***Author's Note***

Last chapter, y'all! *Sniffle*. That's okay! We're going out with a bang, ladies and gents! Enjoy!

***End Note***

They had been trudging through the forests of Kashyyk for hours, and Finn had begun to hope that, perhaps, they would find the Darksaber first, at least until they smelled smoke. They had rushed forward, coughing as the smoke grew thicker, until they had found the Old One. Finn and Poe had been too far back to hear what had been said but he hadn't seen Ben this furious since Starkiller. They had pressed on after burying the poor old Twi'lek; Finn had a dark flame growing in his heart after seeing what had been done to the Twi'lek. He knew how sensitive their lek'ku were, and the damage that they could do to their owner were they damaged at all; to have one severed? Finn couldn't imagine the pain, and hoped he never would. He'd nearly snapped Poe's head off when, on an offhand remark, he'd outed Finn's Force ability. Much to his surprise, Ben and Rey already knew, and had been honoring Finn's wishes, figuring he'd tell them when he was ready; it was probably for the best.

Now, though, they stood on the edge of the forest with the sky steadily growing darker and thunder tearing the air asunder as a terrible storm threatened to break right over their heads. On the right was the First Order, and on the left was the Resistance; Finn thought it looked like the scene from some epic novel or something; he'd never seen anything like it. Right in the middle of the Resistance forces, the Togorian army was spread, dressed in full battle armor, many of the males armed with crossbows and riding massive Mosgoths, which looked something like enormous flying lizards with terrible teeth and claws – these also wore battle armor. The females seemed more comfortable on the ground and armed with blasters, vibroswords and massive metallic spears. Privately, Finn was pleased that the Togorians were on their side. As Ben began exchanging words with Padme, Finn glimpsed the massive form of Huur sprinting towards him; he seemed able to cover a mile in a minute or two, but given his massive height, that wasn't surprising. Unlike the other males, however, he was not on a Mosgoth. He wore grand armor over his jet-black fur of shining silver over his chest, back, arms, hands, legs, and head, leaving his flexible tail free for balance, and his piercing blue eyes to glint from behind the helm; the effect made the eleven-foot-tall Togorian quite intimidating to look upon. Reaching Finn, he knelt in the mud and said, "I wish to stand by your side to fight, Captain. Under your command I place myself. Use me as you wish, Sir."

Finn was touched by the Togorian's courage, "Thank you, Huur. Also in my ranks, you will find a massive red-haired man standing beside Twila; bring them both here, please. I want all of my friends beside me today." Huur's eyes softened as he bowed and hastened to obey his Captain. In short order, Huur returned carrying Twila and with Thamian hurrying along behind him. They arranged themselves just in time, it seemed; just then, Padme screamed the order to attack and the First Order seethed forward like a line of ants. Ben, Rey and Luke stood with their light-sabers activated, waiting for the first of the Knights of Ren to try their skills.

Luke turned his blind eyes to Finn, "It's time, Finn!"

Finn smiled grimly, drawing his light-saber from under his jacket. He activated his curved silver blade and took his place beside his Master. Behind him, he heard Twila's light-saber activate, and she was standing beside him, a look of pride on her face. Huur roared like a panther as he strode forward, holding a massive poleaxe, followed in short order by Thamian, bellowing his battle-cry and brandishing his massive vibrosword. Silently, all of the remaining Force-Sensitives that were of age stepped forward with their sabers activated. The Knights of Ren stopped for a moment, and the sight before Finn would be branded into his mind for all the rest of his days. Before him, a sinister red glow flickered and hissed in the darkness, but beside him, around him, it was as though all the colors of the Light had come to ground. Blues, yellows, greens, purples, oranges – every color of refracted light that nature could devise pulsed as one in the darkness, giving those that beheld it incredible hope; Finn felt it surge through the Resistance, along with the thought We have a chance! It was, perhaps, the most palpable among Finn's company; not a one was surprised by the revelation that their Captain was a Jedi. To many, it explained a very great deal, and they were more willing than ever to follow him into war.

The moment passed, and the red surged forward again to be met by the light in a flash of light and the spark and hiss of two light-sabers meeting as the storm finally let loose its fury. Bedlam ensued – Finn was suddenly hyper-aware of everything around him. The flash of Twila's beautiful blue skin beside him, the flash of silver and black as Huur dashed past Finn, wielding his poleaxe masterfully, Thamian's bull-like bellow and the thrum of his sword cutting through the air, Poe's blaster firing madly, and Rey's double-bladed violet saber-staff flashing wickedly to his right. Behind him, he sensed Ben's vicious battle with Padme, and the sudden deaths of a dozen troops, at least. No, he thought, but too late. He, Rey, Poe, and Luke found their weapons turning upon themselves before a shriek from Padme signaled their sudden ability to move on their own again. Shaking off their surprise, they dove back into the fight; none seemed to have noticed their odd behavior.

The battle went on and on; Finn had seen skirmishes before, and was no stranger to taking lives by now, but they were nothing compared to the massive scale of this battle, now. His limbs began to ache and burn, but Finn knew that if he stopped, he would be dead. Eventually, he entered a sort of trance, almost a fugue-state where time ceased to exist and he no longer felt the pain of his arms; all he was aware of for quite some time was the Knight before him and the people beside him, until something drew him back to himself again. Pain terrible, consuming pain lashed across his Force-Bond with Twila and her piercing scream split the air; Finn saw nothing but red and a Knight standing over his beloved. Finn Force-Jumped over the forces between him and Twila, whether friendly or not, he would never know, and landed beside her, eyes mad and a fierce cry tearing from his throat. The Knight panicked and stumbled backwards, trying desperately to fend Finn off; feeling the pull of the Dark side, Finn pulled back and thrust his left hand forward, knocking the wind from his opponent and sending him to the ground, sparing his life; he turned on his heel and sprinted back to Twila's prone form, spraying muck, blood, and mud everywhere. He fell to his knees beside her, lifting her gingerly in his arms, still feeling pain radiating from her; she was unconscious. Huur and Thamian were beside him in an instant. Thamian was pale, but Huur was growling viciously, deep in his throat, and his blue eyes were darting here and there for the next threat as his blood-soaked tail twitched in his rage.

Finn tried three times before he found his voice, "Huur, I need you to get her out of here; run as fast as you can and get her out of here." Huur's feral eyes snapped to Finn's and his growl grew louder. "NOW, Huur! PLEASE! You promised to do as I asked; I'm asking now: keep her safe. There is honor in this, I swear – if she dies, so will I. I will owe you my life if you do this, Huur."

Sanity slowly returned to Huur's eyes; they softened and he nodded, "Yes, Captain. It will be as you wish; I will protect her with my life."

Finn thanked Huur as he scooped Twila into his massive arms and sprinted from the battlefield, splashing through the mud and scattering Togorian, First Order, and Resistance alike. Finn turned to the ashen-faced Thamian who whispered, "I promised to protect her."

Finn leaned in and shouted over the noise, "She's alive; I can feel it! You did your job well – the only reason I asked Huur to take her, and not you is because he's faster!"

Thamian rose from the mud, wiping tears from his face. His green eyes fell on someone behind Finn and they went deadly cold, "I want that bastard that did it; let me take him."

Finn turned to see the Knight who's life he had spared cut down another Force-User, laughing. Feeling his own eyes harden, Finn nodded. Needing no further invitation, Thamian bellowed again, his vibrosword held out to the side, ready to swing forward at a moment's notice. Battles all around the pair paused as they took in Thamian's terrifying speed. The Knight turned, his head cocked as he beheld Thamian, and Finn would swear for years thereafter that he sensed the son of a bitch smirk. He brought his lgiht-saber up to block Thamian's blow, clearly expecting it to cut through Thamian's sword like butter. However, Thamian's sword was an old one that had passed from father to son since the days of the Old Republic, when vibroswords were built to withstand the heat and power of a light-saber, and when the Sith were a blight spreading through the galaxy. Finn sensed the shock as Thamian's blade met the light-saber, and held. The combatants struggled for a moment, each pressing against the other until Thamian strode forward, just one step. The Knight jumped backwards, his chest heaving. He sprung at Thamian again, this time striking with Force and blade, but the wily smuggler expected it and turned his enormous right shoulder into the blast and dug his feet into the ground. He was pushed back a few paces, but recovered quickly, swinging at the Knight, intent on keeping him too busy to use any Force tricks against him. At last, Thamian batted the light-saber away one final time and ran his enormous blade through the Knight who had dared harm his dear Blue. Thamian stood with his sword in the Knight's chest for a moment before drawing it back and allowing his opponent to fall, lifeless, to the ground. Stormtroopers and Knights alike drew away from Thamian, while Resistance fighters drew nearer and Togorians looked on him with new respect. Thamian spoke quietly, as though to himself, "For you, Blue."

Finn turned to find his next opponent when the sky was split by a scream of terrible loss, and he was rocked to his knees as an echoing cry rang through his head. He realized then that Rey was no longer standing beside him. Poe! He called his brother and together, they raced towards where they'd heard the scream, Thamian hard on their heels. What they saw, none there would ever forget. Rey knelt in the rain and mud, staring across at Ben, who sobbed and keened, holding Padme's lifeless form in his lap. It was finished; Padme Solo was dead, and the war was over, for the most part. Chewie and Leia managed to get them up, Ben lifting his sister's body as he went. A path opened for the procession and Finn, Poe, and Thamian took it upon themselves to act as the rearguard.

Days went by and still there was no word on Twila's condition from the Togorian doctors that had flown immediately to Kashyyk to help with the medical needs from the aftermath of the battle. Finn and Poe spent their hours, instead, clearing the dead and dying from the battlefield as the carrion-fowl circled overhead, hoping to gorge themselves on the rapidly-decaying flesh of the fallen. They searched, also, for the Darksaber, which seemed to have vanished once again. Whispers started that a shadowy figure had been seen one night stelaing away from the battlefield, but no one was ever found. That evening, there was yet another mass-funeral, and the families of all involved had arrived, just in case their loved ones were among the fallen. This particular evening, there was a woman who had been quite talented in the Force who was to be honored at the mass-funeral. He body was laid on a pyre, like all the others, but a young girl rushed forward, screaming for her mother; she could not have been more than six. She wept and tried desperately to tug her mother's body from the pyre, to no avail. At last, she screamed and her mother was lifted through the Force and laid gently at her daughter's side. The girl laid over her mother's chest, sobbing and begging her to open her eyes. Finn glanced at Poe, who's eyes were trained on the girl and his jaw slack. Finn, I think...I think I'm meant to...Finn understood without Poe needing to finish the thought.

He strode forward and laid a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder, "Child, where is your father?"

"He died on D'Qar," she replied, though it was muffled by her mother's shoulder. Finn saw the image of the massive blonde who had fallen beside him on D'Qar. He glanced back at Poe, his eyes grim and nodded, once.

Poe stepped forward hesitantly, "Child? What is your name?"

"Lilia," came the muffled reply.

Poe looked at her caretaker and asked, "Who is to raise Lilia?"

The woman shook her head and sighed sadly, "I don't know, sir. It is most likely that she will be sent to an orphanage with the other children."

Poe's eyes narrowed, "No. I will take her as my own." The girl looked up at him and he knelt beside her, "If that's alright with you, anyway." The girl's eyes filled with tears and she lunged at him, nodding into his chest. From that day forward, Poe and his adopted daughter were inseparable. Rey and Luke arranged for all of the children to be tested for Force-Potential, and all who showed aptitude were set aside to be taken for training, becoming wards of the Jedi and Neutral Orders.

At last, the next morning, Finn had news from the doctors; Twila was awake, though still in immense pain. He could see her, but if he upset her, he would be removed. Finn entered the rooms in the Wookie tree-city that had been selected for use as medical centers; Twila had only just that morning been moved from the intensive care unit to another room, where she was still under constant surveillance, just in case. At first, Finn could not understand why; she looked fine to him, apart from a vicious, white scar that stretched from her collarbone to her ear on the right side. As his eyes followed the line of the scar, he saw it: her right lek'ku had been severed at her shoulder. At once he understood; Twi'leks had been known to die after the loss of a lek'ku, and she was still somewhat shocky. His eyes filled with tears of sympathy as he gazed on her, "Oh, my poor love. You'll be alright. I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere."

Twila's pink eyes opened, and he saw that her face was streaked with tears, "You...you still want me?"

Finn smiled at her, "Of course I do. You're my mate, and nothing will change that. Ever." A movement in the corner brought Huur to Finn's attention, "Thank you, my friend; I owe you my life for looking after her." Huur inclined his head and told Finn that if ever there was anything he needed to not hesitate to ask. Twila recovered quickly after that, and within two weeks, they were back on Togoria.

Their wedding was held the next week on a clear, soft day in the jungles of Togoria. It was a simple affair, where Finn and Twila were both dressed in elegant silver that flowed from them, though Twila's gown was slightly more elaborate than Finn's simple tunic and trews; both were barefooted and wore circlets of flowers on their foreheads. Twila's lek'ku were draped over her shoulders and a pink tip had been applied to the end of her right lek'ku. Finn thought he had never seen anything more beautiful in all his life. They stood beneath a pair of trees that had grown together in an arch in a meadow that had been used for such a purpose before. Luke bound their hands with a silver cord, then handed a cup of wine first to Finn, then to Twila and both took a sip in their turn. Luke pronounced them man and wife and Finn leaned down to kiss her, feeling like the luckiest man in the world. Later, as they sat and watched traditional Togorian dances, Twila leaned in to Finn and whispered, "I've been thinking about getting genetically altered so we can have children. We could, of course, adopt if you'd rather, but I thought I'd ask you first."

Finn beamed down at her, "We could always do both," he whispered back. She smiled and nodded her agreement. Finn laid his cheek on the top of Twila's head and lifted her hand to kiss the knuckles. He thought no wedding had ever been more perfect. As night fell, great fires were built and the dancing continued, culminating in a beautiful dance between Huur and his mate as a special honor to Finn and Twila; it had been announced only the day before that Huur would take over for his Grandfather, Yara, by the end of the month as the leader of Togoria. Finn watched the pair stalk each other in the dance and sighed happily. He thought he could handle anything, as long as his own mate and his friends stood by his side.

The End

***Author's Note***

I thought ending it at the wedding was about perfect. So; tomorrow, I'll be putting up the first chapter of The Darksaber Resurfaces. I am so, so excited for you to see where our friends will go and what they'll get up to in the next one. Hope you enjoyed the story, and as ever, thanks for reading and please leave a review, if you'd like!