As Rey and BB-8 walk the stone hallways towards the core, Rey can feel the energy multiply around her, as if the very air is dense with the Force itself. The nexus of this power is at the centre of the dark stone mass, but Rey is drawn by the threads to a different room. She descends further into the uncharted gloom, passing abandoned rocks, overgrown vines and schools of glowflies. Rey guesses she must be walking beneath the side of the temple buried in the mountain when she descends a large stairway into the place she is being led.
The atrium has three entrances, situated either side of the doorway she and BB-8 now stand in. The atrium ceiling is high, ending in a magnificent criss-crossing of stone arches. To her right, six long rectangular gaps in the stone allow the afternoon sunlight to seep through, the familiar haze of the magnetic field visibly keeping rocks, sand, and pine needles from spilling into the atrium from the surface of the mountain outside. Six long gaps in the wall also appeared to her left, but only showing more of the temple's walls. Several layers of stone overlap underneath her feet, with large rivers of crystal embedded across the floor, leading to the main attraction of the atrium erected upon the wall opposite Rey. She crosses the room with difficulty - several large rocks and stones have spilled in from the outside and eroded over the years - before she finally reaches the top of the overlapping stone steps.
A large statue, standing at over ten feet tall, meets her at the top of the steps. It's details have been lost to time. Rey can just make out two large arms crossing palms over the chest of the presumably feminine statue. Rey recognises more glyphs and reaches out to touch them. The glow in recognition, and the arms unfold as the statue hums and glows with the same crystal energy. The stone morphs and recedes as the statue tilts her eroded chin to 'look' at Rey, lowering her body towards her and opening her arms. These movements have the same noises and curious behavior of stone that greeted her touch in the navigation room. Rey watches in complete bewilderment as a gust of hot air rises from a hole in the statue's chest, previously enclosed by the hands. The hole is big enough for Rey to look inside and, having nothing to fear, she does
The moisture on Rey's face evaporates immediately as she stars down onto a river of molten rock far below. Rey has never seen lava before, but can guess from the unbearable heat it is fire of some kind. As she retreats from the opening her head bumps something that hangs in mid-air. Rey rubs her head and looks closer - something small and glittering is being suspended in the chest of the statue. A kyber crystal, the size of Rey's index finger. It's coloured blue, with flecks of yellow, and has a large crack through the centre - which Rey guesses is from withstanding the many years it has hung here. This must be the temple's power source, how it conducts and interacts with the Force. Though pleased with her discovery, Rey is here for a reason afterall and steels herself for it.
The ritual is simple enough. It requires a specific incantation, her blood given onto flame, and an exchange of hidden knowledge - as the Oracle never gives that which she does not receive. Rey remembers the incantation she had sensed in Vicrul's memory, curious that he was in no rush to hide it from her. The blood was easy enough, and the atrium has provided her a fire to use too. It is the forfeit hidden knowledge that Rey fears the most.
Rey looks around and retrieves a sharp rock on the floor before her, cleaning it and pressing it across her right palm. A deeper cut than she intended opens and a stream of blood wet her fingers. She grits her teeth at the pain, and the sadness within her claws at her insides too. She's terrified.
Rey looks down into the large eye of BB-8, who whistles happily at her. Her frown disappears momentarily.
"Ready BB-8?"
He beeps happily at her. Rey nods back.
She approaches the statues and places her hand into its chest opening. She is only able to hold it there for a moment as the heat from the lava stream below grows unbearable. The crystal brushes against her skin white hot, and she withdraws her now sore right hand. Several droplets of blood disappear into the depths of the statue, and a light hiss can be heard as they evaporate. Rey stares at the face of the statue and begins to repeat the words she sensed in Vicrul's mind;
"Tzirji Utimuna, amohtsawsi sis udati ir tsûtri wa dzis tu'iyia zijia!"
Milky white smoke billows from the opening in the statue's chest, filling the atrium in an unnatural swirl. Rey and BB-8 take a few steps back, but the young Jedi continues the summoning incantation with vigor, she mustn't falter now.
"Ziji mus! Ziji mus! Ziji mus!"
As the smoke billows into amorphous shapes around her, the atrium itself begins to grow dark. The sunlight fades out, and even the shape of BB-8 is hard to make out amongst the mist that laps Rey's legs. She looks up to see the cloud of white stretch above her, forming six long arms and a flat, semi-circular face with two wide staring eyes. The Oracle bares over Rey like a colossal bird of prey stretching its wings before feeble game. Her ominous sing-song voice reverberates off the high atrium walls.
"Greetings summoner, your offerings paid are rich but inadequate. In exchange for my future sight, more must you compensate."
Rey guesses this is more a statement than warning, as the Oracle appears to mean her no harm. From somewhere in the fog, BB-8 whistles in surprise at the events unfolding before him. Rey takes another deep breath, and the last of her deluded hope pushes through.
"What is it you want from me?" She asks, in a vain hope she will be required to give something else, anything else. She is wrong. The Oracle stares down at her, seeing through Rey's attempt to escape her fate.
"You will be permitted one question to which I will consult with my true sight. In order to achieve this I covet a truth to be brought to light."
"You know of what I seek, the memory shielded by a precious lie. I see all, so attempt not to deceive me, Jedi."
Rey opens her mouth, but the Oracle continues as though she'd voiced the words on her tongue.
"Close your eyes and we both shall see. There are no secrets between us, let your mind be free."
A lump forms in Rey's throat as she realises there's no other option. The great sadness claws up her stomach, after almost twenty years it can smell freedom. Rey kneels and closes her eyes, steadying her breathing. The echoing sounds of the room around her vanish, the Oracle's voice interrupting the silence.
"Courage, Rey from Jakku, I mean you no harm. What you seek will be yours if you remain calm."
Rey focuses, digging into the buried recesses of her memory. Days and days of hot scavenging. The crushing loneliness and bitter desert cold creeping into her home, a tomb of rusted metal and rags. Her voice being strained for lack of use. Scratching a mark of another day gone by. Wondering what a birthday celebration is. Then, the memory approaches.
At first this delve into her psyche has been strangely cathartic, like stretching a limb that's gone to sleep, but now comes the accompanying pain. Years ago, she's standing near the outskirts of Niima Outpost, about five years old. She rubs her tired eyes with balled up fists as she wails. The cries grow louder, and louder, and the skeletal sadness escapes her stomach and wraps an icy hand around her heart. Two adult shapes move above the crying child, and now both the child and the Jedi let out a cry of anguish.
Rey's eyes snap open as she gasps for air. She breathes sharply and without grace as tears dribble onto the dusty floor beneath her, doubled over on her hands and knees, shaking. From what seems so far away she can hear BB-8 calling for her, but she sees only mist. Alone. The sadness has climbed out of its prison and sunk its teeth into her heart, slowly, with relish. A desperate cry escapes her throat as she shuts her eyes against the pain, and only one thought runs through her head:
I can't do this. I can't do this. I can't do this. I can't do this. I can't do this. I can't do this. I can't do this. I can't do this. I can't do this. I can't do this. I can't do this. I can't-
"Rey?"
The sound of Ben's voice shocks Rey so much, the words disappear from her mind. She looks up, face wet with sweat and tears. A large shape is groping around in the mist before her. By the stars, if this is an illusion, a creation of the Oracle, Rey feels as though she might implode, to cease to exist on the spot. But the way the shape moves, the way his hair bounces as he searches through the fog. It has to be.
"Rey, are you here?"
"Y-yes."
Her voice is hoarse and strained. She can hear soft footfalls and Ben's pale face materialises from the fog, looking down at her. The expression he wears is of worry. Only once has he looked at her with such concern; in the throne room of the Supremacy, almost a year ago. But then his eyes burned with spite, vengeance, and other dark things Rey cannot name. Now, he looks upon her with nothing but empathy. The scar across his right eye is no longer dyed an angry red, it has started to fade. From beneath the folds of his cloak he unfurls a hand. His gloves are missing, and there is a bloody cut across his palm.
The sad beast that clings to Rey's heart squeezes her very insides and she gasps in pain. His hand stops in midair as he hesitates, trying to decide on a course of action. He doesn't just see that she is in pain, he can feel it too. He crouches down before her and fiddles with a clasp on his tunic, and Rey feels the warm embrace of his thick cloak as he swings it around her shoulders. His hands are soft and warm as they press the cloak onto her, and she simply stares at him. He retracts his hands and matches her stare.
"It wasn't easy for me, you were right." He begins earnestly. "But it was worth it."
Despair spreads through Rey's insides like ice as she fights not to cry. He feels her struggle through their bond and presses on.
"The Oracle didn't give me what I wanted, but what I needed. Rey, this temple... it's the key to fulfilling the prophecy. But I can't alter the future, that's what she told me."
His eyes darken. "Snoke used me."
Rey fights her despair ferociously. What he has just told her about the temple sends her mind racing, questions and answers fight at each other, but first a certainty.
"No," she replies defiantly. "The future she spoke of is of Kylo Ren."
Rey stares back at him intensely, and realisation dawns across his pale face. He nods in acknowledgement. Maybe there is still hope. Maybe there always was.
"When it was time, I used your words to banish Snoke for good," he admits quietly. "I wasn't strong enough." He looks at her with watery eyes. "Thank-you."
A sudden surge of fire bursts through Rey's cold body. A strained, grateful laugh escapes her lips as all her efforts to get through to him are justified. She nods in acknowledgement, shaking some tears loose. With a great effort she stands, and so does he. Her hand twitches. She wants to reach over and embrace him, to offer him to share in all she has gained through her hardships. She wants to tell him everything, that she's finally ready to be with him. But they're out of time. The sounds of landing gear reverberate through their bond across the stars. He turns his head slightly, then back to her.
"I've got to go," he whispers.
Rey can feel that he doesn't want to leave her, but she can also sense what he is about to do. Just the thought of it fills her with such courage, she could have faced down an entire army with her bare hands. The dried tears on her face sting as her cheeks squish under a wide smile.
"I know," she replies.
Then the two simply stare at each other for a moment. Both just gasping for air above their own sea of hurt, but in this moment they're not alone. Rey realises that if she reaches out to him now, she will never let go. Never face what awaits her, or allow him to do the same. And he can feel the sadness that grips her, how hard this is for her to do alone. He curses himself, his circumstances, but the only thing either of them can do is move forward.
"I'll see you on the other side." She promises, with forced finality.
Neither of them have ever faced such a test. For once, he allows himself to hope for the best. He allows himself to hope to see her again. He promises himself that, after his work is done, there will be no holding back when they reunite. She grips at his cloak around her shoulders, awaiting his reply.
"I'll be there." He promises.
He manages one last hungry look at her features before turning on his heel and disappearing from Rey's view.
The interior of the misty temple disappears, and the familiar hum of his shuttle fills Ren's ears. They have landed. The planet Zoh is a barren junkyard, inhabited only by colossal garbage droids. The shuttle settles upon a familiar landing pad, and Ren can hear the Night Buzzard touching down on one similar, not too far away. The pads are situated atop a mountain of compressed scrap metal, a small bridge conjoining them. Last time they were here, they had plotted the downfall of Hux and Ren himself had vowed to change the Oracle's prophecy. Now, Hux has complete control of the Final Order and it's armies, and Rey is attempting to succeed where he had failed.
But it is not Kylo Ren that clips his crossguard saber to his belt. Not Kylo Ren that picks up the devoured helmet of Vader and stares at it, the words of his Uncle and Grandfather filling his mind. It is not Kylo Ren who walks out into the cold rain of Zoh, the ice water piercing his bare hands. He holds the helmet of Vader before him, an omen, a warning.
He looks up. On the far landing pad, he can make out Trudgen and Kuruk checking the landing gear through the rain. He is expected to join them and begin the prophesied trials. The sight of them fills him with fear. His muscles tighten and his back straightens. Each of their helmets is a fragment of Kylo Ren's masked face, but it goes deeper. Ren's immaturity lives in their words, his arrogance lives in their alias', his selfishness lives in their faux brotherhood, his rage lives in the weapons they are never seen without. The man standing in the rain fully realizes the power these men hold over him for the first time, and he almost turns back.
But the raging conflict inside him doesn't return.
He has been expecting it since the Skywalkers disappeared, but his pessimism is in vain. He starts to walk, putting one foot in front of the other with a great effort into the unknown. The only thing he knows for sure is that, when he's with her, he's on the right path. Ren's strides become firm, driven, focused. But he does not bristle with anger and frustration. A strange calm falls over him. He stops suddenly, the helmet still in his hand. A canyon of scrap stretches a mile below him, standing right in the middle of the grated bridge conjoining the two landing pads. The air is putrid here but he breathes deep, unencumbered, passive. A strange yet familiar mist creeps in at the edges of his vision. Even with the need to see Rey driving him, doubt roots Ren to the spot. What if he's not strong enough to face them? What if he's not strong enough to truly rid the galaxy of Kylo Ren? What if he's not-
"Hey kid."
There's no mistaking that voice. Ren turns slowly and looks upon the face of Han Solo. He can't breath. Han looks as he did on Starkiller Base, a sight Ren experienced a lifetime ago. Ren's eyes dart around suspiciously. This must be another of the Oracle's tricks. He refuses to be compromised by an illusion.
"You're dead." He speaks the truth defiantly at the apparition, but it is unphased. There is only one other possibility that crosses Ren's mind.
"You're just a memory." He finishes dejectedly. The calm he felt not moments ago vanishes as all the consequences of Kylo Ren threaten to crush him.
"Your memory," corrects Han.
Ren takes a sharp intake of breath. He doesn't dare believe it. He can't afford to stretch feeble hopes on the desire to see his father again. Han cares not for his son's cynicism and takes a confident step forward, reaching out a hand. Ren doesn't react, expecting nothing but cold wind and rain to touch his face. But it is suddenly warm under the soft and careful touch of Han Solo. How is this possible? Tears well in Ren's eyes.
"You were right." He admits quietly. "Snoke used me. I was weak, and foolish. I'm nothing like you."
Ren doesn't know if he is talking to himself or not, but he is beyond caring. There are no crashing waves of aggression and pain inside him any longer, just a quiet sadness. And these words need their escape. He stares reproachfully into his father's familiar dark eyes. He has so much he wants to express, but the weight paralyzes him. As always, Han knows just what to say.
"Good," he mutters triumphantly. "Don't be like me. Be like you. Leave this place, come home."
"I c-can't," Ren stammers, barely able to hold the tears. "It's too late."
"We miss you. Your mother is waiting for you."
At the mention of Leia, Ren closes his eyes tight, his lip trembling. He can still feel the warmth of his father's hand.
"Kylo Ren is dead. You know it's true."
Now the tears come. It can't be that easy, can it?
"My son is alive."
Ren lets out a great, rasping gasp and opens his eyes. Han looks both wiser and more youthful than he had ever been. This truly must be all of Ren's memories of his father wrapped into one. For a moment, Ren just enjoys being held. He manages a nod. Han is right. He is alive. But what comes next threatens that. The weight on his shoulders groans, and fear spikes his stomach. He cannot do this alone. The next word is so hard, so raw and sharp, Ren fears it might cut his throat as he dares to say it.
"Dad..."
But something must come before that, before he asks for Han's help. He had been so lost, so in pain, so full of despair the last time they had stood so close. Looking back at the Kylo Ren who appeared before Han on Starkiller Base was painful, like looking at a tortured child, twisted and perverted into something cruel.
But the truth remains: Kylo Ren murdered Han Solo.
How can he possibly approach this, voice his sorrow? His despair? His need to give everything to Snoke, to the Dark-Side, because if he didn't, what was this act for? Deep down, he had needed Han's death by his hand to mean something. And not Rey, not Leia, not anyone else can truly change that. But it hadn't meant anything. If he could ask forgiveness, for an act that had cut his very soul in two, then nothing is impossible. But at this final hurdle, at the edge - Ren's strength fails. He mouths the words uselessly, gasping for air. But he isn't alone.
Han retracts his hand and shakes his head knowingly. There is no need to voice it, to ask for forgiveness. It is done.
Ren can scarcely believe it. He has dreamed of this moment, of moving past this single terrible act in his life. And without even a struggle his wish has been granted. The weight upon his shoulders crumbles, until his body feels the lightest it's felt in nearly ten years. He straightens up. The forgiveness and love of his father makes him feel more powerful than the Dark-Side ever has, and ever will. What can he do with such power?
"I know what I have to do, but I don't know if I have the strength to do it."
And Han gives him the answer, moving his hands towards the cracked and melted helmet still gripped tightly in Ren's naked hand.
"That mask." Hans says, softly. "You don't need it."
Ren looks down at the wretched totem now held in both his and Han's fingers. It isn't just the legacy of Vader he sees, it is the piercing eyes of Snoke, the twisting sneer of Hux, the beast-like growl of Ushar, the poisonous words of Ap'lek, the hunting bloodlust of Vicrul. But worst of all, it is the face behind which he'd hidden for so long, the helmet he'd smashed but followed him, again and again, refusing to be banished. But his thoughts are interrupted by his father's voice, calling his name over the wind.
And he embraces it.
The mask whistles through the air as Ben throws it with all his might into the ravine below. The sunken eyes and twisted teeth of Vader sail through the air and disappear into the gloom below. Gone.
Ben Solo's tears mix with rain as he gasps for air, as though breaking the surface of the ocean, finally, after too long. He feels weightless. So much has happened so quickly. He has only one responsibility now; go to Rey. Do as his father has said; go home. He begins to cross the bridge but hesitates. A son longing to turn and gaze upon his father once more, but the truth settles in again. What he has seen is just a memory, and this fills him with hope. He can look upon them whenever he likes, and there will be time for that later.
Right now, he has done so much to overcome the Dark-Side. He has confronted Snoke using her words. He has been there for her, as she was for him. He has abandoned his spiteful ambitions and is ready to embrace something new. And the only thing stopping him, the only shard of Kylo Ren left in the world, are the pieces that live in the crude hearts of the Knights of Ren. That is Kylo Ren's legacy, of the Jedi killer, and Ben Solo will suffer their existence no longer. Han Solo's son turns towards the wretched silhouette of the Night Buzzard, ready for the fight of his life.
Ready to die.
Leia clasps the golden dice to her heart as it beats ceaselessly. Her perception of the Force is undisciplined but strong, and she feels a presence in the everpresent tapestry of life force that brings tears to her eyes. Her son. She can feel her son. Leia steadies herself on a stone block, unnoticed by others in the room.
"Here it is!"
Rose holds the dusty book before her as she runs a finger over a jagged looking symbol. The crystals around them pulse as another shield of magnetism materialises around the ancient octahedron temple, piercing the rock and gravel of the mountain that it has sat in for over a thousand generations. Great shards of the mountain fall away as the temple hums with energy. Within the hangar, Resistance pilots and soldiers watch in amazement as the opening they had been using as an entrance now seal them in. The twelve Stormtrooper recruits stare on in more than amazement, as this is quite literally their first day in the Resistance, and reviving ancient technology was beyond their expectations.
Back in the temple control room, Rose and Finn exchange shouts of excitement.
"Shields are up, General!"
Poe and Lando are examining the large viewport that they all peer through, the Tyjimi sun hiding behind a thick layer of evening cloud. In the interim they have been joined by several technicians, droids, and Chewbacca. The room teams with mutterings as the handful of pilots try to make sense of the ancient temple and it's capabilities. Commander Connix, however, has noticed something of greater importance.
"General, are you ok?"
Leia steadies herself, looking up into the bright and concerned face of the young Resistance officer. Connix is surprised to see Leia beaming back at her.
"More than that Commander, don't worry about me." Leia smiles to herself, positively brimming with optimism. "I've just got a good feeling, that's all."
"Rose, get us airborne," commands Poe, a hint of awe still staining his orders. "Can anyone tell me if this thing can really jump to lightspeed?"
Finn clears his throat. "It's complex, General. The temple has the capabilities for what we assume is hyperspace travel, but it has no traditional hyperdrive." His tone is formal and drained of its usual warmth. "We won't know until we try."
"Thanks Commander," responds Poe curtly, his guilt multiplying. "Rose, will they be able to track us?"
Rose is in the midst of translating several glowing characters for a gaggle of volunteer pilots when she looks up.
"I don't think so. They tracked us through reading our hyperdrive computers, but this temple doesn't run like a traditional flagship." Her face brightens with determination. "I don't think they'll be able to follow us, Poe."
"That's fantastic!" Exclaims Poe. "Right, all hands, let's get this flying fortress the hell out of here!"
"I've input our destination," replies Jaytu. She is standing at the centre of the stone astrolabe, and has touched a crystal on the ring above her, marking a system that promises shelter from the Final Order. Poe acknowledges this from his elevated position near the back of the room.
"How long til we're at full power?"
"The temple appears to be 'waking up', though it's taking it's time."
As she replies, Rose gazes out the window. The horizon line has dropped, as the temple starts to rise out of its mountain nest. Tree roots and vines creak in protest as the great stone structure levitates into the air. Sections of rock fall into the hole left behind by the submerged half of the temple, and the rumble of shifting earth sends birds screeching from the pine forests. Layers of dirt and snow fall away from both upper and lower pyramids, and carved symbols can be seen amongst the plates of stone. The deep engravings glow the same yellow-green as the crystals contained inside. Slowly but surely, the ancient temple hovers towards the peak of the mountain.
"Incredible," mutters Poe to himself. But his ease is short-lived.
"General!" cries an officer below him. "A ship just dropped out of hyperspace a few parsecs away!"
Poe squints at the offending officer, adrenaline already pumping. "Is it them?"
The officer examines her stone workstation, and the moving pattern before her. The crystals and stone create a perfect approximation of space surrounding them, depicting the temple itself and the mountain it now rises out of. High above, the image takes the form of a triangular flagship.
"...It's a Star Destroyer, General."
A sudden hush falls over the room at these words. Finn, Jaytu and Rose look up into the face of their leader. Poe is unable to hide his frustration.
"Damn."
High above them, Grand Admiral Hux stands on the bridge of the Fianlizer, looking out gleefully onto the spiked surface of Tyjimi. Though perfectly still, Hux is giddy with excitement, like a child before a stack of presents. The crushing of the Resistance is at hand. Far below him, General Poe Dameron won't give up that easily.
"All squadrons! I want every pilot we have ready! It won't be long until that Star Destroyer is onto us. Every single starfighter will be fueled and armed for attack! Go!"
His orders reverberate around the room and into his commlink, and the response is immediate. Consulting pilots hand over the stations to officers in the control room and depart, descending the stairs and corridors towards the hangar they currently call home. As Poe rushes to join them, he corners Rose.
"You're in charge now, Commander. Once the hyperdrive is ready, get us up and away."
Rose's face burns red. "Poe, I don't think-"
"I trust no one else with this," says Poe, firmly. "You have the room, Rose."
Rose clasps the worn Aionomica book to her chest as her heart sings. As Poe departs for the hangar, she turns and practically squeals at Finn. He embraces her, triumphant.
"Looks like you'll be the first to bring a flying castle to a dogfight!"
Rose's laugh is half excitement and half nerves. "I guess it is!"
"I'm glad it's not me," winks Finn, before his expression turns to one of seriousness. "Rose, I need to ask a favour."
"What?"
Down in the hangar, the usual scramble for readiness is in full swing. Cockpits are filled, droids wheel between ships, technicians handle fuel pumps and a siren whirs around the great stone hangar. Poe arrives on the scene and fights his way towards the U-Wing, itching to get his hands behind the controls, but a hand stops him. He turns, ready to demote anyone that stops him unnecessary, and almost chokes when Finn glares back at him.
"Finn! I-"
Poe becomes flustered, tangled in the precariousness of their situation, but Finn isn't so wayward.
"General, don't send the fleet out yet. This is our chance to get the location for Othkore. Give me some time and I'll get it."
Poe is genuinely stunned by what Finn is proposing. Though the clock is ticking on halting the Final Order's fleet on Othkore, now is hardly the time. What was he thinking?
"Finn, you can't seriously belie-"
"I understand what you're doing is best for the Resistance Poe but this is what's best for everyone. I know we don't have the forces to fight them head on but I believe an uprising can cripple them, and I'm willing to bet on that hope."
Poe searches Finn's face for the reason for such assuredness, and Finn steps aside dramatically to reveal it. Jaytu and the group of ex-Stormtroopers he'd recruited stand shoulder to shoulder, all looking as determined as he is. Poe is quite taken aback, but worry still drives him.
"What do you mean you'll get Othkore's location? How, Finn?"
Finn indicates to the trooper transport and crates of scarlet Stormtrooper armour they'd stolen from the prison hours ago.
"That Star Destroyer is the Finalizer. I grew up there, I know it like the back of my hand. We'll sneak onto the ship and extract the coordinates for Othkore from the hyperdrive computer. Me, Jaytu, and our team." Finn puffs his chest out with pride. "I trust them Poe, they're proof the uprising can work."
"We can do it General," adds Jaytu faithfully. But Poe has heard enough.
"Finn," he starts uncomfortably. "I admire your courage and the loyalty these recruits hold for you, but..."
He stares into Finn's handsome face and can't stop his own fear leaking into his words.
"It's too dangerous," he says with forced finality. "It's too risky."
But Finn isn't afraid. He retrieves a circular device with a silver key from within the jacket Poe had given him, and holds it up. Poe recognizes it.
"Rose's jammer?"
Finn nods. "They won't be able to detect us with this. We'll be in and out before they know it."
Poe shakes his head at the floor, refusing to even give this plan the attention it deserves. He doesn't trust these day-old recruits, and he certainly doesn't trust Finn's calm approach to a dangerous mission. Unluckily for Poe, Finn has more support than he'd bargained for.
"Commander Finn!"
Leia pushes past Poe and rounds on Finn, who reacts as though he's been caught doing something illegal.
"Err, yes, General?" He replies, straightening up.
"I'm bestowing upon you the rank of Colonel. You now have the authority to undertake this mission as you see fit, and I hope you and Lieutenant Jaytu will see it through by any means necessary. If the Resistance is to survive, we need that intel."
Jaytu, Poe, and the recruits stare at Leia. Finn could have kissed her. "Yes ma'am!" He responds with vigor.
"Leia you can't-" begins Poe, but Leia has heard enough too.
"As for you, I am officially relinquishing all power to you, Poe Dameron. You are the master of this Resistance now, it's future lies with you. With both of you."
Leia grips both Finn and Poe by the shoulders and pulls them in close.
"Finn's right. These recruits deserve a chance to prove themselves, to prove that freedom is worth fighting for. I entrust that future to you both."
Leia's stare penetrates Poe's dark expression, knowing why he is so hesitant to let Finn go. Poe gulps, knowing that he is cornered. He turns on Finn and his team.
"Alright, alright!" He says with scornful authority. "You get in and you get out. We've got less than twenty minutes, I want those coordinates in my hands and-" he pokes a stiff finger into Finn's chest, staring round at the newbies. "-I want Colonel Finn back by my side, unscathed. Am I clear?"
Jaytu and the recruits stand to attention, salute, and speak in unison.
"Yes, General!"
Poe nods curtly. "Then go, and may the Force be with you!"
They don't need telling twice. All thirteen of them make their way swiftly to the trooper transport and don their scarlet disguises. Finn moves to join them but Poe grasps his shoulder a little too tight. Finn looks back in confusion.
"What?"
Poe's face is set like a brick against what he is about to say. "Finn, about what happened to Slip." Poe can't look Finn in the eye, and stares at the floor in shame. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."
Finn takes in Poe's words for a second then dons a calm smile. He tips Poe's chin up and pulls him into a full hug. Poe is stunned to be forgiven so easily.
"But-"
"It's not your fault. The Final Order put him out there, and they attacked you too. They are guilty, not you."
They break apart. Finn pulls the leather jacket from his shoulders and thrusts it into Poe's chest. "Hold onto this for me whilst I strike one back at them. For me, you, and Slip."
Poe is so in awe of Finn's emotional maturity he simply nods. Finn runs to join his fellow ex-Stormtroopers, and Poe swallows his tears in service of the mission. He shakes himself into the temperament of a leader.
"All squadrons, change of plans! We'll be sending a single infiltration ship to extract vital intel, and every wing will be deployed in defence of this team at my command. I want all pilots ready to punch it at a moment's notice!"
He recites this change in orders through his comms and out loud as he circles the garden of starships before him, with shouts of 'Yes General' greeting him. He passes the Millennium Falcon, where R2 and 3PO wait patiently at the bottom of the docking ramp, and he rounds on them.
"Guys! That means you too! Get the Falcon ready!"
R2 beeps angrily at Poe in protest and 3PO rings his hands.
"I must apologize General Dameron, but it appears-"
"This ship is needed for another mission."
Poe turns to lay eyes on Lando, who'd managed to find time to change into a handsome shirt and coat despite his injuries. He is flanked by the tall and sharp toothed twins Lo and Le, and looks ready to fight. Poe stands his ground.
"What mission?" He asks accusingly.
"Family matter," responds Lando, his tone strangely grave. "Lo and Le have agreed to fly the Lady Luck with your fleet, as our loyalty remains with Finn. But General, but we need your fastest ship."
Leia and Chewie appear behind Lando. Leia takes Poe's hands. Poe almost jerks backwards at the sudden intimacy.
"Please, Poe." Leia whispers so only Poe can hear.
Poe realises with a pang of urgency that he doesn't gaze into the eyes of Leia Organa, war-hero, General, matriarch of the Resistance. He sees Leia Organa, mother. Poe squeezes her hands and flashes a dashing grin.
"Anything you need, Leia."
Finn stands before his team in the stomach of the trooper transport. His handsome shirt and trousers are tucked away beneath a body glove, as Finn is wearing armour for the first time since discarding his own in the Jakku desert, over a year ago. It feels unnatural.
"This feel weird to you too?" Finn asks Jaytu.
Finn is holding his helmet by his side, but Jaytu holds hers before her face. She tears away from it after a moment to answer Finn.
"Honestly? I'll be fine. I'm more excited to get back at them."
"That goes for us too, Finn!"
The newly appointed Colonel realises a number of his recruits are watching him, tentatively.
"We get to be part of the Resistance for real."
"Yeah let's show them!"
Several others speak up in optimistic agreement and Finn's heart blazes with righteous fire.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" He shouts over the noise. "Let's go take from them what they took from us!"
They match his shout, assembling into their seats. Finn makes his way to the back and approaches the vertical cockpit. He places the helmet over his head and feels a wave of cold nostalgia, seeking a reprieve from the anxious feeling by activating his comm.
"Rose? How we doin'?"
"I take back everything I ever said about you being a coward!" She responds back. Finn laughs.
"I hope you're right."
"You've got about sixteen minutes. Have you set the jammer to hide you from Final Order frequencies?"
Finn turns the silver key clockwise on the handmade circular device now clipped to his belt, which activates with a PING!
"Check."
Finn swings the yoke of the transport loose and blazes the engines to life. The rectangular ship rises into the air and soars through the hangar, over the tops of pilots and technicians scrambling over their ships. Out of the corner of his eye, Finn could have sworn there is a space where the Falcon must be. All other thoughts escape him as he maneuvers the ship through the wide window of the hangar, passing the magnetic shield, and out into the snowy winds of Tyjimi. Finn can feel the howl of the evening air as it pounds the ship with his team inside, but he keeps a steady course, his piloting skills having improved over his time in the Resistance. He wonders how many colonels have crashed on their first mission when Rose interrupts him.
"Alright the jammer should slice you out of the Final Order's scopes and scans once you get close. Should make it easier to get in and out. Careful you don't reverse it!"
They both laugh at the thought of shouting profanities into Hux's personal comm. Finn pilots the transport away from the mountain where the ancient temple slowly hovers against, charging its energy. He picks out the Finalizer hanging in the sky high above Calrim City, and approaches from underneath. Several TIE Daggers circle the flagship in pairs, but thanks to Rose's jammer, pay him no mind. He and his team are invisible to them.
"Fifteen minutes, Finn."
Apprehension is starting to tinge Rose's words, even though it is Finn who is on a dangerous mission behind enemy lines.
"I'll be back before you know it, alright?" Finn promises.
A few seconds pass before she responds. "Alright. Good luck!"
With such little time, Finn adjusts his plan of action. Instead of entering the Finalizer via the main, port, or starboard hangars, he maneuvers the ship to approach underneath the Star Destroyers engines. He keeps a steady pace as he rounds the main engine nozzles, and tries not to think about how hot they burn. Keeping low to not be seen, Finn steers the ship into a small entranceway used for maintenance and sanitation supply drops. If memory serves, landing inside puts them two floors above the hyperdrive generator, where they can gain access to the hyperdrive navigation computer. The transport enters the small hangar, Finn taking care not to alert any officers on the reverse of the command bridge above them. The jammer seems to be working, for now.
Once inside, Finn tucks the ship away behind a large cylindrical device he assumes is an acceleration compensator. The room is large enough that they haven't been noticed by the few maintenance workers gathered at the end. Thanking the stars for his good fortune, Finn descends from the vertical cockpit and gazes upon his team. They all have their helmets and blasters ready, and an eerie sense of dread confronts him at the sight of faceless minions. There is no time for fear now. He takes off his helmet.
"Alright," he begins calmly, as though this is a simple supply run. "We get to the hyperdrive nav computer, extract the coordinates for Othkore, and get out. Jaytu, you're in charge of extraction. If we come across any patrols, let me do the talking. It's my job to get you in and out unscathed, understood?"
"Yes, Colonel!" Say thirteen voices in unison.
A passerby may have missed it, but Finn is bolstered by the loose way each salute him. They all have their own personal way of showing respect, far removed from the conformity driven conditioning of the Final Order. Finn beams at them all, hope overflowing in his heart.
"Right, let's go!"
He places his helmet over his head and makes his way to the front of the ship, activating the exit ramp. Descending in pairs, the team of forteen jog in calm and ordered unison, barely making a sound on the sleek floor of the maintenance hangar. Their conditioning at the hands of the Final Order will take years to unlearn, but for now, it's as precious as the camouflage of their scarlet armour.
Many levels above Finn's team, Grand Admiral Hux is ignorant of the fact a famous traitor walks the halls of his ship once more. Hux is more concerned with the obvious incompetence of his sensor towers, as they have yet to discover the Resistance.
"Well? Where are they?" He mutters, impatience bleeding through each syllable.
A young officer stands to attention next to him, datapad in hand.
"There's so much wildlife on the surface it's hard to pinpoint the Resistance from mere heat signatures, Grand Admiral."
"Have you located the Talon?"
"We've tracked it to just north of us, Grand Admiral, but no sign of the Knights of Ren who piloted it here."
Hux strokes his chin with a gloved hand, attempting to calm his own impatience. He hadn't achieved so much against such foes by being brash.
"The Resistance aren't in the city below us, they must be hiding elsewhere." He points at one of his main control officers. "Bring her around, take us to the sight of the Talon's landing."
"Right away, Grand Admiral!"
The Finalizer slices a cloud in two as it turns to point directly at a far mountain, behind which hovers the ancient temple and the Resistance. It's engines blast as it begins its approach.
Rey summons all the strength she has. Even with the fate of the galaxy hanging in the balance, this truth is no easier to face than it was when she lived alone on Jakku. She perseveres anyway.
Her mind opens and she can see the desert, many years ago. The cloth windows of Niima Outpost bristle in the wind. The midday heat is unbearable. Rey's tiny body is clad in nothing but a frayed tunic, shorts, and leather cord around her middle. Her feet are bare against the hot sand, her lips are chapped, and her hair tied uncomfortably in three messy buns. She waits alone. Three figures stand huddled beside a rusted silver starship just out of earshot. One of them is large, his skin blistered and his narrow eyes sharp and unforgiving. Rey will come to know him as Unkar Plutt, the master of this outpost. Young Rey knows very little, but she does understand that nobody leaves the outpost without Unkar Plutt knowing about it. She wonders where they are going. Then these thoughts overwhelm her, along with the hot air and the sting of sand on her toes. She begins to wail, great tears stinging her cheeks. She wants her mother. One of the figures turns and approaches her, and young Rey gets her wish.
"That's enough, that's enough!" Comes her mother's panicked voice.
Rey blinks through her tears and the bright sun to look at the woman standing over her. She is heavily freckled from years in the Jakku sun, covering her head with a light shawl. Her pale face is very thin, her sharp cheeks making her appear gaunt. She wears a scavengers wrap, belts and shoes made from odds and rags. She has wide and staring pale eyes, angrily bloodshot, which jitter over Rey. But worst of all is the strange smell. It is sharp and sweet, but lingers on her mother's breath like a bad omen. Despite all this, Rey reaches forward, seeking shade from the sun in her mother's arms. But her mother's hands held her in place, tight and unforgiving. The sun burns and her feet hurt and she wants her mommy and she wails even louder.
Behind her mother, Unkar Plutt and her father watch closely. Her father's hair is a mess of sandy blonde, great bags hanging under bloodshot eyes. He hisses words young Rey doesn't recognise, his eyes piercing into hers. She only cries harder. Suddenly, her mother's fingers dig into her shoulders. Rey squirms but her mother shakes her violently.
"Stop it! Stop it you little brat!"
The hiss may have well come from a snake, and succeeds as if it had. Rey stops her crying, fearing firmer punishment. Her cries become large hiccups, like those of a captured frog. Her mother's bloodshot eyes are wide and desperate.
"You have to wait here. We are going away, but you have to wait."
Some of these words are slurred which doesn't help Rey's understanding. The confusion summons tears once again.
"You are going where?" Rey's voice is high, strained, and full of childish worry. Then realisation dawns further.
"I have to wait with... no you?"
Rey begins to wail again, straining against her mother's hands, desperate to be held, to be kept, to be looked after. More unknown curses are heard from her father as Rey grabs at her mother with tiny hands. Her mother's pale bloodshot eyes dart around, desperate for a cure to her child's tantrum. Holding Rey at arm's length by the scruff of her neck, her mother pulls something from her bag and pushes it into Rey's chest. Rey stops struggling and examines what she's been given. It is a handmade faceless doll. Her mother had made it from scrap fabric found in an abandoned X-Wing not a year earlier, but failed to sell it. Rey owns nothing apart from the clothes she wears, so this distracts her plenty from her woes. Rey's cries become low moans as she loses herself in the orange and white clothing of the doll. Mind racing fast, her mother holds her still and lowers her voice.
"We are going away for a while but we come back, we come back for you."
The panic is strangely absent from her voice as she looks into her daughter's eyes. Young Rey seems unconvinced and tears well up in her eyes again. Her mother drowns out the sound of crying with another lie.
"You be good, count the days, keep this close by. We come back. Promise."
Her mother presses the doll into her tiny chest. Rey's lips tremble but her mother shakes her head.
"You be good, we come back. Promise." The lie is firm this time.
Rey takes two huge gulps, then nods. Her mother immediately turns and hurries off to join her father. They both indicate to Rey and speak intensely with Unkar Plutt. Young Rey assumes they're arguing, but they're haggling. For the first time, a cold sadness emerges deep inside young Rey, and the rumbling cries come again. Unkar Plutt places several silver chips into her father's hands. The sadness grows worse as her mother and father board the ship without a backwards glance, but the doll reminds her.
Be good. They come back.
She hugs it tight and the sobs subside. As the ship takes flight, young Rey swallows the great lump in her throat. Though she is alone for now, it won't be long. Not long until they come back for her. Not long at all.
But Rey will never see them again.
Back in the temple atrium, the same girl gasps for breath. She holds her hands to her chest, crouched on the floor, hugging a phantom of the doll she'd been given all those years ago. Silent tears roll down her face as realisation sweeps over her finally. The smell of drink on her mother's breath. The coins exchanged for a child. The significance of the doll even after she'd forgotten where it came from., and what it meant. The lie she'd believed for so long. As a child, her mother's word was law. But as an adult, Rey can see the lie as plainly as the smokey body of the Oracle looming above her. In a sign of respect or meditation, the Oracle has bowed her head and crossed all her fingers as Rey delves into her memory. The tears keep coming, and Rey feels a strange numbness. It is less a realisation than a confirmation of what she already knew. Despite this, she feels so dreadfully, horrifically alone.
But Rey is tired of being defined by loneliness. Tired of letting it rule her every waking moment. If she'd had the doll in her hand she'd have thrown it away from her. She doesn't need it, doesn't want it. She'd learnt so much and experienced such friendship, such companionship, such joy since That Day. And it is over now, it is done. And she made a promise to Ben. And, unlike her mother, her promises mean something.
With a great effort, Rey gets to her feet. The dark cloak Ben had put about her shoulders falls to the floor. She holds her head high and looks directly into the Oracle's milky white eyes.
"I've given what you asked for."
Rey's voice is strained, but her demand cannot be mistaken. The Oracle lifts her head and nods, acknowledging her words. The glint of tears hint at the edge of her huge eyes.
"Indeed you have, and not an effortless task. Think well on your question, then proceed to ask."
Rey takes a step forward, affixing the great spectre with a determined gaze.
"How do I stop the prophecy?"
The great creature places all three pairs of hands together, her eyes seem to bulge as she tips her head back. Her mouth twitches as she peers presumably into the future, then she unfurls her hands and stares blankly down at Rey.
"The prophecy I have foretold is already in action. You have played your part in this legendary interaction."
"You stand in the temple with a molten heart, through the Force was it willed. And here, above Othkore, is where the prophecy will be fulfilled."
A cold shard pierces Rey's heart as these words take root. But the Oracle isn't finished, leaving nothing to be inferred about Rey's question.
"No action you take will halt the coming of the Heir to Victory. However, your role in this prophecy is no mystery."
"For in your convictions you possess the key. Remember, it is not I that succeeds, it is we."
Despair breaks across Rey. How? How can there be no way to stop the Knights of Ren? And what does the Oracle mean she possesses 'the key'? If she can't stop it, what can she do?! Is she destined to lose? Destined to die? Rey grips her head as though it might explode, an anguished cry escapes her throat. She wipes her tears away and glares at the Oracle.
"No. There must be some way to stop it! You must have seen-"
But the Oracle shakes her large head, holding all her hands palm up as if to shrug.
"The path is clear, my prophecy is true. The war will be decided by a chosen few."
"With bonds sealed in blood and a cracked crystal held by two, in the chest of this statue will they present it into."
Two of her hands indicate to the hole in the statue from which the smoke still billows. Rey's frustration and anguish multiply by the second, but the Oracle isn't finished.
"In hands bonded by blood the crystal will become whole, summon me by name and you will achieve your goal."
"Carry out these feats and adhere to this sequence strictly, and I shall bestow upon you the title of Heir to Victory."
"These victors will channel the Force unlike any other, exerting wisdom, power, and control in perfect harmony together."
She is just repeating the prophecy now and Rey has nothing more to say, displaying her contempt plainly on her face. This is what she'd gone through all that for? Nothing? If the Oracle is offended she doesn't show it. Rey glares at her, utterly dumbfounded. She feels drained, anguished, and lost. She had made Ben a promise, the Resistance a promise, and she'd confronted her own secrets to do so. And now she has nothing.
No matter her actions, she will not stop the prophecy.
Finn's memory serves him well. Leading his team down two seperate turbolifts and a long corridor, they arrive at a set of double doors that conceals the Finalizer's large hyperdrive computer behind them. Finn signals for his team to hold as he approaches the door controls. They stand to attention and he opens the double doors.
Inside the large room, several petty officers sit at terminals, gliding their fingers over data screens and controls. A lieutenant walks amongst them, more for authority sake than much else. Finn approaches and nods to the lieutenant, indicating to his squad.
"Standard patrol, sir," he voices in his best impression of his old self.
The lieutenant simply waves him away, not even bothering with such a lowly trooper. Finn grins from beneath his helmet. The team marches in their pairs around the perimeter of the room as they slowly disappear from view behind one of the terminals. Once Finn is sure they are out of earshot, he halts them and removes his helmet.
"Alright," he whispers. "Jaytu, we've got about two minutes before that lieutenant gets suspicious. Get to work."
Jaytu removes her helmet and pulls a datapad from her belt, connecting it and the terminal via a thin wire. Finn points at the pair of troopers bringing up the rear, straining to remember their names.
"You two, Huf and Leven. Cover us from either side. Anyone gets curious, I want to know about it."
"Yes Colonel," comes their responses, mechanical sounding through the helmet comms. Finn is getting really comfortable with 'Colonel' now. He wonders what Colonel Terez will think about this when he breaks the news.
"I've got it Finn!" Says Jaytu in hushed excitement. "-501.71, -337.84, 006.68."
Finn and Jaytu both examine the datapad she holds. On the reverse of the large terminal, a petty officer notices her screen glitch. Not eager to upset the lieutenant watching over her, she simply tapes the side of the console hopefully. The glitch ceases and she carries on typing. On the other side of her terminal, Jaytu's datapad loads and shows a perspective map of Othkore, including the Reconditioning Division, industrial shipyard, and the intimidating looking Final Order Fortress.
"Woah," mutters Finn. "Is that a full schematic?"
Jaytu nods and Finn could have danced on the spot. "Alright, we've got more than we need, let's get out of here!"
They replace their helmets and Finn leads them to circle around the room, acting out patrol marching. The lieutenant ignores them as they exit the room and head back down the corridor. Huf and Leven are a little over excited as they bring up the rear, and step out of formation as they hurry along the corridor. Finn notices and signals them back into formation, but this hinders his preparation for their next obstacle.
"Halt, trooper."
The team comes to a stop before the turbolift doors as a sallow faced officer looks them up and down.
Finn immediately stops and halts his team with a signal. They all stand stone still as Finn straightens up.
"Yes, sir."
The officer eyes him carefully. "What is your purpose on this level?"
"Security patrol, sir." Finn thanks the Force his taught mannerisms are still intact.
The officer's sharp eyes snap from Finn to Huf at the back of their seven pairs, whose foot is slightly out of line. To Finn's horror, he pushes the alarm button on the turbolift. A siren sounds in the distance, and the officer smirks at Finn.
"You're either traitors or the worst squad I've ever-"
His sentence remains unfinished as Finn bullseyes his chest with a stun blast. The officer's body goes limp as his legs collapse from under him but Finn catches him in one arm. Beckoning to his team, they scurry across the corridor to hide in an off maintenance room to their right. Finn drops the offending officer to the ground unceremoniously and removes his helmet. Huf takes off his helmet, his dark eyes wide with terror.
"Colonel, I'm sorry, I wasn't-"
But Finn holds up a hand to silence him. "This isn't on you, it's on me Huf."
All fourteen of them watch the sealed turbolift from the open door. Jaytu looks to Finn.
"What are we going to do now?"
But Finn is five steps ahead. That turbolift is now useless and security will be here within sixty seconds. The next lift down the corridor is further than that. They are trapped.
"We can't get back that way, but there's another turbolift down there," Finn points down the corridor to his right. "Are you ready to earn your title, Lieutenant?"
Jaytu's eyes widen. "What do you mean?"
Finn taps the datapad on her belt. "This is the mission, you need to get this and the team out of her. It's my job to make that happen, I'll create a distraction."
The surrounding recruits shake their heads in protest, and Jaytu joins them. "You can't!" She hisses at him. "You're the Finn, they'll-"
She dares not mention the word, for it is worse than execution. Finn knows that Hux will go mad to capture him, and that's just what he is counting on. He places both hands on Jaytu's shoulders.
"I know," he replies, softly. "But only the return of FN-2187 is going to be big enough bait. I'm going to take the jammer with me to force them to chase me. They won't look twice at you all. Use the commotion to escape, get this intel back to Poe, you got it?"
Jaytu sniffs. "Y-yes Colonel."
Finn matches her miserable expression with his trademark smile. "Trust me, this is the right thing to do. Now GO!"
Jaytu replaces her helmet and leads the team out of the maintenance room, marching swiftly to the right. As they disappear into the gloom, Finn jogs in the opposite direction and holds the circular jammer before him. He twists the silver key on the side counter-clockwise, reversing the polarity. The jammer slices into the broadcast centre of the Finalizer itself, and every crew member onboard experiences a brief screech of feedback. Up on the bridge, Hux's patience is reaching its limits.
"What the hell was that?" He demands, but a familiar voice answered him, broadcast from all comms aboard the bridge.
"Y'know Hux, you've done a pretty pathetic job of picking up Phasma's slack haven't you?"
Finn's words reverberate inside every Stormtrooper helmet, every TIE cockpit, every control tower, every hangar, and every commlink as he speaks into the jammer. Hux's bloodshot eyes widen as he realises who is addressing him. He begins to shout orders but Finn's voice is too loud.
"Yeah, that's right, it's the Finn. You all thought I was dead, so, surprise! I'm back, and I'm coming for you next Hux!"
"-VRY PATROL TO SCOUR THIS SHIP ON EVERY DECK UNTIL YOU FIND F-N-2-1-8-7!"
As Finn pauses to hide from an oncoming security detail, Hux is able to finish his orders in the silence that follows. What little patience Hux had left has snapped as spit flies from his mouth. Though his pressed uniform says differently, he breathes as if he'd been possessed by a rabid mongrel. The petty officers surrounding him are paralyzed by fear. This only makes Hux angrier.
"STOP STANDING THERE! FIND THIS BROADCAST LOCATION!"
"But G-Grand Admiral," sputters a cowering officer to his right. "It's being sliced directly into our comm towers, it's broadcasting everywhere!"
Hux's eyes bulge even more as his lips quiver at this notion. "What?" He hisses. "E-everyw-?"
But he is cut off yet again by the sound of Finn's voice from every direction.
"I took out Phasma because she tried to push us down, and you're just more of the same aren't you, Armitage?"
Finn speaks Hux's forename to push him even more. He is gaining ground as he jogs down a familiar corridor several floors beneath the command bridge now. Security droids and troopers pass him without checking, his disguise still working. He should have bought his team enough time by now but he has to be sure, they have only minutes before the temple jumps to lightspeed. He turns down a side corridor and speaks through his helmet comm, lucky that it masked his face. He enjoyed expressing his frustrations at Hux so much, he grins from ear to ear.
"Your time is up, Hux. We're not going to do your dirty work anymore."
Though Finn assumes he has been talking directly into only the Finalizer's comms, the reality is much worse for Hux. The jammer is slicing directly into the comms tower of the Star Destroyer itself, and broadcasting this message across every friendly comm network. Final Order outposts across the stars heard the feedback, and are now being broadcast this message by Finn. Scout Troopers pause to listen to their helmets on Canto Bight. A patrol of TIE Daggers glide over the aerial metropolis of Cloud City, listening intently to the mockery of their Grand Admiral. In Corsucant's undercity, a company of Stormtroopers hear Finn's words, whilst the officer leading them grows fearful.
Finn, ignorant of his audience of thousands, presses on. The outrage which he'd struggled with his entire life verbalises perfectly, as though in this moment, he finally understands what he feels and what he wants to say.
"And not just you, Hux, all your snot-nosed little officer sidekicks. You're done. We scrub your floors, fight your battles, build your cities, win your wars, we play by your rules and you treat us like nothing. You exchange our lives like you do credits. No more. I refuse. I am not my number. WE ARE NOT NUMBERS!"
Across the stars, Stormtroopers look at their officers with new eyes. Some ignore the hesitation in their troopers, some threaten Reconditioning, and some are even more brash. But Finn's words drive a wedge in the hierarchy of power between pawns of war and their masters. Even aboard the Finalizer, Stormtroopers look to one another in confusion, the same outrage Finn feels strangely familiar. Was it always there? Is this a trick by their dreaded enemy? Standing at her post, the flametrooper TN-2729 listens intently to Finn's words. The same fire burns in her heart, and now it has been put into words. She asks herself; is she just a number?
This is the single greatest threat to Hux's army, but the Grand Admiral is not in his right mind. He is beside himself with irrational rage. A tinge of red starts to stain his temple and his lips turn a ghostly white as he stares out the viewport of the Finalizer, powerless.
"If FN-2187 is not captured in the next five minutes, every single trooper aboard this bridge will be sent to Reconditioning." He manages to keep his rage contained but it rumbles in every word he speaks.
"Find him, and do it NOW!"