Chapter 24: Cheating at Dejarik and Missions
A/N: This is where "The Rise of Skywalker" comes in. My story is not without that storyline. It just went further into the future than the movie did from "The Last Jedi." That was a year had passed between Luke's death on Ach-to and what happened in "The Rise of Skywalker." The ending with Ben would be different, though. Like a lot of people I didn't like that Adam Driver died in the end.
Briana sat next to Chewbacca at the dejarik board. Poe and Finn sat across from them and everyone waited for Chewbacca to make his move. Since her father had told her that Chewbacca cheated at dejarik, Briana could now see it and was biting the inside of her mouth to keep from laughing out loud. As boring as being in hyperspace could be, this was rather entertaining. Chewbacca leaned forward and Poe and Finn leaned forward as well.
"Are you ever gonna go?" Poe asked.
"He can't beat us every time," Finn said in a soft aside to Poe.
"Apparently he does, Uncle Finn," Briana said, swallowing a laugh convulsively.
"How does he do it, Bri?" Finn asked.
"This guy right here? From what my father told me years ago, it's 'cause he cheats," Briana said. Chewbacca growled indignantly.
"I'm kidding and I'm sure Father was too!" Briana said quickly.
"Oh, come on. Take your turn," Finn said.
"You're 250 years old," Poe said.
"You're taking forever. That's cheating," Finn said.
"Of course you're better than us," Poe said.
"That's why we think you're cheating," Finn said. An electronic chime then filled the area and they all looked up. Chewbacca growled and pointed at the board. Briana got up to let him out and then sat back down.
"Don't worry!" Finn said.
"We're not gonna turn it off," Poe said. Chewbacca lumbered off with a groan.
"Bri's right. He's cheating," Finn said as he got up.
"Definitely," Poe said as he got up and turned off the board and Briana followed them to the cockpit.
"Klaud, I hope you fixed that surge," Briana said putting her hand on a large alien's shoulder in passing. He grunted in his own language an affirmative. They entered the cockpit to see a large ice glacier in the middle of the galaxy and Briana sat down in the seat that had once been her grandfather's.
"T-minus five," Poe said as Briana pulled back on the throttles.
"Okay, Uncle Poe. Take my spot," Briana said as she jumped up and ran out to join Finn at the top hatch.
"Artoo," Finn said in passing to Uncle Luke's astromech droid and the droid followed them.
Briana and Poe stood under it as the ship came to a halt and the hatch opened. "Boolio, good to see you. You got something for us?" Briana asked.
"From an new ally! A spy in the First Order!" Boolio said excitedly.
"A spy? Who?" Finn asked.
"I don't know! Transfer the message! Get it to your grandmother and uncle, hurry!" Boolio said, tossing something to Briana. Briana grabbed it and carried it to Artoo.
"This could be big, Artoo," Briana said as she put the information into the droid.
"Finn, Briana, we're about to be cooked!" Poe shouted.
"We're almost there!" Finn shouted back.
Briana looked back at Artoo's panel as all the lights lit up, transferring the information. "Uncle Poe, we got it. How do we thank you?" Briana asked, going back to the hatch.
"Win the war, Briana Solo!" Boolio said as the hatch closed and the ship shot forward. Briana got back to the cockpit as Tie-fighters started firing at them. Poe juked and jinked all over the frozen corridors. Chewbacca groaned as Poe hit the walls.
"Sorry, I'm sorry! I know!" Poe said.
"Uncle Finn, come on. Let's shoot the tie-fighters off our backs with the turret guns," Briana said, going into the lower turret and Finn took the upper one.
Briana took a deep breath in the Force and started to shoot. "Finn, Briana, you're supposed to be getting rid of those things!" Poe said as Briana missed one.
Oooh!" Finn exclaimed as a tie-fighter hit the wall after being hit with a bolt.
"I got one!" Finn shouted happily.
"How many are left?" Poe asked.
"Too many," Briana said, swiveling her seat around.
"Finn, Bri, we can boulder these TIES!" Poe said.
"I was just thinking that," Poe said.
The speed increased and Finn and Briana turned their guns and opened fire on a steel girder, which effectively landed on top of the enemy fighters.
"Ha! Get us back to base!" Finn shouted.
"How thick do you think that ice wall is, Bri?" Poe asked in her headset.
"I don't know. Probably pretty thick. All I see are TIE-fighters," Briana said, as she incinerated a fighter.
Chewbacca growled. "Great idea!" Poe enthused.
"What? Lightspeed skipping? Uncle Poe, if that was what Chewbacca said, that is not a good idea. The compressor's down. You can't lightspeed skip the Falcon!" Briana exclaimed, not sure that she had heard Chewbacca right. The ship bucked and then shot forwards. They then shot out into what looked like a rocky maze of stalagmites. Briana and Finn came up into the cockpit as they entered the field. Poe and Chewbacca juked and jinked wildly to avoid hitting the blades of rock.
"Poe!" Finn shouted as a fireball exploded in front of them.
"I know!" Poe said as he pulled back on the lightspeed lever and they shot out again.
"What are you doing?" Finn asked as he reached behind him to a button.
"Lightspeed skipping," Poe said.
"How do you know how to do that?" Finn asked as he went to his console and they exited into what looked like an industrial plant with TIE-fighters firing at them.
Chewbacca growled. "Yeah, well, Rey's not here, is she?" Poe asked.
"But when we do get back to the base Mother is going to kill you," Briana said as Poe pulled back the lightspeed lever.
"Not if no one tells her," Poe said as they exited onto a world of green gases and what looked like a rathtar in the distance. Poe flew up to it.
"Last jump. Maybe forever. Hold on!" Poe said as he pulled back on the lever and Klaud screamed.