The New Hope
Admiral Ackbar's voice echoed over the scratchy hiss of the ship-wide comm.
"Attention all hands. As of now this craft is as operational as it is ever going to be."
On the engineering deck, fuel cells were hauled out and transported by hand to the escape shuttles.
"We're leaving enough fuel in the tanks for one last jump. Either we make it to that Star Destroyer, or we don't make it at all."
In the armory, Resistance soldiers slotted power cells into blaster rifles and strapped munitions to their belts.
"All personnel trained in close quarters engagements report to the shuttle bay. You will be the first ones to board. We expect heavy resistance. Non-combatants will follow. Do not underestimate your importance. It's going to be up to all of you to get that Star Destroyer flying again. Medical personnel and the wounded will go last."
On the bridge, Ackbar muted the comm and turned to Leia.
"Do you want to say anything, Princess?"
She shook her head, still looking out of the viewport.
Ackbar unmuted the comm. "That will be all. May the Force be with us all."
Ackbar noted the blaster pistol holstered at Leia's hip. "Are you sure about this, Princess?"
"I don't want to have a debate, Ackbar. We're going to need every weapon we have to take that Star Destroyer. And this blaster is the least of mine."
"I understand that. I was speaking about myself remaining here."
"We need you commanding our forces as long as possible."
"I understand that as well. But nonetheless..."
"I get it. But we all have our role to play. This is mine." Leia nodded to Hera and Zeb. The three of them left for the shuttle bay.
"Can we jump?" Ackbar said to the bridge crew.
"Only one way to find out, sir."
Ackbar settled down into the captain's chair. "Make the jump."
Lieutenant Connix pressed the button. The engines rattled to life.
The New Hope shook. One engine burned out, then another. Power conduits overloaded across the ship.
After a moment, the ship jumped to lightspeed.
Ahch-To
Luke Skywalker stood at a cliff by the edge of the sea. He held a red, pyramidal holocron in his hand. He threw it into the water. He took the lightsaber from his belt next. He drew his arm back.
Artoo warbled at him. His radar dish was extended.
Luke looked down at him. He lowered his arm.
Something was tapping against the stone path. Wood on stone, at the pace and cadence of slow foot falls.
"Looking for someone, I am," the blue ghost of Master Yoda said. "A great warrior."
"War," Luke said, turning slowly, "Does not make one great."
Yoda clambered onto a rock and seated himself. "Wise words, young Skywalker. Wise words indeed. Remember anything else Yoda has taught, do you, hmm?"
"What are you doing here? After all this time?"
"Many questions you always ask, young Skywalker. But listen to the answers, do you? No. Run, you do. And fly. And fight. Never listen."
"You never should have sent her here."
"Send who? Who has Yoda sent? As headstrong and full of pointless anger as you, she is. Send that girl I did not. Not the only player in this great game, am I."
"Who then? What's the point of all this?"
"More questions. Not your teacher anymore, am I. A teacher you are, young Skywalker."
"So that's why you're here. Maybe if you'd come to me when I still had students, none of this would have happened."
"Blame me, do you?"
"No." Luke turned away from Yoda. "But that doesn't matter. I failed you. And Ben. I could never be the Jedi you thought I was."
"No, young Skywalker. No you could not."
"You've been an awful lot of help. Really. But I'm sure you have better places to be."
"Dead, I am. Free, my time is. And listening, still, you are not. Yes, failed you did. Failed, them. And him. And her. Failed her most of all. But speak to Yoda of failure, do not. Failed more students, I have, then you will ever train. Lost more, I have, than worlds you will ever walk upon. So speak to me not of failure. Embarrass yourself, you do."
Luke sat down beside Yoda. "What am I supposed to do? Ben won't speak to me anymore. Not after," he held up Vader's lightsaber.
"Rigid, Obi-Wan is. My fault that is, as well. But worry not. Failed, you have, at turning to the dark side, young Skywalker. Dismally. Your plans for bringing the Force into final balance have failed as well."
"I have to try. I'm trying to see the bigger picture. To worry about the galaxy, not the individuals. Just like you taught me."
Yoda sighed. "Young Skywalker, a secret, I must tell you. Yoda's darkest secret. Tell no one, you must." Yoda looked around confidentially before continuing. He leaned close. "Wrong, Yoda was. And, so, wrong were the Jedi of old. Defeat Vader with a lightsaber, you did not. Strike down the Emperor with the power of the Force, you did not. Won the day with this, you did." Yoda tapped Luke on the chest with his gimer stick. "Here you sit, on this island of old Jedi secrets. Meditating. Studying. Learning. Feh. Who do you think you are? Not some hermit, are you. Luke Skywalker, you are. Go. Be a hero. Save everyone."
"So that's why you came here. To convince me to come back."
"What? You? Came here for you, you think Yoda did? A celebrity, do you think you are, hmm? Are you Wynssa Starflare? No. Came here for this view, I did." Yoda pointed out at the sun setting over the sea. "No. Convince you, this droid will." Yoda banged Artoo on the dome with his gimer stick. "Show him."
Artoo rolled in front of Luke. He activated his holoprojector.
"This is our most desperate hour. Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi," Leia, from several decades and several more lifetimes ago, said, "You're my only hope."
Luke sighed. "Y'know," he said. "You should have led with that."
He stood. He placed his lightsaber on his belt. He walked to the edge of the cliff. He extended his hand towards the sea.
The water rippled. Slowly, the X-wing rose from beneath the waves. Luke's brow furrowed as he lifted the fighter up the cliff face until it hung in the air before them, along with droplets of water caught in his mental grasp.
Artoo warbled triumphantly.
"Master," Luke said. "Thank you."
Yoda waved him off, "Told you nothing, I did, that you did not already know, Master Skywalker. Now go. In grave danger, your friends are. And blocking my view, you and your ship are."
As the X-Wing flew into the sun painted sky, Yoda settled back on his rock and smiled a knowing smile.
The last Jedi had returned.
Deep space
The New Hope dropped out of hyperspace, trailing debris. The darkened bulk of the Conqueror hung in space before it.
"We made it," Ackbar announced. "Status report, Lieutenant Connix."
"The Star Destroyer still has emergency life support. Based on the amount of supplies on a ship that size, it most likely still has a full crew complement."
"Then we're going to have a fight on our hands. Are we a go for escape shuttle deployment?"
"We're going to need a few minutes to maneuver-"
"Sir, we have contact! One real-space reversion to port," Another officer said. "Star Destroyer size."
The Finalizer dropped from hyperspace as he spoke.
Ackbar closed his eyes for a brief moment.
"Sir, what do we do?"
"We're in trouble," Ackbar said.
In the shuttle bay, where Resistance personnel were piling into the escape shuttles, Leia looked up suddenly.
"Princess, what is it?" Hera asked.
"We're about to be under fire."
Hera didn't question it. "Everyone, crash belts on. Get those shuttles sealed and ready to launch on command."
"Princess," Zeb said. "I don't mean to overstep, but... the troops might like to hear a word or two from you. For morale, you know."
"I'm sorry. I don't have anything to say. I've already compromised this mission enough."
Zeb frowned at her. "Princess?"
The New Hope shook as turbolaser fire from the Finalizer began finding its mark.
"We're taking heavy fire," Lieutenant Connix reported. "For now they're hitting the abandoned decks. But that won't last forever."
Ackbar opened his eyes. "Here's the plan. Do we have sublight engines?"
"A few. For a few seconds' burn. If we're very lucky."
"That will have to do. Put us alongside the Conqueror. Standard docking maneuvers. If they want to blow us up they'll have to take it with us."
"Sir, we're not going to be able to stop in time to dock. We're going to crash right into it."
Sparks fell in arcs from the ceiling.
"I'm more than aware. Do it."
The New Hope's thrusters fired, pushing it towards the Conqueror as turbolaser fire from the Finalizer rained down on its other flank.
"Escape shuttles, ready?" Ackbar said over the comm.
"Ready," Hera reported.
"Get ready to launch on my mark."
The New Hope came alongside the Conqueror.
"Sir, we're getting too close," Lieutenant Connix reported.
"Ready docking hooks to fire," Ackbar said impassively. "Escape shuttles, disregard launching order. I want you to all launch at once. Mark."
In the shuttle bay, the escape shuttles launched.
"Cut thrusters," Ackbar ordered.
The New Hope's thrusters cut off. It continued to move forward under its own frictionless inertia. Right up until a dozen escape shuttles all left it's bay in a blast of explosive decompression. The New Hope wasn't quite stopped dead, but it slowed significantly.
"Forward thrusters, now." Ackbar ordered.
The thrusters fired, stopping the ship completely. They were right alongside the Conqueror, lined up hangar to hangar.
"I believe we are in position to dock," Ackbar said. "Fire hooks."
"Yes, sir," Lieutenant Connix said.
The escape shuttles rattled as they approached the Conqueror's hangar. Inside, the rustling and fidgeting of many men and women packed too close together, preparing themselves to walk into blaster fire.
Hera looked over at Leia. Then she got on the comms.
"All forces, listen up. This looks pretty bad. We've got bad guys on both sides and we're about to land blind in hostile territory. But I don't want to hear any of you giving up. We may be the very last of the Resistance. The people of the galaxy are counting on us. We're not going to die out here in the depths of space. We don't get to go out that easy. The job's not done until we've taken down the First Order once and for all."
The shuttles shook as they entered the Conqueror's hangar.
"Non-combatants, stay in your shuttles and keep the hatches closed until we've cleared the deck. The rest of you, weapons up. They're going to be waiting for us."
The Star Destroyer's hangar was darkened save for recessed emergency lights in the corners. Flashes of turbolaser fire from outside sent emerald reflections scattering over the deck plating. The shuttles touched down softly on repulsorlifts. The hangar was full of stacked cargo containers, placed near the opposite end of the room at many angles. It almost looked like they had been placed intentionally.
Inside the shuttles, weapons clicked as soldiers checked their power cells and flicked safeties nervously.
"Shield's up," Caluan Ematt, a veteran of the Galactic Civil War in charge of ground operations, ordered. The soldiers at the front of the shuttle threw down portable mini-shield generators at the foot of the exit hatch, projecting a series of waist high, forward facing force screens. They crouched behind them, weapons at the ready.
"On your mark, General," Ematt said.
Hera glanced at Leia. Leia nodded.
"Go," Hera said.
"All forces," Ematt said over the comms."Deploy and engage."
The shuttle hatches began to slide open with a hiss of hydraulics.
From behind the cargo containers at the other end of the hangar, the muzzles of blaster rifles glinted dully in the dim light. Then the hangar lit up crimson as the stormtroopers set up in cover behind the containers opened fire. Tripod mounted repeating blasters chattered as they sent laser fire tearing at the open shuttle doors.
The first Resistance soldier went down the instant the hatch opened, a smoking hole through his head. In each shuttle, half the soldier's number stayed low behind the force screens, sending blaster fire back at the stormtroopers. The other half tossed volleys of smoke grenades out into the hangar and rushed. Crimson laser fire lanced through the smoke, cutting down Resistance soldiers as they left the ships. Bodies began piling up on the foot of the hatches. The soldiers kept coming.
Return fire from the Resistance sparked off of the cargo containers. A handful of stormtroopers went down.
"We need more cover," Ematt said over the comms, firing calmly and precisely with his antique A295 blaster rifle.
The first Resistance soldiers to make it out onto the deck threw down more mini-shield generators. More soldiers rushed up to take cover behind them.
"Rear guard, move up," Ematt ordered.
The soldiers still in the shuttles deactivated and picked up the shield generators at the shuttle doorways and brought them forward. They took position behind the front line of shields. The shields sparked and sizzled under the barrage of First Order weapon's fire. More smoke grenades hit the deck. The soldiers jumped over the force screens, carrying the shield generators forward. Some were cut down as soon as they left cover. But enough made it through to set up another line of force screens. The previous rank of shield generators were deactivated and brought forward. They'd covered about half the length of the hangar.
One mini-shield generator sparked, the force screen crackling with electricity. Then it gave out. The men behind it were riddled with blaster fire.
"We have space. Heavy weapons, deploy," Ematt ordered.
Heavy Weapons troopers, wielding underslung M-45 blaster cannons, left the shuttles and moved up to the cover of the mini shield generators. Most of them opened up on the First Order's position in repeating mode, while several deployed the cannon's mortar function. Those rained explosive ordinance down on the cargo containers. Several containers exploded entirely, sending shrapnel and shredded plastoid armor scattering across the deck. The soldiers manning the shield generators moved up again, the ones in the rear taking the front line.
They had made it into the looming shadow of the stacked cargo containers.
"Jumptroopers, go. Clear them out," Ematt ordered.
The last soldiers left in the shuttles moved out. Each of them was equipped with a jetpack, as well as an ample amount of explosives. Their jetpacks roared in the confines of the hangar as the Jumptroopers scaled the containers. They took up position atop them, firing down on thesStormtroopers from above. They followed up with thermal detonators, dropped right into the First Order's position. The Jumptroopers leapt off the containers as the detonators went off. The containers fell.
The surviving stormtroopers fell back through the doors at their behind them, deeper into the ship.
"We're clear," Ematt said.
Hera, Zeb and Leia left the shuttle. The non-combatants and medical personnel began deploying, transporting the wounded on hover gurneys and several bacta tanks.
"Zeb, your team is in charge of taking the fuel cells to the engine room," Leia said. "Hera, you're with me. We're taking the bridge. General Ematt, clear this ship out. Hall by hall if you have to." She looked out on the battle taking place in space. "Keep the wounded safe. We're going to need to leave a rear guard behind. More will be coming."
The Finalizer
Kylo Ren left the briefing room and entered the bridge.
"How did it go?" Hux asked.
"No matter now. Give me the situation."
"That Rebel ship is barely functional. It's not even shooting back. If it wasn't so close to the Conqueror we'd have taken it out already. I've been content to remind them we're still here for now. They seem to be boarding the Conqueror."
"They're trying to hijack it. They are nothing if not resourceful. I'll handle this myself. Prepare a boarding party. Phasma, shall we?"
Ren and Phasma swept off the bridge.
A contingent of stormtroopers, as well as Phasma's squad of ebony armored Death Troopers, were waiting in the hangar.
"The Resistance is not content to die easily," Phasma said to the troops. "Even now, on their last legs, they have launched an attack on the weakest of us. They target those that cannot defend themselves, as always. We will not allow this cowardly attack to go unpunished. The Resistance will die here. And more importantly, we will rescue our family over there on the Conqueror. That is what the First Order does. Now, move out."
The stormtroopers filed onto the Upsilon-class command shuttle.
"Hux, we're going in," Kylo Ren said over the comm as he took the controls. "Try to keep us covered. We're going to have to go around that Resistance flagship to get in the hangar."
"No promises," Hux said.
The shuttle lifted off and flew for the Conqueror.
The Conqueror
The Resistance soldiers lowered their rifles. "We're clear, ma'am."
Leia looked in on the cargo bay. "This should do. Send the medical personnel here and tell them to seal themselves in until this is over."
"Right away, ma'am."
"I think I've figured out the route to the bridge," Hera said, studying the markings on the wall closely. "It would be easier if all the halls didn't look exactly the same."
Leia went quiet. She bowed her head. "He's here. We're out of time."
"Kylo Ren?" Hera said. "Damn it. Get moving, soldiers. We're taking the bridge."
The New Hope
"Admiral, we need to get to the last escape shuttle," Lieutenant Connix said.
"Not yet. There's still more we can do here." Ackbar placed a steadying hand on the railing as the ship shook under turbolaser fire.
"Sir, we don't have any functioning cannons on the port side. We can't shoot back."
"You're showing an astonishing lack of imagination, lieutenant. We don't need cannons to shoot back. Everyone who isn't essential to operations, report to the weapons bay. I want all of our proton torpedoes taken out of the tubes and brought to the escape pods immediately," Ackbar ordered. The crew began filing off of the bridge. "Lieutenant, how long until we lose hull integrity?"
"They're being careful not to blow us up. But given how fragile the superstructure is, we could still come apart from the impacts any second."
"Then I recommend you get down to the shuttle bay. As soon as the rest of the crew joins you, blast off."
"With all due respect, sir, I'm not going anywhere until you do."
Ackbar frowned. "We'll discuss this breach of conduct later, lieutenant. Until then, make yourself useful. Targeting systems are offline. We're going to need to line up our shot by eye."
The Conqueror
Leia held up a hand. Hera and their contingent of soldiers stopped behind her. From around the darkened corner came the pounding of stormtrooper boots. Three of them ran by the intersection of hallways.
Leia held a finger to her lips with one hand. She passed her other hand in front of them.
The stormtroopers looked right at them. From their perspective, all they saw was an empty hallway. They kept walking.
Leia lowered her hand and drew her blaster. She and Hera shot the stormtroopers in the back.
...
In the hangar, Kylo Ren's shuttle touched down.
...
A level below, Caluan Ematt and a contingent of soldiers took positions along the darkened hallways. These two corridors were the only way out of the hangar.
The lift from the hangar signaled. Someone was coming down.
Ematt motioned to his men. One of them threw down a mini-shield generator facing the lift door. The rest took up positions inside of doorways or behind crates.
The grating on the floor rattled as the lift came down.
The soldiers checked their power cells.
"Steady," Ematt said.
The lift came down. The door chimed.
The soldier's trained their weapons on the lift.
The door slid open.
Kylo Ren and Phasma stepped out.
Kylo's lightsaber blazed to life, first the main blade, then the crossguard. Phasma raised her rifle to her shoulder.
The soldiers opened fire.
Kylo's lightsaber buzzed and spat sparks as he blocked shots and sent them back. One man went down to a deflected blaster bolt through his forehead. Phasma took the shots on her chromium armor. Behind them, the lift went back up.
They advanced into the hail of blaster fire. Kylo spun his blade before him. One stride, two; he vaulted over the force screen, slicing through the generator as he did. Then he was among the soldiers.
"Fall back!" Ematt shouted, backpedaling as he fired.
Kylo Ren's blade hacked down the first soldier. He thrust out his other hand, slamming another into the wall hard enough to buckle the bulkhead. He blocked another shot.
Phasma fired as she advanced. A soldier dropped with each squeeze of the trigger. She ducked through the passageway into the adjoining hallway.
Kylo Ren caught another soldier in the Force's grip and yanked the man towards him, impaling him on his waiting lightsaber. He removed the blade with a flick of the wrist and cut horizontally through the next soldier's throat.
Ematt hurled a thermal detonator down the hall. Kylo raised a hand and the detonator froze in midair. He advanced past the frozen detonator. Deflected blaster bolts sparked off of the bulkheads. Kylo thrust out his hand and the fleeing soldiers all froze in place. He walked into their midst, lightsaber buzzing.
In the adjoining hall, Phasma slammed her knee into a Bothan soldier's gut, doubling him over. She unloaded her rifle down the hall with one hand, threw the Bothan to the ground with the other. Phasma picked off another soldier as he poked his head up over the crate he was hiding behind. She turned long enough to put a shot into the prone Bothan's chest, then kept moving. Blaster fire sparked off her exposed back. She turned, tossed a thermal detonator through an open door way. It detonated a moment later, sending flame and several soldiers flying out of the room.
She flipped her rifle into full auto mode and swept the hallway.
The surviving soldiers fell back into the room at the end of the hallway, firing at her from the cover of the door frame. Phasma staggered under the impact of the blaster bolts. She ducked behind a crate long enough to snap an attachment from her belt onto the gun's ordinance launcher. She fired it through the open doorway. The device hit the back wall and attached there. It let out a scanning laser. Then the miniature auto-turret unfolded and started shooting the soldiers in the back. It picked off three before one of them shot it off the wall. By that time Phasma has reached the doorway. She planted an armored boot in one man's chest, sending him flying into the wall. She brought her elbow down on a second, knocking him to the floor, while shooting the last twice in the chest. Phasma slammed the stock of her rifle down on the prone soldier's skull for good measure, then shot the one she'd kicked into the wall through the head.
In the other hall, the soldiers stood still as statues, still frozen by the Force even in death. Smoke rose from the bodies. Kylo Ren held his blade to Caluan Ematt's throat.
"Caluan Ematt," Ren said.
"Kylo Ren. Never fighting fair. And to think, I was assigned to bodyguard your spoiled backside back in the day." Ematt managed to work up enough movement to spit on Ren. "Never should have rescued you two from those Togarian Pirates. Woulda saved us all a lot of pain."
"I suppose I never thanked you for that," Kylo said. Then he cut off Ematt's head. "Thanks."
He let go the thermal detonator still hanging in the hallway and it went off, blowing the frozen corpses off their feet.
The lift chimed again and Phasma's Death Troopers poured out. They would be followed soon by more stormtroopers.
"We're clear," Phasma said. "But searching this ship is going to take time. We can't coordinate with the crew with the power out."
"Don't bother." Ren tapped his forehead. "I know exactly where they are."
...
The Millenium Falcon dropped out of hyperspace. The Finalizer loomed in the viewport.
"Oh, come on," Rey muttered, kicking the Falcon into a dive as turbolaser fire began streaking towards them.
"What's going on?" Finn called from the main cabin.
"We just walked into a battle," Rey called back.
Chewbacca rushed into the cockpit and slid into the co-pilot's seat. He rarred a question at Rey even as he activated the deflector shields and diverted power to engines.
Rey closed her eyes as she took the Falcon under the Star Destroyer's superstructure.
"Leia's on the other Star Destroyer." Her eyes snapped open. "So is Kylo Ren."
Chewbacca barked at her.
"I know. I'm taking us in."
The Falcon dived for the Conqueror.
The Conqueror
Leia and Hera's group cut into a cargo bay.
Hera tapped at her comm unit. "I can't raise General Ematt's unit. I don't think they made it. We're probably being pursued. What are your orders, Princess?"
"I'm sorry, Hera. I shouldn't be giving any orders. I never should have. I have a conflict of interest."
The soldiers looked at each other uncertainly.
"What are you talking about?" Hera hissed. "We're in the middle of a mission here."
"I've compromised the mission," Leia said. "I led him right to us."
The door at the opposite end of the room slid open. Kylo Ren and Phasma entered the cargo bay at the head of a contingent of stormtroopers.
The Resistance soldiers raised their blasters.
"Hold your fire," Leia said.
"Princess-" Hera began.
"Sorry. That's my son. Between him and the Resistance, it isn't even a contest."
On the other side of the room, Kylo Ren held up his hand to the stormtroopers. "Hold your fire."
"We have them right where we want them," Phasma hissed. "What do you think you're doing, Ren?"
"Hold your fire or I kill you all," Ren said. He began walking towards the Resistance group.
Leia walked towards him.
The stormtroopers and Resistance soldiers kept their guns trained on each other as Leia and Ren met at the center of the cargo bay.
"Ben," Leia said.
"Leia Organa-Solo," Ren said. His hand dangled by the hilt of his lightsaber.
"Oh, stop that. Take that thing off. Let me look at you."
Kylo hesitated for a moment. His hands shook.
"Go on," Leia said. "It's okay."
Kylo took off his helmet. He let it drop to the floor.
Leia reached up to touch the scar on his cheek, "Oh, sweetie. You're not taking care of yourself." she tilted his face from side to side, looking at it from every angle. "Are you getting enough sleep?"
"Mom, stop that."
"I told you, eight hours a night, no matter how much you're training. And if you get cut put bacta on it first thing so you... so you don't get any scars." her voice faltered. "And you have to eat your greens. You can't keep giving them to Chewie..." she choked off a sob.
"Mom, that was a long time ago."
"I know. I know." she smiled slightly, "You finally listened when I called you."
"I can always hear you." he looked over her shoulder. "You led me to your own people."
"I'd do anything to see you sweetie," Leia put her arms around him. "Please come home. I don't care about this stupid war. I just want you to come home."
After a moment, he hugged her back. "Mom, look around. I can't."
On either side of the room, soldiers trained their blasters on each other.
"I never wanted this life for you," she said into his shoulder. "I'm sorry I wasn't there more. If I could do it over again, I'd never stay in the Senate. I know you must hate me..."
"I don't..." Kylo wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand. "I don't hate you."
"You shouldn't hate your uncle either. It's not his fault. She made her choice. And she wouldn't want this."
"I can't stop now, Mom. I'm sorry."
"Yes, you can, sweetie. We can just go. We don't have to keep fighting anymore."
He looked over her shoulder. At the Resistance soldiers.
"Not until the job's done."
Leia looked back as well. She closed her eyes briefly. "It's okay, Ben. You don't have to be scared." she placed her hand firmly on his chest.
"Mom, you have to get out of here right now," Kylo said quietly.
"No, Ben. I may have let you find us, but I'm not going to let you hurt anyone else. I promise." Leia Force pushed him.
Kylo's breath left him as he skidded backwards on his heels. Cargo containers on either side were blown back by the impact. He threw his hands out in front of him, pushing back. The deck plating buckled between them. The girders above rippled and warped.
"Mom, I don't want to fight you," Kylo said.
"I know, sweetie. That's why you're going to lose." Leia thrust her hand towards him.
Kylo was blown off his feet, shooting backwards like a bullet and slamming into the stormtroopers, knocking several off their feet, before hitting the far wall hard enough to buckle the plating.
"Open fire!" Phasma ordered, raising her own blaster.
The stormtroopers, all twelve of them, opened up on the Resistance group.
"No!" Kylo shouted, throwing up his hands. The Force pulsed through the room.
All of the blaster bolts stopped dead, hanging frozen in crackling stillness halfway across the cargo bay.
"Ben," Leia said. "Thank you."
She and the Resistance troops ran out through the other doorway.
"After them!" Phasma barked.
As the stormtroopers rushed off in pursuit, Phasma turned to Kylo Ren.
"When the Supreme Leader learns of this..."
"He won't," Kylo brought his helmet to him with a wave of his hand and fitted it over his head. "Not unless you want him to learn things about you, as well."
Phasma was silent for a moment, "Fair enough. What's the plan?"
Kylo looked towards the far wall, as though he could see something there. "Someone has just arrived. I'll deal with her myself. You can do whatever you want."
He swept from the bay, deactivated lightsaber in hand.
The Supremacy
"Maintain monitoring on the battle," Snoke said from his throne as he was holoprojected onto the bridge. "Get ready to jump us in if anything goes wrong. I will leave nothing to chance."
"As you command, Supreme Leader," Admiral Natasi Daala said from the bridge.
"Admiral Daala," a bridge officer called. "We have contact."
"What is it?" Snoke said, leaning forward on his throne.
Daala brought up an image on the holo feed.
TIE fighters from the Supremacy's escort were exploding, one after the other. A single fighter, almost invisible from the distance, streaked among them.
"Admiral, Echo squadron is gone. We've lost contact with Razor squadron."
"Scan for cloaked ships," Dalaa ordered. "Charge weapons."
Snoke closed his eyes for a moment. He opened them suddenly. "There's only one ship."
"With all due respect, Supreme Leader," Daala said. "That isn't possible. We've already lost two whole squadrons. They'd have to be the greatest pilot the galaxy has ever seen."
"You've no idea. Bring the Fulminatrix and Harbinger around. Fire everything you have on that fighter."
"Sir... if it's only one ship..."
"Do it now, Daala! Before it's too late!"
A lone X-Wing flew through the wreckage of dozens of TIE fighters. It was an old model, from long decades ago, and it hadn't been well taken care of. The paint was peeling and the engines sputtered and leaked water droplets that froze into a trail of ice behind it. Its astromech droid was older still, decades behind the current model.
One First Order Star Destroyer and a Dreadnought changed course to meet it, putting themselves between the small fighter and the kilometers long mass of the Supremacy.
The X-Wing came to a halt before the capital ships
"Sir," Daala said. "We're being hailed."
"This is Luke Skywalker," the voice over the comm said.
Around the bridge, intakes of breath and muttered prayers to Imperial saints.
"I've come to negotiate the First Order's surrender."
"Supreme Leader?" Daala glanced at Snoke's hologram imploringly. "Orders?"
"Don't answer. Destroy him." Snoke said.
"In a moment," Luke said. "I will be landing aboard your flagship. How that happens is up to you."
"Open fire," Daala ordered.
The Harbinger came around to aim a full broadside of turbolasers while the Fulminatrix deployed its orbital cannons.
The X-Wing hung motionless.
In the cockpit, Luke armed a pair of proton torpedos. He fired blind without bothering to even turn on the targeting computer.
The pair of torpedos streaked across space towards the Star Destroyers.
Luke closed his eyes and held out a hand. The torpedos split suddenly, one curving towards the Harbinger, the other for the Fulminatrix. One flew into the Harbinger's superstructure, the other hugged the side of the Fulminatrix's hull, unerringly finding the exhaust port on its side.
A moment later both ships were rocked with explosions.
The Star Destroyers listed in space, leaking flames.
The X-Wing began moving again. "I'm coming aboard now. If you fire on me your ship will be disabled as well."
"Supreme Leader, the Harbinger and Fulminatrix are both down. What do we do?" Daala asked.
"Let him aboard," Snoke said. "Bring Skywalker to me."
The X-Wing touched down in the Supremacy's hangar. stormtroopers flooded the deck, first dozens, then hundreds. The canopy slid open and Luke Skywalker jumped down from the fighter. As his boots hit the deck, every stormtrooper in the hangar took a step back.
"I would like to speak to the Supreme Leader," Luke said.
The stormtroopers looked at one another. One of them was shoved forward by the others.
Luke spread his arms, showing his empty belt.
"I come unarmed."
"This way," the stormtrooper said. "The droid stays here."
"The droid can come," Luke said, moving his fingers slightly.
"The droid can come," the stormtrooper repeated. A dozen other troopers, caught in the effect, echoed him in a chorus.
Luke and Artoo followed the stormtrooper out of the hangar. More soldiers fell in behind them, circling Luke from every side.
Luke Skywalker walked into the heart of the First Order.
The Conqueror
"You made the right decision, princess," Hera said as the group of Resistance fighters moved through the Star Destroyer's darkened corridors towards the bridge.
"I didn't do it for any of you," Leia said. "But thanks for the thought."
They rounded the corner and ran right into Rey. Poe, Finn, Chewbacca and BB-8 were close behind her.
"Where's Luke?" Leia said.
"Hello to you, too," Rey said. "He isn't coming."
"What do you mean he isn't-"
"Long story. We met general Calrissian."
"Lando?"
"He's bringing the Republic. We just have to hold them off for a while longer."
"We have that covered. We're trying to take command of this ship."
Rey looked up suddenly. "Kylo Ren is close."
"Ren?" Poe said. "Rey, can you stop him?"
Rey looked down at her lightsaber. She looked over at Leia. "I don't know..." she said uncertainly.
"Rey," Poe said. "This is what you're here for. If you can't take him down, no one can. We all need you."
"You need me..." Rey echoed.
"Yeah. You're the only one who can do this. If we don't stop him, none of this matters. It's all up to you."
Rey took a deep breath, "Okay. I can do it."
"Wait," Finn took Rey's arm and led her away from the others. "Are you seriously thinking about going to fight him? You don't even know how to use a lightsaber."
"I know enough. Finn, this is what I'm supposed to do, isn't it? The Resistance needs me."
"So do-" Finn cut himself off. "Rey, you don't have to prove anything to anyone."
"I'm not trying to prove anything. I'm just trying to do the right thing." She placed her hand on her lightsaber. "I have to go."
Leia caught her by the arm. "Rey, if you kill my son, I'll kill you."
Rey shrugged out of her grip. "I'll take my chances."
She walked away.
...
Zeb and his contingent of soldiers entered the Star Destroyer's engine room. The stormtroopers were waiting for them.
Zeb unslung his Bo-rifle and put a shot through the first's stomach. He extended the rifle into it's electrostaff configuration and brought it down on another helmet. He whirled the weapon once and drove it into a third stormtrooper's chest plate.
Blaster fire flashed through the engine room as the Resistance soldiers finished off the remaining stormtroopers.
"We're clear," Zeb called. "Get in here and get this thing working."
Technicians, bearing fuel cells from the New Hope, entered the room and got to work.
...
As they passed through an expansive room that seemed to be the Conqueror's mess hall, Leia suddenly brought them to a halt.
"Down!" she said, pulling Poe aside as blaster fire tore across the room.
Phasma and her squad entered from the opposite side of the room.
"FN-2187," Phasma said to Finn as the room began to fill up with blaster fire. "I've been waiting for this."
...
Rey slipped into a cramped maintenance corridor. Lights flickered and conduits spat sparks as power began to flood back through the ship. Red emergency lights flickered on down the length of the narrow corridor. At the end of the corridor, they illuminated Kylo Ren.
"I knew you'd find me," he said.
Rey's hand went to her lightsaber.
"I thought you wanted to help me. I thought you wanted to save me," Kylo said.
"You're hurting people. You... you're not giving me any choice."
"Rey, the Republic can't run this galaxy. The Resistance isn't even trying. All these people ever do is perpetuate the same conflicts over and over again."
"That's rich coming from the man dressed up as Darth Vader, with his army of second hand stormtroopers."
"The last time the galaxy had any real stability was under the Empire. There's a reason the Rebellion was a minority. It was founded by a handful of elite senators who wanted to hang onto power and prestige. They never cared about anything, or anyone, else."
"Save the rhetoric. All I feel from you is anger and sadness. No purpose."
"Funny, I was going to say the same thing about you."
"I know exactly what I'm doing. I have to stop you."
"Rey... killing me isn't going to make them love you."
Rey activated her lightsaber. "Shut up."
"I wanted to be friends."
"I said shut up!"
Kylo Ren activated his own lightsaber. "So be it."
They faced each other for a moment, blades hissing. Rey took a step forward. Kylo took a step in return.
Rey went at him, a shout escaping her as she brought her blade around hard with both hands at waist height. Kylo flicked his blade up from his waist with a snap of the wrist, catching her blade and knocking it aside. The blue blade struck the wall of the cramped corridor with a shower of sparks. Rey recovered and brought her blade up to shoulder height, swinging again as hard as she could. Kylo caught the blow an inch off his own shoulder, holding their blades locked in a bind briefly with one hand before shoving Rey back a step with minimal exertion. While Rey was off balance, Kylo flicked his blade low, tip searing a burning line through the floor grating, and up towards Rey's ankles. Rey swung down hard with both hands, slamming Kylo's blade back to the floor. She slashed heavily at his face. He took an easy step back and the blade blurred through empty space, catching the wall on the backswing. Rey swung again. Kylo grunted as her blade slammed against his guard. He took the hilt in both hands and forced their locked blades to the side, driving them up against the wall. As the metal sizzled under the blades and Rey strained against him, Kylo released the hilt with one hand and brought his fist snapping up into her jaw. Rey stumbled back a few steps. She shook her head and advanced again, bringing her blade down in an overhand chop at the top of Kylo's head. Kylo brought his own lightsaber up to meet hers. The blades met in a shower of sparks and Rey's was jolted back up into the low ceiling, raining sparks down on them. Rey stumbled back a step from the impact of the collision. She jerked her head to the side, narrowly avoiding a buzzing cross cut from Kylo's blade that would have cleanly bisected her skull. Rey found her balance and lunged forward, lightsaber extended to stab right through Kylo. He turned aside smoothly, catching his blade on hers and letting it slide up it's azure length as Rey extended her arm. Once he was inside her guard Kylo flipped his lightsaber up vertical and punched at her with the hilt. The blazing cross-guard seared deep into Rey's shoulder. She cried out and staggered back off the blade, smoke leaking from the wound. Rey slashed in front of her with her good arm, knocking aside Kylo's follow up strike. She backpedaled, blocking high with one hand, then jumping back as Kylo disengaged their blades and slashed at her stomach. Rey came to the end of the corridor.
She ducked out into the main hallway, Kylo's lightsaber searing a scar in the wall where her head had just been. At the end of the hallway, a set of bulkhead doors opened and half-closed repeatedly, blocked by a piece of debris lodged between them. Rey backed swiftly towards it. She jumped between the closing doors blind, timing it without thinking about it. She slashed through the piece of debris as she did so, letting the doors slam shut.
Kylo jabbed a finger at the control panel, pressing the release button with the Force. It remained closed. He jammed his blade into the door, then thought better of cutting through the whole thing and thrust an open palm at it. The meter thick, hard vacuum rated doors blew off their moorings, sliding into the darkened cargo bay on the other side.
Kylo heard the sound of Rey's lightsaber deactivating somewhere among the stacks of weapons crates and supplies. He shut off his own blade. The only light came from a power conduit on the floor spitting sparks as it overloaded from the suddenly returned power. Kylo stalked among the crates.
"I can sense you, Rey. You can't hide from me."
On the other side of the crate, Rey pressed her lightsaber emitter to the crate's surface. She activated it.
Kylo jerked aside at the last moment, nonetheless sustaining a burn to his arm as Rey's lightsaber speared through the crate. Kylo's own blade buzzed to life. He hacked through the crate with two blows, stepping through the wreckage and slashing down on Rey. She parried as she skipped back. The door slid open behind them and she stepped out into another hallway. Kylo's blade buzzed and his cape swirled behind him as he forced Rey back. She blocked one strike, a second. The third nearly buckled her wrists. She slipped aside, letting the fourth slam into the deck.
"Did Skywalker teach you nothing?" Kylo spat. "What lightsaber form are you even using?"
"He... he didn't..." Rey trailed off even as she raised her lightsaber, catching Kylo's blade before it bisected her. The red blade crackled and buzzed like a revving engine a few scant inches from her face. Rey closed her eyes and listened to it. "I'm using the sound of your lightsaber."
"What does that even-"
Rey darted to the side, sliding her blade out from under Kylo's and bringing it around at his exposed flank. He whirled and slashed, smacking her blow aside.
Rey settled back into a ready stance.
Kylo watched her for a moment. Then he lunged.
Rey mirrored the harsh buzz of his blade, parrying the blow and hacking back with a horizontal cut at Kylo's throat. He took a step back to avoid the blow.
Rey kept moving back as they fought, falling into the roar of Kylo's blade, catching every movement it made by the sound of it. From the doorway on the far side of the corridor came the sound of blaster fire. Rey caught Kylo's slash, flicking her wrist sharply to throw his blade back. She released the hilt with one hand to smack the door controls. She jumped back as the door slid open. Kylo pressed her back through the doorway. And right into the Conqueror's mess hall.
Which was in the middle of being torn apart as Phasma's stormtroopers fought Leia's contingent of soldiers. Rey and Kylo immediately disengaged and began blocking the hail of blaster fire they'd walked into.
Poe slid behind a table, firing over the top. One stormtrooper went down with a smoking crater in his chest. He turned his sights on one of the black armored Death Troopers and put two shots in his chestplate. He was already in the middle of finding a new target when the Death Trooper began getting back up, despite the burning wounds in his chest.
"The hell?" Poe muttered, shooting him again. He ducked down as blaster fire swept over the table.
When he poked his head back over, the Death Trooper was still getting back up. Then something significantly larger than a blaster bolt hit the Death Trooper, blowing him across the room. Chewbacca hefted his bowcaster and fired again, hitting the Death Trooper's prone form. He didn't get back up.
"Thanks," Poe said.
Chewbacca rarred at him and sighted up on a fresh target.
"Get to the bridge!" Poe shouted to Leia and Hera. "We'll hold them here."
Finn slid into cover behind a bench.
"Hold your fire!" he shouted over the table at the stormtroopers, "We can still talk about this. I'm one of you."
"No, you're not," Phasma said. She finished throttling the Resistance soldier in her grip, let the limp form drop to the ground. Finn fired at her. The shot sparked harmlessly off her shoulder. "Come now, FN-2187, you know better than that. You can't hurt me."
She advanced on Finn. He backpedaled, still shooting. The blaster bolts slammed into Phasma's chestplate, staggering her but not stopping her. She dropped her blaster to the floor. "No clean death for you, traitor."
Finn backed up into a table. Phasma reached him in two long strides and smacked the blaster from his grip.
"You were always a disappointment, FN-2187."
"That isn't my name anymore," Finn said. He punched her. His fist bounced off her armor. He clutched his hand.
"You're pathetic." Phasma caught him by the throat and slammed him down on the table. "You had everything." She slammed an armored fist down on him. "You were born into the First Order. You never had to struggle in the real world. You never had to fight to feed yourself every day. You never wanted for anything." She struck him again. "You never had to wonder who you are and what your purpose is. You always had a family that would never throw you away or hurt you."
Finn swung a fist at her. She blocked with her forearm and drove her other fist down into his chest, knocking him flat to the table.
"We gave you everything. I gave you everything I never had." Phasma struck him again. Her armored fist came back painted red. "And you threw us all away for, what... this ragtag band of terrorists? You would rather consort with filthy non-humans than your own family? You'd kill so many of us for them? What's wrong with you?"
"They..." Finn coughed a spattering of blood onto the table. "Never told me to kill innocent people."
"Oh, you hypocrite. Are you trying to tell me there were no innocent people on Starkiller Base? You grew up with those people. I trained those people," Phasma threw Finn to the floor. "I'm done with you." She extended her collapsible command staff and raised it above her head. "You'll never hurt any of my kids again."
Rey gasped quietly and looked over at Finn. She ducked a swing from Kylo's blade.
She didn't swing back. She threw her lightsaber.
"Finn!" she shouted, hand extended. She brought the lightsaber right to his hand with a push of the Force.
Finn's grip tightened on it. He activated the blade and raised it in time to parry Phasma's blow. The blade sizzled against the staff, but didn't sever it. Finn climbed to his feet.
"Scared of a fair fight?" he said.
Phasma snarled and charged at him.
...
Rey, meanwhile, faced Kylo unarmed.
"That was really stupid," Kylo said.
Rey shrugged with one shoulder. Then she ran at him.
Kylo kept his blade leveled at her.
She ran right at it.
"Rey..." Kylo said. His blade wavered.
Rey kept coming.
Kylo jerked his lightsaber aside an instant before she impaled herself on it. Rey crashed into him, bearing him backwards, out into the hallway.
...
Phasma stepped to the side as Finn swung at her. She smacked him in the ankles with her staff, taking his feet out from under him. Finn turned his fall into a roll, came up slashing the lightsaber clumsily at her. Phasma parried on the haft of her staff, forced the lightsaber aside and punched Finn in the jaw.
"Just give up, FN-2187. What are you even fighting for? You can't possibly believe in the Resistance. You have no idea what the galaxy is really like. They need the First Order."
"That's the whole problem. I don't know. All I know are the lies you taught me. I'm not gonna let you mess up any more kids like that. I'm not going to let you convince them to die for nothing."
Finn swung the blade at her like a club. She took the blow on the shoulder in a shower of sparks.
Phasma grunted and stabbed the staff's bladed tip at him. Finn narrowly blocked, but wasn't able to avoid the kick to the gut that knocked him to the floor. He smacked aside another blow from Phasma's staff from his back, rolled to the side as she jabbed the tip into the deck. Before she could strike again, blaster fire from Poe rained down on her. She staggered under the barrage. Phasma took the shots on one raised arm. She flicked her wrist in a certain way and a holdout blaster fell from a compartment in her gauntlet. Phasma caught it in her free hand and returned fire at Poe, sending him diving for cover. Finn found his feet and charged at her from the opposite side, lightsaber raised. Phasma twirled her staff expertly with her other hand, smacking Finn in the jaw and knocking him to the floor. This time he didn't get back up.
...
Rey slammed Kylo Ren into the wall.
"Rey, stop it." Kylo said.
She snarled deep in her throat and slammed her forearm into his neck. Kylo shoved her back a step with a raised hand and a push of the Force, moved to raise his lightsaber. Rey was on him before he could get it all the way up, moving inhumanly fast. She got both hands around his wrist, fingers clawing at his lightsaber's hilt. As they struggled over the lightsaber, Kylo moved his feet, sliding around until Rey's back was to the wall. He applied pressure suddenly, forcing Rey back against the wall. He forced their arms towards her until she was holding the red blade back an inch from her throat.
"Don't make me kill you," he said.
All Rey offered him was a growl as she let go of his wrist with one hand, thrust it at Kylo's face. The blast of Force power that went with it partially caved in the side of his helmet and sent him stumbling back. His lightsaber fell to the floor. Kylo's hands flew to the crushed fastenings of his helmet, trying to pry it off. Rey ignored the fallen lightsaber. She went right for Kylo. She got behind him, pulling his arm back and straight out with one hand. She kicked him in the back of the knee, knocking him down on his other leg. Kylo's other hand scrambled at his damaged helmet. Rey, meanwhile, slammed her forearm into the extended joint of Kylo's elbow. It snapped. Kylo cried out and fell forward, helmet coming off as he did. He flung out his hand behind him, grabbing Rey in a hand of the Force. He jerked his arm violently to the side and she slammed hard into the far wall.
Rey spat her anger and flung her own hand at Kylo, blasting him back into the opposing wall. Kylo clenched his fist and the piping on the wall began to crush in around Rey, slowly encasing her in metal. She braced both hands on the pipes and began forcing them away, half with the Force and half with the strength her anger was giving her. She made enough space to slip free, staggering forward. Kylo was right there to meet her, bringing his fist down at her. Rey blocked with one forearm, drove her other fist into his unprotected stomach, doubling him over. She grabbed a handful of his cape and pulled hard, depositing Kylo on his back.
Rey straightened, breathing hard. Then she pulled a fist back to hit him while he was down.
Kylo held out his hand and his helmet came to him. He swung it up at Rey. She walked right into it.
The helmet connected with her jaw with a sharp crack. Rey went down, head slamming hard into the deck. She shook her head violently, rolled over onto her stomach and got her hands and knees under her.
Kylo Ren took the helmet in both hands and raised it high. He brought it down on Rey's back. The breath left her as she slammed back down to the deck. She flung her hand out behind her blindly. The deck plating shook as Kylo was blown off his feet. Rey scrambled forward, getting her hands on a bulkhead door and using it to drag herself to her feet. Kylo was already on his feet. He grabbed a handful of Rey's hair and slammed her forehead into the door. Rey reached behind her, taking that hand by the thumb and twisting sharply. He let go, and she brought his hand over her shoulder. She sank her teeth into it hard enough to puncture both glove and skin. Kylo snarled and pulled his hand away.
Rey reached over and smacked the door controls. The door lid open and they both fell forward into the darkened room beyond.
They grappled briefly as they staggered through the dark room. Then both their feet came to an edge of some kind. They both fell into darkness.
...
Phasma planted a foot into the table Poe was taking cover behind. It shot forward, slamming into his gut and knocking him onto his back. Phasma fired her hold out blaster, taking out a Resistance soldier. She ducked a shot from Chewbacca's bowcaster. It hit a stormtrooper behind her, blowing him off his feet.
She sighted up on Chewbacca. The Wookiee ignored the blaster pointed at him. He barreled right into Phasma, taking her off her feet.
"How dare you touch me, you filth," Phasma said. She pressed a button on her gauntlet and electricity coursed through her armor. Chewbacca's fur stood on end and he fell backwards. "I'm going to kill all of you. None of you deserve to live." She aimed her blaster at Chewbacca's head."You're all scum."
"Hey," Finn said from behind her. He activated the lightsaber. "That's Rebel scum."
He swung the lightsaber like a club, hitting Phasma square in the helmet. Sparks and bits of chromium metal flew. Phasma hit the ground. Her half shattered helmet bounced along the deck.
Finn looked down at her face. "What the..."
The blaster fire slowly died down as the stormtroopers stopped firing. They were all looking at Phasma.
At Phasma, with her green, almost imperceptibly scaled, skin.
"Don't..." she put her hands over her face. "Don't look at me. Please don't look at me."
"Ma'am..." One of the Death Troopers said. "What are you?"
"I... I'm..." she faltered over her words.
"She's a liar," Finn said in the suddenly quiet room. "Just like the rest of them."
The stormtroopers looked at each other, clearly lost.
"Who are you supposed to be, then?" the Death Trooper who had spoken before said.
"I'm just a guy. I was stationed on the Finalizer. I know most of you guys." Finn placed the lightsaber on his belt. "I just want to talk."
"Finn, buddy..." Poe whispered. "Bad idea."
"I have to try," Finn hissed back. "And we need to buy time anyway."
"Don't listen to a word he says," Phasma said, still on the floor, still covering her face. "He's a traitor."
"Ma'am... You're not human." One stormtrooper said. "You always told us that aliens weren't even people. What else did you lie to us about?"
Several other stormtroopers nodded in agreement.
"You don't understand, I didn't have any choice," Phasma said.
"I've never lied to any of you," Finn said. "I'm telling you, the First Order isn't on the level. They're having us kill innocents and blow up planets. That was never what they told us it would be like. What happened to liberating people?"
The stormtroopers glanced at each other.
"He's lying to you," Phasma said. "He just wants you to kill for the other side. They aren't any different."
The Death Trooper walked over to her. He struck her hard on the head with the stock of his rifle."You're non-human scum, ma'am. Don't speak to me. Don't even look at me. Way I see it, the real traitor here is you."
The other stormtroopers nodded amongst themselves.
"I say we take this traitor back to the ship for court martial. It's a shame FN-2187 and the rebel scum escaped in the confusion."
The other troopers nodded in agreement.
"Wait," Finn said. "How can you just go back now that you know the truth? The Resistance needs all the help it can get."
"The Resistance? You want us to join the Resistance?" the Death Trooper scoffed, "FN-2187, that's insane. We aren't traitors. We're not the only men on this ship. There's no way any of you are making it out of this alive." He hauled Phasma up by the arm.
"Please don't do this," she said, tears were leaking from her eyes. "All I ever did was love you."
"Shut it, scum." The trooper fastened binders to Phasma's wrists. "Get moving. Come on men. We're done here."
The other stormtroopers filed out after them.
Poe put a hand on Finn's shoulder. "Sorry that didn't go the way you wanted it to. Indoctrination like that is hard to break."
"Don't be sorry," Finn said. He smiled suddenly. "It's a start."
...
In the cargo bay the medical personnel and wounded were holed up in, Threepio noticed something concerning.
"Excuse me, sir?" he said to the soldier guarding the door.
"What is it, droid?"
"Well, that was rude."
The man looked over at Threepio. He scrambled quickly to attention. "Sorry. I thought you were a medical droid. What can I do for you, C-3P0, sir?"
"Well, I happened to notice... and I'm no medical expert myself so I really couldn't be sure... And none of the doctors would give me the time of day... and the medical droids are shockingly rude, I'll have you know..." Threepio babbled.
The soldier closed his eyes briefly. Why couldn't he be in the middle of a shootout like his buddies? "What is it?" he said with dangerous calm.
"Well..." Threepio pointed at a bacta tank. "I... well... Is it supposed to be empty?"
"Is..." the soldier broke off, stricken. "Is that... that bacta tank?"
"I am afraid so."
"Force help us. The Princess is going to kill us."
"Oh," Threepio made a human-like sigh. "That is what I thought."
The New Hope
"Ready, lieutenant?" Admiral Ackbar said.
"As we'll ever be," Lieutenant Connix said.
Ackbar placed a finger on the button. "Let's hope we did this right." He pressed the button.
On the New Hope's port side, the escape pods fired. Several hundred of them. The Finalizer started catching them in tractor beams by protocol.
A second press of the button detonated the proton torpedos packed inside the pods in close proximity to the Finalizer.
The Star Destroyer was blown back several hundred meters through space by the massive magenta conflagration. It's shields flashed and overloaded. Debris pockmarked its hull.
"Well," Ackbar said calmly as the explosion lit up the bridge. "I believe we have successfully returned fire."
Lieutenant Connix, for her part, cheered and threw her arms around Ackbar.
"Decorum, lieutenant," Ackbar said, patting her on the back. "I believe we've done all we can from here. Shall we report to the shuttle bay? We don't want to be left behind, do we?"
The Conqueror
Leia moved through the ship's corridors. Hera and the soldiers were at an intersection of doorways just up ahead. Before she could join them, the doors slid closed.
Leia turned to find herself facing three stormtroopers. Her hand dropped to her blaster.
"Don't even think about it," one of the troopers said, blaster raised.
Leia's gaze shifted past the soldiers. A smile moved fleetingly across her face. "Alright." she moved her hand away from the blaster. "You've got me."
One of the stormtroopers approached to place binders on her.
"Hey," the voice came from behind. "Hands off."
The three stormtroopers whirled, blasters raised.
Han Solo shot first. He tracked his blaster across the hall, not taking the time to sight up, just pulling the trigger precisely as the barrel passed over each stormtrooper's forehead. Three stormtroopers fell, smoking holes in their helmets.
Han holstered his blaster and finished slipping his vest over his shoulders. He'd dressed in a hurry. He walked over to Leia. He took her by the hand and pulled her into a kiss.
"You supposed to be in a bacta tank, you dummy," Leia said.
"C'mon, honey. And miss all the fun? What's going on, anyway?"
"We're in the middle of hijacking a Star Destroyer."
Han rubbed her shoulder fondly. "That's my girl. The Falcon?"
"Should be in the hangar."
"Chewie?"
"On his way."
"I'll have to fly without a copilot then. Bet we need some cover from outside, right?"
"Han, you're still injured."
"C'mon, it's me. I can fly rings around those upstart First Order punks with one hand tied behind my back and a bantha sitting on my chest." He winced and placed a hand on his chest briefly. "Speaking of..."
"Han," Leia reached out to touch the spot. "You really need to get back in that tank."
"I'll be fine. Don't worry so much. It makes you look old."
She swatted his arm. "Don't you dare."
"Leia," Han said. "Where's our son? Is he okay?"
"He's hurting," she said immediately. "But he's not dead."
"That'll have to be enough for now," Han kissed her again. "See you on the other side."
They went their separate ways.
Author's note:
I wonder what people will think about this one. (I regret nothing)