"Are you able to get a visual on the command center?" Lando's voice sounded from Rey's comm.
"Affirmative," A raging storm had settled on Aquilaris, making it nearly impossible to see anything. While the dark clouds and rain played in the Resistance's favor when they crossed the threshold from space to sky, it made pinpointing docking locations all the more harder. As a Force-user, this feat was easier for Rey, as for her it was merely a matter of ignoring the commotion of battle. She just hoped Lando and Chewbacca could maneuver the Falcon safely to their intended target.
"C-an you hea-r me?" Finn's voice cracked through the line.
"Finn?" Rey asked. "You were sent to the command center too?"
"Yeah, I j-st landed," he said, the wind from the storm causing interference.
"I'll be there soon," Rey said as she fired off a round of lasers at a nearby tie-fighter.
Rey's landing was shaky but successful. Climbing out of the warmth of her dry cockpit and into the buffeting winds, Rey shielded her eyes as she met R2 on the ground.
"You okay?" Rey asked. A stream of water spurted out of one of the droid's orifices, but he nodded his domed head.
"Rey!" Finn called, his voice barely audible.
"Over here!"
"We need to get inside," Finn said once they'd found each other. "I took out a couple stormtroopers that were guarding the doors, but more will be coming,"
"Understood. Lando and Chewbacca will meet us when they arrive,"
R2 unfastened the mechanisms that held the internal latch, clearing the way for entry. Once inside, Rey and Finn started searching for schematics at the reception desk.
"There has to be a map somewhere," Rey thought, "Or at least a list containing this facility's operations,"
"R2," Finn asked, "Are you able to-" He cut himself off when he saw the droid using two of his appendages, one to download data from a machine and another to transfer the information to a datapad.
"Good work," Lando commended the droid as he and Chewbacca entered. R2 beeped back, roughly translating that it knew a thing or two from decades of sabotaging bad guys.
"I found something," Rey said as scrolled through the datapad R2 was still holding. "There are notes of the First Order using machinery and vehicles stored at this location for mining operations in nearby caverns,"
"Does it say what they were mining?" Lando asked.
"No," Rey admitted, "Though the data is still downloading, so perhaps the files haven't transferred yet,"
A door burst open, sending a flood of stormtroopers in single-file with their guns aimed at the five Resistance members. Rey silently chided herself for not sensing their presence; she'd been so focused on the mission at hand that she'd unintentionally closed herself from her surroundings.
At the end of the sea of stormtroopers stood their leader, a tall being clad in shining silver.
"Captain Phasma?" Finn asked in disbelief.
"You look as though you've seen a ghost," she replied. "Between what this armor can withstand and my will, you ought to have known it would take more than that to kill me on the Supremacy,"
Rey quickly analyzed the situation. There were about 30 stormtroopers versus the three humans, one wookie, and a droid. The odds were not in their favor, but then again they hadn't been when she and Ben were in Snoke's throne room either. There are times when you have to count your losses and lay down your arms, but there are also times when you have to take the opportunity you are given. The five decided on the latter.
While the stormtroopers outnumbered the Resistance members in the greeting chamber, their fighting styles and aiming proved rudimentary. The Resistance members started making their way through the crowd of white, gaining the upper hand until they heard one of their own give a pained grunt. Rey turned around in time to see Phasma pull a blood-soaked vibro-voulge out of Lando's stomach as he fell to the ground.
Seeing the deathly blow, Ben's spirit rushed forward and threw his arms around the man who'd been his uncle. Lando struggled to keep himself in a sitting position, but Rey realized with a heavy heart Ben was likely exerting enough force to keep the man upright.
"You're a fool," Phasma said, "Thinking a man of your age can still fight in battle,"
"And… you're a fool," Lando coughed, "To align yourself with such villainy as the First Order,"
Noticing the significant decrease in stormtroopers, Phasma motioned for her soldiers to retreat. "And yet I am the one who is able to walk away from this fight alive,"
With the enemy in retreat, the Resistance members rushed to Lando's side.
"We need to get you on the Falcon and back to the base," Finn said.
"No," Lando. "This…this is my time,"
Chewbacca let out an anguished cry as he cradled Lando in his arms. "I'd rather… go down fighting the First Order… than hiding in fear somewhere," Lando replied as he closed his eyes. "Never really been one to sit on the sidelines,"
Ben was silent as the scene unfolded, his eyes fixed on Lando as the man's breathing slowed. Taking Lando's hand in hers, Rey knelt so only Calrissian could hear her whisper: "You should know…Ben is here with us. With you"
Lando gave a weak smile, his eyes still closed. "Ben…" he said. "He always was a good kid,"
Moments later, Lando was gone.