Chapter 14 - The Emerald Raptor

Jakku

Niima Outpost

Surprisingly, saying goodbye was the most difficult task. Rey, the stranded Jedi survivor, had long come to accept the fact that her home on Jakku was temporary at best. It was meager and rather spartan in decoration; a tomb from a past war. She'd chosen the remains of the AT-AT purely because it was out of sight, and because its armored hide would provide a great deal of protection. It was shelter in the most barest of senses… and yet, she'd made it her home.

She sighed then as she looked at the confines of it for the last time. She'd been here for far too many years. Yes, it had been necessary to hide long enough for any hunters at her wake to lose her scent. But she'd chosen the exile here for far longer than what had been necessary. She didn't know why entirely back then, though she laid the blame on her guilt for having lived when so many hadn't; for running instead of dying with her family.

But she knew the truth now. The Force worked in mysterious ways, and had led her here. She could've ended up on any world, any place. Yet, she'd been brought here, kept here, and survived the dangers this world had thrown at her long enough to rescue the lives of two men and a droid. She chuckled to herself. All this strangely reminded her of the various history lessons Master Tekka had given, and of how objectively random events had the greatest effects on galactic history.

"What you call random events," Tekka had said once, "I call the Will of the Force. Others might call it fate. The more… grandeur of this sort will go so far as to call it destiny."

She sighed, closing her eyes and shaking her head. She wanted no part in destiny. She wanted her father back. She wanted her family, her brothers, her sisters back. She wanted her life to go back to the days of walking the galaxy and getting into adventures; of when things were carefree to an extent, and problems could be solved with a lightsaber followed by a witty remark. This… this was the prelude to war, and she was tired of war.

She didn't realize she'd been crying. That she'd been crying for several minutes, standing there in the shadow. She didn't even realize that Finn had taken her into his arms again, holding her there with whatever meager comfort he could give. She accepted it warmly. It had been a long time since she'd felt any kind of closeness or comfort that hadn't been done to take advantage of her. It was a release for her, but it was not one she could afford to dwell in for much longer. When her tears were spent, she wiped them away and closed the side hatch for the last time.

Naturally, there was an argument about who was going to sit where on the speeder bike. A while back, Rey had the foresight to dig out and custom build a sidecar for the speeder bike just in case something like this had happened. As she attached it to the bike, she could hear the boys debating darkly about the obviously sensitive matter regarding their masculine pride. Ironically, it was been BB-8 who suggested rather cheekily that since Finn had already grown accustomed to riding behind Rey, he should continue to do so.

Reluctantly, Finn agreed. After this, they all went through the process of checking their gear and making sure they hadn't forgotten anything. Both Finn and Poe wore outfits meant to make them look like locals. Finn had donned a poncho purely for the reason of concealing his F-11 while Poe had spent the majority of the night altering a leather jacket so that the bulge of his own blaster pistol was hardly noticeable under his shoulder. Both of these the two men had spent a few moments checking and inspecting before they holstered them and mounted the speeder. BB-8 in turn sheltered himself on Poe's lap with a blanket on top.

As Rey seated herself along the driver controls, she tossed them shemagh masks. They both knew there was a good chance there would still be a patrol of Stormtroopers in town, so they didn't complain. Granted that didn't stop Poe from cursing every time his own mask kept falling off his head.

"What is the secret to this!?" he cursed. Rey laughed at his misfortune.

"What can be said? You have a small head."

"Not funny," he deadpanned, "how's yours staying on?"

"Oh, you know, the Force and all that. Believe me, I can get away with a ridiculous amount of things with the Force at my fingertips," she replied with a smirk.

"Great," he mumbled, "I guess I'll add stealing your super powers to my list of things to do when I get off this planet."

"Try and I will bury your head in the sand."

"Oh please," he smirked, "I've been tortured, shot at, nearly killed in my sleep six times, and even dragged around for twelve miles by a bunch of angry Nerfs! So, believe me when I say I laugh at your little head burying threat there, darling!"

Finn cracked an arctic smile, "You shouldn't. The temperatures of the sand can get hot enough to burn you alive. The Tribes of Parnassos sometimes would cover you in pitch just to speed up the process."

"Oh great," he exclaimed by throwing his arms out very dramatically, "all my friends are a bunch of sadists!"

"Complaining is unbecoming, Poe," Finn smiled.

"Yeah, sure. Look, can you guys just help me with this already?"

Minutes passed, and Rey cast a last look over her shoulder before she kicked in the accelerator and the four of them sped across the desert at lightning speed. Her thoughts became a blur with the whiplash brushing over her head. Thoughts of the past, thoughts of the present, and more importantly, thoughts of the future. Once they got off world and the information resting in BB-8's memory banks were safely in the hands of the New Republic… what then? She found it a funny irony that she was in almost the same boat as Finn when it came to her future prospects.

No doubt there would be conflict, more than likely all-out-war. If and when it came, Rey knew that it would be her duty to do what she could to aid the New Republic. But what of her other duties? Though Rey knew that Master Ti and K'Kruhk had escaped the attack on the Temple with at least two dozen students, she didn't know if they were still alive. If anyone was still alive. It was a chilling thought to her, that she might very well be the last remaining Jedi in the galaxy.

It wasn't something she wanted to believe, and she hoped beyond hope that it wasn't true. But what if it was? Would she have to do what Master Kenobi did? What Master Yoda did? She was a Knight, and she'd long since earned that title… but she didn't know if she was ready to try to pass on what she knew to someone else. If she was the last Jedi, then she would have to.

A dozen more questions filled her mind. Where would she start? How would she find a student? How would she know if she did find one? What would she teach him or her? All these questions made her heart run still. More than ever, she felt truly alone.

Before she could think any further, they were on the outskirts of town. She shook her head. She really needed to stop going on these inner monologues. They were bound to get her into trouble.

"So, what are we going to do with the bike?" Poe asked as he disembarked keeping BB-8 wrapped snugly in a ball of blankets.

"Leave it," she replied, pushing it over to a rocky corner, "let someone else have it. I'm not coming back here anytime soon."

Finn was on the outskirts as this exchange went, his senses alert with his hands resting on his blaster rifle buried beneath his poncho.

"Hey, ease off on the bouncer look, buddy," Poe chuckled as he patted him on the shoulder, "you're gonna attract trouble by looking like you're looking for it."

He grunted and relaxed his hands, but not his eyes. Above all else, he hoped they wouldn't run into anymore of his own. Traitor or not, his weapon was staying on stun, regardless of the tactical disadvantage. He just hoped it wouldn't have to come to that.

"So, what's the plan?" he asked Rey.

"Follow me and keep close," and with that, they stealthy made their way to the south side of town. It helped that it was morning hour, which meant the largest influx of customers. It was just a matter of slipping in unnoticed and making their way discreetly. Eventually, they came across the eastern entrance, where right on time a mass of scavengers, traders and other vagabonds were making their rounds. It was a simple enough manner to blend in with the middle of the line, though a few did look their way when Poe started whistling to himself. A nudge to the elbow from Finn put an end to it, though not before he chuckled, "Sorry, couldn't resist."

BB-8 responded by smacking him in the knee with an arm so fast nobody noticed.

If I die and go to Hell, I'm taking you with me!

"Oh please, I'm going to Heaven, and into the arms of dozen beautiful women!"

"A dozen?" Finn asked bemused, "Why so many?"

"Why so few?" he shot back with a smirk, to which Rey just rolled her eyes.

"Are you always thinking about getting in bed with beautiful women, flyboy?"

"Sister, I've been having the worst couple of weeks in years. I fully intend to kick back and enjoy an extended vacation, snug and secure in the said arms of very professional beautiful women… once this is all over, of course. What about you?" he asked Rey, "Got any special places you got planned to go visit? Maybe a special someone?"

"Poe, I've been living in the middle of nowhere for a couple of years now. Where would I be able to find a special someone?"

"Ah, a gal like you? Any man be lucky to have you in their company."

Laying it on kind of thick there, BB-8 laughed at him, which Poe responded by smacking him over the head. Rey just shook her head at that, muttering something that suspicious looked like "Boys…"

"Well, to answer your first question… I might go and visit the beaches of Spira. My parents got married there. They always talked about how beautiful it was, but I never got around to going."

"Ah, I've been there!" Poe beamed brightly, "Really is quite beautiful. Especially the sunsets. Bright golds and reds with a dance of green as the sun slips behind the sea. And the beaches themselves? Unrivalled, especially during the fall when the sea is nice, warm and calm. But the people? Oh, heh, well they're quite welcoming."

"I take it there are beautiful women there?" Finn asked incredulously.

"Finn, man, beautiful women ain't the only thing that's on my mind, thank you very much. Though if you're looking for some, I would recommend Zeltros. Though have an escape planned. They'll make you want to stay."

"Noted."

"Now where was I? Oh yeah, the people. Heh, quite lively and fun, always looking to chat up a storm, peel back a few layers, and serve up some Aghiroghiko."

"Aghira-what?"

"It's a type of red wine. I know, it's a bit of an acquired taste, and a pinch on your wallet, but man… heh heh, nothing quite like it. Fellow named Hephes said it best," Poe then put on something of a high-pitched, fast-paced yet elderly sounding accent with over-enunciation on the vowels, "'Aghiro is like the finest sea, y'see? Stormy build up, and going down, but after the gale is through? Like bliss in the new found dawn!'"

"Wow," Rey smiled warmly, "Never been much of a drinking gal myself, but from that illustratious description alone," that earned a sly smile from Poe, "I'll have to try it."

"Best to have it with Cretian Longsword fish. Goes down real nice."

"Ooh, now you're making me hungry. What about you, Finn?" Rey asked as they slipped in through the markets, "Got anywhere you'd like to go?"

"Honestly? Coruscant."

"Coruscant?" Poe asked in disbelief, "Of all the places you'd want to go, why there?"

"You could say the Fir… my brothers, revere it. Many of my superiors speeches involved our eventually liberation of it, and restoration of its glorious status in the galaxy. I guess you could say I would like to see it for myself... without having to conquer it."

"See what all the fuss is about, I getcha," Poe shrugged, "Well, I guess as far as perceived holy lands go, it's fairly reasonable. But after you're done with your pilgrimage and such? Look me up, I'll show you the best the galaxy's got to offer," he then beamed at Rey, "you're welcome to come along, keep this merry band going. 'Sides, didn't you say you kinda 'Walked the Galaxy?'"

"I did," she chuckled, "though every given sunday, we were getting hogtied by some diabolical cult leader or kingpin and such, and left to dangle over a pool of lava… or in my personally favorite case, Krakanas."

"Lemme guess, they all start monologuing?"

"Oh yes," she laughed, "they all start this prepared speech about how pathetic we were compared to them, about how inevitable our deaths are, and how the galaxy will soon be theirs! I mean, these guys had us at their mercy, and they won't shut up!"

"If I was them," Finn chuckled dryly, "I would just shoot you and be done with it."

"See? That's why you're not an intergalactic crimeboss. You wouldn't treat it like some sports event or something. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm glad they all did. I can count on two hands the number of times ego induced stupidity saved my life. But still, could these guys take what they're doing at least kinda seriously? I mean, they're either resurrecting some Sith Lord, or trying to blow up a planet, or blackmail someone by pointing a gun at said planet... and they treat it like a game?"

Finn nodded, "You have had an interesting life."

"It wasn't boring, that's for sure," she grinned with a twinkle in her eye, "hey, turn here."

Ahead was suspiciously one of the best maintained buildings in the scrapheap and bolt layered town.

"Is that what I think it is?" Poe asked, and Rey answered with a 'Mmm-hmm.' With this, she produced an electronic key, and they slipped inside, Finn staying on rearguard to see if anybody had seen them go in.

"Relax, Finn," Rey said from the front, "I come here all the time."

"Right," and with a last check of the area, he joined them at the front. Ahead of them was a heavy duty grav-door. Obviously, that had cost an arm and leg.

"So, what you got for us?" Poe smiled curiously, "Piece of junk or a luxury piece?"

"Well, I wouldn't call it junk or luxury," she shrugged.

"What would you call it, then?" Finn asked.

"Unique."

She opened the grav-door. They were greeted with a varily large docking bay of typical fashion. Round and circular with an open top meant for take off, though this one had a covering. Only a few dim lights were on, hanging from the rafters above. Rey flicked open a switch, and suddenly the world was bathed in a bright light that caused everyone to turn away until their eyes could adjust to the sudden brightness. When they did, their eyes went wide.

"What the hell is that thing?" Finn asked. Poe answered with a smile that grew and grew as he started to circle the craft in question.

"If I'm not mistaken… that's a Hammerhead Class Gunboat. Admiral Syndulla had a bunch of them in the Phoenix Fleet. But it's… different. Like a lot different. I mean, it's missing its 'hammerhead'... and you instead installed a Corellian bubble cockpit. And... its gotta bunch of other ship parts bolted on. Yup, I'm definitely looking at an 'ugly'."

"I hope you mean that as a term of endearment, Poe," Rey teased with a smile, sitting down in a convenient chair, "though you are correct in that assessment."

"Where'd you find it?"

"In a junkyard, where else?" She answered with a smile, "Poor thing was gutted and torn in two. We practically tore apart six other ships to rebuild this one."

"Why not just get a new ship?" Finn asked.

"Where's the fun in that? It was a labor of love. The perfect bonding experience for a bunch of soon-to-be Jedi Knight teenagers."

"Six different ships, huh?" Poe commented as he ran his hand along its metal frame, "Mebbe make that seven… or even eight. Hell, if this thing wasn't so well put together, I really would have to call it an Ugly."

"Don't insult my baby," Rey deadpanned, "she's mine and I love her fondly."

"She got a name?"

"The Emerald Raptor."

Poe could only laugh at that description, especially with its aforementioned color scheme of a dull and faded emerald, plus a pair of silver bird pinions along the wings. The Raptor itself was 115 feet long with a wingspan of 54 feet, triangular in its appearance. The wings themselves were in reality a pair of smaller secondary engines strapped to the main body of the ship followed by a pair of large primary engines, all tapered at a 40 degree angle and wrapped within a plas-steel covering. By his best guess, the secondaries were a pair of Incom Fusials, probably 4j or k from one of the X-Wing variants. The primaries however were unmistakably of Quadex Kyromasters pulled from from a pair of B-Wings. In addition to this were nearly two dozen sets of repulser lifts.

"So, who'd you tick off getting this stuff?" he asked, pointing at the obvious repulsors.

"Oh, the Zhan-Sun Consortium, of course. We may or may not have stolen one or two Star Vipers, and… well, ripped out one or two parts."

"One or two? Heh, sure."

Poe could only smile. Thrust power, sustainability and utter maneuverability was covered in spades. Now his eyes wandered all over the rest of the ship, picking up further details as he went, such as another set of bubble cockpits on both the bow and spin of the craft. These however were tucked inside a bit, and Poe smiled at that.

"Lemme guess. These two extend out when the shooting starts."

"Mmm hmm."

Now his eyes were set on the meat of the craft: its large array of weapons. Obviously, there was the dorsal mounted chin cannon located at the front of the craft. The rest however were hidden, and though hidden well, they were noticeable. Heavy blaster cannons and ion casters hidden on either side of the cockpit via retractable pods, an array of missile and flare launchers within the superstructure of the wings themselves. Plus a subset of torpedo bays on the tip of the craft, and undoubtedly the two additional cockpits on the top and bottom were gunner positions.

"Considering you appeared to give it every single weapon imaginable, you made a good choice on the name." Finn said, nodding his approval.

"It's practically a custom built K-Wing," Poe added with a twinkle in his eyes and prayer on his lips, "gotta say, this is one hellovat craft. I mean… I would say it's frickin' overkill, but that's suggesting that's a bad thing!"

"Poe, there is no such thing as overkill," Finn chuckled, "you either bring enough firepower to get the job done, or you don't. It's that simple."

"Not a piece of junk, then?" Rey asked with a smirk.

"As you said, unique," Finn concluded.

On que, something sounding like a purr radiated from their front, and the two men turned very slowly and very cautiously with raised eyebrows to the parked Raptor.

"Ummm…" Poe said as he fixed Rey a look. To this, she simply shrugged.

"So, are we taking off now, or…" Finn started, but Rey shook her head.

"I need to install a few parts before we go. Care to give me a hand?"

Can I ask you something?

Rey coughed out a puff of soot, her face and arms liberally drenched in machine oil as she was half buried into the belly of the engine compartment.

"Um… sure? Hand me that syphoner, will you?"

He did, and waited a bit before he asked, You're a Jedi, right?

"Um… yes? I did levitate a couple of mugs and coffee pots, afterall."

And levitating mugs and coffee pots isn't the full extent of what you can do, right?

She stopped, pulled herself out, removed her goggles and fixed the droid a curious look.

"What are you getting at?"

Well, it's quite simple, missy, BB-8 rested his arms on what would count as his hips, I hear you Jedi can pancake people. Why didn't you pancake Big Mama back in the Inflictor?

"Oh…" she mused and shrugged, "um… it's a little complicated."

Nothing complicated in pancaking a big monster.

"Actually, yes there is. I told you, I have to maintain a low profile."

But I was the only thing there capable of flabbing! So, what's the problem? What, you just had to try to beat up that thing with a stick? A stick that you unscrewed for some reason?

"Why am I getting the feeling people would want to smack you for being too observant?"

'Cause I ain't got no time for people's tall-tales! BB-8 puffed out his chest, I leave that for Poe to do!

"Heh, I imagine. Well, it's quite simple. For the past three years, I have been hunted by everything you can possibly imagine. I have been shot at, blown up, and nearly eaten on two occasions!" she jutted out her fingers to emphasise her point, "But worst of all? I've had red-blades on my tail."

The Knights of Ren?

"I dunno. Never stopped long enough to ask. Either way, I couldn't afford to be attracting their attention again."

So wait, you're saying that using your mighty-fine super powers… attracts them?

"At least the ones specialized in tracking Jedi. Think of them like… hunting dogs."

What about when you made your dramatic, 'Hey, I'm a Jedi, everybody!' entrance?

"I… don't know. It was a calculated risk, and considering we were leaving anyway…"

Point taken. Then again, s'all good anyway. Got to burn me some bugs, the droid chirped smugly, nothing quite like burning some bugs.

"You're kind of scary, you know that?"

'Course I am! Wouldn't want it any other way!

"You ever wonder if this is the reason you can't get with that girl you keep talking about?"

BB-8 stared at her for a long moment, his eye lenses narrowing as he jutted an arm her way.

Shaddup, missy. I am the droid of R2-KT's dreams! She just don't know it yet!

Rey threw him a mocking smile, and he threw his arm at her again.

I said shaddup!

"I didn't say anything!"

You're probably making loose-wire jokes behind my back when I ain't looking!

"Oh great, I guess I can add paranoid to delusional with a slice of sudden moodiness. And that's just redundant!"

BB-8 growled and pulled out his plasma torch.

You know what ain't redundant? Barbeques.

Suddenly, the floating droid was sent flying into a wall. As he recovered himself, he glared at the oil-drenched Jedi, who had her palm extended with a playful smile on her lips.

"Don't mess with me, BB. I will pancake you with extreme prejudice."

Nobody but Kay-Tee gets to call me Bee-Bee! He exclaimed.

"Too bad. It's cute, and I like it."

BB-8 shook his clenched claw at her.

I'm gonna get back at you… somehow!

She crossed her arms smuggly.

"And I look forward to seeing you try, BB."

Suddenly, Poe was at the door.

"Hey Rey, we got a serious problem."

Rey shot up like a board, "What? What's wrong with my girl?"

"Well, I was poking around in the cockpit, and the flight-control module is missing."

"What!?" she exclaimed, "I worked six months to get that piece alone! I installed it there last week!"

"Yeah well, it's gone and we ain't going nowhere!"

"Show me."

And with that, the three of them took off down the hexagonal halls of the Raptor. Tight as they were, the ship had been carefully built with the purpose of fitting as much as possible into a confined space, and to that end it was efficient. Truthfully, the aesthetics of the ship itself were far more tailored towards the efficient side than they were for splendor or style. The walls were jammed full of vents, cables and quick-access panels. Normally, a ship of this class would have all of this buried beneath several layers of deckplatting, but those had been stripped a long time back. Ease-of-access outweighed the tackiness of it.

They darted past multiple ladders, blast doors, and eventually through the main body of the ship. The hallway was wider, meant for two people to cross at shoulder distance, and considering the half dozen room sealed away by deck doors on either side of them, it did make the most amount of sense. Rey casted them a passing glance as they passed them, a sudden but momentary sharp pain stabbing her in the kidneys. However, before any bitter and sweet memories could come up, she buried them immediately. She would have time for that later.

Finn was up ahead, about to cross over the threshold. With no time to explain, she pushed him aside with the Force as gently as possibly.

"Sorry," she said as entered the cockpit. It was wide compared to the rest of the ship, with varying panels and view ports, multiple swivel chairs built into the deck floors. She quickly moved past the hatch leading down to the chin turret, and moved into the piloting chair. Suspended above the canopy, her hands worked through the flight control system until she found what she was looking for. There, in the heart of the system, was where the flight-controlling chip should have been. Instead, there were only torn wires.

Rey gritted her teeth, a snarl escaping them as she slammed her fist into the metal plating. The ship grumpled at that, and she immediately soothed its hull.

"So, got any idea who'd be jacking parts?" Poe asked grimly.

Rey nodded, and sighed bitterly.

"Yeah… I do."

She pulled at her concealed holster, and drew her blaster, checking it. Then she grabbed her staff and shouldered it across her back. Poe nodded, checking his own blaster as he called to his droid, "BB-8, you stay with the ship. I don't want nobody coming in here and jacking our ride while we're gone."

"That goes for you too, Poe."

"Wait, what?"

"Poe, there's a very good chance we'll have to blast our way out of here. Stay with the ship, and get her ready to take off."

"Rey, without that module, we ain't going nowhere."

"I know, but get ready anyway," and she left before he could argue, "I'll get the part! Just get her ready!"

Now in her way was Finn.

"I'm coming with you," he said, his brow furrowing, "and I'm not going to argue the point."

"Fair enough," she nodded, and the two of the quickly exited the hangar with as much haste as possible. They pushed through the crowd, dodging past through markets and streets. With the finish line within a hair's breadth, subtlety went out the window. Ultimately, they paid the price for it as the pair of them stormed in without an honest care for what awaited them.

"Zuvio!" Rey growled as she drew her sidearm and brushed past the red velvet drapes, her blood pumping like a drum in the deep, "You backstabbing swindler! Get out here before I-"

She found a blaster in her face.

"Or what, scavenger scum?" an imperious voice sneered at her, "You'll do what, exactly?"

She looked past the cold steel finish of the barrel, up the white polymer body and into the cold eyes of FN-2145, Junior Class Lieutenant of the First Order Stormtrooper.

"L-Tee," Finn breathed in cold, unresponsive shock; frozen still in place as all around them white armorclad soldiers closed in. In moments, their weapons were confiscated, and stood apart on either sides of the stuffy room with blasters trained on them. Rey cursed her carelessness. Had she not been in such a hurry, she might've actually sensed before they'd blundered into a trap.

"Eighty-Seven," L-Tee stated, almost as though he were reading it off of a logistics form, as he squared up his one-time non-com. He shook his head, and then struck the trooper hard in the stomach. Though Finn had been mentally preparing for the strike, the viciousness of it was staggering. His breath exploded from his mouth in a spray of spidle, his body bending over and nearly collapsing were it not for the troopers holding him steady. L-Tee nodded once, and one of the troopers kicked in his knee, causing him to drop hard to the metal-grate floor.

"Eighty-Seven," L-Tee repeated as he knelt to eye level with Finn, the contempt now blazing like a forge in his arctic blue eyes, "it's good to see you again… traitor."

"Just shoot me and be done with it," Finn whispered as he hung his head, "I won't hold that against you."

"Hold that against me?" L-Tee snorted, "You have a lot of nerve saying that, traitor. After you betrayed everything that we stood for. Everything that your squad died for. And… and you have the gall to say that to me," he shook his head at him, "I don't know what to say to that."

Finn glared hard into his eyes, his hands clasping into fists.

"Just... do it," he growled, "do your duty and be done with it."

"Duty? DUTY!?"

Suddenly, L-Tee clocked the restrained Finn with the butt of his sidearm, blood pooling from his forehead as the officer struck him again and again.

"YOU SPEAK TO ME ABOUT DUTY!? YOU DARE!?" He then grabbed the back of Finn's head and lifted him up for their eyes to meet again, "You… I should kill you. I should kill you not as a soldier but as yet another of these filthy lowlife! I should make you pay for your treachery, and prove our loyalty to the First Order!"

"Then why don't you!?" Finn growled through a cracked lip, his teeth bared in a snarl.

"Because our," he caught himself, "my superiors want you alive! No doubt your public execution will be a far clearer message to any other desident who dare oppose us. That those who betray the glory of the Empire Reborn shall suffer the ultimate price."

"Then do it already," Finn snorted. That earned him another blow, this time a punch to the chest that made him gasp.

"Not until you tell me where your other conspirators are. We have the scavenger. Now, we need the pilot, and undoubtedly, the droid. They will all suffer the same fate as you."

Finn's eyes raged with sudden, uncontrollable anger as he tried to lash at the junior officer, but the hands holding him were firm.

"YOU LEAVE HER OUT OF THIS!" he shouted at him, "You have me! Me! I'm the one you want! She has nothing to do with this!"

"I disagree, traitor. The pitiful alien who runs this ramshackle of a town was quite specific about his information."

Rey's eyes bore into him, "What did you do to him?"

L-Tee looked at her disdainfully before he sighed and nodded. A pair of troopers went in the back, and out came the battered and bloodied frame of the former constable.

"Sorry kiddo," he wheezed through broken teeth as he dropped to his knees in front of her, "they beat'd it out of me."

"No less than alien scum like you deserve," a malicious smile cross the man's features, "humanity were chosen to rule the stars. To lead the rest of this pathetic galaxy to something greater. For who else will? You? You and your fellow's existence are little more than a plague upon the galaxy. A parasite! You build your fortunes off the backs of others, you steal and profit from the righteous, and what you cannot steal or beg for, you destroy. Just as your kind did during the Clone Wars."

"Dunno much 'bout that," Zuvio grinned at him, "never was much into politics."

The young fanatic shook his head at him, "You merely prove my point."

"No, I've merely proven that I don't give a damn for politics," Zuvio retorted, "I don't give a damn 'bout you or your stupid ideology, and its even more of a hoot when you realize that your entire posse is led by an alien."

A blow straight to the jaw sent the constable sprawling to the ground.

"Lord Demask is far more human than you'll ever dream to be. For while a man such as him toils to rebuild the glory of the Empire, you deal in scrap! You are as lowly as one can be!"

"I dunno," Rey said sarcastically, "dealing in scrap can't be any less noble than killing people who want to be left alone."

The officer laughed.

"Which brings us to you," he then strode forward and gripped her in his hands, his gloved fingers digging into her cheeks, "you. A woman with your grace and skill dealing with dirty vagabonds such as these. A waste upon your species."

"Funny," she eyed him cooly, "I could say the same about you."

A slap across the face was his reply, blood spilling from a loosened tooth which she promptly spat right into his uniform. He raised his hand to strike her again, but he stopped and smiled.

"A woman with your spirit would be a shame to waste. Your offspring would be fierce warriors, indeed."

Rey stared at him mortified. That was when Finn suddenly barked:

"You wanna know something?"

"And that is, traitor?" L-Tee about-faced, staring down at him.

Finn glared at the L-Tee, his eyes as cold as ice, "I made a promise that I wouldn't kill any of my fellow stormtroopers. That I would never take the life of my brothers and sisters. But I'm going to make an exception for you."

L-Tee laughed, "So says the man without a spine."

Finn laughed right back at him, "At least I'll die free."

"Free?" the officer scoffed, "What is this nonsense?"

"You don't even understand the meaning of the word, do you?" Finn shook his head at him, "I don't know what I am anymore. But I know what I'm not. I am not another number. I am not another faceless killer sent to murder children. I am a man. A man with a name. And maybe one day a man with a purpose that isn't decided for him. And that, L-Tee, is far more than you'll ever be. And if you dare lay another hand on her… I'll kill you."

Something snapped behind the young man's eyes. Something dark and twisted. Something that fueled the fires of his heart into a blazing forge. With fists, he struck Finn like a wild animal. Blow after blow, haphazard and without proper placement. Whatever form of discipline that had held him in check crumbled to ash as the air filled with the sound of sickening strikes.

"STOP!" Rey cried, "For pity's sake, stop!"

He however kept hitting the man… no, the traitor. Eighty-Seven no longer registered as a life. Instead, he was a thing to be rend. A thing to be torn asunder. It was not until he cracked a scar across Finn's eyebrow that one of his troopers suddenly caught his hand.

"SIR!" he shouted at him. The L-Tee turned and glared at the man with feral eyes.

"Unhand me, trooper."

"Sir," the trooper growled at him, "we have our orders. The Captain wants him alive. And traitor or not, he is still one of us!"

"YOU DARE DEFEND HIM!?" he screamed as he shoved the trooper away and drew his sidearm out of instinct.

The trooper stood his ground and drew his own weapon, though that was kept at battle-ready and most certainly not pointed at his superior officer, "From where I am standing, lieutenant, he's more deserving of respect than you are."

The officer narrowed his eyes.

"FN-2007, you will stand down immediately or you be dealt with accordingly."

He didn't move.

"I said stand down!" he shouted as he drew his weapon directly on the man's helmet.

"The Captain's orders outweigh yours, sir," the trooper replied coolly.

"Sevens," Finn groaned as he rose to his feet, his face bloodied, bruised and scarred, "stand down. I'm not worth it."

Sevens turned to look at him. Indeed, every man and woman there looked at him.

"Please," Finn said, "don't."

Sevens stared at him, then at the lieutenant, and finally nodded reluctantly. He stepped away, and the officer in turn lowered his sidearm.

"This…" L-Tee sighed, his voice sounding deflated, "this is what this man represents. A failure of the system. So long as he lives, we are compromised. So long as he breathes, the spark of insurrection will continue to grow. Others may even follow in his footsteps. Hold him as an example. No," he shook his head and drew his weapon onto Finn's forehead, "regardless of the Captain's orders, regardless of her idealism, he cannot be saved. He can only be put down like the traitor he is. I shall take responsibility for this necessity."

"Coward."

Everyone froze, and L-Tee spun around with renewed ire.

"What did you just say, scavenger scum!?"

"I said," Rey growled with gritted teeth, "you are a coward. You call Finn a traitor even when you're disobeying the orders of your superior. You've even lost the respect of your men. So, tell me, what does that make you if not a coward? If not a traitor yourself?"

L-Tee screamed as he struck Rey across the face with the butt of his blaster.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Finn screamed as he again tried to wrench himself free, "I'LL KILL YOU!"

"No," L-Tee growled as he turned back to him, "I will live, and you both will die! But not until we have what we need, and I'm going to beat it out you!"

That was when Finn felt it. Something… changed. A calm, a presence. Something alien and yet… familiar. He felt it only once before, when he'd been blinded back at the village.

It was then he understood. It was then he accepted it. It was then that he heard the softest of rattlings despite the furious rants of his former platoon. All around, the world started to shake. Tables and the objects on the tables started to bobble and move. It was as if he was in the epicenter of an earthquake and strangely, no one else seemed to notice.

As strange as that, a smile crossed his scarred lip.

"What are you smiling at?" L-Tee growled at him.

"You," Rey answered. The junior officer spun around with his weapon drawn.

"Something to say before you die, scavenger scum?"

"Yeah, I do," Rey replied. It was then that he noticed something strange. His weapon was getting… hotter? He could suddenly feel the heat through his gloves, the bite striking as his skin. The internal mechanism within was glowing to a fiery orange before his very eyes. Instinct told him to throw it away, but the strangeness of it held him stalk still and frozen. Rey smiled inwardly at him as she said:

"Boom."

Before anybody could breathe, blink or shuffle, the blaster exploded. It was as though a hand grenade had gone off in the officer's hand. A fiery explosion rocked the room as the tibana gas within the ammunition storage was ignited with such heat that the literal type half of its owner was vaporized in a nanosecond. Hot shards of molten metal were sent flying everywhere at supersonic speed. Though the stormtroopers armor protected them, those hit were still indeed hit by a figurative freight train and were sent rocking down to the floor.

Those who weren't were those quick enough to take cover. At the end of the loud cacophony, only one stood amidst the ruin. And she was entirely unscaved.

"Jedi!" someone shouted, "She's a Jedi!"

"Yup," a proud smile crossed her lips as replied, "I am!"

With that, she threw her hands outward, and everything not bolted down was sent flying. Troopers were struck all around them with everything from tables to electrical tools. However, the effect was only momentary, and a half dozen troopers rose with their weapons raised. But in the seconds she had, Rey reached around and grabbed her staff.

"Drop it, Jedi!" someone shouted. Suddenly half of the staff, unscrewed from the body, flew out like a discus and struck the lead trooper with such force that the helmet cracked and splintered.

"Open fir-" but it was too late. An amber fire erupted from half of the staff still held in Rey's hand. It was no mere rod of metal. It was a specialized variant of the lightsaber: a saberpike. Before fingers could depress triggers, Rey called upon the Force and moved with supernatural speed. She became a literal whirlwind of fire, a blur to the mind's eye. So fast she moved, that even their helmets' automated targeting systems could not track her.

Within the span of nano-seconds, the raised blaster rifles were struck with sudden, precise strikes. The blade slashed through them, cutting them in two until all six troopers were left weaponless. Rey rose, her meter long staff held in the crook of her arm as she eyes them intently.

"Surrender now, and I won't harm you."

"To hell with you, Jedi!" a trooper shouted as she drew her sidearm. Rey however disarmed the trooper with a deft stab before hurling her across the room with an extension of her palm. Other troopers moved in, hoping to close in and grab her before she could swing the blade at them. Some drew blasters, others drew vibro-knives.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," Rey muttered as she moved again, flipping over them in a somersault. Her blade struck with incomprehensible blurs, each trooper taking a hit in the shin, the shoulder and the hands. Some fell, their armor scorched through whole, while others stepped away to clutch at their wounds. Rey took advantage of the situation to send the lot of them flying to join their fellow. She then spun around when something crackled with electricity: a trooper with a stun baton.

She smiled at him, and drew her weapon high over her head like she was about to hurl a javelin. The trooper did not wait for an invitation. He swung his weapon wide, aimed at her torso. Rey however struck forward with the staff, redirecting the blow downward before she spun round to send him flying forward while she clubbed him with the backend of her weapon. The trooper staggered forward, taking only a moment to right himself before he charged like a mad bull. He struck forth, but Rey countered with a deft stab.

The blades gravitational currents that held the energy within crackled and fused together momentarily, but it was enough for the trained Jedi duelist. She used to it swing the baton wide in a downward half arc before swinging upward again to slice off the troopers hand. Before the trooper could even react to the sudden loss of a limb, he too was sent hurling away like a ragdoll. Rey then felt something move behind her, and as she spun, three more troopers rose with their weapons raised. One was carrying a heavy blaster cannon.

The weapon blasted off a cyclic rate of fire, dozens of rounds blasting forth in a second's span followed by more. Rey raised her weapon like a quarterstaff, and began spinning it in blurring arcs like motor blades. Bolts struck the amber arcs one after the other, flying off in all directions. However, the power of the blaster fire was forcing her backwards, and the troopers pressed their advantage, splitting off to catch her in a crossfire. Rey gritted her teeth, and continued spinning her blade to catch the incoming fire now coming at her from three directions.

Then one trooper produced a flash grenade. However, before he could prime it, a war cry bellowed from the back of the room. The point man looked, but was too late. The stun baton struck him hard in the faceplate, the electrical currents stunning the man even through his armor. He dropped his weapon from his still hands. Finn caught it, his thumb instinctively going for the selector switch. The weapon went from kill to stun, and before the trooper with the heavy blaster could move, a blue arc struck him in the torso.

The man's muscles froze as his nervous system was overloaded. Nerve synapses were halted, and the man became as stiff as a board. As he toppled however, the other man was on him and firing. Finn rolled forward, his thumb switching it back to kill, and he fired off a shot. The round struck the weapon and melted it in two. Finn then rose with his weapon extended in a proper combat grip, the trooper holding his hand in pain.

"Eighty-Seven," the trooper breathed, almost pleadingly. Finn shook his head.

"You're going to tell the Captain what happened here. You're going to tell her not to come after me. That my actions are of my own choosing, and that I am not worth hunting. I am not worth the lives it would cost to kill me."

The trooper nodded.

"And Sevens?" Finn put the weapon back onto stun, "Thank you."

And with that, the trooper fell to the ground unconscious. Finn sighed, his shoulders slumping over with the sudden realization of what happened and what would happen because of it. There was no mistaking it now. He was an enemy of the First Order, and there would be no coming back from that. And yet, deep in his heart, he knew what he had done had been right. And in this, he accepted it.

"So," the cracked voice of Zuvio echoed from behind him, "that's your secret, then?"

Rey deactivated her blade and shouldered it, levitating the extra part over to her hand and putting it in her belt, "Yes."

"Figures," Zuvio smiled before he waddled over to a drawer, and pulled something out. He tossed it at Rey, who caught it in midair and levitated it to her hand, "I'm sorry, kiddo. They made me pull the plug on most of the ships here, wantin' to ground y'all."

"There's nothing to apologize about, Zuvio," Rey replied, guilt heavily in her voice, "I brought all this. I… I always do."

"Mebbe, but it ain't 'bout what you brought with you but what you do with it. And lemme tell you, I wouldn't be alive if it weren't for you. So wipe that sour look off your face, and you get the hell off this rock."

"No, you're coming with us."

"Jakku is my home! It's always been, and I ain't leaving! Not least for these," he then cursed a sentence in his native tongue at the prone men.

"They'll kill you."

"Don't care. I've lived long enough," he then reached into his drawer again and tossed a bag their way, "here, it's all the cred I've owed ya. You take it and you get out of here, and you never come back. You understand?"

"What about you?"

"Damnit, Rey! Don't worry about this ol' git! You get yourself and your man outta here! And that's final!"

Something loud and eery like the sound of a banshee suddenly roared overhead, bringing with it an air current that shook the ground.

"GO, DAMN YOU!"

Finn grabbed Rey by her shoulder and they ran out the entrance. Zuvio chuckled to himself as they went.

"Figures a gal like her would end up with a guy like him. Sweet that way, I suppose. Ah well," he then plucked the heavy blaster cannon from the ground, and cradled it in his hands, "time to get even."

And with that, he went out the back where he knew more troopers were coming into town. Though he didn't last very long, he went out with a smile.