Artificial lights broke through the night, growing brighter and casting long shadows around the excavation site. The four AALs were moving fast as they approached the camp; it would take them less than five minutes to arrive. Knowing the threat they carried and that their only salvation resided in desperate confrontation, the Explorer's ragtag band of workers ran to complete various tasks. Some tried to hide the precious artefacts that they had found, but most of them grabbed what weapons that had brought with them to prepare for the fight. Using crates and their makeshift huts as cover from attack, they awaited their adversary. They had known that a fight had been possible when they had come to Jakku, but what they had not expected was to be fighting a trained army.

As the workers scrambled to prepare their defence, Poe and Tekka, accompanied by an anxious-sounding BB-8, carried their heavy bundle towards the outer reaches of the makeshift village. It was heavy but Poe was a trained military operative and Tekka was surprisingly strong for a man of his age. They made good speed, but the AALs had the advantage of their powerful engines. They would get here before the two men had time to reach their destination. Nevertheless, both the pilot and the Explorer knew they had no choice. Once the AALs landed, they would be met with the workers' resistance. Neither of them were foolish enough to believe that they would be able to defeat the First Order's stormtroopers, but they would provide a bit of time for them to reach the X-Wing that Poe had come in. The artefact could therefore be protected and possibly even sent off of Jakku where it would be safer. But they needed to reach the ship first, and time had run out.

The AALs reached the plateau, their engines unleashing strong currents of wind and sand that temporarily blinded the defenders. Ramps collapsed once the transports had landed and the four contingents of stormtroopers came running out, blasters primed to fire. An authoritative voice could be heard ordering them forward as the workers opened fire. Several of the troopers were caught in the first wave of fire, some falling and others being stopped in their tracks by the shocks caused by the bolts. Injuries were unavoidable but death wasn't: First Order armourers had improved the quality of the stormtroopers' protective gear to make them resistant to most types of plasma charges. The defenders' weapons were standard and could cause damage to the armours, and even physical injury to the men they were designed to protect. If a shot reached a weak spot in the armour, it could even pierce it. But it would not be enough to kill the hit stormtrooper.

Following their training, several stormtroopers dropped to their knees and aimed their blasters at the locations they had marked as being the origin of the blaster fire, providing cover fire for the rest of their units to move in. Their helmets' optics were directly connected to the closed network of their military's battle network, allowing the information they recorded to be transmitted to all the other units involved in the fight. Several of the defenders were quickly shot down by the highly-trained stormtroopers and, while many more of the white armours took damage, it was clear that this would only slow, not stop, the First Order's advance.

-0-

Poe and Tekka heard the blaster fire but they didn't stop to take it in until they had reached the X-Wing. BB-8 was already securely fastened in the droid's slot, directly behind the cockpit and he was heating up the ship for take-off.

But the problem was immediately clear to Poe.

'We can't all go,' he said, as he took in his fighter.

If he had brought his own Black One, he would have been able to carry heavier loads and other passengers in its small cargo hold. But he had been instructed to travel under the radar. He was sure that traveling under the radar meant not taking one of the Republic fleet's trademark X-Wings, but Poe only truly felt comfortable with one of these. It was also the best type of fighter that the galaxy held. Now however, he regretted not following the instructions he had been given closer to the letter.

Not even this unpleasant surprise could shake Lor San Tekka's calm. 'It does not matter that I do not escape, as long as the artefact does. We only have this hope. We cannot lose it.'

Poe turned to face the Explorer as the full meaning of his words sunk in. 'I can't leave you here. They'll kill you.'

He surprised the young pilot with a smile. 'I doubt they would. But it would be an easier fate than the alternative. You must go, Poe Dameron. You still have a part to play.'

Poe was about to argue, but a series of beeps coming from BB-8 stopped him dead. They had been made: two stormtroopers were coming their way. There was no more time to argue.

'BB-8,' he shouted up to the little droid. 'Underslung, now.'

The round droid beeped affirmatively and the belly of the X-Wing opened and the fighter's underslung blaster cannon emerged. BB-8 remotely controlled it to pivot and open fire onto the incoming troopers. Both were blown away by the canon's blast before they had a chance to open fire. This gave them a little more time.

'Help me,' Poe said to Tekka. The old man obeyed, conscious and accepting of the fact that Poe had taken control of the situation. Both men once again grabbed the heavy artefact, which was still covered under its ragged cloak. Poe climbed part of the ladder while Tekka remained below. Together, they managed to get it into the open cockpit where it fell into an odd angle.

Poe reached for the blaster rifle that he had secured into his fighter before leaving base. Somehow, he had known that he would have need of it. Jumping off the ladder, he looked back towards the battle that continued to rage in the village before turning back to his droid.

'Take the ship away from here. If you can, leave the planet. Get back to Republic space and only give the artefact to the Huttslayer. No one else; only the Huttslayer. Do you understand?'

The droid confirmed, but a further series of beeps expressed his unease at the situation and his worry for his master.

Poe tried to give him a reassuring smile. 'I'll find you, BB-8. Now go, fast.'

BB-8 beeped again and the X-Wing's thrusters activated. Within moments, the fighter had taken off from the sand and was starting to make its way away from the plateau deep into the desert night. Its departure caused a stir from the invading stormtroopers, who seemed to notice that the two soldiers they had sent to dispose of the fighter had failed. Several shots followed the small ship and, to Poe's horror, a few hit their target. Not wanting to give the stormtroopers a chance to take better aim at his fleeing ship and its precious cargo, Poe opened fire, drawing their attention to him.

Knowing of the precision of the First Order's stormtroopers, he did not wait for them to return fire, but begun to move quickly away to find cover. Tekka followed his lead, and the two ran to find shelter from the danger coming their way.

-0-

The battle was coming to an end, and the First Order was winning. It had not been much of a battle, rather a mere skirmish that had ended in a route of the excavation site's defenders. The stormtroopers' efficient tactics and expert marksmanship had sent the villagers back towards the relative safety of the huts. Some had been unable to escape, or unwilling to brave, the incoming fire to find refuge. The stormtroopers had gotten to them and were rounding them up, their orders standing that executions were not to be carried out. Not unless they encountered strong resistance.

Those fighters who had reached the huts hid inside, hoping that the stormtroopers would try to come in through the narrow, where they could pick them off one by one. Several did try, but were met with blaster bolts. The tactic did not work for long. Knowing the situation could drag on, stormtrooper sergeants called in flametroopers to burn down the huts. The fires were lit suddenly and the few villagers who weren't caught off guard burst from the burning huts. They were met by stormtroopers, who did their best to capture them but who did not hesitate to bring them down with a well-aimed blaster bolt.

The battle was winding down, as the resistance put up by the villagers was broken by the First Order. A few pockets continued to put up a desperate fight but there was little they could do to halt the onslaught. The captured survivors were being rounded up by the stormtroopers, who would await further orders before delivering them to their fate. Seeing the situation fall gradually, and expectedly, under control, the force's commanding officer sent a communication to the shuttle which was holding just above the plateau.

-0-

Poe and Tekka made their way to cover, as far from the burning huts as possible. They eventually found a small ridge a certain distance away where the pursuing stormtroopers could not find them. Yet. Poe primed his blaster rifle to full power, knowing he would need every shot to count if they were to have a chance of escaping.

But he wasn't counting on it.

The Explorer didn't have a long-range weapon, but the reports Poe had read on him suggested that he was far from defenceless. One didn't survive challenging the Empire's rule through sheer pacifism. The old man had been forced, more than once, to fight his way of situations possibly far more dangerous than this one. And his continued calm reflected that experience.

'You have faith,' he said suddenly.

Poe was still preparing for the approaching stormtroopers. 'What do you mean?'

'You told me that you have doubts about the artefact's ability to find Skywalker, but you've still risked your life to get it to safety. You have faith.'

Poe smiled, despite the situation. 'I do. I have faith in you, and you have faith in your find.'

His blaster was ready.

'Now, let's hope that faith was not misplaced.'

He just had the time to see Tekka's smile before he leapt from cover to take the fight to their enemy.

He had never lost track of the stormtroopers, not even when he had been talking to Tekka; he had heard them approaching. Now, he could take them out. All it took was a glance to identify their position, and he opened fire three times. His three shots hit his three targets and only one of his pursuers had escaped the salvo. He had ducked behind the cover of a brick wall from one of the prior constructions that had occupied the plateau before the Explorer had arrived. Knowing that the last stormtrooper would not follow them without back-up, Poe retreated to cover again and turned to Tekka.

'Let's go,' was all he said.

-0-

The last stormtrooper had seen the incoming fire from the ridge, but by the time he had registered it, the rest of his team had been brought down. Seeing his closest teammate collapse, he ran to assess the damage, falling behind the cover of a brick wall which would provide cover. As soon as he saw his injured comrade, he recognized the severity of his injury. A deep gash had appeared in his armour, and blood was oozing from it. The wound was fatal, but the stormtrooper could see that his teammate was still alive. Barely.

His helmet rose from the gaping wound until the black visors of both stormtroopers met. The dying soldier didn't have long to go. His trembling hand rose to touch his counterpart's helmet. A red streak of blood stained the smooth white armour, a trail taken from when the dying man had touched his wound. Three bloody fingers traced the helmet, like a scar. And the stormtrooper's hand collapsed as he died.

Something in the survivor seemed to snap. His hands started to shake, his head jerked around as if in uncertainty. He found himself standing up, taking in his surroundings: the burning village, the screams from the villagers, his dead comrades. And he started to run away from his dead team, and from their target.

-0-

Having risen from the ridge, Lor San Tekka had seen what had happened. The clumsy step of the stormtrooper as he had risen, and his flight. He halted a while to take in the strange sight of a fleeing First Order stormtrooper, before turning and following Poe Dameron.

-0-

A powerful mechanical hum, coming from the sky, stopped Poe dead in his tracks. He looked up to see its origin, as a gust of wind blew apart the smoke and ambers from the burning shelters and bright white lights illuminated the night. A dark command shuttle, its cockpit jutting out like a nose and its wings pointing up and outwards to create a V-shape from the sides of its main compartment, was sinister in the dark. The red lights on either side of the cockpit did little to alleviate the dread it inspired. Poe thought it resembled a large bat, swooping down to grab its prey.

The shuttle was coming into land, and the distraction it had caused made Poe lose track of their situation for a brief moment. But a moment was all that mattered. The stormtroopers emerged from the huts, twice the number that had tried to capture the X-Wing. Poe noticed them when Tekka touched his arm, wordlessly making him aware of the situation.

The young pilot raised his weapon, getting one shot off that brought down one of the incoming stormtroopers. But he didn't get another one off. The troopers reached them as he was preparing to aim for another. Unexpectedly, he didn't use his blaster. Instead, he kicked the blaster rifle out of Poe's hands. The move was that of an expert hand-to-hand fighter.

Using the momentum forced onto him by the kick, Poe rolled away from his attacker. He discarded the rifle; it would be of no use to him in this fight. He took up a fighting stance and waited for the trooper to come at him again. Another kick, he dodged, and the trooper soon attacked him with his fists. The blows he tried to deliver would have knocked Poe out if they had reached him. But the pilot had been prepared for such an offensive; he blocked the moves and retaliated with his own kick to the trooper's stomach. The unexpected counter-offensive caught his opponent by surprise and the kick made him recoil.

But the stormtroopers had the advantage of numbers. One of them bore down on Poe, using his blaster as part of his charge. He had aimed for Poe's head, forcing the pilot to use his arms crossed in an X to block his charge. New Republic Academy instructors would have given any student who tried such a tactic in training a bad grade; not just for its unconventionality, but also for its inefficiency in combat. Poe had learnt a long time ago that training and experience were two very different things, and he had done many things that his instructors would have found "unconventional".

But in this case, they would have been right to down grade him.

Poe's clumsy defence had left his midsection exposed. And one of the other stormtroopers had no qualms in using it to his advantage. A blow to his stomach sent Poe to his knees, the air forced out of him. Just as rapidly as they had subdued him, the two stormtroopers seized Poe's arms before he could come around. They roughly forced his arms behind his back and slapped a pair of stun cuffs on him to prevent further resistance.

As the young pilot tried to recover from the blow to his stomach, he tried to see what had happened to Tekka. Sounds of a scuffle nearby eventually drew his attention.

He had been right about the Explorer's combat skills: far from being unarmed, Tekka had drawn a retractable stun baton and he was using it against the stormtroopers. Their armour might be strong enough to resist most blows, but one delivered by a baton still packed a punch. And Tekka seemed to know where the weakest points in a stormtrooper's armour were. He wasn't just putting up a hell of a fight, he was dominating the fight. The blows he delivered knocked many of the troopers out, and the others moaned in pain at his blows.

However, once again, numbers did not favour them. Noticing their comrades' difficulties, the two stormtroopers holding Poe forced him round to face the Explorer.

'Explorer!' one of them called out.

By this time, there were no more stormtroopers left standing. Tekka turned to face his two remaining adversaries. He noticed Poe immediately, and the blasters pointed at his head.

'Drop your weapon,' repeated the stormtrooper. They both primed their weapons for fire.

Out of the corner of his eye, Poe saw another group of stormtroopers emerging from between the nearby burning shelters to join their comrades. Tekka had seen them too. Between a captive Poe on one side and the approaching adversaries, the odds were not in his favour.

Still wearing the calm expression that even his exertion couldn't shake from him, Tekka dropped his baton and raised his hands to shoulder level. The two stormtroopers holding Poe seemed to relax.

'Take him', one of them told the arriving stormtroopers. 'The General is arriving and will want his prize.'

Poe, having recovered from the blow to his stomach, stored that information away. So, the stormtroopers had been sent for the Explorer. Could they be seeking the same thing he was? His concerns grew as he thought of the fleeing BB-8 and the damage his X-Wing had taken.

He hoped the little droid had managed to escape to safety.

-0-

Back at the excavation site, the command shuttle had landed. After an assurance from the commanding officer that the field had been secured and that all the resistance fighters had been apprehended or executed, the ramp descended and two stormtroopers emerged, taking position to either side of it. Following them was the only member of the First Order military present not to wear an armour.

He bore a black general's uniform, a long dark overcoat, and a hat with two parts pointing out to form a V (eerily similar to the shuttle's) and the banner of the insignia of the First Order fixed to its front. His face was pale, his red hair covered by his hat but still visibly well-combed, and his blue eyes were hard and unforgiving. He would also seem very young.

The platoon's commanding officer, an imposing stormtrooper in a shining, Chrome-plated armour and wearing a black and red cloak, approached him as he reached the bottom of the ramp.

'General,' a female voice distorted by the helmet said. 'Resistance has been neutralized, the prisoners have been rounded up and the Explorer has been captured.'

A thin, barely perceptible, smile twitched the young General's lips. And promptly disappeared before he started forward into the still-blazing camp.