Crait
Stormtroopers filled the spaces between the AT-M6's sweeping the ground with scanners.
One held up a hand. A chunk of debris from the crashing Conqueror had torn a ragged hole in the ground ahead. Red dust rose from the hole. The stormtrooper poked his head over the edge. Less than two meters under the surface the red soil gave way to empty space; a series of tunnels under the salt flats.
"Sir," he said into his commlink. "We have tunnels."
"Begin deploying into them," Hux ordered from the bridge of the Finalizer. "If we're lucky they'll take us into the Rebel base from below."
Alliance base
Finn and the thirty or so surviving Resistance soldiers, along with Chewbacca and Zeb, assembled by the grates leading to the tunnels. In the launch bay, Poe got the X-wing online while Hera and the other pilots got into the Ski Speeders.
"Everyone receiving me?" Poe said over the comms.
"Loud and clear," Finn said.
"Men, follow Finn as you would any other commander down there. He knows more about the First Order than any of us."
Some of the soldiers looked uncomfortable, but none argued.
Finn led the way down into the tunnels. The walls were made of red, dusty soil that fell in puffs under the footfalls of the walkers. The grate on the floor rattled as the soldiers followed him down. The passages branched periodically, and opened occasionally into large chambers full of ancient mining equipment. A few hundred meters from the base the tunnels led out into an infantry trench equipped with several antique laser cannons; then cut back underground at the opposite wall of the trench.
"Alright, this is about where the walkers will come into firing range," Finn said as they came to another chamber full of mining equipment. "Start planting charges. Spread out. We have eleven walkers to take out."
Other teams broke off from the main group to take charges down the branching passageways.
Derham Boyce, an Iktotchi and their one surviving demolition expert, began placing a charge on the support strut at the center of the chamber.
Back in the base, Poe watched the progress of the AT-M6s from the launch bay.
"Deploy," he said.
Hera gave him a thumbs up from the cockpit of her Ski speeder.
From the control room, Lieutenant Connix activated the launch controls. Then she ran to catch up with the group escaping out the back of the base.
The ski speeders were fired at high speeds from the launch tubes. The thirteen oblong, ramshackle speeders came out of the base high over the salt flats.
"Activate stabilizers," Hera said calmly even as the speeders dropped towards the ground in a barely controlled glide. "Brace for landing."
The speeders hit the ground, rattling under the impact. The pilots extended the speeders' stabilizer strut, which stuck into the ground to keep the ships from falling over. The ski speeders threw up red trails of dust behind them as they tore ruts through the salt.
The Finalizer
"And so they come," Hux said from the bridge as the ski speeders approached the looming AT-M6s. "One last time. Bring the squadron around. Destroy those pieces of junk."
The TIEs and Republic X-wings dived down for the ski speeders.
Just before they came into range, a lone X-wing launched from the Alliance base. Poe flew head on into the squadron. He opened up with all cannons. The barrels sputtered for a moment, then started firing. Two fighters, one TIE and one X-wing, were lanced with laser fire, exploding in the sky above the salt flats. Poe broke off and flew straight up. The fighters were right on his tail.
The AT-M6's cannons powered up and took aim at the on coming ski speeders.
"Here we go," Hera said over the rattling of the cockpit. "Let's see how many of these things we can take down."
Laser cannon fire began streaking across the flats.
In the tunnels below, the grating began to rattle. Not the walkers above, but many boots pounding on the metal grating.
"Incoming," Finn said. "Positions."
The Resistance soldiers began taking cover behind crates and equipment.
Then the first stormtrooper rounded the corner into the chamber.
"Contact!" he shouted back down the passage. The trooper ducked back around the corner as Resistance soldiers opened up on him. A moment later the rest of the stormtroopers reached the chamber.
Finn dived behind a massive drill as blaster fire lanced across the room.
Return fire from the Resistance soldiers blazed back at the stormtroopers.
Finn activated his commlink. "Teams, have you planted the explosives?"
All that came through the line was the sound of blaster fire.
...
Rey turned her head towards the booms coming from outside. Then she took a steadying breath and walked into the mine system. The non-combatants and wounded piled into the passage behind her. Leia, who was still unconscious, was being moved on an ancient, wheeled gurney they had found in the medbay.
They walked into the depths of the mines.
...
Out on the flats, a ski speeder was blown to flame and wreckage by a cannon blast from an AT-M6.
The rest of the ski speeders came into range and opened fire on the walkers. The shots sent sparks flying from the walkers' armored hulls. They didn't do any damage.
...
The Death trooper commander HX-66 swept his repeating blaster rifle around the room one more time. Smoke rose from the overheated barrel. The passage was littered with dead Resistance soldiers. He kicked one of the bodies over. She was clutching a high explosive charge in her dead hands.
HX-66 motioned to the other five Death Troopers in his squad. "Move out. These tunnels are full of vermin. Let's exterminate them."
...
Riot control stormtroopers armed with shields and batons forced their way into the chamber ahead of their brethren. Blaster fire pinged off of their shields. The other stormtroopers pressed in behind them, firing through the gaps in the shields.
Several resistance soldiers ran out of cover to flank the stormtroopers and set up a crossfire. Stormtroopers at the edge of the formation began going down.
"Down!" a trooper at the back of the formation called. The stormtroopers in front of him dropped into a crouch as the heavy assault trooper fired a shoulder mounted rocket launcher at the Resistance position. The rocket hit a hauling vehicle. The resulting explosion threw Finn and many other soldiers off their feet.
Finn hit the ground hard. Red dust fell over him. He blinked rapidly to clear his eyes. Around him, the opposing forces had left their formations as they fell into close quarters combat. Vibroblades flashed alongside the blaster bolts and explosions. Blood from a dozen wounds on a dozen men began soaking into the crimson soil.
Finn shook his head and made to scramble to his feet.
A riot trooper got to him before he could rise.
Finn raised his blaster with one hand.
The trooper stopped.
Finn's finger shook over the trigger. "Don't make me do this."
The trooper hesitated for a moment. Then he raised his baton and brought it down.
Finn put a shot through his forearm, then two more through his chestplate. The trooper fell. Finn stood. He looked down at the body for a long moment.
"Kid!" Zeb shouted over the comm, his voice followed by the sound of blasterfire. "My team has our charge planted, but we're under heavy fire! How's it going on your end?"
Finn shook his head and looked over at Derham Boyce, who was hunkered down behind a support column. He held up a detonator and gave Finn a thumbs up.
Finn was about to order his men to pull back when a hail of blaster bolts hit Boyce. He fell, the detonator bouncing from his hands.
HX-66 and his squad of Death Troopers swept into the battle. HX-66 fired another automatic burst into Boyce's corpse for good measure.
"Working on it," Finn told Zeb.
Then he grabbed the riot trooper's shield and ran for the detonator. Blaster fire slammed into the shield as soon as he left cover, nearly knocking Finn off his feet. He staggered, found his balance and kept running. A shot cracked out from one of the Death Troopers and a Resistance soldier dropped to the ground in Finn's path, shot cleanly through the head. Finn stepped over him and kept going.
A grenade went off nearby. The shield took the brunt of the blast, but Finn was knocked off his feet. When he looked up, HX-66 was standing over him. Finn threw up the shield in front of him as HX-66 unloaded his repeating blaster. The shield jerked violently in Finn's grip. HX-66 held his finger down on the trigger. The last shot before the weapon overheated blew the shield from Finn's grip. HX-66 vented his blaster with a hiss of steam. Finn scrambled across the grating, hand reaching. HX-66 took a few strides after him. His gun hummed back to life.
He took aim.
Finn's hand closed around the riot trooper's fallen baton. He lashed the weapon up, knocking the blaster from the Death Trooper's grip. He jabbed the baton's tip into HX-66's gut and upped the voltage to maximum. The Death Trooper went stiff as electricity coursed through him. Then he slammed his forearm down on the baton, knocking it aside. He extended a vibroblade from his gauntlet and advanced on Finn. Finn raised his blaster with his other hand and shot HX-66 twice. Both shots speared right through his body and hit the wall. HX-66 grunted and kept coming.
"The hell are you guys made out of?" Finn muttered.
...
Above, another ski speeder was hit by cannon fire, exploding. The rest of the ski speeders broke off to the sides of the walkers right before they ran into them, throwing up great plumes of red dust in front of the walkers.
"What I wouldn't give for some tow cables right about now," Hera muttered as she continued blasting at the AT-M6's armor.
...
In the sky, Poe sent his X-wing through a barrel roll that took him spinning through a hail of laser fire from the dozen fighters on his tail.
"BB-8, divert power to shields..." Poe trailed off, realizing he was flying alone. He fired forward thrusters, then port thrusters. Poe nearly blacked out from the press of gravity. Those maneuvers were taxing enough in zero-g. But he managed to whip around, firing the X-wing's laser cannons in a wide arc as the fighter turned. The spray of laser bolts took out another TIE and sent two Republic X-wings spiraling away, leaking smoke. Poe brought the X-wing out of the turn, sagging forward in his seat as the gravity lessened, then made straight for the mountains.
...
In the mines under the mountains, the walls shook from the battle outside. BB-8 rolled ahead, tracking the Vulptexs through the passages and lighting the way with his spotlight. The walls were cramped and full of red crystal shards that grew bigger the deeper they went. Rey headed up the rest of them, walking confidently despite her eyes. Whenever she stumbled, someone was there to steady her.
Rey stopped suddenly.
"What is it?" Lieutenant Connix whispered.
Rey's head turned towards a passage branching off of the main one. In the gloom, mist seemed to be rising from somewhere around the far corner. At the end of the passage, a figure in a brown, hooded robe lurked.
Rey shook her head. "Nothing."
She kept walking.
...
In the tunnels below the salt flats, HX-66 blocked a blow from Finn's baton with both forearms. Sparks of electricity crackled across his gauntlets. He shoved Finn back a step, swung his wrist blade at Finn. Finn ducked, slammed the baton into HX-66's gut. The Death Trooper doubled over. Finn slammed the baton down on his back. HX-66 blocked Finn's next blow on his wrist blade in a shower of sparks.
A stray blaster bolt burned past them. An explosion sent a stormtrooper flying and a hail of shattered armor falling over them. Finn flinched back from the shards while HX-66 let them ping harmlessly off his armor. HX-66 brought his fist up into Finn's chin, sending him staggering against the wall. The Death Trooper brought his wrist blade up and punched at Finn with it. Finn swung his baton at him two handed at the same time. Before either could hit, the ceiling exploded.
A cannon blast from an AT-M6 had hit the ground, blowing through the thin layer of earth above the tunnel. Rubble, salt and pieces of destroyed ski speeder rained down on the battle.
HX-66 stood up easily, despite the shard of metal embedded in his back. Finn rolled over and tried to stand.
"You can't beat me, traitor," HX-66 said. "I'm a product of the genetic labs. You can't kill me. But I sure as hell can kill you."
"I bet he can kill you," Finn said.
"What-?"
Then Chewbacca hit HX-66 shoulder first, bowling him off his feet.
Chewbacca barked at Finn and pointed at the detonator, which had rolled into another passage. Finn ran for it.
The other five Death Troopers stood among the bodies of a dozen Resistance soldiers, firing at the Resistance's position. One took a blaster bolt to the chest that knocked her off her feet. She stood smoothly and returned fire.
Chewbacca aimed his bowcaster at HX-66. Before he could fire, he was forced to re-aim at a stormtrooper sighting up on him. Chewbacca blew the stormtrooper off his feet. HX-66 took his chance and barreled into Chewbacca. The Wookiee staggered. HX-66 bore Chewbacca back into the wall with a thud. He pulled his arm back and stabbed his wrist blade at Chewbacca's throat. He dropped his bowcaster and caught the Death Trooper's arm. Chewbacca slammed his forehead into HX-66's helmet, snapping his head back. He forced the Death Trooper back a few steps. HX-66 set his feet and he stopped moving. He extended another wrist blade on his other arm and stabbed at Chewbacca. The wookiee caught that arm as well. They stood locked there for a moment. Then Chewbacca adjusted his grip on HX-66's arms. He stopped pushing and started pulling. The Death Trooper looked down at his arms in shock.
"Oh, no," he said.
Then Chewbacca pulled hard on both his arms.
Across the chamber, the other Death Troopers watched in horror.
"Emperor's black bones," one whispered.
Chewbacca hurled HX-66's armless corpse at the Death Troopers, knocking two off their feet, then dove for his bowcaster. He came up firing, blowing a hole through a Death Trooper's chest.
Finn reached the detonator. He grabbed it up.
"Pull back!" he shouted into the comms. "All forces pull back!"
"About Karabastin' time," Zeb snapped over the line. He was taking cover behind a pile of dead stormtroopers, firing over the top. He dropped back and ran for it, detonator in hand.
"Team six reporting," another Resistance soldier called in. "Charge in place."
"Team three, reporting."
"Team five here."
"That's only half the charges set, kid," Zeb said as he ran. "Will that be enough?"
"It'll have to be," Finn said.
The remaining Resistance soldiers began pulling out of the chamber, dragging the wounded and sending return fire back at the stormtroopers across the room.
The Death Troopers were still occupied with Chewbacca. The Wookiee grabbed one by the helmet and slammed his skull into the wall, while firing his bowcaster one-handed into another's chest plate. A third Death Trooper fired a shot that hit Chewbacca in the side. The wookiee roared and hurled the Death Trooper in his grip into the third one. Then he fired once, twice, three times, at the ceiling of the passage. It came down on them. The stormtroopers fell back as rubble rained down.
Chewbacca ran for the retreating Resistance force.
As they left the chamber, Finn held up the detonator. His finger fell over the button. Then a hand clamped down over his. A hand with a chrome plated gauntlet.
Phasma twisted the detonator from Finn's hand. Her armor was caked in salt and her face was bloodied. She aimed a blaster pistol at Finn with her other hand.
...
Poe took his X-wing through the jagged mountain peaks above the base. Laser fire exploded on the rocks around him. He closed the s-foils as he cut through a narrow pass. The X-wing directly on his tail didn't. It's wings caught on the rocks and the fighter exploded.
Poe's X-wing came out over the salt flats. Below, another ski speeder went down, while the others continued to cut crimson trails across the flats as they rained laser fire on the AT-M6s.
Poe fired a pair of proton torpedoes at the walkers. One struck an AT-ST, blowing it to pieces, while the other hit an AT-M6 right in the head. Its head was knocked to the side. Then its pilot turned it forwards again and the walker kept moving.
Poe came in low over the flats, laser fire hitting the ground all around him.
...
Kylo Ren stood on the salt flats, watching the battle from a distance. He unhooked his lightsaber from his belt.
"What are you doing, Master Ben?" Threepio asked from beside him.
"Ending this. Stay here."
Kylo Ren swept across the flats towards the battle.
...
Deep in the mines, BB-8 continued to trace the Vulptexs through the passageways. The passage led to a sheer wall. The foxes easily slipped through cracks near the bottom. The cracks were rather too small for humans.
The Resistance group slowly came to a stop. There was no way out.
"Stay calm," Rey said. "This is what I'm here for."
She activated her lightsaber and drove it into the wall. She began cutting.
...
In orbit, the Millennium Falcon came out of hyperspace.
Luke stood beside Han in the cockpit.
"So," Han said. "I'm seeing a star destroyer and a bunch of other capital ships down there. I don't think any of them are on our side. What's the plan, Jedi master?"
"What do you think?" Luke said. "Rescue the princess."
"Works for me."
"Listen, Han, I just want to say... I know I can never fix what I did. But I want to-"
"Save it, kid. We already said it all a long time ago. Make yourself useful and get on a turret."
Luke nodded once. He ran to the top turret.
"I'm taking us in," Han said, dipping the Falcon into the atmosphere.
"May the Force be with you, Han," Luke said from the turret.
"You too, Luke."
The Falcon dove towards the battle.
...
Poe turned his X-wing on its side, flying between two AT-M6s. Laser fire from the fighters on his tail pinged off the walker's armor. They cut off their fire to avoid doing any more damage to the walkers. As Poe came out the other side, he found that half the squadron had broken off from the rest. They were coming around in front of him. The other fighters fired at him from behind. Poe rolled the X-wing, the G forces pressing him back into his seat. A laser bolt slammed into his ship. It listed, leaking smoke. A TIE fired a pair of proton torpedoes. Poe's fingers flew towards countermeasure systems he quickly realized this decades old X-wing wasn't equipped with.
A moment before the torpedoes hit, two laser bolts lanced down from above, hitting the torpedoes and detonating them off Poe's starboard.
The Millennium Falcon dove into the midst of the squadron, dorsal, ventral and mandible laser cannons blazing. A half dozen fighters went down in its first pass.
Inside, Luke fired the dorsal turret with one hand, while his other was held out towards the door, his fingers moving constantly. He was operating the ventral turret with the Force.
A cheer went up from the Resistance forces falling back into the trenches on the salt flats as the Falcon flew overhead.
"All aerial forces," Hux said from the bridge of the Finalizer. "Destroy that ship."
The Millenium Falcon flew straight for the Finalizer and the republic fleet, the remaining fighters on its tail.
Flaming TIEs and Republic X-wings fell to the salt flats as Luke shot them out of the sky.
Turbolaser fire from the Finalizer lanced at the Falcon. Han spun the ship through the hail of laser fire. None of the Republic ships fired.
Poe brought his X-wing up behind the fighters pursuing the Falcon, he began picking them off one by one.
"Sir, we're running out of fighters," an officer reported to Hux.
"Holdo," Hux snapped into the comms. "Why aren't your ships firing?"
"There's nothing I can do." Holdo said, "They won't fire on the Millenium Falcon."
...
In the tunnels, Finn faced Phasma. Cinder and red dust fell on them from the burning hole in the roof. Flames from the numerous explosions flickered all around them.
"I guess it was too much to hope you didn't make it out of the crash," Finn said.
"I always survive, FN-2187," Phasma said. "You should know that by now."
"Blister Roaches always do. Why are you even here? The First Order knows what you really are now."
"They don't. But they will." she glanced at the passageway the stormtroopers had fallen back into when the ceiling had collapsed.
Finn followed her gaze. "You want them to see you shoot me. You think they're going to take you back."
"Once I save this operation, they will know I'm still loyal."
"You know that's not how it works. Once a traitor, always a traitor. Just like me."
"I'm nothing like you-"
Finn swung his baton up, knocking the blaster spinning from her hand. He raised his own blaster.
Phasma threw the detonator. Finn dropped the blaster, lunging to catch it. His fingers closed around it. Then Phasma's armored fist slammed into his gut. The detonator hit the floor as Finn staggered. He dove for it. His fingers found it again. Phasma kicked his hand, sending the detonator skittering across the floor. She shoved Finn aside, reaching for it. Finn slammed his elbow into her nose. She fell backwards, holding a hand to her face. Blood leaked from between her fingers.
"Not so tough now, are you?" Finn said. "Hurts without a helmet."
"Pain is an old friend," Phasma grunted. She lunged at him.
Finn swung the baton. Phasma parried with her armored forearm, sparks falling in a shower from the impact. She swung a punch at him. Finn knocked it aside with a sweep of the baton in another shower of sparks. Phasma parried one, two, more blows from Finn's baton. The third slammed heavily against her guard. She braced her forearm. Electricity crackled across the chromium surface of her armor. They struggled against each other for a moment. Phasma forced the baton back inch by inch. She got ahold of Finn's wrist with her other hand and forced the baton down sharply. The electrified tip hit the ground. There was a sizzle. The baton had hit the detonator. Smoke rose from it. Finn let go of the baton and grabbed up the detonator. Phasma let him.
Finn pressed the button. Nothing happened. He pressed it again.
"It's fried, FN-2187," Phasma said. "It's over."
He pressed the button one more time. Then he threw it against the wall.
He raised his fists. "Ready to finish this?"
From across the chamber, the stormtroopers were forcing their way through the rubble.
"I'd say another time," Phasma said. "But we both know you're going to die here. You're a good soldier, Finn. I'm sorry it had to be this way."
She walked away down a side passage. Finn didn't bother pursuing her.
He walked over to the explosive charge on the column.
The walker's footfalls stopped directly above. They were in range. He could see them through the hole in the ceiling.
Finn raised his commlink. "Is everyone out of the tunnels?"
"Everyone except you," Zeb said. "Get a move on, kid."
"Yeah, about that. Looks like that's not going to happen." Finn opened the charge's control panel. The detonation switch was handily marked in red. Finn put his hand over it.
"What are you talking about? Get out of there!" Zeb snapped. Chewie roared into the comm as well.
"You gotta detonate the rest of the bombs," Finn said.
"Kid, that's not gonna happen."
"Detonate them, or this is all for nothing."
There was silence over the comms for a moment.
"May the Force be with you, kid," Zeb said.
Chewbacca howled mournfully.
"Detonating," Zeb said.
Finn listened to the muffled booms as the other explosives in other parts of the tunnels began going off.
Finn closed his eyes and flipped the detonation switch.
He waited.
He waited another moment.
Then he opened his eyes.
He turned.
Kylo Ren stood in the chamber, from where he had jumped down. His hand was extended.
He had frozen the bomb before it could detonate.
The explosions from the other bombs ripped through the tunnels. The ground beneath the AT-M6s rippled. One walker's foot broke through the weakened ground, landing in a tunnel. But that was all. The walker tore its foot free and kept moving.
"You," Finn said.
"Of course it would be you," Kylo said. "You're always underfoot." he ripped the bomb from the column with the Force and hurled it up through the hole in the ceiling. It detonated harmlessly somewhere above.
"Where's Rey?" Kylo said.
"Stay away from her," Finn snarled. He picked up the baton.
"Don't."
Finn ran at him.
Kylo Force pushed him, slamming him into the wall.
Kylo ignited his lightsaber. He held it to Finn's throat.
"Go on. Do it," Finn spat. "Stop wasting both our time."
Kylo held the blade there for another moment. Then he lowered it. "You're lucky she loves you."
"She... what?"
"Go. Be with your friends. You don't have much time left."
Finn looked at Kylo for a long moment, "I'm gonna kill you one day."
"No. You won't. But I appreciate the thought."
Finn walked away.
The stormtroopers broke through the rubble behind Kylo.
Kylo looked up, watching the Millenium Falcon streak through the battle above.
"Father." And then his hands clenched into fists. "Skywalker."
...
Luke threw out his hands. The proton torpedoes shooting at the Falcon changed course, slamming into the Finalizer's shields. Han brought the Falcon around and fired a brace of concussion missiles at the same spot. The shields gave way over that section of the ship and Luke opened up on it with both laser cannons. Fire and explosions bloomed along the star destroyer's hull.
"Holdo!" Hux shouted into the comms. "Destroy that cursed ship or this alliance ends here and now! One word from me and your population centers burn. Give it a day and I will have our entire fleet attacking yours. We will bring war to this entire galaxy unless you destroy the Millennium Falcon!"
On the Wild Hunt, Holdo closed her eyes tightly.
"Ma'am," an officer said. "Give the word and we light those pieces of filth up."
"No," Holdo said. "We have a responsibility to our people."
"Ma'am, with respect, if you fire on the Millennium Falcon, you will have a mutiny on your hands."
"I know." she walked over to the gunnery station. "Move.".
The man moved.
She sat down at the controls.
"Ma'am." the officer drew his blaster. "Don't do this."
"Shoot me if you feel you need to, Captain Heanway. But I will not allow this treaty to be broken. I won't let all these deaths be for nothing." Holdo brought up the Wild Hunt's precision laser cannons.
Captain Heanway lined up his blaster on her. "Ma'am..."
She locked onto the Falcon.
Heanway looked away from her for one moment, scanning the faces of the other crew members to make sure he had their support. That moment was all it took.
Holdo fired.
Heanway stunned her.
A single laser cannon on the Wild Hunt fired. The emerald bolt left the barrel.
On the Falcon, Luke closed his eyes.
"Han," he said. "I'm sorry."
Then he threw both hands and all of the Force he could muster down towards the cockpit.
The laser bolt hit the Falcon.
It tore through the shields first. Then it hit the lower turret. It tore through that as well, burning up into the smugglers holds under the deck plating. It blasted into the main hold, leaving a burning hole behind it, vaporizing the couches and setting fire to the dejarik table. It sliced through the access tube to the upper laser turret and blasted apart the corridor leading to the cockpit. Last it blew out through the top of the Falcon's hull.
The Millennium Falcon seemed to hang in the air for a moment, as a hundred shocked Resistance soldiers and stormtroopers watched from below.
Then the Falcon fell, trailing flames. The blue glow of its engines flickered once, twice. Then they went out.
The Falcon hit the ground in front of the Alliance base. It broke in two on impact.
The wreckage of the Millennium Falcon lay burning on the salt flats.
In the tunnels, Kylo Ren lowered his head.
In the trenches, Chewbacca howled.
Above, on the bridge of the Finalizer, Hux grinned. "About time."
"Walkers in position," an officer reported.
"All units, open fire!" Hux ordered.
The AT-M6s, all eleven of them, as well as the AT-ATs flanking them, opened fire on the massive door.
The Finalizer's turbolasers lanced down on the door.
The brilliant flash of weapon's fire blinded everyone on the flats.
When the glare faded, a massive hole had been blasted into the door.
In the trenches, the Resistance soldiers sagged. Several dropped their guns. They all knew it was over.
Zeb placed his hand on Finn's shoulder. "We tried, kid. There's nothing else we could have done."
The walkers advanced on the Resistance forces.
...
In the mines, Rey cut through the last of the wall. The Resistance members moved in to drag the slabs of stone away. Fresh air and sunlight came wafting in through the passageway.
"You did it," Lieutenant Connix said.
Rey turned back to the mines. "Go. Hide if you can."
"Where are you going?"
"Where do you think?"
"Ma'am, you can't do that. How will you even find your way through?"
"I'll make do."
"Will... will you be coming back?"
Rey shrugged. "Probably not."
She walked back into the mines.
BB-8 rolled after her.
"No, BB-8," Rey said."You have to stay here. Someone has to take care of all these people."
BB-8 warbled sadly.
"I know," Rey said. "I wish it could be different too." she bent down to pat him on the dome. "I'll miss you, too."
Rey walked into the mines.
Darkness fell.
The red crystals on the walls loomed around her. Mist formed around her ankles. Soon she was deep into the tunnels. She walked as though she knew exactly where she was going.
Suddenly, a figure in a brown robe emerged from the shadows in front Rey. The mist tinged blue around it. It held up a hand.
Rey stopped for a moment. "I know you're there. I'm not listening to you again." she kept walking.
Rey. Don't
"I said I'm not listening. I don't trust you."
She kept going.
Rey, no
Something took hold of Rey. She was yanked off her feet, pulled in the opposite direction of the hooded figure. It stretched out a hand for her, but she was already out of sight.
Rey hit the ground hard. Before she could find her balance, she was pulled again.
She stood unsteadily. The chamber was full of massive red crystals sticking like blades from every wall.
Something shifted in the dark and the swirling mist. Rey turned her head towards the sound.
A huge, skeletally thin figure lurked in the shadows behind her. It took a single step towards her. Rey whirled at the sound, activating her lightsaber.
"Who's there?" she said.
"Who do you think?" Snoke said.
...
Outside, in front of the blasted doors, the wreckage of the Millennium Falcon burned.
Han Solo fell lightly to the floor, from where he had been safely held through the entire crash. Artoo, similarly unharmed, rolled over to him.
They both exited what was left of the cockpit into the ruined interior. The back half of the ship lay half buried in salt a few dozen meters away.
"My ship..." Han said quietly. "My ship."
Luke emerged from the wreckage, his robes singed.
"Han," he said. "I'm so sorry."
Outside, stormtroopers were pouring out of the tunnels. They carefully advanced on the Falcon.
"Yeah." Han wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand. "Me too."
He looked outside through a hole in the hull. "Guess this is it, huh?"
"Probably."
"So... "
"Yeah."
"Drowning in stormtroopers. About how I expected."
"Yeah, we probably should have seen this one coming."
"Guess everyone's luck runs out."
"Or maybe we just got old."
"Speak for yourself, kid."
A few blaster bolts pinged off the hull. A Flametrooper began to set fire to the wreckage outside.
"She's already on fire!" Han shouted out. "What the hell more do you want?"
"Listen, Han..." Luke began.
"I told you, Luke. None of that. You don't have to say anything."
"I want to. I... I'm sorry. I'm sorry about your son. And your daughter. You trusted me with them, and I failed them both. I know you'll never forgive me but..."
"Luke, I forgave you a long time ago. Everyone did. If you'd been around you might have known that." Han put his hands on Luke's shoulders. "You're my brother. That's never going to change. Now, anything else you want to get off your chest?"
"That..." Luke wiped at his own eyes. "About covered it."
"Alright, then." Han unholstered his blaster. "Ready?"
Luke unhooked his lightsaber and activated it. "Try and keep up."
Luke Skywalker and Han Solo stepped out of the Falcon side by side.
The stormtroopers opened fire.
Luke's lightsaber moved in a blur in front of them, deflecting the hail of blaster bolts. Han fired past him. Stormtroopers began dropping; one, three, half a dozen.
...
In the Finalizer, Hux leaned forward in his chair, "What's going on down there? Magnify."
The holographic sights on the viewport zoomed in.
The entire bridge saw the green lightsaber and the falling stormtroopers.
Whispers began echoing around the bridge.
"Is that really him?"
"A Jedi."
"Luke Skywalker."
"Silence!" Hux snapped. "Send more men. Send them all. Kill him."
"Sir..." an officer said.
"What?" Hux snapped.
"The men... uh... no one else will go."
"They... they what?"
"Sir, look."
Hux looked.
Han and Luke stood back to back, Luke deflecting while Han shot. Bodies littered the salt flats around them. Dozens.
"That's Luke Skywalker," the officer said. "That man killed Darth Vader. He killed the Emperor. They... there have been reports..." he lowered his voice. "That he killed the Supreme Leader too."
"Lies," Hux said. He pulled his blaster and shot the officer. "Lies! Luke Skywalker is just a man. He is flesh and blood. And he will die just like anyone else. Send the walkers. Send all the walkers!"
...
On the salt flats below, a flametrooper fired his flamethrower. Luke held up one hand, the stream of fire washing around him and Han but not touching them. Han shot the flametrooper's fuel pack. It exploded.
Luke and Han lowered their weapons.
"Think that's the last of them?" Han said.
"Not even close."
In the trenches, the Resistance soldiers hefted their weapons as the walkers approached.
"Should we get back inside?" one soldier asked.
"No point," Finn said. "There's nowhere to run."
From behind, there came whispers. Finn turned. The crowd of soldiers were parting. They all stepped aside to reveal Luke and Han.
"Stand down, son," Luke said putting a hand on Finn's shoulder. "I'll take it from here."
Luke walked across the flats towards the walkers.
"Han!" Finn said. "Is... is he... should we...?"
"Let him do this thing, kid," Han said. "We'd better get inside. This is probably going to get messy."
The soldiers rushed inside the base.
Luke continued towards the walkers. He stopped.
The eleven AT-M6s loomed over him.
Kylo Ren watched from a distance.
"Hux," he said into the comms. "Leave him to me."
"Negative, Ren. He dies now. Fire!" Hux ordered. "Fire everything!"
Luke activated his lightsaber and assumed a defensive stance as the walkers aimed their laser cannons at him.
They opened fire. Laser bolts lanced down at Luke.
He disappeared in an explosion of flame and red dust.
"Do not stop firing," Hux ordered.
The barrage of laser bolts continued. Dirt and rubble was thrown into the air. The brilliance of the laser fire nearly blinded anyone looking.
A minute passed as the barrage continued.
"Cease fire," Hux said letting out a breath. "We got him."
The AT-M6s ceased fire.
The smoke and red dust cleared.
The first thing visible was the emerald glow of Luke's lightsaber. After a moment, the rest of him became visible. One hand still held this lightsaber. The other was extended. His palm seemed to be glowing faintly, much as if he had absorbed Force lightning or a blaster bolt.
"Impossible," Hux gasped.
Luke raised his glowing hand above his head. He brought it down to the ground. A rumble passed through the salt flats. Not just the ground, but the tunnels beneath. Rock fractured and support columns gave way. Then the tunnels caved in and the AT-M6s fell. All of them.
A massive cloud of red dust fell over the salt flats, briefly obscuring the setting sun.
When it cleared, the twisted wreckage of the AT-M6s became visible in the massive crater left in front of the Alliance Base.
Hux paled. "Orbital bombardment," he said. "Fire all turbolasers. Something has to work."
"Negative," Kylo Ren said. "Stand down. I will deal with this myself."
Kylo Ren began walking across the flats towards Luke.
...
A figure in a brown robe stepped from the shadows between Snoke and Rey. It held up its hand towards Snoke.
"You have no power over me, spirit," Snoke said. He walked directly through the figure. It vanished
Rey stood before Snoke, lightsaber blazing in her hands.
"Ben told me you were dead."
"Oh, there's so much you don't understand," Snoke said. "But in time, you will learn."
Rey leveled her lightsaber at him. "I'll make sure you're dead this time." she lunged for the sound of his voice.
Her blade passed through empty air.
"Come now, Rey," Snoke said, appearing behind her. "You didn't think I was actually here, did you? The connection you have with Kylo Ren is unique. And I have a connection with Kylo Ren too. The two of you are doing it by accident. Imagine what one could do on purpose."
Rey spun and slashed at him.
Snoke raised a hand, holding her back with a Force push.
Rey strained against it, trying to force the blade closer.
"Do you think that weapon could really hurt me in this form?"
"Why don't you let me stab you? Then we'll find out."
Snoke waved his hand to the side, and Rey was thrown into the crystals lining the wall. The sharp edges sliced into her as she slammed into them. Rey struggled to her feet, slashing her hands open on the crystals as she used them to pull herself up.
"If you're not here, you can't really hurt me either."
"You know better than that." Snoke pulled her towards him with a tug of the Force. Then he slammed his fist down on her, knocking her to the floor. "You will die here. Unless..."
"Let me guess, join you," Rey said from the ground.
"Of course. Why else would I be wasting my time with you? You're-"
Rey slashed at his ankles. Snoke froze her arm with a small gesture. He raised his other hand and brought it down sharply. The blast of Force slammed down on Rey's back, driving her to the ground again.
"As I was saying, you're exactly what I've been looking for. Kylo Ren is weak. Because of his heart. Because of his family. Because of his Jedi training. But you, well, you have none of those things, do you?" Snoke lifted his hand and Rey was dragged into the air before him. "The desert weathered you into a black little gem for me. All full of abandonment and rage."
Rey growled as she struggled against his grip.
"Yes, exactly. It comes so easy for you, doesn't it? You've never known anything but the dark."
"You don't know what you're talking about."
"Of course I do. I know everything. I know the one thing that can make that withered heart of yours sing. No, I don't mean the boy. You aren't capable of that. I mean your parents. Such a small and simple desire. As though knowing the fate of the beings that spawned you really means anything. But," he shrugged. "It makes you so pathetically easy to manipulate. They all do it, you know. Your so called friends. Whenever they need something from you, they know exactly what to say to get it. I can rid you of that weakness. It isn't difficult."
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm offering you a gift, dear. Would you like to know what happened to your parents?"
...
Salt crunched under Kylo Ren's feet as he approached Luke Skywalker.
Han watched from the threshold of the door.
Luke looked back at him and shook his head.
Smoke rose from the wrecked AT-M6s.
"Skywalker," Kylo said, his hand on the hilt of his lightsaber.
"Kylo Ren," Luke said.
Inside, Finn looked over Han's shoulder.
"What should we do?"
"Luke's giving you a chance to get out of here. You'd better take it."
"What about you?"
"I'm not going anywhere."
Finn looked back at the Resistance soldiers. "Move out," he said. "Head through the mines."
The men began rushing into the passageway at the back of the base.
Chewbacca stayed beside Han.
"Don't suppose I can convince you to go with them." Han said.
Chewie shook his head.
"That's what I thought."
As Kylo reached Luke, Han's hand fell to his holstered blaster.
Chewie rarred at him questioningly.
"No. I don't know who to aim at either."
The Finalizer
"Holdo!" Hux fairly shouted into the comm. "Where are you? Answer me."
"I'm afraid Vice Admiral Holdo is no longer in command of this ship," Captain Heanway said over the comm.
"What are your intentions?"
"I have no desire to break this treaty either, much as I'd like to. However, if you attempt to fire on Luke Skywalker, I will have no choice but to destroy you."
"How dare you threaten me. Remember the stakes here."
"I would advise you to remember the same. Look around. There are far more of us than there are of you."
Hux glared out the viewport at the Republic fleet. "Then we are at an impasse."
He shut off the comm. He gestured at the communications officer. "Send out the call. All ships in the sector. Tell them an engagement with the Republic is imminent."
...
"I had hoped to never see you again," Luke said.
"Afraid to look at what you've done?" Kylo said.
"No. Afraid of what I'd have to do." Luke took his lightsaber from his belt and ignited it.
Kylo's red blade boiled from the emitter. "I've been waiting for this. For all these years, I've been growing stronger. What have you been doing, hiding on some backwater planet? Rotting? You're no match for me now."
"You have no idea how wrong you are."
"Aren't you going to plead for me to stop? To come back to the light? Where are your teachings about redemption now?"
"I know better than that. You already made your choice. Nothing I say will change your mind."
"You killed her. You killed my sister. You killed Jaina."
"I did." Luke said. He raised his lightsaber. "What are you going to do about it?"
Kylo Ren snarled deep in his throat. He charged at Luke. The salt crunched beneath his feet.
Luke held steady, blade held parallel to his shoulder.
Then Kylo was on him and the duel began.
Luke shifted his feet, catching Kylo's lunging slash on his blade and letting Kylo charge past. Kylo spun and slashed at Luke's back. Luke whirled as well, parrying low at his waist, then high as Kylo's blade came down again.
Their blades hissed and buzzed as they fought across the salt flats. The wind swept the red dust into crimson eddies around them and the sun dipped low towards the horizon.
Kylo's red blade carved whirling patterns in the air as he slashed and hacked against Luke's measured parries.
Kylo ducked low beneath Luke's next crosscut, falling into a sweeping kick at Luke's ankles. Luke jumped over that, and Kylo's blade, following close behind the kick, was there to meet Luke's feet as they touched the ground. Luke stabbed his lightsaber straight down, catching the red blade an inch from his boot and driving the point into the ground. Luke slashed his blade up. Kylo slid back, parrying at chest height, then blocking high as Luke slammed his blade down over hand. Kylo put a Force push into Luke's chest that sent him stumbling several paces, then rushed at him. Luke parried Kylo's spinning downward slice, then disengaged and drove his blade into the dirt. He whipped it forward across the ground, sending a spray of superheated salt and red dust at Kylo's face. Kylo threw up a hand in front of his face. In that moment of distraction, Luke took two steps forward and leveled his blade to Kylo's throat.
"You're going to try and kill me the same way you killed her?" Kylo said.
"I'll do whatever it takes to stop you. I won't let you kill anyone else because of me."
"Then you will die a failure." Kylo jerked Luke's arm and blade away with a tug of the Force, slashed his own lightsaber at Luke's waist.
Luke was forced to jump to avoid it. He augmented his leap with the Force, coming down atop one of the fallen AT-M6s. Kylo Ren lept after him.
Their blades clashed again as soon as he landed.
"Your parents are in there. I'm not going to let you harm them. They've been through enough," Luke said through the crackle of their locked lightsabers.
"Those people aren't my parents. They abandoned us because the Republic needed them more. They left us with you, because it was easier."
"That's not true. Blame me all you want. Leave them out of it. Han and Leia loved you both very much."
"Then why did they let Jaina die?!" Kylo shouted, unleashing a Force push that blasted Luke from the AT-M6.
He landed on the ground below with a thump and a puff of red dust. Kylo leapt down after him, blade raised to pin Luke to the ground.
Luke jerked his hand towards the ground, yanking Kylo down with the Force. He hit the ground a few meters short of Luke.
"You can pretend you hate me or your parents all you want. You can take out your pointless anger on the entire galaxy. But we both know the person you really hate is yourself."
"That's not true," Kylo said as he got his breath back.
"Of course it is. Your sister died saving every Jedi in the Temple. And then you killed them. She died for nothing. Because of you."
Luke held his lightsaber over Kylo. He looked over at the Alliance base, and Han at the threshold. Han shook his head.
Luke looked back at Kylo. "You killed my students," he said, and drove his blade down.
Kylo blocked at the last second and kicked Luke in the gut, giving himself the space he needed to jump to his feet.
"What makes you more angry, Skywalker? How many I killed, or how many were so betrayed by you that they joined me? When you killed her, you showed them what you really are. Your Jedi redemption only applies when it's easy. Your hypocritical teachings allowed Snoke to rise to power. Why did you kill Jaina, but not him? Why did he deserve a second chance?"
"You and the rest of the Knights of Ren joined Snoke. None of you ever deserved to be Jedi."
"That's a compliment, Skywalker."
Kylo Ren rushed at Luke again. Their lightsabers whirled and clashed at blinding speeds as Kylo drove Luke backwards into the wreckage of the Millennium Falcon. The deck plating clanged under their feet and flames burned all around them.
Kylo waved his hand and shards of burning metal left the floor and flew at Luke. Luke spun his blade in an emerald blur, catching each projectile and sending them falling to the floor in pieces.
Luke tugged down with one hand and part of the half-collapsed ceiling came down on Kylo.
Kylo slashed upwards once, twice, carving through the sheet of metal. It landed on either side of him, edges smoldering. Kylo lunged at Luke. Luke parried, forced his blade to the side, where it slashed into the wall. Kylo Force pushed Luke, knocking him stumbling backwards, and followed up with an overhand slash that cut a burning line through the ceiling before coming down on Luke. Luke parried and spun away through the doorway at the end of the corridor, slashing his blade in a wide arc as he did so. Kylo ducked, and the blade sliced though both sides of the door-frame. The top half of the doorway fell with a crash to the deck plating. Luke reached a hand out towards the engine room visible through the shattered bulkheads. The hyperdrive ripped free of the deck and was launched at Kylo. Kylo sliced it into two, Force pushed both halves away. They landed outside and exploded. Kylo slammed his foot into Luke's chest, the Force enhanced kick sending Luke flying back into the far wall. It gave way under the impact and Luke landed in the cargo hold, shards of burning metal all around him.
Kylo charged at Luke. Luke gestured and the damaged bulkhead to the side came down on Kylo, falling to pieces as it did. Kylo staggered under the hail of metal shards, found his feet, and leapt at Luke.
Luke raised his hand, fingers pinched together, catching Kylo by the throat with the Force. Luke jerked his arm down, slamming Kylo to the deck. He planted his foot on Kylo's wrist, pinning it and his lightsaber to the floor. Then Luke reversed his blade in his grip and stabbed down at Kylo's neck. Kylo threw up his other hand, freezing Luke's arm with the Force. Luke gritted his teeth, placed his other hand over the lightsaber's hilt and forced it down towards Kylo inch by slow inch. Kylo's fingers shook. The tip on the lightsaber hovered a centimeter from his glove. Then Kylo saw the other lightsaber, the one hanging on Luke's belt. He twitched one finger and it shot off Luke's belt, activating as it flipped towards Kylo's hand. Vader's blade seared Luke's arm as it spun. He jumped backwards away from Kylo.
Kylo Ren rose, Vader's lightsaber in one hand and his own in the other.
He charged at Luke, his shout of rage echoing off the bulkheads. Kylo drove Luke back through the destroyed corridor towards the main hold, the sweeping arcs of his twin lightsabers slashing the walls on either side to ribbons. Luke blocked and parried two slashes, five, a dozen. Luke was breathing heavily. Kylo wasn't.
They came to the main hold. The dejarik table was on one side, the power generator at the base spitting sparks.
Kylo slammed both lightsabers down on Luke's guard. Luke held him back for a moment, then put a Force push into Kylo's chest that slammed him into the wall. Kylo grunted and charged back at Luke. Luke blocked Kylo's blade high, jumped to the side to avoid Vader's as it stabbed at him low. He was a second too slow. The red blade cut a shallow wound across Luke's flank.
Kylo crossed his blades and thrust the x of their meeting point at Luke's neck. Luke raised his lightsaber, thrusting it into the fulcrum of the two red blades. The three lightsabers hissed as they locked together. Luke released the hilt with his cybernetic hand and struck Kylo in the arm. The same arm Rey had injured earlier. Kylo shouted and dropped his lightsaber.
Kylo took Vader's lightsaber in both hands and slammed it down on Luke's guard. The force of the blow sent Luke stumbling, off balance. Luke blocked another powerful blow, falling back against the dejarik table for support. Kylo slammed Vader's blade down on Luke's guard again and again. The last blow sent Luke's lightsaber spinning from his grip.
Kylo raised the lightsaber to finish Luke. Luke thrust out both of his hands. Red dust pulled from outside washed through the Falcon like a sandstorm. Kylo was driven back by the blinding red cloud. He held his blade before him, the crystalline particles burning and sparking off the lightsaber.
From outside, all that was visible was a swirling crimson cloud that consumed the entire ship.
Kylo Ren threw out his hand, unleashing a pulse of the Force. The entire cloud froze in place; tiny red crystals hanging still in the air like bloody snowflakes.
Kylo walked through the frozen storm.
He found Luke at the center of it, just outside the Falcon's remains.
He stood still, his lightsaber held straight up close to his body.
"You can't be serious," Kylo said.
"This battle has to end, before we are both lost to the dark side. Strike me down in anger if you must."
"And, let me guess, you'll become more powerful than I can possibly imagine?"
"Maybe. Or maybe I'll just haunt you for the rest of your days. Just like your sister does me. Choose, Kylo Ren. Is killing me really worth destroying what's left of Ben Solo?"
Kylo bowed his head for a moment. "He died a long time ago," he said, and thrust his lightsaber through Luke.
Or at least, the Force projection of Luke. The real Luke appeared beside him and slammed the hilt of his lightsaber into Kylo's jaw. The Force projection faded. Kylo fell to the ground. The red dust fell too, showering over them.
"There really is nothing left of you," Luke said, blade to Kylo's throat.
"Luke," Han said. He was standing a short distance away. "Don't kill my son."
"I'm sorry, Han, but your son is gone. Kylo Ren is going to kill you all unless I stop him. You, Leia, Chewie. Everyone. I won't let him take anyone else from me."
"Luke." Han placed his hand on his blaster. "I'm not going to ask you again."
"He can't be saved."
"As you couldn't save me?" another voice said.
A figure in a brown robe was standing behind them. It lowered its hood.
"Father?" Luke said.
"Grandfather?" Kylo said at the same time.
"This has gone on long enough," the ghost of Anakin Skywalker said. Beneath his natural voice lingered an echo of Darth Vader's mechanized rumble. "Son, put down your blade."
Luke deactivated his lightsaber. "Father, where have you been? All these years, I've never seen you."
"I can only go where I'm needed," Anakin said. "And we have little time. Ben Solo, you know the story of Darth Vader is not one to admire."
"Everything I've done has been in your memory," Kylo said. "To finish what you started."
"Then you understand nothing!" Anakin thundered in Vader's voice. "Darth Vader was a sick man in an iron mask who betrayed everything he believed in for the sake of a fool's hope. A cautionary tale to be avoided. In the future, you will do well to remember that. The path back to who you once were will be long, if you ever choose to take it. And you will never regain everything that you lost." Anakin spread the front of his robe. Beneath was Vader's chestplate. "But unlike me, perhaps you won't have to die to redeem yourself."
"You really believe he can be redeemed?" Luke said.
"Of course he can. You're the one who taught me that. Fear of loss has put us all on a dark path. Even you, my son. You won't preserve the legacy of the Jedi by destroying what you hate. And you, Ben Solo, what you want is unnatural. Trust me on that."
"What do you mean?" Luke said, "What does he want?"
"Tell him, Ben," Anakin said.
"Snoke," Kylo said. "He can bring her back."
"That's impossible." Luke turned to Anakin. "Tell him that's impossible."
"I would be lying if I did."
"I'm sorry. Snoke's dead. I killed him. No matter what powers he had, he's gone now."
"No, no you don't understand," Kylo said. "You don't understand what Snoke does. He can take everything a person was. All their knowledge. With that power, Snoke learned everything he knew before he died."
"He? He who?"
"An evil from the distant past," Anakin said. "Darth Plagueis the Wise. Snoke knows the secrets of life and death. He cannot die so easily. And he is here now. Put aside your battle. Rey needs you."
Luke looked down at Kylo. "She isn't any part of this. She doesn't have to be here." He extended a hand to Kylo. "Ben, help me save her."
"Son, please," Han said.
Kylo looked between Han and Luke, "Grandfather, what should I do?"
"What your sister would want you to," Anakin said.
"Just this once," Kylo said, taking Luke's hand.
Anakin smiled. "And once again, there is hope for the galaxy."
...
Rey hung in Snoke's grip.
"Shall we go back, dear?" Snoke said. "All the knowledge you seek is already in that tiny human brain of yours. All you need is a little help remembering." he extended a massive finger towards Rey's forehead. "Tell me to stop, and I will."
Rey didn't say anything.
"That's what I thought." Snoke pressed his finger to her forehead. "Let's take a look, shall we?"
Both their eyes slipped closed.
Sand and a sea of crashed starships
"Jakku," Snoke's voice said over the images. "The planet where the Empire made its final stand. Tell me, have you ever wondered why they chose that world? Have you ever wondered what they were hiding?"
"Come on, Rey," the woman said. She wore scavenger's clothing much like Rey once had. "Keep up."
"Mom," Rey murmured.
The child, Rey, followed her.
A man stood by a massive hatch half hidden by sand. He manipulated a console on one side.
"Did you get it?" the woman asked.
"Finally," the man said."Two weeks of work, but we're finally in."
"Dad," Rey said.
Her parents attached ropes to the edge of the hatch after it slid open. It went a long way down into the earth.
"Hold on tight," her mother instructed.
Rey wrapped her arms around her.
"Mamma," the child said. "This place is scary."
"It's okay, Rey. There's nothing down there but ghosts."
They rappelled down the shaft, Rey holding onto her mother tightly.
They came down in darkness. Her parents activated glow rods and they explored the place underground.
Time passed, and they saw much old machinery. Her parents took parts from all of them, and showed Rey how they did it.
Time passed again, and there was a door made out of stone among all the metal and machines. Her parents puzzled over how to get in for a while. Then they saw a small gap, perhaps a crack, on one side.
"Rey, sweetie," her mother said. "Can you crawl through there and open this door up for us?"
The child looked up at the door. It had pictures of monsters on it.
"No," Rey murmured in reality. "No, this can't be."
She shook her head. "The ghosts are in there."
"They can't hurt you, sweetie. Ghost just means... people who aren't here anymore. It just means they're gone."
"Oh. So no one is in there."
"That's right. So do you think you can open the door like we showed you?"
"Uh-huh," the child said, not scared anymore. She did this all the time.
She crawled through the gap. Her parents kept looking around outside.
The child came out inside the room behind the door. It was very dark. She walked forward and a light came on. The light was red and came from a small pyramid on a table.
Then she heard the whispers
'Do you feel it?'
'Yes. power'
'Someday'
'One day'
'Not yet'
'But one day'
'She will avenge us'
The child looked and listened for a long time.
"Rey?" her father called from outside. "Are you okay in there?"
"I knew this would happen," her mother hissed. They thought she couldn't hear them. "If we keep shoving her into small space she was bound to get stuck eventually."
"We talked about this, dear. If she doesn't earn us money we won't be able to feed her. And she can get in places we can't."
"I know, I know. Still, she's growing too fast. We won't be able to make use of her for much longer. What do we do then?"
There was silence.
"Rey, honey," her father said louder. "Open the door."
The child opened the door. It was really easy. She just touched it.
"Good girl," her mother said, patting her on the head. "Was it hard to open?"
"Nuh-uh," she said. "Look at this."
She walked over to the pyramid. She touched it. It began to glow red. Then a second one lit up on the wall. Then a third. Then a lot more. They bathed the stone chamber in red.
"I feel sick, mamma," the child said.
The red glow lit up something else, far away at the back of the chamber.
A pit. Full of spikes. It went down forever.
"No," Rey whispered. "No, this never happened. It can't have."
"By the Whills," her father whispered. "She's... she's..."
"Spirit touched," her mother said. "Rey, come away from there."
The child walked over to them. The lights on the pyramids died down. The pit was hidden, but it was still there.
She raised her arms towards her mother. "I don't feel good. Carry me?"
Her mother flinched away.
Later, they were back home. But the child was sitting alone. Her parents talked in the dark, where they thought she couldn't hear.
"What do we do?" her mother said.
"We knew there was a reason no one else scavenged down there. They said there were spirits. We should have listened."
"But what do we do with her?"
More time passed. Her parents didn't carry her anymore. Or touch her. There was less food.
More words in the dark,
"I can't do this anymore," her mother said. "I can't keep doing this. We don't belong here."
"We'll never fix the ship. We can't save up enough parts to repair it or we'll starve. We don't have anything else to sell."
There was more quiet.
The child closed her eyes peacefully.
"Oh, no," Rey said, who knew better. "Please, don't."
Later, her mother and father were talking to an alien.
"She's small still. She can get to things no one else can," her father was saying.
There was a ship on the sand beyond them. It was all together, not in pieces.
"Then why don't you want her?" the alien asked.
Her parents exchanged glances. They had scared eyes.
"We just don't want her anymore," her mother said.
"Mamma," the child said. "What's going on?"
She reached for them. They both stepped away.
"Your father and I are going on a trip."
The child bounced on her feet. "Far away?"
"Yes."
"Can I come too?"
Her mother looked away. "I can't do this."
Her father walked up to her. He didn't touch her. "We'll be back. This is Unkar Plutt." that was the alien. "He'll watch you."
"Oh. How long will you be gone?"
"We..."
Her parents looked at each other. Sad eyes, but still scared.
"We'll come back for you, Rey."
"Okay," the child said, nodding understandingly. She also started to cry.
"Please don't leave me," Rey said.
A ship flew away from Jakku.
She watched it.
"Come back!" she cried out.
Later again, and she was in a small room, made out of an old walker head. It was home now.
She found a piece of chalk on the floor. She put a mark on the wall. One day.
The sun set over the desert.
Night fell.
Two days.
Then forever passed.
Rey slid to the ground.
"Now you see," Snoke said. "Now you see the truth."
Rey didn't respond. She just lay there.
"You wanted to be special, didn't you? You hoped in your secret heart that the story of you was one of wonder. That it would all pay off in the end. Perhaps you were a princess hidden away for her own safety. Perhaps your parents were Jedi Knights who ventured off on some long mission. How you dreamed. Did you ever wish Luke Skywalker was your father? How about Han Solo? But you always knew better, didn't you. You know there's no hope or easy way out in the desert. Your parents left you because you horrified them. Because you were too corrupt and broken to love. You were worth more to them as easy money. And it didn't stop there. You know that boy doesn't really love you. How could he? You're the first woman he'd ever seen outside of the First Order. How long before he sees you for what you really are and that childish infatuation fades away? The Resistance wants you for your powers and your blade. Even Skywalker wouldn't help you. The man who saved Darth Vader wouldn't save you. You were too rotten even for him. And now here we are. I won't lie to you, child. I won't pretend to care. All I want is your power, and in exchange I'll let you drown in every sinful pleasure this galaxy has to offer. And eventually, the pain will grow so numb you will forget all about it. Trust me. I know."
Rey got up on her knees and wiped her eyes. "What if... what if I say no?"
"Then I will kill you. Power is rare in this galaxy, but it is not unique. It would be no great loss."
Rey's head fell into her hands.
"Look at you. So scared. I will teach you to let go of that first."
Rey let out a quiet chuckle. "You think I'm scared of you? I've slept alone in the desert. You think I'm scared of you?" she activated her lightsaber.
"So unwise," Snoke said. "Skywalker did not train you."
"He showed me enough. He showed me how to put this blade where it needs to go." she stabbed at Snoke suddenly.
He reeled back, a burn on his shoulder.
"Guess you're real enough to bleed," Rey said, standing. "I'm going to show you what real pain is."
Snoke lifted his hand. Shards of crystal broke off the walls and hovered around him, a halo of red knives.
He thrust them all at Rey.
She listened to their whistle through the air. She spun her blade. It hissed and spat as it struck the shards, scattering light through their facets. She deflected many of the blades. But many others stabbed into her, slashed her arms, her legs. Rey stumbled under the barrage.
She shouted and thrust her hand at Snoke. The floor shook. The great crystals on the walls cracked. Snoke crossed his arms in front of himself as the Force push hit. His robes billowed. He grunted.
"Strong. But still too untrained. Ah, what could have been." He twitched a finger and a crystal shard stabbed into Rey's knee. She fell. She didn't cry out.
Snoke moved his fingers and the shards whirled around. She swung her lightsaber at them, knocked some away. Most of them bit into her, pulled away, bit in again.
Rey threw her hands out, shouting, sending the shards shattering against the walls.
Snoke raised his hand. Lightning swirled in his palm. He unleashed a bolt at Rey. She raised her lightsaber. The impact blew it spinning from her hands.
"Before you die, I want you to know all your friends are next." Snoke fired another bolt.
Rey raised her hands in front of herself. She couldn't stop it. The lightning bolt blasted her off her feet. Thunder cracked in the confines of the mines. The crystals reflected the purple glow of the lightning. "You will die here, below the ground, in an abandoned mine on a forgotten world. And so will the Resistance. And Skywalker... oh, when he realizes what I truly am. I just can't wait."
He blasted Rey again. Lightning crackled across her body. She crawled away, towards the end of the cavern.
"There's nowhere to go," Snoke said.
Mist seemed to be rising from somewhere up ahead. It was tinged red.
And then, Rey knew it was there, even though she couldn't see it.
"No," she whispered. "Not here. It can't be here."
The pit was at the end of the cavern.
"What?" Snoke said. "What is this?"
From deep inside the pit something moved. A rotted hand clawed at the edge.
Something began pulling itself out.
A hooded figure in a tattered black robe.
The mist rose between Rey and Snoke.
"You can't trick me," Snoke thundered. "You cannot hide!"
"Hello," the thing in the hood said. "I've been waiting so long for this."
"W-who... what... what are you?" Rey said.
"Oh, nobody much," it said. "Just a boy from Naboo. Just a former Supreme Chancellor. No, no, nobody much. But I can help you."
"G-get away from me," she said.
"Oh, come now, Rey. You know that's impossible. This was always coming. Ever since we first met. My, how you've grown. When we saw your power, we knew. You would be the one. So many came through, each of them so weak. But you found us. It took a long time, but you found us."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh, nothing important. Just a silly old story. A fairy tale, really. But he is going to kill you. Now. Unless you take what I am offering."
Snoke's massive footfalls grew closer.
"What... what are you offering?"
"What do you think, my dear Rey? Power," the figure extended a hand to her. "Unlimited power."
Snoke emerged from the mist, looming over Rey.
"Take my hand," the figure said. "Destroy the pretender."
Lightning cracked on Snoke's fingers.
Rey took the figure's hand.
She thrust her hand at Snoke. So did the figure.
Blue, swirling fire born of the Force left their hands, washing over Snoke.
He cried out, throwing his hands over his face. His Force projected form rippled. Then blew apart.
Rey sagged.
The pit was gone. So was the figure in the black robe.
"Today was the day, Rey," the voice of the figure whispered to her. "These are your first steps into a larger world."
Then all she heard was faint, echoing laughter.
Rey slid her back against the wall. She was still bleeding. Blood ran down over her eyes. She blinked rapidly to clear them. As she did, her vision blurred. It blurred, but she could see. She saw a green light. It was coming closer.
"Are you..." Rey said faintly, "Are you here to kill me?"
"What are you talking about, Rey?" Luke Skywalker said. "I'm here to rescue you."
She flinched away from him, "You hurt me more than... than almost anyone."
"I know. I'm sorry. But I'm here now. If you'll let me." Luke extended his hand to her.
She looked past Luke. Kylo Ren and Han Solo stood behind him.
"Han," she said, eyes lighting up. "Ben."
"It's okay, Rey. We're all here to help." Kylo said. he glanced sidelong at Luke. "For the moment."
Rey looked at Luke. "Are you really back? Are you really who I thought you were?"
"I wasn't for a while. But I am now. Mostly thanks to you reminding me."
Rey thought about it for a moment. Then she took Luke's hand. He pulled her up. She leaned against him. "I'm sorry I stopped believing in you."
"I didn't give you much choice," Luke said. He looked over Rey's wounds. "Snoke did this. Where is he?"
"I... He... Snoke's gone," she said.
Luke looked at her closely. "You drove him off all by yourself?"
"Yes," she said quietly.
"That's impressive," Luke said. "Very impressive."
"But he's not dead," Kylo said, "Not yet."
"Kid," Han said. "Don't tell me your going back."
"I have to, Dad. I'm going to save Jaina. I'm going to learn the power Grandfather never could. I'm going to bring her home. I promise. And then," he looked at Luke and Rey. "And then I'll contact you. And we will destroy Snoke once and for all."
Luke nodded. "Until then." he offered his hand to Kylo.
Kylo ignored it. He hugged Han. "I'm sorry, Dad. About everything."
"It's okay, Ben. Well, except for stabbing me. I'm not over that yet."
Kylo chuckled softly, because it was easier than crying. "Tell Mom I love her. Be seeing you, Rey."
Kylo Ren walked away.
...
Outside, six TIE fighters screamed down out of space. Another ship, a freighter of some kind, was right on their tail.
"At last. Reinforcements." Hux said from the bridge of the Finalizer. "Contact the Republic ships. It's about time they paid the price for their insubordination."
"General," the officer said hesitantly. The man Hux had shot was still on the deck.
"What?"
"Why aren't they deploying from a star destroyer? Where's the rest of the fleet?"
"How the bloody hell should I know-"
And then Rogue Squadron opened fire on the Finalizer.
Mag pulse warheads first, then proton torpedoes at the exposed hull. Explosions rocked the Finalizer. They began picking off turbolasers before they could come online.
The freighter touched down at the back of the mountain, at the exit to the mines. The ramp lowered.
The last Resistance troops aimed their guns at the ramp.
Lando Calrissian stood at the top of the ramp.
"What are you all staring at? Get in here!" he said, gesturing at them.
Finn rushed up to Lando as the troops piled onto the ship.
"Lando!"
"Sorry about the Republic, kid. I never saw that coming. But we got here as fast as we could."
"We can't leave yet. Poe and the rest of the pilots are still out there. And Rey and Luke."
"Luke?" Lando said. "Really?"
"Really."
Lando sighed. "Guess we're waiting."
Poe's X-wing touched down a moment later, its engines smoking.
Hera and one other pilot who had survived from the ski speeders limped out of the tunnels shortly after. Zeb threw his arms around Hera.
"Everyone okay, buddy?" Poe said to Finn.
"Not yet," Finn said, watching the tunnel entrance.
"Wedge and the rest can't hold them off forever," Lando said.
Leia sat up on her gurney. "We wait."
In orbit, three star destroyers dropped out of hyperspace.
"We have to pull out," Wedge commed from the cockpit of his TIE. "There's about to be too many of them and the Republic ships aren't helping out."
Luke, Rey and Han exited the tunnels, followed closely by Artoo, Threepio and Chewbacca.
A cheer went up from the troops.
Finn threw his arms around Rey as the ramp closed and the ship lifted off.
"You waited for me," Rey said.
"Of course we did." Finn frowned at her. "Why wouldn't we?"
"I... I don't know. For a little while I thought..." Rey shook her head. "Never mind."
Finn shrugged. "What took you guys so long, though?"
"We had to go back," Rey said."We forgot Threepio."