The New Hope
The sheet of metal lifted off of C-3PO and fell to the ground beside him. Leia lowered her hand.
"Thank heavens, Mistress Leia," Threepio said as he clambered stiffly to his feet. "I thought I was going to be trapped forever."
Leia brushed cinders off of his golden chassis. "And I thought I'd lost you for good this time. But I guess you'll probably outlive me."
"Perish the thought, Mistress Leia. A galaxy without you isn't one I have any interest in."
"Oh, I bet you say that to all the ladies."
"I am only following my programming, of course. Service to your family is my primary function. If only I knew why that was. I could swear I was gifted to your family by someone, but I haven't the faintest idea by who."
"Threepio?"
"Oh dear. I am rambling. I must have taken more damage than I first thought. How may I be of service?"
The Resistance members down the hall threw up a ragged cheer as they got the lights working.
"That's one deck down," Leia said. "Threepio, we're having trouble getting the computers back online. All the data is corrupted. Think you can make sense of it?"
"Why, of course. I am quite fluent in binary code and associated programming languages. In fact my first duty after being built was programming binary loadlifters. And I also recall spending time in a desert of some sort around the same time. How unusual."
"Uh-huh. We already have a droid working on it. Between the two of you you should be able to crack it."
"Now, Mistress Leia, I have no need of assistance from some strange droid-"
"General Organa," Caluan Ematt, the grizzled Galactic Civil War veteran in charge of ground operations, called.
"Get to work, Threepio." Leia pointed at a sleek, silver plated droid working at a control panel. "That's General Organa-Solo," Leia said as she went over to Ematt. "I'm a married woman."
"Greetings," Threepio said as he approached the other droid. "I am C-3PO, human-cyborg relations. Please stand aside. I am fluent in over six million forms of communication. I shall resolve this issue shortly."
"Hi," the other droid said in pleasing, low, feminine tones. "I'm Aserati. Diplomatic envoy of the G0-T0 sphericity of sector 400100500260026. I am fluent in thirteen million forms of communication. I would suggest you find a museum to bed down in, relic. I have the situation in hand."
"Oh," Threepio said. "Oh dear."
The Finalizer
"Vice Admiral Holdo," General Hux said to the woman on the holoprojector. "Are you the Republic's official representative?"
"For the moment. What can we do for the First Order? Do you have any upcoming acts of genocide you'd like to schedule?"
"Oh, I won't be speaking to you. I have far better things to be doing. No, the First Order has brought it's best negotiator."
The door slid open and Kylo Ren entered the room.
Hux muted the holoprojector.
"We only have a short time before we reach the Conqueror," Hux said.
"More time than I'll need."
"Are we still expecting hostiles?"
"Yes. The Resistance will be there. This is where we finish them once and for all."
"I'll leave you to..." An expression of disgust came over Hux's face. "Negotiate."
He left.
Kylo unmuted the holoprojector, "Vice Admiral Holdo. Let's talk about peace."
...
Canto Bight. A bejeweled scar of silver and cobbled stone and malignant growths of lush green upon Cantonica's arid surface. The landspeeders purred like a tame Nexu against a warm hand and shone with polished chromium under the light of the artificially dimmed sun. Solar-sailed ships took to the rivers flowing down to the sea. There was a light on in every window and money changing hands on every street corner and alley. The clothes came expensive and the alcohol flowed cheap.
Rey and Finn, for their part, hadn't stopped staring at things since they had left the Falcon.
"Can we try not to look so much like tourists?" Poe said.
"I've never seen a city before," Rey said defensively.
"Neither have I," Finn added.
"Look at that," Rey said, leaving off from following BB-8 and going towards a food stand. "They just sell food. Right out in the open. And it smells good."
"Real good," Finn said. "Rey, I think we made it. This is heaven."
They looked at each other. They looked back at Poe.
"Hey, Poe, old buddy. We don't have any money," Finn said.
Poe sighed. He handed over a handful of credits.
"Finn, they have water in bottles," Rey was saying.
Poe's head fell into his hands. "The Resistance is doomed," he muttered.
Chewbacca kept a careful distance away from them in an attempt to make the group less conspicuous.
"This place is strange," Rey said between bites of food as they walked.
"I know. I've never seen so many aliens," Finn said.
"I don't mean that. I mean how it feels. Everyone's happy. I can't even tell there's a war on. "
"For these people, there probably isn't," Poe said. "It's just like in the Core. Nobody cares."
BB-8 twittered at them from up ahead.
"Does he know where he's going?" Rey stuffed several bottles of water into her pack while she spoke.
"He better, because I sure don't. The identities of Resistance contacts are our most closely guarded secret. The Princess has droids store the names."
"Why do you have to be so secretive? The First Order can't have spies everywhere, can they?"
Poe glanced at Finn. "We don't really know. But even if they don't, anyone on any planet might turn our people in."
"Why would they do that? I don't get it."
"Believe me, Rey, I don't get it either."
...
Across the street, a woman narrowed her eyes. The rotating circuitry implanted in her irises lit up, highlighting Finn's face in her vision.
"FN-2187 sighted," she said into the commlink in her collar. "The Traitor has been sighted."
...
In an outdoor market across town, a human couple examined a stand of fruit. They both placed a hand to their respective ears. They waved to their friends and left swiftly. They ducked into an alley and opened their backpacks. The plastoid of First Order armor glinted inside.
"This is Agents Cresh and Dorn reporting in," the man said. "We're on our way."
"Want to catch dinner at the Casino after this?" the woman said conversationally as she slipped bracers over her wrists. "I hear the Modal Nodes are having a comeback tour. I know they are non-human scum but... I'm a fan."
"Anything for you, dear."
They kissed swiftly. Then they put their helmets on.
...
The bartender put down the glass right in the middle of the story.
"Excuse me, gents," he slipped into the back. He opened a cask of wine and pulled out the disassembled sniper rifle inside. He began putting it together with practiced motions.
"Agent Cherek reporting," he said.
"This week, Agent Cherek?" the response came.
"Soon, control." he began loading polished bronzium slugs into the weapon, one by one. "You can't rush art."
...
The woman slipped out of the tangle of sheets. She pawed through the pile of clothing on the floor.
"It's too early for this," she grumbled as she got her clothes on, and then the bracers and boots and helmet.
"It's dusk, Agent Leth," Control said.
"Same difference," she muttered.
"Hang on," the man on the other side of the bed, a minor noble from Falleen as it happened, said sleepily. "What do I owe you?"
"Owe me? I'm not a- ugh." she produced a blaster pistol and shot him. "Scum," she said to the corpse. "Remind me to seduce a human next time."
"We all appreciate your sacrifice, Agent Leth. Are you on your way?"
"Just need to clean up the scene of the crime," She dropped an incendiary grenade on the floor. She left as the room went up in flames.
...
Silvery colonnades cast long shadows across the mezzanine as Cantonica's primary dipped into the sea.
"Keep up, you two," Poe called from ahead.
Rey and Finn ignored him.
"This is beautiful," Rey said. She dangled her hand between herself and Finn.
Finn looked at the hand. He clearly had no idea what to do with it.
As they came out into the street, a landspeeder swerved in front of them, briefly skidding against the curbside before halting itself.
"Idiot!" Rey shouted, kicking the vehicle on the fender before it could drive away.
By the time the landspeeder got off the pedwalk, Poe had been lost in the crowd.
Rey and Finn exchanged glances.
"Shortcut," Finn pointed at a narrow alleyway between two buildings. "Poe was going that way," and under his breath, "I think."
They entered the alley.
Agent Cresh and Agent Dorn waited a careful distance behind them. Once the two targets were out of sight, they entered the alley behind them.
"This feels more like home," Rey said, kicking something dark and rotten out of her way.
"Rey," Finn said quietly. "Don't look behind us."
"Well, that's a stupid thing to say. Now I want to look behind us."
"Seriously. It's the First Order."
Rey looked over her shoulder anyway at the two figures, each wearing a long coat over dull brown and grey armor plates. "Those two don't look like stormtroopers to me."
"That's the point. Deep infiltration armor. Those are First Order spies."
"There's only two," Rey whispered. "Let's take them out."
"There's never just two. They must have a whole operation going on here. We just walked into a First Order stealth takeover of the whole planet. These things can take years to complete."
"I'm taking them," Rey said, hand going to her pack, where her lightsaber was hidden.
"Rey, no," Finn hissed.
Rey spun, other hand on her holstered EL-16.
She walked right into the raised baton of Agent Dorn, who had contrived to appear silently behind her. Rey took the blow right to the head. She staggered, falling to her knees. Dorn kicked the pack away.
Agent Cresh's and Finn's blasters left their holsters and sighted up at the same time.
"Put it down, traitor," Cresh said. "We have orders to bring you in alive."
"Let's talk this over, man. I was wearing one of those buckets on my head not too long ago."
"You lost the right to speak when you perpetrated two separate terrorist attacks on the First Order, scum."
"I was just trying to get out. Got tired of being told to kill innocent folks. They always tell us we're supposed to be fighting for some great cause, but all I saw was a whole lot of death."
"It's not your place, or mine, to question the First Order."
"Stop engaging with him, dear," Dorn said. "He always talks to them," she added to Rey.
"Ugh," Rey replied, hand to her head. Her other hand was extended, subtly, towards her pack.
"Listen, I know what you're doing on this planet." Finn said. "Deep infiltration, right? Probably got your training on Daermor under Commander Echo in the TK division. You've been spending the last few months making friends you're gonna stab in the back and building a life you're gonna burn when you're done with it. That's not what they told us being a stormtrooper is all about. We're supposed to be liberating people, not shooting them down."
"Revolutions are built on bodies, traitor. Just ask the Rebels."
Rey's pack began to slide slowly towards her waiting hand. Dorn didn't notice.
"I don't really care about any of that. I just want to be a normal guy," Finn said. "You two have been out here in the real world. Do you really want to go back?"
"The ground is covered in filth and the wind smells like alien sweat. I'll take a nice antiseptic starship over that any day."
"It's pretty weird for me, too. But all it is is dirt and fresh air. I think I can get used to it. I bet you two already are. You're a real couple, right? That's how they prefer it. Easier to play the part that way."
"Yes, we are," Cresh said stiffly.
"That's none of his business, dear," Dorn said. "Stun him. Now."
"One moment."
Rey's pack came to her hand. She reached inside, closed her hand over the hilt of her lightsaber. Finn looked over. He shook his head minimally. Rey looked between him and the stormtroopers. Her hand tightened over the hilt. She looked back at him. She relaxed her grip.
"Listen, at least one of you is gonna get shot here," Finn said. "If these Resistance blasters have a stun setting, I don't know how to use it. One of you is going to die, and all you get out of it is me. I'm not worth that, and neither is she. Just let us walk and you'll never see either of us again."
"Shoot him now, dear," Dorn said.
"Elana..." Cresh turned his helmeted head towards her.
"Don't use my cover name. Please shoot him."
"It's the only name you have. You said you wanted to go see the Modal Nodes tonight. You wouldn't want to go alone."
"This isn't the time for this conversation, dear," she hissed.
"We're supposed to go over to the Tomerlins' for dinner tomorrow."
"Dear, please. You're embarrassing us."
"I have as little desire to torture that couple for information and kill them as you do. They bought us a housewarming speeder when we arrived here."
"If you two want some privacy, we can just go," Finn said.
"Stay right where you are," Dorn snapped. "Dear, I appreciate your sensitivity, but this isn't our life. This is all a mission."
"Yes, yes, fine. But we cannot continue the mission if one of us is dead. We're a team. And this traitor and his grimy associate aren't the mission. Can we just go home, dear?"
"Home is the First Order, dear. But I understand. I'll shoot him myself." Dorn unholstered her blaster and took aim at Finn.
Finn turned his own blaster on her.
"C'mon, guys. I really don't want to do this," he said.
Cresh looked between the blaster and Dorn.
"Wait. Don't shoot. Either of you. He has something to tell you," Rey said. Her eyes were squeezed shut.
"Shut up, scum," Dorn said.
"Tell her." Rey said calmly. "It's okay. She won't be mad."
"What's she talking about?" Dorn snapped, turning to Cresh.
"Well..." he looked at the ground, lowering his blaster in the process.
"Well, what? Just spit it out."
"I intended to... tonight that is... to... erm... Propose. Marriage, that is."
"Oh," Dorn said. She lowered her own blaster. "That is unexpected."
"It was a stupid idea."
"It... would do wonders for our cover. A wedding, I mean."
"It would? Are you saying yes?"
"For the purposes of the mission-"
"She means yes," Rey interrupted. "Enthusiastically."
Dorn looked over at Rey. "That one is Force sensitive. We should call that in."
"Later, dear," Cresh said.
"Later," Dorn agreed. "Much later." she nodded down the alley. "Both of you, get out of-"
Two blaster shots rang out in the narrow alley, one after the other.
Agents Cresh and Dorn dropped to the ground, one after the other.
Poe stood at the end of the alley, blaster raised to his shoulder.
"Good job keeping them talking. What were they going on about, anyway?" Poe retracted his EL-16's stock and reholstered it. "Come on, you two. BB-8 says he found our contact. If the First Order is here we don't have much time." he left the alley, waving at them to follow.
Rey and Finn looked at each other. They looked down at the two bodies.
After a while, they followed Poe.
...
The Starfall Casino sat upon an artificial plateau of underground markets and bazaars. In its sprawling electrically lit shadow was an array of docks made to support both space and water ships.
"What are you supposed to be?" the door droid said, holding up a hand. "The homeless and destitute are not allowed on these premises."
"I'll have you know-" Rey began, advancing on the droid.
Chewbacca beat her to it. He roared extensively right into the droid's face.
"I see," the droid said stepping back hastily. "Come right in." it stood to the side.
They joined the flow of patrons entering and exiting the building.
The floors were plated in gold and covered in carpet thicker and plusher than a fleece throw. Holographic displays glittered over every table and dice and cards of every kind rolled and changed hands.
A throng of beings of every race Rey could name and many more she couldn't jostled for space, spilled drinks, shouted expletives and generally made a racket.
The combined scents of a thousand different blends of exotic and expensive perfumes gave the place the smell of a garden in full bloom. The clothing of an average patron cost more, Rey was certain, than she had made in a lifetime of hauling scrap.
Chewie balked at the crowd and waited by the entrance.
BB-8 rolled gamely through the forest of legs he was presented with. He seemed to know exactly where he was going.
Rey, Finn and Poe trailed him through the crowd of beings.
BB-8 led them to higher and higher class areas of the casino floor. The chits being won and lost at every table left the thousands and entered the millions.
BB-8 went right for the table at the end of the room. It was set higher than the others and plated in Electrum. A large crowd surrounded it, all of them raptly watching the every move of the man at the head of the table and hanging on his every word.
"That guy?" Poe asked BB-8. "Really? Are you sure?"
BB-8 gave an offended whistle.
"Okay, okay. Don't get so defensive."
They approached the table.
The man held a hand of shimmering cards that seemed to change face and number at random. He looked intently at his hand. He rotated his gaze impassively, meeting the eye of the other players. One gulped visibly. Another wiped sweat from his forehead. A third folded immediately.
The man laid his cards down.
"Pure Sabacc," the man said triumphantly. The crowd erupted into cheers, while the other players hung their heads and handed over a fortune each.
Poe, Rey and Finn finally managed to shoulder their way through the press of bodies. They approached the man.
A short distance away, a woman with glittering circuitry covering half her scalp took a step forward. The man gestured at her and she relaxed. He looked the three of them over.
"Well, well, well," Lando Calrissian said. "What have we here?
"We're with the-" Poe began.
Lando brushed past him without a second glance.
"Madame," he said, taking Rey's hand and planting a kiss on her knuckles. "I have seen Angels from the moons of Iego who were less radiant. Please, join me for some refreshments."
"Oh," Rey said, reddening.
"Your friends can join us if they have to. This way." Lando led them off the main floor to what was evidently his private lounge. The cyborg woman trailed behind them.
"Sit, please." Lando gestured at a set of cushions surrounding a military grade holoprojector. "What can I offer you, madame? We have Corellian brandy, Andorian ale-"
"Do you have water?" Rey said.
"We have the finest water in the system," Lando said without blinking. He nodded at the woman and she keyed something into a terminal in the corner.
"Listen," Poe said, "We're with the-"
"Cartarian Mining Guild, yes." Lando interrupted. He glanced over at the woman again. She shook her head minimally. "Allow me to extend our hospitality. We weren't expecting your arrival, but we are more than prepared to accommodate the Guild's needs."
Poe, Finn and Rey looked at each other, clearly trying to parse what he was trying to tell them.
"Who are you, again?" Poe said.
"Lando Calrissian. I'm a significant investor in this fine establishment. Not the owner, of course. I learned my lesson regarding responsibility a long time ago. Never be the man in charge if you can help it. Less work and a lot more fun."
"I don't think you understand-"
"I understand intimately."
The door slid open and a droid bearing a tray rolled in. Lando took the glass of water and handed it to Rey. The cyborg woman, meanwhile, took a device from the tray and took it over to the terminal.
"Ice included," Lando said.
"Wow," Rey said, holding the glass up to the light.
"As you can see, we have every service you could imagine. Supplies, communication systems, even a private security force. All available for a reasonable price."
"What price is that?" Poe said.
"That's for you to name and me to shake my head at, young man. Shall we haggle?"
"I'm not much of a negotiator," Poe said.
"I'm aware. Perhaps the Guild should have sent one."
"The... Guild is short handed."
"Evidently." Lando glanced over at the woman.
She held up a finger.
"In addition to the services here at the Casino, you'll find Canto Bight to be an oasis of business. Look here," Lando brought up a screen on the holoprojector. "The Bounty Board. Completely self operating. From here all you have to do is put in the service required and a reasonable compensation, and professionals from around the city may choose to take up the job. All completely legal. It's one of the smartest business models I've ever come across."
"Is this guy on the level?" Finn whispered to Rey
"Hm?" Rey looked up from her glass of water. "Oh, he's trustworthy."
Lando looked at Rey more closely, "A shrewd judge of character, that one." He glanced over at the cyborg woman again. She shook her head. Lando spread his arms, clearly exasperated. She shrugged and kept working.
"Allow me to introduce Guri. Despite her appearance, she's completely artificial. A Human Replica Droid," Lando said.
"A what?" Finn said.
"Not new technology. Older than me, in fact. That explains why her processing speeds are so slow." Lando shot her a significant look. The droid frowned back at him. She went to work at the terminal with renewed speed. She gave him a thumbs up.
"About time," Lando muttered. "We're in the clear now. You never know who's listening. So tell me, Commander Dameron, what can I do for the Resistance?"
"You know who I am?" Poe said.
"Of course I..." Lando trailed off. "Do... you not know who I am?"
"Should I?"
"I'm general Calrissian. Hero of the Battle of Taanab. I blew up the Second Death Star."
"Wasn't that Luke Skywalker?"
"Yeah, definitely was," Finn said.
"Are you listening to this, Guri?" Lando said. She shrugged uncaringly. "Anyway, what are you doing here? I expected Resistance operatives, not a pilot and... whoever those other two are."
"We don't have a lot of options. The Resistance is in trouble. The fleet was hit hard. Might be gone. We're trying to contact the Republic."
"The Republic doesn't care about the war. That's why the Resistance was formed in the first place."
"We have to try something." Rey said.
"I'll see what I can do." Lando said. "I still have friends in high places. And better yet, in low ones. But it's going to take time."
"We don't really have time. We need to get to the secondary rendezvous and see if there's anyone left to help."
"Guri, set them up with all the medical supplies we have on hand. Don't worry, kids. This war isn't half over yet. Count on it."
"If you're really a general, what are you doing here?" Rey asked while Guri procured the supplies.
"You wound me, my dear. Of course I'm really a general. Or I was. I resigned my commission after the Rebellion. But I still help out when I can."
"In a casino?"
"Where else? This is where all the funding for your little war comes from."
"Little?"
"Look at this." Lando brought up a star chart on the holoprojector. "See these systems here?"
"There's so many," Rey breathed.
"Not so fast. These are the systems directly affected by the war. Those red ones are under First Order control. Now look at this." Lando pressed a button and the map zoomed out. The highlighted areas resolved into specks on the galaxy map, scattered across sections of space labeled the Outer Rim and the Unknown Regions. "The First Order was founded somewhere in the Unknown Regions, and for the most part, thanks to the Resistance, it's stayed there. This war doesn't directly affect most of the galaxy except in one way. And that's the money they make off of it. Where do you think all those X-wings and TIE fighters come from? A lot of them come from people like the ones out there gambling."
"Are you saying both sides buy their weapons from the same people? Who would fund the First Order?"
"Just about everyone. Here at this casino, I do my best to take their money from them and make sure it gets to the good guys. You can win a war a lot of ways. This is mine."
Rey looked at Lando closely, squinting slightly. "You're a good man." she decided.
"Nonsense. You have no idea how much money I've made off this little enterprise."
"You're doing more than some people," Rey muttered.
"Hey, Lando," Finn said.
"Yeah, kid?"
"We ran into First Order operatives on the way here. They have an operation set up here."
"I know all about that. Ah, here's Guri."
The droid returned with a pile of crates in her arms that must have weighed twice as much as she did. She set them down lightly. She handed a data chip to Lando.
"These are my contacts in the Republic. I'll have them on their way as fast as a little blackmail possibly..." Lando trailed off. "Wait, you said you ran into the First Order?"
"Yeah, a few streets down," Poe said. "We took care of them."
"And you came here?"
"Yeah. Why-"
"Guri, security sweep. Prep my shuttle for launch," Lando said over top of him. "We're going to have to leave these supplies behind. You kids armed?"
"Of course we are. What are you-"
"You led them right to me." Lando ran over to the holoprojector and slid a data card out of it. "This has a high powered transponder on it. Leia and Han both have one as well. You can find them with this." he tossed it to Rey. "You keep an eye on that, my dear."
"Lando, about Han-" Rey began.
"Hostiles detected," Guri said.
"How many?" Lando said.
"Based on my calculations: Lots."
"Oh, that's so helpful, Guri. Why again did I pay so much for you?"
"For my grasp of pointing out the obvious." she tapped at the holoprojector and brought up the Bounty Board. Rey, Poe, Finn and Lando's faces were plastered across the screen.
"Oh, son of a Gundark," Lando muttered. "Since when were the bad guys smart? Get ready, kids. There's about a dozen Bounty Hunters outside who just got paid to kill us. And I bet there's more on the way."
On the casino floor, a dozen notification devices began beeping. A dozen heads looked down.
Then the weapons started coming out.
Aphrodite Silk slipped the needle-like hairpins out of her hair and snapped them open into bladed fans.
Blzzud unfolded his stomach cavity and pulled out a scatter gun.
Jon Antilles, a human, placed his hat upon his head and unholstered his two WESTAR-68 blaster pistols.
The Nikto Jereek Plain deployed his stokhli spray stick.
Zanart Qwell powered up the weapon systems on his silver, filigreed, armor.
Udeses hissed green gas from the vent in his face mask.
Amund the Everliving extended its arm mounted blaster cannons.
"Listen up." Agent Cherek said as he and Agent Leth swept into the room. "You all work for us now. Where is Calrissian?"
A patron pointed at the door to the lounge.
"Well, what am I paying for? Get him!" Cherek said.
The Bounty Hunters advanced.
Amund the Everliving fired its cannon at the door.
The door to the lounge blew inwards.
Rey, Poe and Finn pulled out their blasters. Lando dived for the holoprojector.
"What are you doing? We have to get out of here," Rey said.
Blaster fire lanced in through the open doorway.
"Saving the day," Lando snapped. "Just cover me."
Poe and Finn fired blind out of the door.
Rey reached into her pack.
"I'd suggest keeping what you have in there to yourself," Lando said even as he typed.
"How do you-"
"Trust me. Only seen a few people with that look in their eye, my dear. I know a Jedi when I see one. But if the bad guys know, that bounty on you is going to get a lot bigger."
Lando ducked as a blaster bolt flew over his head.
"Hurry up," Poe said, hugging the door frame as the walls rattled from the gun fire.
"Just about done," Lando said.
There was a break in the blaster fire. Then a thermal detonator rolled into the room.
All of them threw themselves out of the doorway onto the casino floor. And into the teeth of the Bounty Hunter's weapons.
The detonator exploded behind them, sending flame and cinder washing out of the doorway.
Guri grabbed the nearest table and flipped it over, giving them cover. The table's metal casing rattled as blaster bolts pounded into it.
...
In the bar in the adjoining room, Chewbacca lifted his head at the sound of blasterfire. He unslung his bowcaster.
...
Agent Cherek raised his sniper rifle to his shoulder and looked down the sights.
"Do you have a shot?" Agent Leth said.
"You'll know when I do. Let the scum do the grunt work."
Lando pulled a holdout blaster from his boot and fired over the table.
Zanart Qwell took the shot to his filigreed silver chestplate, knocking him to the floor.
Poe and Finn fired from either side. The Bounty Hunters scattered for cover, taking up positions behind overturned tables and fountains.
"Shall I deal with this?" Guri said. "I can eliminate seventy percent of the hostiles before I suffer fatal damage."
"Let's call that plan B," Lando said. "We're all getting out of here if I can help it."
"What's the plan?" Finn said.
A wrist rocket from Jon Antilles blew away half the table in a hail of metal fragments.
"I put a job on the Bounty Board," Lando said. "'Get us out of here alive', I called it."
"That's the plan? More Bounty Hunters?" Poe said, aghast. "How is that a plan?"
"I don't see you having any brilliant ideas, kid."
The hulking reptilian Sorgar hefted his vibro-broadsword and prepared to charge. Before he could, a large hand clamped down on his shoulder. He tried to pull away. He found he couldn't. He turned to see a Wookiee at the end of the arm. Chewbacca yanked Sorgar around the corner.
The rest of the table blew away under fire from Amund the Everliving's cannon.
"My dear, what I said about your weapon-" Lando said.
"I've got this," Rey said. She pulled her lightsaber from her pack and activated it.
The blaster fire let up for a moment, every eye drawn to the blue blade.
Then they all started shooting at her.
"Go!" Rey shouted as she spun her blade through a defensive velocity.
The others ran for it, keeping behind the tables.
Ray caught the first shot on her lightsaber. It was far more forceful than the training drone's bolts. The shock vibrated up her arm. She stumbled back a step as she deflected the second. She missed the third entirely, and only dumb luck spared her as it shot past her shoulder. She tried closing her eyes. She deflected another shot. She also stumbled blindly over a piece of rubble on the floor. She fell.
"Rey!" Finn shouted, making to run out of cover.
Guri grabbed him by the arm and pushed him down effortlessly. "I was built for this," she said and ran for Rey.
Rey blocked another few blaster bolts from her back.
As her fellow Bounty Hunters fired their various weapons with abandon, Aphrodite Silk removed a throwing vibro-knife from her dress's synthsilk bandolier with exquisite care and lined it up on Rey. She threw it with a crisp flick of her wrist. It spun beautifully right for the center of Rey's forehead. It might well have embedded there if Guri hadn't reached her and stuck her arm right in the blade's path. It hit her forearm with a dull thunk, sinking in up to the hilt. The droid didn't flinch.
"You couldn't even imagine how bad the odds of us making it out of this are," Guri said.
"I'm getting an idea," Rey said. Then she shoved the droid both with her arms and an ample bit of the Force. They flew apart just as a shot from Amund the Everliving's cannon hit the ground right where they had been, burning a crater into the floor.
"How's that plan coming along?" Poe demanded as the chair he was crouched behind was thoroughly riddled with blaster bolts. He dived for fresh cover, firing blindly over his shoulder.
"Turns out the First Order has a lot of credits to its name," Lando said calmly, firing over a table with one hand while checking the Bounty Board on his wrist device with the other. "They have me rather out bid."
"How did the Rebellion ever survive with plans like this?" Finn said.
Lando ducked down behind the table as a sharp crack echoed even over the sound of blaster fire. A chunk of the table was blown away a scant few centimeters from where Lando's head had been.
"Damn," Agent Cherek said, reloading his slugthrower and lining up another shot.
"They have the exits covered," Poe said. He made to move to another table. The table in question detonated under what looked to have been a shot from something on the scale of a military missile launcher. "And we're running out of cover. I'm not sure we're making it out of this, buddy."
"Rey will get us out," Finn said, ducking down beside him.
Rey for her part, fumbled with her lightsaber as she ran for cover herself. There were far more blaster bolts flying around than she could possibly deflect.
"Right. Looks like she's got this," Poe said drily.
Suddenly Lando's wrist device let out a beep.
"Someone took the job." Lando announced. He put a shot into Amund the Everliving's chest. It didn't flinch.
Poe and Finn looked around.
"I'm not seeing anyone," Finn shouted over the blaster fire.
"Trust me," Lando said. "I know what I'm doing. Whoever took this job has to be completely insane."
"Finish this," Agent Cherek ordered the Bounty Hunters. "They have nowhere to go. Rush them."
Agent Leth held up a hand. "Hear that?" she said.
Agent Cherek paused and listened.
There was a faint rumbling sound, something like a starship engine except either very far away or very small. This was followed by a whistling noise vaguely reminiscent of something falling very fast from a significant height.
Cherek, along with everyone else in the room, turned their attention to the skylight.
The noise grew louder.
Something hit the skylight a moment later, shattering it. The something hit the floor hard, landing in a crouch. It seemed to be a person. It stood.
"Hit the deck," Boba Fett said.
Then he swept the room with his flamethrower.
Three of the Bounty Hunters were caught in the flames. The rest dived for cover.
"I'd recommend running," Fett said.
The Bounty Hunters, all nine of them, went at Fett.
He unholstered his EE-3. He ignited his jetpack, firing with one hand as he was boosted forward. He drove his armored fist into Jereek Plain, knocking the man off his feet and sending him skidding across the floor. He put a shot into Amund the Everliving's chest, rocking it back on its heels. A blaster bolt hit Fett in the shoulder. Sparks flew from his armor. Fett threw out his arm, firing a fibercord whip from his gauntlet around Udeses' neck. Fett jetted upward, pulling the cord taught. There was a sharp crack and the Bounty Hunter fell limp. Fett cut off his pack and dropped straight down, bringing his fist and the full weight of his Mandalorian armor down on Blzzud's jaw, dropping the alien to the ground. Fett yanked Udeses' corpse to him, holding it to him like a shield as blaster bolts rained down on him. Fett fired over the body's shoulder, putting a hole through another Bounty Hunter's head. Fett jammed something into the body and shoved it at Amund the Everliving. The explosive dart detonated a moment later, blowing the creature off its feet.
Fett dropped into a crouch as Zanart Qwell swept the room with a straight cutting laser fired from his silver gauntlet. The beam sliced cleanly through everything it touched, sending columns falling halved to the ground and scoring burns into the walls. Fett shot Qwell's knees out and stood smoothly, firing a wrist rocket at Jon Antilles. Antilles threw himself into a roll. The rocket hit the wall behind him, blowing a hole in it.
"That way," Fett barked at Lando.
Lando and the others ran for the hole.
Blaster bolts blazed between Fett and Jon Antilles. Antilles weaved and rolled between cover, long coat billowing behind him, while Fett took the shots on his armor. Fett turned, letting go of his rifle with one hand and bringing his arm up to parry Aphrodite Silk's fan blade on his gauntlet in a shower of sparks. Amund the Everliving climbed to its feet and ran at Fett. He swung his arm around, putting shots into its chest as it charged. Puffs of vaporized embalming fluid rose from its armored flesh as the bolts hit. The creature didn't slow. Fett shoved Aphrodite Silk back a step, took his rifle in both hands and slammed the stock square into her face, knocking her to the floor. Fett spun on his heel, dipping under Amund the Everliving's punch and activating his jetpack in a controlled burst, boosting himself behind the charging beast. Fett unloaded his rifle point blank into its exposed back with one hand, opened up with his wrist flamethrower with the other, bathing the creature in flames. It whipped around, trailing flames, and fired both its arm cannons point blank at Fett. He threw himself to the ground, catching himself on knees and one hand. Fett braced that hand firmly. He fired his jetpack's missile right into Amund the Everliving's chest. The explosion blew the creature off its feet, sent it flying into the wall, then through the wall with a crash and a hail of rubble.
Fett stood. He found himself facing Agent Cherek across the rubble strewn room. They stared at each other, impassive mask to impassive mask. Then they both took the shot.
Cherek's sniper rifle boomed first. The slug caught Fett cleanly on the head. He dropped.
"That takes care of that," Cherek said to Agent Leth.
Fett, meanwhile, stood up. He pulled the slug from where it had embedded in his helmet. He dropped it to the floor with a ping. "My turn," he said. He shot Cherek in the head. The blaster bolt burned through his helmet. He didn't get back up.
Leth ran at Fett, firing her sidearm while her other hand unsheathed her vibroblade. Fett took the shots without flinching. He caught her wrist before she could drive the blade into his neck. Then he slammed his helmeted head into hers. Leth's helmet cracked like an egg and she went down.
There was a boom and the reptilian Sorgar slid around the corner, thoroughly unconscious. Chewbacca followed, brushing a bit of rubble off of his shoulder. He surveyed the room. The surviving Bounty Hunters seemed to have made themselves scarce.
"Chewbacca," Fett said evenly.
Chewbacca growled at him.
"Tell your friends they owe me one," Fett said.
Chewbacca nodded.
They went their separate ways.
...
"Chewie!" Lando called as the Wookiee caught up to them outside. "Why didn't you tell me you were here?"
Chewie barked at him.
"You're right, we can talk later. Can you guys make it to your ship?"
"BB-8 knows the way," Poe said. "You... uh... know the way, right?"
BB-8 beeped affirmatively.
The crowds in the markets surrounding the casino parted in places as armored figures forced their way through. More Deep Infiltration Agents, as well as Bounty Hunters.
"Get moving. I'll have the Republic on the way as soon as I can," Lando said. "May the Force be with you. Especially you, young lady."
Lando and Guri ran into the crowd.
"Let's go," Poe said. They ran in the opposite direction.
...
Agent Leth staggered to her feet. "Control," she said. "A Jedi has been sighted. Recommend a class one breach of conduct. We need to set this entire city on fire if we have to."
"Recommendation noted and confirmed, Agent Leth. All forces, you have permission to fire at will. Civilian casualties are of no concern. Kill that Jedi."
Blaster fire began lancing through the streets of Canto Bight. The crowds scattered and Landspeeders swerved as First Order spies began opening fire on the fleeing quartet. Explosions followed as the Bounty Hunters still on their tail unleashed their weaponry.
Rey dropped back to the rear of the group, deflecting any shots that made it past the narrow alley walls and fleeing pedestrians.
The spaceport, and the Millennium Falcon, loomed ahead. Chewbacca lowered the ramp as blaster fire rained down around them, pinging off the hull and sizzling on Rey's lightsaber. Poe and Finn began returning fire as the ramp slowly came down. Chewie banged on the lowering mechanism and barked at it, clearly hoping to scare it into going faster.
Finn and Poe picked off two Agents before they changed tactics and began grabbing civilians to use as living shields.
"Scum," Rey muttered as the Agents fired over the civilians shoulders.
The ramp came down.
Chewbacca barked at them. Poe and Finn ran aboard while Rey stayed on the ramp, feet planted solidly and blade buzzing before her.
"BB-8, get to the engines and make sure this heap of junk can get off the ground," Poe ordered as he ran for the cockpit.
Chewie growled at him.
"Sorry, sir. It pays to be careful," Poe said. "Finn, get on a gun turret."
Poe and Chewbacca reached the cockpit while Finn ran for the top turret.
"Rey, ramp going up!" Poe called down the hall.
Rey backed up as the ramp ascended. The ship shook under the barrage of blaster bolts hitting the hull.
Chewbacca dropped the Falcon's anti-personnel turret from the ship's underbelly, sending volleys of suppressing fire streaking at the Agents.
Poe fired the Falcon's engines. They blazed blue as the freighter lifted off, tearing away docking clamps in the process. The Falcon shot into the air.
Meanwhile, a hover-gondola was resting peacefully on the river flowing through Canto Bight's cobbled streets. The water around the craft began to surge violently, churning and glowing a lambent red. Something was coming out of the depths. The boat flipped over as a TIE fighter rose slowly from beneath the water, up from its underwater moorings. In other rivers around the city, other TIEs were rising as well.
All of them streaked after the Falcon.
"We have company!" Poe called as laser cannon fire filled the air.
He brought the Falcon down sharply to avoid the brunt of the laser fire, taking them into Canto Bight's skyline. Buildings whipped past tightly on either side.
Rey ran into the cockpit.
"Give me the controls," she snapped.
"Not a chance-" Poe cut off as he whipped the Falcon around a street corner, taking out a glow lamp post in passing. Laser fire struck the street, blasting landspeeders to pieces and throwing up shards of rubble.
Finn spun up the quad laser cannons, returning fire.
Poe kicked the ships thrusters, sending the Falcon shooting up vertically along a skyscraper's transparisteel face. It's underbelly scraped along the building's surface.
"You're flying her all wrong." Rey said even as she was thrown back against the wall.
"Make yourself useful and get to the other turret," Poe snapped.
Laser fire slammed into the ship's rear.
"Damn it," Poe brought the Falcon around towards a looming temple. He put the ship on its side with a kick of the thrusters. He was trying to go between the temples spires. It was a tight fit. Too tight in fact. The hull groaned and something broke off and bounced down the building.
"She isn't a fighter. You can't make maneuvers like that," Rey snapped.
"I've been blowing TIE fighters out of the sky since before you were-"
"Then why don't you get in the turret and blow up the TIEs?" Rey said.
Poe was quiet for a moment. "That's a good point."
"I thought so."
"Damn good point," Poe muttered. "Ready?"
"Ready," Rey said.
Poe let go of the controls as the Falcon came out past the temple into open air. Rey slipped smoothly into the pilot's seat as Poe ran for the lower turret.
Rey immediately took the Falcon towards the sea. She skimmed low over the water. Laser fire from the TIEs sent plumes of water splashing down over the ship.
"You ready down there?" Rey called.
"Ready," Poe said.
"I'm ready too," Finn said. He continued firing and missing.
"You'll have a shot in five, Poe," Rey called. "Finn... keep up the good work."
"Will do," Finn said.
One of the TIEs lined up a proton torpedo on the Falcon.
Rey pushed down on the stick. The Falcon dove into the sea.
The TIE's targeting systems lost contact for a moment.
"Five!" Rey called.
She brought the Falcon straight up out of the sea, its underbelly, and Poe's turret, facing the incoming TIEs.
Poe fired, precisely, five times. Five TIEs hit the water in flaming wrecks.
"We're clear. Take us out of here," Poe called up to the cockpit.
Rey pointed the Falcon at the sky and punched the thrusters.
Rey fitted the transponder Lando had given them into the ship's navicomputer. A point lit up on the star chart. There was a signal. Rey smiled at Chewbacca. "They're still alive. Let's go get them."
The Falcon jumped to lightspeed.