"We can't possibly take on the whole fleet," Poe said.

Finn rolled his eyes. They were starting with the obvious, apparently.

"Who are you and what have you done with my boyfriend? I thought you'd want to take on the fleet single handed," Silyana rasped. The ring of bruises around her throat were flowering into vivid purple and blue splotches in the unmistakable shape of handprints, with a delicate lacework of broken capillaries feathering out from the darkening blooms, starkly visible like early spring flowers in snow against the pale skin..She'd wiped the blood from her chin with a limp hand, and now looked at least a little less like a functional corpse.

"Boyfriend?" Ben asked, raising an eyebrow.

She shrugged. "I figured he's earned it."

Poe looked ready to pass out, though whether from adrenaline or embarrassment was unclear.

"Focus up, people," Finn called with a commanding voice, interrupting what was sure to be would be a distracting, uncomfortable, and mostly irrelevant conversation. "We can't fight our way out, and I seriously doubt we could sneak our way out either. They know we're here; Hux practically invited us. I don't think he intended on letting anyone off this rock. Not us, not the Knights."

"We'll have to bluff our way out," Ben ran his hand through his hair, gritty with the volcanic pumice dust.

"No," Ahsoka said with practiced calm. "We're not doing something that'll only get us killed. Now's not the time for some Skywalker stunt."

"Or a Solo stunt," Kira added in a smaller voice.

"Maybe we don't have to bluff," Rose mused with a slightly distant stare. "What if this is the moment?" Her eyes narrowed and took on a steely edge, meeting Finn's gaze, then flicking to the others, even a cursory glance at Kira.

Poe scratched his head. "The moment?"

"There's always a moment where everything tips one way or the other. Of course, you never know it while you're in the moment." She inhaled. "But the majority of the First Order fleet is here, in one place."

Shaking his head, Finn scratched his chin.

A grin crept over Poe's face. "I like it."

The shadow of a frown crept over Rose's face. "I haven't proposed anything."

"I'm in," Poe said, leaning forward, eyes twinkling.

"Shut up, flyboy," Silyana muttered and nudged him hard with her hip.

Rose shifted from foot to foot. "In their last reports, Zeroes and TZ-1719 said their network was at critical mass. If we move to activate the spies they've put in place, the stormtrooper battalions could overtake the remaining crew. When they get control of their Destroyers, they can use them to control the others."

Finn's stomach dropped to his feet.

"We could call in the local Resistance cells for backup," Poe nodded. "Smash the fleet for good."

"Whoa, hold up," Finn said, crossing his arms. "This was supposed to be a simple retrieval mission, not a full-on star battle."

"I've already told Chewie to reach our contacts. They're ready to mobilize."

"Damn," Silyana said. "You did all that while we were in the hallway fighting off droids?"

"Yeah, sorry."

"Sorry, she says," Silyana echoed. "She's a damn magician, pulling off miracles, and she says sorry."

"No, that won't work," Finn burst out.

"It could," Poe said. "It could be a moment."

"No," he snapped. "There are other options besides getting shot down or outright battle."

Everyone stared at him with weary eyes. Ben shifted, his boot scuffing the floor sounding far too loud.

Rose stood, favoring the knee in the blood-soaked pant leg. "Hey, Finn, could you come with me to the cockpit?"

He blinked. "What?"

"I need to let Chewbacca know we're alright."

"Oh. Sure." He took her arm, although she didn't need it, but still limped. Even though Ben and Kira had healed it, the joint was stiff.

The cockpit was slightly removed from the passenger hold, enough that the tense silence following his outburst wasn't so stifling.

"Are you okay?" Rose sat heavily in the navigator's seat and looked up at him.

"I'm fine," Finn said. "I think I'm the only one who made it out with just bruises."

"That's not what I meant."

"Oh." He'd forgotten that sometimes, people asked that and meant more than just the external. The First Order hadn't cared for anything more than his functionality as a unit in the larger machine, and even the Resistance didn't have time to deal with more than the quick fixes. Finn had always been conscious of that lack on some level, but he only had time for others. "Um, I'm… a lot? I mean, it's a lot?"

She nodded. "Is it too much?"

Groaning, he leaned back and looked at the ceiling. "I don't know. Maybe?"

"Sit down. When was the last time you ate something?"

"I don't know."

Rose rummaged in a compartment and found a nutritive bar. "It's probably stale but calories are calories."

With stiff fingers he unwrapped it and nibbled on a dry corner. "Do you want some?"

"Sure."

It broke in half with a snap and he handed over the bigger piece. When she opened her mouth to decline, he said, "You're more traumatized than I am."

"Debatable," she replied.

"Okay, well, I meant physically, but yeah."

"Yeah."

Now that he'd taken a few bites, his stomach felt caved in. "Are there more of those?"

They demolished five between them before Rose brushed crumbs off her pants. "You know, I may have been absorbed in my own stuff, but I know you've thought a lot about what our work with the stormtroopers means."She hesitated. "What it could cost."

"I know, but it wasn't supposed to be like this. One Destroyer or one base at a time. Not a star battle. Not the entire fleet. Not a coup. We haven't had time to reach them all. Those who don't know, who are unaware, just obeying orders." He rubbed thumbs into his temples. "They will die for nothing."

"There's never going to be an ideal time or an ideal situation," she said. "We could plan and prepare forever, and someone's still going to die. More likely, someone's gonna say no. You can't convince everyone to rebel. And even then, they could still die."

"I know, I know." Dropping his head into his hands, shoulders slumping, he took a rattling breath that seemed to catch in his throat.

Looking down, Rose picked at the dried blood stains."The knowing doesn't make it better, does it?"

"There are other things we could try."

"There is," she agreed. "None of them are the right choice. One might be a better choice, but we won't know until after."

"And then it'll be too late," he said.

Rose's stare was distant, heavy. "I'm not going to force you into anything, Finn. We have planned for this, though. It's not spontaneous or completely rash."

He sighed. "Do you think we should?"

Tipping her head, she considered carefully. "Every time we fight the First Order, stormtroopers die. If this works, we could end that. At least a little."

Finn dropped his head in hands. "I hate choosing for all of them."

"What did you expect to happen? Reaching out to Zeroes and Jannah and Archex?"

Brow wrinkling, he looked up. "What does Archex think?"

"He agreed to be a voice, not to lead," Rose said. "You can't put this off on him."

He scratched the back of his neck.

"But they agreed to help. They thought it was worth it, and they trusted you to make the right choice and to follow through."

"You think I should do it."

"I don't think it would be the wrong choice."

Finn's eyes fixed on the hazy, shadowed landscape beyond the viewport.

"You can lead them, Finn. Not because you're arrogant or confident, but because you care, and you know them."

After a long moment, he let out a slow exhale. "Okay," Finn said. "Okay, let's do it."

He sat by as Rose contacted Chewbacca, explained the situation, and of their plans. Chewie was relieved, concerned, but he readily agreed to relay the call to their agents aboard the First Order vessels.

"You ready?" Rose said.

"Yeah. Let's go tell the others."

The hold had been transformed into a temporary medbay when they hobbled back, bandages and bacta salves scattered on the seats as they tended to various minor injuries.

"Chewbacca is going to contact the stormtroopers. We'll have at least three battalions ready to mutiny." Finn said heavily. "He's also relating our plan to the Resistance."

"So we're doing it," Poe said, and straightened his spine.

"If you all are okay with it," Finn replied.

"No one's come up with anything better," Silyana paused and glanced around, but nobody contradicted this statement, "So I'm down."

"What's our strategy?" Ahsoka asked.

"Well, we'll be providing a distraction that'll allow the stormtroopers a chance to take action," Finn said.

"Excellent! I already have a few ideas," Poe exclaimed. "We could —"

Silyana snatched his face and planted a kiss. BB-8 shrieked and turned away.

"Wh-what —"

"Shut up," she said. "This is Finn's thing. Let him lead it."

"Oh. Okay."

"Sorry, Finn. You were saying?"

Turning to Kira, Finn said, "With your permission, we'll announce that Kira Ren is aboard. If I know anything about Hux, he probably fears you as much as he hates you."

Kira cracked a small smile. "Probably. You have my full permission."

"Um, not to be a downer, especially after I said I'm down, but this is an unarmed transport shuttle. They'll blow this piece of junk out of the sky as soon as we hail them."

BB-8, who'd been hovering anxiously next to Poe's knees, spun around and squealed, sentence trailing off with a few high pitched beeps.

"Beebee-Ate's right." Ben said. "I think we should upgrade our ride."

"With what?" Finn asked.

"Well, the Knights had to get here somehow, right?" Poe, apparently recovered, tossed an arm over Silyana's shoulder and dared a grin at Kira. "I think it'll be a perfect fit for you girls."

"Boyfriend status revoked!" Silyana smacked him in the chest, hard, and he recoiled with a yelp. "Don't be an ass and just say what you want to say."

He rubbed a hand over his heart as if wounded. "I think a certain ominous command shuttle is sitting in the hangar on the other side of this airfield."

"I thought you were attending to me," Silyana griped. "How did you notice the hangar?"

"What can I say?" Poe squeezed her shoulder. "I've always got an eye out."

"You did not just —"

"Stars," Rose muttered. "If it's not one thing, it's another."

"The fleet is in position, Supreme Leader."

Hux took a wide stance and clasped his hands behind his back, gazing at the fragmented planet of Lola Sayu from the bridge of the Finalizer.

"Excellent," he said. "Prepare the Fortitude to begin orbital bombardment. I want the Citadel obliterated."

"Yes, Supreme Leader." The deck officer scurried away to relay the order.

Was it excessive to wipe the Citadel from existence? Not to Hux, and if any of the High Command thought so, they kept it to were no lengths Hux would not go to make sure that the threat of the Force-users were taken out of play permanently. Only then could he breathe easy.

A thin smile formed on his face as he imagined the oblivious Knights buried under charred rubble. "Any word from the Citadel?"

Captain Stynnix appeared at his side, snapping a sharp salute. "Leader Hux, our communications officers are no longer able to reach the Citadel. Our hails are getting no response, not even from the automated systems."

Hux was unphased. It seemed likely the Force-users were occupied with destroying each other. He wondered if any of them had died yet, but that was irrelevant as long as they were too distracted to notice the fleet preparing to rain down fire.

"Sir!" A deck officer with dark slicked back hair hurried over to one of the pit technicians and bent down to listen. Abruptly, they straightened up.

"Supreme Leader!"

"What?" he demanded.

"A command shuttle has taken off from the Citadel's airfield. It seems to be one of ours."

"One of ours?"

"The scanners —"

"Shoot it down."

The officer gawped for a second too long before saying, "Yes, Leader Hux!"

He turned to Stynnix. "Find his replacement."

"Excuse me, Supreme Leader." The same officer stood miserably, face pinched.

"What now?" Hux snarled.

"The shuttle is trying to hail us, sir."

"I already ordered it to be shot down, officer." Hux's nostrils flared and he stared down at the officer with disdain. They had a planetary blockade. "Did you mishear me?"

"N-no, Supreme Leader."

Someone else in the pits spoke up. "They're claiming to be Kira Ren, Supreme Leader."

His sanity crumbled like a sand castle before a frothing wave. "I ordered you to SHOOT IT DOWN!" he screamed.

The bridge leapt into a frenzy. Hux strode to the transperisteel panorama, trying to ignore the sweat beading on his forehead. Glaring at Lola Sayu as though he could see the shuttle rising from the surface, he flexed his fingers and fought the urge to throw something. He was not like Kira Ren, he would not be like Kira Ren. He lead with dignity, logic, order, and discipline.

"Supreme Leader, we have another unidentified ship on the far side of the planet."

Hux hung onto his composure by his fingernails. "Well, identify it! Scan the area again, we cannot afford a surprise. And scramble the fighters."

The instinctual urge to try and see the action beyond the viewport pulled at him, as if he could see Kira Ren's dark mask rising up from the planet below to smite him for his betrayal. He forced himself to turn away and move to the holographic tactical display. Stynnix was already there, observing TIE squadrons spawn from the Star Destroyers. He quickly located the shuttle, just now breaking atmo and coming into range of their guns.

"Fire at will!" The Finalizer's captain cried.

One of the officers scrutinizing the tactical display spoke up. "Sir, the other ship — it's the Millennium Falcon."

That cursed ship. "Shoot it out of the sky."

"Yes, Supreme Leader!"

The little blinking dot representing the Knights' command shuttle edged closer to the fleet surveyed against it, bobbing slightly as it dodged the long range guns.

"They're attempting to hail us again."

Hux didn't bother to respond, gripping the edge of the display with white knuckles. Either it was Kira Ren, or it was Tirian and Ymiré attempting an escape. "Do not respond."

"Sir, Allegiant General Pryde is on the line."

Kriff.

"Put him through."

The general's condescending scowl flickered into focus beside the tactical display. "What is going on, Supreme Leader? We are here at your request, but the fleet is not needed to engage two small vessels."

Hux ground his teeth. "What are you saying, General?"

"If you have no need of us, may I suggest —"

"Kira Ren is aboard that shuttle," Hux said, tracking the squadrons closing the distance, the innocuous blinking dot moving towards the fleet on the display. "Unless you want to be dealing with this problem for years to come, I suggest we eradicate it now, whatever it takes."

"The Resistance is much more of a threat in the long term," Pryde drawled. "I believe a more nuanced approach will result —"

"Supreme Leader?"

"What?" he snarled.

"We've lost contact with the Retribution, sir."

Hux searched the display, which indicated the Retribution hadn't moved from its position starboard of the command ship. "What do you mean we've lost contact?"

"There's no response at all, even the TIE fighter stopped receiving orders from their commanders on board."

"The Retribution's entire communications system cannot be offline."

"It's not offline, Supreme Leader. Our signal is received, but they're not replying."

"Transfer command of their squadrons to the Finalizer."

"Already done, Leader Hux."

Finally, someone showing some semblance of competence. Hux relaxed the bloodless grip of his fingers on the edge of the display. Too soon.

BOOM.

The bridge rocked and shuddered, sending several officers sprawling across the slick floors or tumbling out of narrow seats.

"Report," he snapped, straightening his balance.

"It's the Retribution!"

"They've fired on us!"

Hux braced himself, knowing another volley would not be far behind. "Try the captain's personal comms."

BOOM.

This had to be Kira Ren, there was no other possibility. How, he had no idea, but it seemed that she was beyond explanation, impossible to eradicate. He searched the hologram for the shuttle again. It was close enough to begin exchanging fire with the foremost TIE fighters. The Millennium Falcon was coming to flank them, but the fleet had nearly infinite fighters to throw at the problem. So why was sweat trickling down his spine?

"Sir, now we've lost contact with the Fortitude."

The Fortitude. That was Allegiant General Pryde's ship.

"Their guns are coming online, Supreme Leader!"

"Reinforce shields," he shouted, widening his stance as the deck rocked under another barrage.

"Escape pods are attempting to launch from the Retribution, but they're being shot before they can clear the range of the Destroyer's guns."

"Are we firing back? Fire back!" Hux ordered. Over the chatter of the deck officers, the frantic hails of the rest of the fleet rattled his ears, asking what was happening. If only he could find out. Pryde had been planning something, of course, but this was far too soon and too incomplete to be his doing. It had to be Kira Ren.

"Supreme Leader!" Stynnix said, flipping through reports faster than he could read. "We've reached the captain of the Retribution."

Hux whirled toward her. "Yes?"

"It's the stormtroopers, sir. They've revolted."

"The stormtroopers?"

"Yes, sir."

"That — can't be." He turned away from the display and stalked to the viewport. His troops were exceptional, the culmination of years of technique and programming. They would not fail in large enough numbers to cause this sort of chaos. FN-2187 was the exception.

A blaster shot twanged across the bridge. Someone screamed. Several officers hit the deck as more shots pelted the deck.

"CLOSE THE BLAST DOORS," someone bellowed.

"What is going on?" Hux shouted.

Stynnix looked translucent, her pallor drained of the last dregs of color. "The rebels, they're on board, Supreme Leader."

"The Resistance?" Hux spluttered, ducking behind the tactical display still blithely portraying the disaster playing out beyond the Finalizer.

"No, sir, the troopers. They're here, too."

The blast doors banged close and cut off the blasterfire, but the chaos only bloomed greater as the deck officers tried to make sense of the battle they found themselves waging, both in the stars and now in the halls of their own ship.

"Supreme Leader."

"What, Commander?"

Stynnix visibly restrained herself from flinching. "The stolen shuttle is hailing us again, sir."

He closed his eyes. "Relay the signal to this station."

"Yes, Leader Hux."

He had a few seconds pause to gather his dignity, then a loud crackle as the channel stabilized.

"This message is for Supreme Leader Hugs."

His stomach dropped. He couldn't mistake the raw insolence in her voice as anyone other than Silyana Ren.

"Surrender now, or face the wrath of Ren," she said, punctuated with a gleeful laugh.

Hux imagined punching the tactical display, pictured the hologram spasming and blinking out, the rivulets of blood running from his knuckles.

"Supreme Leader?" Stynnix whispered.

"My orders are unchanged," he said. "Blast that ship out of the sky."

A/N: Thanks so much for reading - let me know what you thought with a fav or review!

Next update expected May 23!