from his side, and the uneven breaths, lagging and slowing She saw his eyes widen in panic, and then she saw the light fade from them—a glow that sparked and then was lost forever.
"No!" she screamed. "They kill him! He will die!"
The Jedi's apprentice jerked back to the present, shocked to find herself outside once more, the cold coastal wind whipping through her hair. Luke sat directly in front of her, holding her hand. Rey roughly wiped away streaks of tears that had fallen down her face without her knowledge. Skywalker was watching her closely, but he remained silent, as if waiting for her to make the first move.
"Right," she said, jaw set defiantly. "I'm going after them." She stood up, dizzy from the sudden movement, and walked to the large stone where she had set down her small pack of belongings.
"You must complete your training first," came Skywalker's unwavering voice behind her.
Rey's ire shot up. She had only enough patience for the old man, and though she respected him as much as his sister, General Organa, she wasn't going to sit around and wait.
"They're my friends!" she exclaimed. "And I have to help them. What would you do if you were standing in my shoes?"
Luke stepped closer, and she could observe the deep lines etched into his skin, wrinkles from experience as much as from age. His eyes held so much pain and regret, and the frightening thing was that they reflected her own.
"I did the same thing you are about to do. And because of my impetuous and foolish decision, I almost lost Han forever."
Rey felt her eyes cloud over with the thought of Han Solo. "Would you do it again?"
Luke didn't blink. "In a heart beat." Then he flexed his metal appendage. "I would have given both my hands for my friends."
Rey hesitated, the sight of Luke's metal mitt tapping into the enormous well of fear inside her. "Then you know why I have to go."
She slung the pack over her back. Running over the crest of a distant hill, R2-D2 whirred happily, inquiring about a lunch break. Rey would have to go back to the Falcon and discuss the new game plan with Chewie.
"Search your feelings," Luke said, such power in his words that they reverberated around the small island. "Why do you think the First Order have captured your friends?"
The young apprentice paused, her heart pulsating rapidly. Finn knew, deep down, and that meant she knew also. "They want me."
"He wants you," Luke said.
"Kylo Ren."
"No, Snoke."
Rey turned around, her lips pursed, teeth set straight. "I will avoid confrontations. It will be a stealth mission only."
"Your anger will alert him," Luke countered.
"I will remain calm and mindful of the Force." Rey knew her assurances were pathetic, but she felt a hook caught in her chest that was pulling her towards Finn, and every minute spent apart tore another piece of her heart out.
"You know the planet they're being held on," she said, not a question.
Luke bit his lip. "I beg you not to go."
Rey felt her energy shimmer, her body in tune with the Force. She knew at that moment that she could see into the future—could see her future—and it frightened and excited her at the same time. "Once they're safe, I'll return and complete my training. Master Luke, I promise."
Skywalker bowed his head. "The planet is Vera 5."
His apprentice nodded and left, racing quickly past R2-D2's confused shaking body and forced herself not to look back at the Jedi who had taught her so much.
"So there's this little place I want to take you after we pick up Finn," Poe said, making his descent.
BB-8 beeped inquisitively.
"It's on my home planet, and this restaurant has the best—"
BB-8 whirred with a series of sporadic beeps.
"What? Oh yeah—I'm sure they speak astromech."
The droid responded with a chirp.
"BB, I promise to take you to the first Corellian harp concert I can find once we visit Yavin 4. I haven't forgotten how much you love that music. Anyway, where was I?"
BB-8 crooned, adjusting some calculations Poe had made a half hour ago.
"That's right," Dameron said, flashing a smile even though he knew no one could see it. "Time to pick up Finn!"
The best pilot in the Resistance landed his X-wing effortlessly on the surface of Vera 5. A thick green smog drifted across his cockpit window, revealing a dark desert world at night.
"Charming vacation spot," Poe said, removing his safety belt and stretching his sore joints after several hours of flying. "Remind me to never come back here."
BB-8 beeped in assurance.
Five minutes passed, then ten, then twenty. The droid signaled doubtfully, and Poe felt restless.
The pilot said," I've got a bad feeling about this."
Determined to figure out what was keeping his co-pilot and best gunman, Poe slipped on a gas mask, tightening the straps and pressing the button to open the cockpit.
BB-8 immediately sent sporadic and worried clicks his way.
"Don't worry, my friend. Just gonna take a look around."
Poe felt for the blaster at his side. An eternal optimist, regardless of the situation, Dameron was no fool either. He sensed that something had delayed Finn, and whatever the situation the ex-stormtrooper had gotten himself into this time, Poe would get him out.
Dameron had initially decided to inspect the rendezvous point alone, but he couldn't ignore BB-8's insistent beeps, so he pressed the mechanism that released the droid from its seat on the X-wing. Poe reached up and deftly grabbed his hefty mechanized friend, grunting as he set it down on the planet's surface. Rolling along side him, BB-8 seemed content to be included, but Poe was hesitant. He felt even more protective of the droid after what happened on Jakku, and the thought of being separated from his companion was unbearable. Dameron allowed BB-8 to go with him, but he would keep the droid in his sight at all times.
"Any signs of Finn?"
BB-8 dinged a negative.
Poe paused, scoping the area using the night vision goggles that hung around his neck. The specs picked up zilch, and the gaseous surface was eerie and quiet. All Dameron could hear was the sound of his own breath through the mask, in and out. This resonance was reminiscent of another man's mask he had encountered about a month ago. Poe shuddered.
Several feet away there were three elevators, just a few out of hundreds set up in various places on the planet for visitors to take to get to the city beneath its surface. All of a sudden, the center elevator lit along its base, flashing red lights, indicating that someone was heading to the surface.
Poe turned to the droid. "You see any other ships around here?"
BB-8's head toggled left and right.
Dameron's heart flip-flopped, and he sprinted toward the elevator. "C'mon, BB-8!" The droid spun around, rolling close to his heels.
Poe motioned the droid to remain close by him as he hid behind the elevator on the right and waited. As a reflex, his hand pulled out his blaster and held it by his thigh. Then he removed his night vision goggles and deposited them in the dirt nearby. BB-8 beeped impatiently, and Dameron held up a finger in front of his lips, calling for silence.
The wait was excruciating, but when the doors to the elevator finally opened and the white skull-like helmets of stormtroopers scurried out, Poe wished he had had more time to prepare. There was only one option now that it was clear Finn had been captured: Go down to the underground city and get him out.
The pilot tapped gently on BB-8's round head as it swiveled to look at him, and he made a gesture to move around the side as quietly as possible. The droid followed him as they snuck behind the stormtroopers, who were already headed toward the abandoned X-wing a short distance away.
"Check the vessel and surrounding area," one stormtrooper said to the other, her voice even more muffled than usual by the extra gas mask under their helmets.
"Yes, ma'am," the three others said.
Poe and BB-8 entered the right hand elevator smoothly, but the pair didn't count on the high-pitched noise the machine would make once Dameron punched the control button with the arrow pointing down. The rusty creaking was loud enough to catch the stormtrooper's attention, and they whipped around.
"So much for stealth," Poe muttered then scooted BB-8 behind him along the side of the elevator as the scouting party began firing on them. He lunged with his blaster, firing red beams across the dark desert, praying for the elevator doors to close before they were overrun. They did shut soon, but not before Poe was hit by enemy fire.
Dameron cried out, slamming against the wall and clutching his left shoulder. From the sound of shifting gears and rusty metal, he could tell they were heading to the subterranean outpost at a slow rate. At least that bought them a little time. Light shone dimly inside the ancient lift and flickered on and off, mimicking the rapid pace of Poe's heart. BB-8 whined next to him, its concern emanating in a series of shrill trills.
The pilot grit his teeth, examining the wound on his upper left shoulder.
"Don't worry, buddy. Just grazed me." Poe slid down the wall so that he was sitting at BB-8's level, making it easier to reassure the droid. "To tell you the truth, I'm more concerned about what's gonna be waiting for us when those doors open."
BB-8 whistled a sarcastic comment.
"Yeah, I reckon there's gonna be quite a cuddly welcoming committee. So what's the plan?"
Poe was positive that storming through the center of the city, blasters blazing, was not going to work out in their favor, and every second the elevator descended, he felt his heart plummet with it. Finn was somewhere down there, and Dameron wasn't going to leave without him.
TBC
A/N: This is my first ever "Star Wars" fic, written in a frenzy over the past couple of days after seeing the new film. Forgive me for any errors since I'm brand new to this fandom. There are at least two chapters after this, with much more Finn/Poe/Rey/Kylo action to follow. Since my vacation is almost over, I have absolutely no idea when I'll be able to type up and post the next chapter, but I will try my best to get it up within a week. I appreciate ALL feedback; let me know what you like, what you don't, and everything in between! Hope you enjoyed!