Lurching into motion like a suit of armour given life, almost like a combat droid, the Purge Trooper came at them as four more appeared from the smoke. LM and Nyzar charged to meet the latter, but they'd never reach him in time. Finn roared, hefting his maul in a doomed effort to meet the attack.
The clash of metal rang through the square, overlaid by the shriek of a vibro-weapon making contact. The maul went wide, driven by Tannel's sword. The giant growled in anger and swung at the Bothan, but Cylarei darted in behind him and drove her sword through his spine. The Purge Trooper howled in pain.
Ha. So there's something human under the armour after all.
The boy turned his head but Finn covered the boy's eyes as Cylarei ripped the sword free and the Purge Trooper collapsed. Tannel stepped in and took the helmeted head off with a single swing.
Finn set the kid down as quickly as he dared, seeing the other Death Troopers charge. "Rose, Ki'rii, watch him!" he barked as he broke into a run of his own, Tannel and Cylarei falling into step with him.
Nyzar and LM were already trading blows with the Purge Troopers. Nonetheless, Finn's target spotted him coming and pivoted to face him, catching the blow on his heavy shield and stabbing with a vibro-spear. Finn darted to the side, hearing the clash as Tannel and Cylarei joined the fight.
His baton rang against the shield again, then he deflected another stab. The trooper lunged with his shield, a blow that would have probably broken bones and put him flat on the ground. But Finn sidestepped again, leapt and brought his weapon crashing down on the back of the heavy helmet. The Purge Trooper staggered, and Finn struck again, whirling the baton to come down with even more force. That put paid to his opponent.
Three Troopers remained on their feet. The others had fallen, their armour carved open in several places. Finn went to intervene, but one of the enemy was already coming at him.
Now there wasn't time to get clear. Finn managed to spin away and dodge the spear, but the shield struck his shoulder with a ringing impact, hard enough to jar it. Finn landed hard on the rokcrete, rolling over to find the Purge Trooper coming for him, spear raised and angled at his chest.
"Traitor!" he bellowed, a booming mechanical roar. He was only halted by a fierce volley of shots which hammered into his black armour, leaving craters which glowed an angry orange-red. He snarled in pain and anger, moving his shield into place to weather the onslaught.
"Finn!" suddenly Rose was with him, pulling him up. With an effort, Finn got to his feet while Rose and Ki'rii kept shooting.
The Purge Trooper was still on his feet, still coming at them – but he hadn't seen LM. Now the droid was behind him, bringing his axe down in a brutal, crunching blow that bit deep into the trooper's shoulder and dropped him to his knees. Another chop finished him.
By then Tannel, Nyzar and Cylarei had felled another Purge Trooper, and all three surrounded their last opponent. The end came swiftly.
Finn let out a breath he hadn't realised he was holding in. "Thanks Rose," he said, hugging her tight and trying to ignore the flare of pain in his shoulder.
The two former gladiators approached him now, their armour rather more battered now. Evidently they'd taken the brunt of fighting the other troopers. There was the bare metal of cuts and gouges showing through the Resistance green and gunmetal, and Nyzar was bleeding from a gash in his left shoulder. "Good fighting," Nyzar rumbled to Cylarei and Tannel.
LM was more concerned with the fallen enemy. "The black Sixty-Sixth," he said, turning one armoured body over with his foot. "Brutal bastards, but now we know we can take them."
"Not without taking a hit or two," Cylarei responded, nodding to Nyzar's wounded shoulder. "How are either of you two still standing after that?"
Nyzar rapped his armoured knuckles against his chestplate. "Ultrachrome warplate, lass. That, and years in the arena."
Finn, for all that he was impressed. was less elated. Those were more minutes gone now, and he'd already let himself get off course. If one of those troopers had got even a word in on his radio before being felled, that meant the First Order knew about them. "Everyone intact?" he called.
Shouts of assent answered him. He did a quick head-count all the same. Everyone was in one piece.
"Good. Now the enemy probably know we're headed, we need to sprint the rest of the way and get out of here." He turned back to Ki'rii and the boy – it looked like she'd had a hand over his eyes – crouching down in front of the child to address him. "Hey little man, what's your name?" He took care to soften his tone.
It took a moment for the kid to find his tongue. "Dade."
"Dade, huh? I like that. Solid name." Finn put his fingers to the Resistance emblem on his chestplate. "I'm Finn, Captain Finn of the Resistance. Where are your folks, Dade?"
"They're gone," Dade said, the words no more than a whisper. The tears were already starting from his eyes.
"Then we'll look after you," Rose said. The words came without thinking, and she gave Finn a slightly panicked look.
He met that with a nod. "We are here on a rescue mission, after all," he smiled at her and the boy. "So best you come with us, Dade. We'll get you out of here. Nyzar!"
"Captain?"
"I need you to give our little friend here a piggyback. Dade-" he pointed to Nyzar's broad shoulders, and helped the boy up "-the buckles here, grip those. That's good. Now hang on tight. Tannel, Cylarei," he called, turning. "Which way from here?"
Cylarei stepped up, red eyes narrowing as she scanned the area. Then she pointed. "I think Sullust Avenue and then Liberty Way. Tannel, that sound right to you."
"Yeah," Tannel said, shaking himself to dislodge the worst of the dirt.
"Then lead on," Finn told him.
They ran, pounding up the pavement, toward the Incom-Freitek facility. The objective was close now, but they had a delay to make up for.
/¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯\
Lorith Redoubt was taken. Ren's main force had assaulted it remorselessly, abetted by the detachment under Yimur and Gwaelyn Ren. Not a single soldier had survived, and only a handful of civilian staff. Those were now in shackles.
Shattered glass crunched under Kylo Ren's boots as he and his Knights drew back to their command transport. The tactical holos were already laid out, and in this case they only served to confirm what he already knew. The few Kerothime units who'd escaped the Redoubt would be falling back across the spaceport, braving the heavily bombed airfields.
Ren and his divisions would follow shortly. The spaceport was the fulcrum. Once it was taken, the battle would be over. The defenders knew it too, and were gathering all their strength there. Not that it would be enough. All was going exactly as projected…
"Supreme Leader!"
Ren turned. A captain was sprinting frantically across the courtyard towards him. He shouldered his way through a squad of Stormtroopers, eyes still on Ren, but didn't make it any further before Krobakh interceded. He grabbed the officer by the throat and hoisted him off his feet.
Still the man struggled, even as his face began to purple. "Please," he begged, clawing feebly at Krobakh's wrist, his eyes still on Kylo. "Urgent – news…"
"Set him down," Ren ordered. Krobakh obeyed immediately, though he didn't so much set the man back down as drop him. The captain recovered quickly, kneeling at Ren's feet. "Report."
It took a few deep breaths first before the captain managed to speak. "Supreme Leader, a purgation unit reported contact with enemy elements in the Tanacine District and was destroyed. A Purge Trooper squad moved to intercept, and…"
"And?" Ren hissed. Then he growled, the word emerging from his helmet grille as a grinding demand. "And?"
At least the man succeeded in not whimpering. "Destroyed in turn, Lord. No survivors."
"Describe the manner of their deaths," Yimur ordered coldly, moving close so the tip of his sword was just within the man's vision. "How were they killed?"
"There was no one method. We found damage by blasters, explosives, vibroblades and shock-weapons."
Yimur's tone only became icier. "And of the enemy? How many of them did you find?"
"The enemy? None, at least no corpses we could be sure were involved in the struggle…"
Ren had heard enough. Later, he would remember to order that this officer be commended, for keeping a level head under severe pressure. For now, though, his mind was otherwise occupied.
He stepped away, eyes turning to the north. The Tanacine District lay over there. "Then the Resistance are in the city. Not many of them, but they are here."
The Knights looked at him warily. "It might have been native soldiers," Yimur ventured. "Given the right opportunity."
"To kill a full squad of Purge Troopers?" Ren barked. "With no losses in return?" He shook his helmeted head. "We're dealing with Resistance commandos here." He paused, the fingers of his sword hand flexing as he thought. "I don't sense any trace of… her. No, she's not here." If Rey were fighting in the city, he was certain that he would feel it. There would be some flicker of the bond Snoke had used to bridge their minds.
Yimur regarded him warily through the lenses of his own helmet, and said what his master was thinking. "Then this is most likely the Traitor."
The Traitor. The Traitor. So many theoretical candidates for that moniker, and yet only one who truly fit. There were those who were schooled and raised by the First Order to serve it in politics, war and commerce who nonetheless defected or fled its constraints, true. But there was only one who, among the vaunted Stormtrooper Legions, the new breed raised from birth to match the fealty and skill of the old clone armies, who had turned against the regime.
FN-2187. A while since we had any word of you. He was also one of only three beings in the whole Galaxy to wound the Supreme Leader and live to tell of it. Occasionally, Ren still felt the scar from that fight itch. It felt like… unfinished business.
Ren turned back to Yimur, and summoned more officers to him with a gesture. "Determine the Resistance's course. We will move out in pursuit. Divert Torlun's force as well. All other priorities are to subordinate to this order."
"Lord," a major began. "Can we be certain that-"
"The Resistance are here," hissed Gwaelyn, appearing as if she had just coalesced from the night. "They have arrived under our noses, taking every care not to be identified. Furthermore, their operatives are capable of killing our finest soldiers. It follows that they are here seeking something, which makes that our priority also."
"Then it is settled," Ren said. "We will pursue them, and we will eradicate them." His eyes bored into the Knights and officers around him. "Make ready."
/¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯\
As they moved deeper into the Tanacine district, the architecture changed subtly. The designs became less solid, the shapes of the buildings more varied. There was more glass – or rather, the evidence of more glass, but most of it was shards or dust on the ground, windows having been blown by First Order bombers.
It all felt, Finn thought, much less defensible. An extra worry where the Incom-Freitek facility was concerned. The original plan had been to secure the scientists and their designs, and make for the spaceport. Now, with the enemy storming through the city, even that was looking distinctly dicey now.
No Stormtroopers assailed Finn and his squad on their way north, but that only made the passage a little easier. Their path took them along several wreckage-strewn highways, and at one point over and under fallen sections of maglev rail. TIE Bombers had plied their trade here; there were deep craters here and there, and buildings which looked to have been ripped open by explosions.
Every time he ran, every time he had to haul or lever himself over something, Finn felt his injured shoulder throb. On a more internal level, he felt increasingly revolted by the whole thing. This was the assault on the Jakku village, but on a far greater scale. The shattering, hammer-blow brutality, followed up with a grinding slaughter designed to break the resolve of any who remained in the aftermath. This was the machine he'd been drilled and programmed to be a part of. And now it was turning remorselessly, carrying out the will of Kylo Ren.
He'd seen it before, but never so vast, so comprehensive. And worse still was the thoroughness of it all; the whole arsenal of the First Order unleashed. The only consolation was that here, there were very few bodies. The majority of the civilians would be somewhere in shelters, waiting out the attack as best they could.
With a great effort, Finn dragged his mind back to the task at hand. Anger would fog his mind, make him reckless like he'd been on Crait. He couldn't afford that now. Too many people were relying on him – and in any case, they were close to their objective and he could hear fighting ahead.
Inwardly, he cursed their delay, however small it had been and however worthwhile the rescue. He could still lament the time it cost them. That, and the speed of the enemy assault. Damn Ren and his brutality. Damn the hateful efficiency of the whole thing.
Rose, attentive as ever, saw his hand move to the beacon at his belt. "So we're asking for help?"
"Got to," Finn replied. The device had been handed to him by Captain Holterum, back at the spaceport. "The second we're in, signal to Major Rulm. We need our squadron in orbit to extract us and whoever's left of the defenders. Tannel, how's it looking up ahead?"
Tannel hand found them a discreet vantage point. There were soldiers guarding the Incom-Freitek complex, but they were being sorely tested by the enemy. A company of Stormtroopers had pinned them down and was beginning to sic two AT-STs on them.
Finn knew the defenders wouldn't have long on their own, and if these attackers were already here, more would soon follow. "No time for subtlety," he murmured, lowering his binoculars and turning to LM-276. "Time to pull out the missile launchers."
"Ah, I thought you'd never ask." LM's grating voice somehow suggested a grin.
"Let's crack some armour," Ki'rii grinned as she loaded hers and put her eyes to the scope. "Leg joints, remember."
"Anyone got one going spare?" Cylarei asked. The others looked at her blankly. "Thought I'd ask."
"I like you already," Nyzar said. "There'll be some left when the walkers are down, Cylarei."
"If we're quite done bonding for the moment," LM said. Then he turned to Ki'rii. "You'll take the one on the left?"
"Yep. See how many troopers I can squash with him."
Finn shook his head, slotting a fresh power pack into his pistol. "Rose and Ki'rii, once the missiles are away I want you to hang back with Dade. Follow when we've cleared the way. And Dade," he said, turning to the boy.
"Yes?"
"Hands over your ears."
/¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯\
Tannel crouched down and flattened his ears as the missiles shot overhead. They burst against the AT-STs in bursts of purple light. One toppled sideways, legs smashed. The group of Stormtroopers beneath it scattered – not all quickly enough. The other, guided by LM-276's keen electronic senses, exploded as its ammunition cooked off and caused even more mayhem for the squads around it.
"Now!" Finn yelled.
They burst from cover, closing the distance rapidly and dropping knots of Stormtroopers with carefully aimed bursts. Tannel aimed as he ran and took out a sergeant, and ducked behind the hulk of the fallen walker with Cylarei.
"Doing alright?" he asked her.
She drew a breath, grabbing a thermal detonator. "Think so. Feels like we're keeping pace." She primed the detonator and they nodded through the countdown. Then she turned and threw it. The second they heard the detonation, they sprang out of cover, firing again.
More grenades, lobbed by Finn and Nyzar, exploded in the enemy ranks, causing further disruption. On the other side of the fight, the Kerothime soldiers responded quickly to their sudden opening. The remaining Stormtroopers went down, and then the defenders were moving out into the open, hailing the newcomers.
"Friends? Declare yourselves!" Well, these ones weren't pointing blasters at them. A positive sign, hopefully.
"We're Resistance!" Nyzar boomed, tapping the emblem on his breastplate. At least the fact that the First Order tended not to deploy Zabraks ought to work in their favour, and you could hardly have found a broader chest to display the symbol of the Resistance. Nonetheless, Tannel and Cylarei exchanged a worried look.
"Your ticket out of here?" Finn prompted.
After a nervous few seconds, the shout came. "Come over!"
They crossed the ravaged… well, Tannel reckoned it had been a parking space to begin with, but it was hard to say with any certainty. There were ten or so soldiers stood on the other side, with maybe twenty more still in cover.
The captain who led them looked at the newcomers with frank astonishment. "You did all that?"
"Good evening to you too," Rose said wryly.
Finn was all business. "Captain Finn and company, here for you plus the people and data you're guarding." He nodded at the destroyed scout walkers. "I assume you're still keen on keeping them away from it?"
"Just so. Come with us." The captain turned on his heel, but Finn grabbed his shoulder.
"No time," he said, shaking his head. "The First Order probably knows about our mission. You men!" he barked, gesturing to some of the soldiers. "The scientists, the files. Let's get 'em!" He, Ki'rii and LM headed into the building.
That gave Tannel time to survey the defences around the building, and the defenders. A mix of soldiers, law enforcement and what looked like private security. On further enquiry, it seemed that a number of squads had fallen back to here when Ren's forces broke defending positions elsewhere in the city. They were well-armed, even boasting some light artillery. No wonder the First Order had already been throwing scout walkers at it. Finn's team probably had this arsenal to thank for the facility being intact at all.
Cylarei punched him lightly on the arm. "Well look at us, Tannel. We got the Resistance to their objective. Though," she added reflectively, "I guess it's not over 'til we're on their ships and out of here."
"Our ships," he corrected her. "You might as well paint the Resistance symbol on me right now." She smiled and nodded at that. After what they'd seen the First Order do today, it seemed like the only natural response. Then Tannel had a thought. "I didn't say thanks for getting me back to the ground, did I?"
She shrugged. "I don't rightly remember."
He proffered a hand. "Well, thanks. Just to be on the safe side." And they shook.
Next to them both, Rose set Dade down for a second. "Holding up alright, Dade?"
He gave her a little smile. "Yes. You all seem… good." Tannel caught and returned Rose's smile, though he didn't relax his grip on his blaster.
"Well, just a little longer and we'll be safe." Rose reached for her little holo unit. "Let me talk to the man who's getting us off this world." She made contact with Rulm and made her report. Contact made, extraction required immediately. Hopefully the Resistance would be as fast as she said, Tannel thought.
"Couldn't you have moved them sooner?" Cylarei asked the captain as the troops took cover again, replacing spent power packs.
The captain made a face. "Transferring and purging files takes time. That, and the enemy hit faster than anyone expected."
Cylarei shrugged. "Fair enough. It caught us out too. Still, all the more reason to move fast."
Tannel was only half listening, though. Even as his friend spoke, he straightened up and turned away, staring back the way they'd come. Because somewhere behind them, he could hear engines, coming closer. And with those, the tramp of marching boots.
His hand was on his commlink before he knew what he was doing. He signalled Finn. "However fast they're going in there, Captain," he said, as the others began to pick up the sounds as well, and lights began to show through the smog. "You'd better get them to move faster." He drew a breath. "The enemy are coming."