A scryer jumped out of her chair and looked to Leia. "General! The ward is down!"
Threepio threw his mismatched arms up in celebration. "Thank the Maker!"
"Han did it," Leia said with a proud smile. "Two for two on taking down wards around superweapons." She turned to Admiral Statura. "Send them in."
Statura ran to the comms officer. "Give Poe full authorization for attack."
"Black Leader, emerge from Hyperius on your call."
"Roger, Base." Poe switched his communication channel. "Red Squadron, Blue Squadron, take my lead."
The crosswing squadrons came out of their Hyperion gates into the snow fog surrounding Ilum. They flew inland unopposed, passing over forest, fissures, and small icy peaks, heading for the volcano's northern slope.
On a transport airship's front ramp, Kylo Ren stared at the ship that had somehow penetrated a supposedly impenetrable ward. That the ship had achieved the impossible did not bother him. What did, however, was that the ship was his father's.
A snowtrooper came out of the deck hatch and walked to the railing. "Ship's clear, sir."
Kylo crossed the pebble beach and ascended the gangplank. Aside from the dusting of snow and recent damage, the Millennium Falcon was just as he remembered it. Soured memories of playing on the deck as a boy returned to him.
He walked up the three gentle steps to the bridge - possibly the first set of steps he had learned to climb. Kylo stared at his father's helm chair and remembered sitting on his lap and learning how to sail. The conflicting emotions tore at him. He had wanted so badly for being on the Falcon to fuel his anger, but only sadness came to him.
Kylo Ren left the bridge and entered the passenger cabin. After all this time, it still smelled the same. A wooden toy chest near the semicircular bench caught his eye. He balled up his fists. He told himself that the little boy who had played with those toys was long dead.
This was a test. The entire ship was a test. Kylo Ren refused to let himself be seduced by the pull of the Light. He would prove to the world that he was the worthy heir to Darth Vader.
Kylo reached for his Lightblade, intending to destroy the ship and everything in it. His hand paused over the hilt. He sensed many presences approaching and ran to the top deck.
Three squadrons of Resistance crosswings flew overhead. Kylo stormed back to the transport. "Get me back to the base. I'll deal with this later."
Poe led his fellow sky pilots over the last ridge and into the valley that held their target. He was frankly expecting the sigil drum to be laying on its side somewhat in the open. What greeted him was an enormous hexagonal black metal bunker with glowing fissures spreading outwards across the valley.
Poe tapped his comm crystal. "Hit that thing dead center. As many runs as we can get."
"Moving in," Snap acknowledged.
Defensive batteries on the top of the bunker opened fire on the encroaching crosswings. Shrapnel and clouds of black smoke filled the air while a salvo of rockets rained down from the flying machines.
General Hux regained his signature scowl as he continued to stare out the window at the crosswings against the now clear sky. All around the command center, officers barked out orders in an attempt to gain control of the situation. Hux turned around. "Major Kent. Dispatch all squadrons."
"Yes, General."
Black Squadron grouped their shots close to the bunker's center. Rocket after rocket detonated against the metal surface.
"Haha! Direct hits!"
"But no damage."
"Yeah," said Poe. "We've got to keep hitting it. Swing around for another run. Remember, when the sun fully sets, that weapon will be ready to fire. As long as we've got light, we've got a chance."
Behind Poe, Bibi-Eit chirped in alarm. Poe turned his head and swore upon seeing the incoming TIEs. "Guys, we've got a lot of company! Red Squadron, Blue Squadron, move to engage!"
Two squads of stormtroopers jogged down a corridor with their comm crystals sounding out orders. "We believe they may be splitting up. Head to sectors four and five."
Finn poked his head out of the side passage that he, Han, and Chewbacca were hiding in and looked in either direction. One way led to a drydock while the other led to a blast door. He looked back to Han and jerked his head to move out.
Han sighed. He still hated sneaking around like this but there was no way he'd fit into stormtrooper armor anymore.
Finn pointed to the blast door at the end of the corridor. "We'll use some of the charges to blow the detention block door. I'll go in and draw fire, but I'm going to need cover."
Han raised an eyebrow. "You sure you're up for this?"
"Hell, no," Finn answered honestly. "I'll go in and try to find Rey. The troopers will be on our tail. We have to be ready for that."
Han's expression suddenly changed and he nodded his head towards something behind Finn.
"There's an access tunnel that leads... Why are you doing that? Why are you nodding like that? I'm trying to come up with a plan."
Han rolled his eyes and pointed behind Finn. He turned and gasped. Rey had just come out of a ventilation grate on the far side of the drydock.
Finn laughed. "Come on!"
Han smiled. That girl was sure something.
Rey held her carbine at the ready as she rounded the corner. So far, she hadn't run into any stormtroopers, but she dared not let her guard down. A sudden motion from the corridor offshoot to her left made her yelp involuntarily and she snapped her gun towards whatever had moved.
Finn, Han, and Chewbacca yelped at Rey's violent startle to their presence and were very glad she hadn't shot. Rey stared at them slack jawed and lowered her carbine.
Han stepped forward. "You all right?"
"Y... Yeah."
Han nodded. "Good." He moved past her to keep an eye out.
Finn put his hand on Rey's shoulder. "What happened to you? Did he hurt you?"
"Finn, what are you doing here?"
"We came back for you."
Chewbacca growled and Rey raised her eyebrows.
Finn frowned. "What did he say?"
"That it was your idea." A tear came to her eye and she hugged Finn tightly. "Thank you."
Finn hugged her back. "How did you get away?"
"I... I can't explain it. And you wouldn't believe it."
Han leaned in. "Escape now, hug later."
They broke the hug and the four of them made for a nearby elevator.
TIEs and crosswings swirled and flew around one another, almost jousting with their gunfire like knights of the sky. Burning cloth and wood fell from the air, their smoke adding to that from the guns.
"I got one behind me," Snap called out.
"I'm on it, Snap."
A shot from am antiair gun tore upwards and burst directly in front of a crosswing. Shrapnel shredded the fuselage, sending the flying machine spinning towards the ground out of control.
"Burillo's down!"
Snap swore. "Keep an eye out for ground fire!"
Finn, Rey, Han, and Chewbacca watched another flaming crosswing crash nearby as they ran across the snow in the direction of the Millennium Falcon.
"They're in trouble. We can't leave." Han looked to his companions. "My friend's got a bag full of explosives. Let's use them." He looked up the gentle slope of the valley to the black bunker.
"General Organa, are you seeing this?"
"Two more crosswings down!"
Admiral Statura hissed. "That's half of our fighters destroyed."
"And the weapon will be charged in ten minutes," added Threepio glumly. "It would take a miracle to save us now."
Leia heaved a deep breath. The Rebellion had achieved impossible victories at Yavin and Endor. She had faith that the Resistance could do the impossible now.
While the battle raged overhead, Rey and Finn scaled the side of the bunker towards a junction box. The two of them sidled onto the maintenance catwalk and Rey set to work prying the front panel off the box.
Finn looked to Rey, while she scrutinized the collection of cables and voidspark pipes. Rey rolled up the sleeves of Han's borrowed fur coat and disconnected a pair of cables. She plugged them into each other's sockets and heard the faint sound of doors sliding open below.
Han and Chewbacca opened fire as soon as the sigil bunker's blast doors opened, striking one of the two stormtrooper guards. The other dashed around the corner and opened fire. He missed his target on his first shot and when he lined up for a second, a bolt from Chewbacca's crossbow caught him in the eye.
"Come on, Chewie. Let's move."
An explosion above Finn made him flinch and he moved to the side to avoid falling debris. Rey meanwhile twisted one of the voidspark pipes and removed it from its socket.
In the bunker, the blast doors of the several redundant bulkheads opened in sequence. "Girl knows her stuff," said Han, impressed.
Chewbacca growled in agreement.
The interior of the sigil bunker was a titanic chamber ringed with multiple levels of gantries. Countless glowing yellow and orange runes covered the walls and supporting columns, bathing everything in a warm but dim light. Hot air rose from the dizzyingly deep chasm around which everything else was built. At the center, a single catwalk suspended from guy wires stretched from one side of the bunker to the other.
Han turned around and inspected the wall above. He never was sure exactly how rune magic worked, but he had quite a bit of experience making it fail catastrophically. "We'll set the charges against every other column."
Chewbacca growled an alternative.
"You're right. That's a better idea. You take the upper levels, I'll go below." Han held out a silver cylinder. "Detonator."
Chewbacca grunted and tucked the detonator in his satchel.
"We'll meet back here."
The two friends took to their tasks with gusto, sticking the charges in strategic locations. Before long, the glow of armed fuze runes dotted a vertical swath of the bunker's wall.
Kylo Ren led his snowtroopers out from the transport airship. Even before they had landed, he could sense that Han Solo was near. The open bunker entrance reinforced that feeling. What's more, the girl was close as well.
Kylo and his troops entered the bunker with purpose. They paid no mind to the slain guards and only stopped after they had reached the central chamber.
"Find them," Ren ordered.
The snowtroopers fanned out, some heading to the higher levels, some heading low.
Han swore under his breath and crept through the shadows.
Rey and Finn climbed up to a maintenance hatch, oblivious that First Order troops had entered the bunker. The last glimmers of sunlight had nearly vanished, letting the stars appear through the wisps of clouds. Beams of light from huge magelamps atop the bunker pierced the gathering darkness and lit the still raging sky battle.
Kylo silently stalked the bunker's main level, distracted from his surroundings by his tumultuous thoughts. Han stepped out from behind a column and looked at his son with both sadness and hopefulness. He watched the masked man walked out onto the suspended walkway and steeled himself for this overdue reunion.
Han moved to the walkway and stopped. He took a deep breath. "Ben!"
The name echoed through the bunker and Kylo Ren stopped in his tracks. On all levels, the snowtroopers took aim at Han. Chewbacca rushed to the railing and looked at his friend anxiously.
Kylo Ren slowly turned and stared. "Han Solo. I've been waiting for this day for a long time."
Han's lower lip quivered and he stepped onto the walkway.
High above Chewbacca, a maintenance hatch opened and Finn and Rey entered. The pair looked down towards the two men on the walkway and Rey let out a quiet gasp.
Han continued moving towards Kylo. "Take off that mask. You don't need it."
"What do you think you'll see if I do?"
Han's eyebrows rose. "The face of my son."
Several seconds passed in silence. Kylo reached up and slowly removed his helmet.
For the first time in nearly nineteen years, Han Solo looked upon the face of his only child. He had grown so much, but he still recognized his little boy. What struck Han like an arrow to the heart, though, was how sad he looked.
"Your son is gone... He was weak and foolish like his father... So I destroyed him..."
Han walked towards Kylo. "That's what Snoke wants you to believe... But it's not true. My son is alive."
"No. The Supreme Leader is wise."
"Snoke is using you for your power. When he gets what he wants, he'll crush you, same as he did with everyone else involved in his rise."
Kylo stared unblinking at Han.
"You know it's true."
"...It's too late," Kylo said, barely above a whisper.
"No, it's not. Leave here with me. Come home... We miss you."
Kylo blinked rapidly, trying to force back tears. "...I'm being torn apart," he croaked. "I want to be free of this pain." His eyes fell and he took a stuttering breath. "I know what I have to do but I don't know if I have the strength to do it." He looked back up. "Will you help me?"
"Yes. Anything."
Kylo Ren dropped his helmet onto the walkway and took his Lightblade hilt from his belt. He and Han both looked to it, then back to one another.
Kylo presented the hilt to his father, holding it in both his hands. Han smiled faintly and wrapped his fingers around the weapon.
Outside, the last sliver of sunlight vanished behind the horizon.
Han and his son looked into each other's eyes, wordlessly communicating their sentiments. Kylo's hands shook and Han smiled sadly as he gently pulled on the hilt.
A red blade suddenly pierced Han's chest. At once, Chewbacca howled in horror, Finn recoiled, and Rey shrieked.
Kylo Ren, wearing an expression of agony stared into his father's eyes. His mouth searched for words. "...Thank you," he said, voice trembling as much as the rest of him. He withdrew the blade from Han's chest.
Han did not hear the wails from Chewbacca and Rey, nor did he hear the crackling of Kylo's Lightblade. It wouldn't have mattered if he could have. He reached his hand up and cupped his son's damp cheek for only a second before his lifeless body collapsed sideways and fell from the walkway into the abyss below.
Far away in D'Qar, Leia reeled back and collapsed into a nearby chair. She put her hand over her mouth and felt a tear roll down her cheek.
Chewbacca roared in rage and loosed a magic bolt from his crossbow. It hit Kylo on the left side of his belly and he skidded backwards from the energy of the shot. Kylo clutched at the wound and groaned in agony.
The snowtroopers opened fire on Chewbacca, who loosed bolt after bolt at them while he ran for the exit. Rey and Finn provided as much covering fire as they could until the Wookiee had passed out of sight.
In the relative safety of the bulkheads, Chewbacca pulled out the detonator and pressed both of its runes. Chains of powerful explosions tore up the inner wall of the bunker, blasting a gash through to the outside and throwing concrete chunks and jagged metal far and wide.
Kylo looked up at the damage wrought and finally saw Rey standing high above. He had been so focused on Han that he hadn't even noticed her presence until now. The expression she bore hurt far worse than his injury. Seeing her standing next to the traitorous stormtrooper added further insult.
Kylo hissed in pain and limped towards them. Rey and Finn turned and rushed back out the maintenance hatch.
Admiral Ackbar's fishy eyes widened. "The sigil drum's been damaged, but it's still functional."
"Admiral, the weapon can fire in one minute..."
A snowtrooper rushed over to Kylo Ren and held out his arm to help. "Sir, we need to get you to medical immediately."
Kylo smacked the arm away, smearing the white vambrace with his blood. "No! Back to the airship! I'm not letting them get away!"
"Y-yes, sir."
Rey and Finn scrambled down the mountain and into the northern pine forest. The stars and the light of the moons shining through the broken clouds were all they had to see by. Finn led the way through the trees, following the still visible tracks that he, Han, and Chewbacca had left.
When they neared a half frozen river, a searchlight from overhead lit up the snowy ground, temporarily blinding them. When their eyes adjusted they saw Kylo Ren leap from the entrance ramp of a hovering airship and land in front of them with his Lightblade activated.
Kylo was hunched over more than usual and his snarl looked to be one less of anger than excruciating pain. "We're not done yet."
"You're a monster," Rey spat.
"It's just us, now. Han Solo can't save you." Kylo thumped his fist against his side, trying to have the pain fuel his anger. Blood dripped from his fist and stained the snow by his foot.
Rey yelled and snapped her carbine up only for it to be wrenched from her hands by an unseen force. Kylo shot his hand out and she flew backwards with a scream. She hit a tree and fell to the snow around the base.
Finn yelled out Rey's name and rushed over to her limp form. He knelt beside her and checked her pulse. "No, no, no. Come on, Rey." Finn sighed with relief when he felt Rey's pulse, but Kylo approaching from behind forced him to move away from her.
Kylo limped towards Finn with the wild eyes of a mad dog. "Traitor!"
Finn reached under his jacket and pulled out the Lightblade hilt. He held it up with both hands and pressed the activation rune.
Kylo's eyes widened, making his already unhinged expression seem even moreso. He pointed his red blade towards Finn. "That Lightblade. It belongs to me."
Finn frowned. "Come get it." He yelled and charged towards Kylo. He brought the blue blade down towards his opponent's center line.
Kylo Ren blocked and immediately went on the offensive. Their blades connected repeatedly before Ren slashed at Finn's face. The amateur swordman leaned back and let the crackling sword pass harmlessly in front of him.
As Finn was not an officer, the First Order never trained him in swordsmanship beyond the most rudimentary techniques. Against an opponent as distracted as Ren, it seemed for the time being, at least, to be enough.
Finn brought several aggressive blows down towards Kylo with a grunt punctuating each one. Kylo blocked them all but every one sent another spike of pain shooting through his body.
Kylo roared and pushed back against Finn's strikes, knocking him off balance. Finn staggered backwards but stayed upright, blocking the two quick follow up swings from Ren. The third toppled him, though, and he fell to the snowy ground.
Kylo Ren failed to press his advantage on account of how much pain he was in. He panted heavily and clutched his side while Finn clambered to his feet.
Finn lunged towards Ren, who dodged to the side and whirled his Lightblade around. Kylo swung horizontally with one hand and followed through with a spin. The two swordsmen locked blades and put all their strength into overpowering each other.
Kylo forced Finn back to a tree and shifted the angle of his sword. The blade of his cross guard connected with Finn's shoulder and bit into his flesh. Finn howled in pain, but kept up the lock.
"He needs your help, Rey..."
Rey stirred at the cry of pain sounding through the forest. She opened her eyes and saw two blurry lines of light in the distance, one red, one blue. She blinked until the image focused more.
"Call it, and it will answer..."
Kylo Ren reeled back and slashed diagonally at Finn, who ducked to the side. The blade cut halfway through the tree trunk and Kylo whirled around to face his opponent. His movement was too slow, though, and a lucky strike from Finn cut through the lamellar armor on his right shoulder and the skin beneath.
Hissing, Kylo caught Finn's follow up strike and parried it, flinging the Lightblade from Finn's hand. The hilt tumbled through the air and landed in a snow drift.
With his bloody left hand, Kylo punched Finn in the jaw. The impact turned Finn's back towards Kylo, who swung his sword upwards. The tip of the red blade raked up the left side of Finn's back, cutting through his jacket, skin, fat, and muscle. Finn fell face first to the ground, moaning in pain.
Kylo grunted and deactivated his Lightblade. He reached a hand towards the hilt that lay in the snow some distance away. It twitched, but the pain breaking his concentration kept it from immediately flying to him.
He focused and tried to block out the almost all consuming agony. The hilt shot out of the drift, but not into his hand. Instead it flew past his ear, making him flinch.
Rey looked at the hilt that she now held with disbelief. The Old Man was right.
Kylo Ren's mouth hung open. Not only had the girl called the Lightblade to her hand, the aura she now exuded was strikingly similar to his own.
Rey gripped the Lightblade tightly with both hands and thumbed the activation rune. Kylo closed his mouth and activated his own blade.
Rey lunged and thrust her sword forward. Kylo deflected the attack and whirled his Lightblade back up to block Rey's spinning follow through. Their blades connected twice more before a wide swing from Rey cut cleanly through a tree. The creaking and cracking of the toppling pine added to the sounds of clashing Lightblades and the grunts of the two duelists.
Rey found fighting with the sword somewhat awkward compared to fighting with her staff, but there was also an uncanny naturalness to using the weapon. In between the bursts of pain, Kylo also reflected on the scavenger girl's fighting style. It bore more than a passing resemblance to his early forms.
Rey thrust forward again, and again Kylo deflected. Another cut tree fell, dusting them with snow. Neither of them took notice as they entered a blade lock.
"Black Leader, we just lost Red Two!"
"We're overwhelmed! What do we do? It isn't working!"
On the horizon, the sun slipped away. Poe swore under his breath and tried to think up a plan.
A catastrophic explosion sounded from the vicinity of the sigil bunker.
Snap's voice came over the comm crystal. "Black Leader, there's a brand new hole in that bunker! Looks like our friends got in."
Poe swung around to get a look. The hole was large enough to comfortably fly through if the pilot went in sideways. An idea formed in Poe's mind. "Red Four, Red Six, cover us."
"I'm on it."
"Roger, Black Leader."
Poe flew closer to the ground to line up for his attack. "Everyone else, hit the target hard. Give it everything you got."
While the rest of the crosswings moved in from above, Poe and his wingmen entered one of the radial fissures. The gash offered moderate cover but the twists and turns tested even Poe's reflexes.
After one last curve, the fissure opened into a straight shot to the bunker. Poe looked at the smouldering hole in its side with determination. "All squadrons, I'm going in. Pull up and cover me."
"Copy that, Black Leader."
"Good luck, Poe."
Hux flinched upon seeing the explosion in the side of the bunker. His eye twitched. What the Hell was Ren doing?
"Weapon fully charged in thirty seconds."
"Prepare to fire."
Poe clenched his jaw and rolled his wings until they were vertical. He flew into the hole in the bunker and felt the heat of the fires on his skin. His eyes widened upon seeing the sheer number of runes covering every part of the walls.
Poe put his gloved hand over the runes to fire the rockets. He only had five of his original twelve left, but figured that it was just enough.
Poe made a circuit around the bunker, firing rockets and explosive shells at the walls. Each blast obliterated a swath of runes and spiked the bunker's temperature. By the time Poe had fired the last shot into the walls, the abyss below glowed angrily and Poe was drenched in sweat.
He flew back out the way he had come, singeing his wingtip in the process. His fellow sky pilots took his reemergence and the rumbling of the bunker as their signal to get clear.
The heat in the bunker continued to build to the point where the metal into which the runes were carved started to glow, then melt. Seconds later, the containment magic of the sigil bunker failed. A brilliant orange flash lit up the night followed by a fountain of molten metal and stone erupting from the top of the bunker.
The ground started quaking, starting as only a rumble and gradually increasing to a fever pitch. The fissures surrounding the bunker split open and the glow of lava lit the valley.
Rey grunted and blocked Kylo's many strikes. They were not as strong or as fast as they had been, and Kylo's heavy breathing told that each one took great effort.
Rey nimbly leapt out of the rocky cleft that Kylo had backed her into and heard him roar in pained frustration. He clambered over the side and blocked Rey's downward slash. She ran and cut a tree beside her, momentarily blocking Kylo's path.
Rey turned around and thrust her Lightblade forward. Kylo, by now expecting this move, parried and unleashed a series of slow full body swings that knocked Rey back with their force. The ground below their feet suddenly started to rumble.
The deafening sound of grinding stone and crashing trees filled the forest as the ground cracked asunder. Rey and Kylo looked on with wide eyes for only a moment before resuming their duel.
Kylo continued his full body swings, pushing Rey towards the newly opened fissure. Rey blocked a blow and their blades locked as they stood on the precipice.
While Rey struggled to hold up her sword with her aching arms, Kylo looked into her terrified face. This wasn't what he wanted. Not only did she show so much promise with the Force, everything about her fascinated him.
"You need a teacher," Kylo said. "I can show you the ways of the Force."
Rey's expression suddenly changed. "The Force?" She closed her eyes and slowed her breathing.
Kylo smiled as he panted. He felt her tapping into her burgeoning power and a shiver went up his spine.
Rey opened her eyes and bared her teeth. She ducked out of the blade lock and wheeled around behind Kylo.
Kylo barely had time to turn before Rey launched into a flurry of attacks. Every time their Lightblades connected, a fresh surge of pain shot through him. He grunted and struggled to hold his own against the scavenger girl's savage second wind.
Rey forced Kylo's blade upwards and slashed low, cutting open his thigh. Kylo cried out and fell to his knees in front of Rey. He hissed and clumsily thrust towards her.
Rey parried and clipped Kylo's shoulder with the tip of her Lightblade. Kylo staggered backwards, wincing at the fresh pain.
Rey raised her sword and brought it down. Kylo blocked and received a kick to the chest after their blades separated. As Kylo groaned and tried to stand, Rey stalked around him, baring her teeth.
Kylo swung halfheartedly and Rey easily blocked. She pulled her blade away and tried to swing only to have her wrist caught by Kylo's off hand. Her own off hand caught Kylo's wrist and the two grappled against each other.
Rey forced the weakened Kylo's Lightblade tip to the ground, sending up steam from the flash boiled snow. Kylo grunted as his strength finally gave out.
Rey swung her sword over between them and knocked Kylo's Lightblade out of his hand. She then slashed upwards. Kylo fell onto his back, gripping his face.
Rey looked down at Kylo, torn between a desire for revenge and letting her defeated and unarmed opponent go. Kylo pulled his hand away from his face, revealing the diagonal cut that crossed it. His eyes showed a fear made Rey question her actions.
The ground shook again and a crack snaked between them. It spread open faster than either could react, leaving a yawning ravine between them.
Rey and Kylo shared one more look before Rey deactivated her Lightblade and turned away. She ran back towards where Finn had fallen, leaving Kylo alone.
Chaos spread through Starkiller Base. All military structure and decorum was thrown to the wayside as officer and enlisted alike ran for their lives through the crumbling corridors.
General Hux ran to the communication chamber where the Supreme Leader's silver form awaited. "Supreme Leader. Containment has failed. The eruption of Ilum had begun."
Falling stones struck the silver surface of Snoke and sent ripples across his body. "Abandon the island at once and come to me with Kylo Ren. It is time to complete his training."
Rey ran to Finn and rolled him over. His pulse was very weak, but still present. Tears fell from Rey's chin. She had no idea how to get him to safety, let alone where safety was.
Rey gradually became aware of the sound of cracking ice. She thought it was only the island splitting again until a pair of blinding light blue magelights lit up her surroundings.
In the river just a short walk away, the Millennium Falcon sailed with Chewbacca at the helm. Rey could hardly believe her eyes. Chewbacca dropped anchor and ran out the gangplank.
Rey and Chewbacca carried Finn on board and placed him in the same bunk on which Finn had tended to Chewbacca's wound. Minutes later, the Falcon reached the sea while Ilum continued to rupture behind them.
Overhead, Poe sighed with relief. "All squadrons, I got eyes on them!"
Snap pumped his fist. "Yes!"
Behind them, the throat of Ilum's volcano cracked open climactically, vomiting forth torrents of lava. Molten stone cascaded down the slopes of the mountain, annihilating everything before it. Even after the whole of Ilum lay under a thick blanket of lava, the volcano had one last surprise.
The mass of Kyber crystals, no longer contained by magic or magma, shattered. In an instant, the summit of the mountain was consumed by a ball of Dark magic that leached every bit of warmth from on and around the island, leaving nothing but cold rock and ice.
Poe let out a deep breath. "Our job's done here. Let's go home."
