Chapter 44 - Aftermath

High Orbit of Takodana

MC90 Star Cruiser Sagacity

Admiral Kasey Raddus surveyed the strewned remains of dozens of destroyed and crippled warships with a melancholic gaze. For him, he was not here above the one time Jedi Temple World, but over thirty years past on Mon Cala. What had been Mon Cala, anyway. There, like here, he was too late to save his home and affect the battle that had put his people into exile and slavery.

His aquatic hands tightened into a whitening fist. He remembered the final moments of King Lee Char, the man he had failed to protect. He had never forgiven Thrawn for that, despite them having to fight alongside each other more than once over the past decades. 'Better to be friends at arm's length with the Chiss Empire rather than having yet another enemy,' had been Mon Mothma's way of putting it.

'Convenient alliances,' he swore inwardly, 'I hope you stay that way, you blue skinned demegolka. Otherwise, I'll kill you at the first opportunity.'

"Sir," a human deck officer reported, "the Kenobi signals she's restored communications."

"And the planet?"

"Aye sir, them too."

"Put them through when convenient."

He acknowledged, returning his gaze back to concluded battle. Most of the wrecked ships belonged to the Corsairs, but Wedge had likewise taken a serious beating. The Kenobi would need extensive repairs, as would the surviving Rendili-IV Assault Cruiser and the two Virgilla-Class Frigates. The only ship not extensively damaged, destroyed or disabled had been the Endurance-Class carrier, but that was only because even droid fighters weren't brave enough to try and pierce the fleet's picket line of starfighters.

It was only a small comfort. Had events not taken the turn they did, he might've been able to prevent a war. Now, they were going to fight it to the bitter end.

"Sir, Kenobi and the Temple are ready to transmit."

"Send them through," he sighed, and after a moment was presented the holographic forms of Wedge Antilles and Han Solo. He noticed the Wedge's image was flickering in and out, and in his peripherals saw the Kenobi was still in free-float.

"It looks a lot worse than it is, Admiral," the commodore grinned, "she can take a beating, as per her namesake."

"As can you," Raddus grinned back, gesturing to the bandages covering the side of his face, "the Scarlet Night, I assume? Well, I'll add her to my very long kill-list. Can't guarantee she'll be at the top, but it shall be close enough."

"With all due respect, sir, I can get my own revenge."

"Noted, Commodore" he turned to Han, "where's Commandant Shrike? I expected him to be here"

"He's still in surgery. His skull was fractured."

"And the situation on the ground?"

"As bad you can expect," he said with a weary sigh, "hundreds dead, thousands wounded… and they got the map."

Somehow, Wedge looked grimer than even what Raddus himself could pull off. "Was the cartography completed?"

"Right up to the minute Sydow showed up. We didn't even have time to make a copy."

"So, we're kriffed basically. And they got Rey, too?" Han nodded, and Wedge groaned inwardly, "So we also lost the only other known surviving Jedi. Wonderful. Admiral, did you get a read on where they went?"

Raddus could tell they already knew the answer, but he said it anyway, "Straight for the border. Even if things weren't completely in spiral, we wouldn't be able to chase them down."

"Spiral?" Wedge asked, "What the hell does that mean?"

"It means he was late for a reason," Han said.

"Aye, indeed. To cut a long story short, Borealis has issued warrants for the arrest of everyone who was at that meeting with Lando and Leia. That includes me and probably eventually all of you."

"On what charges?" Wedge demanded.

Raddus shrugged. "Oh you know, treason? Attempting to move military assets without Command approval? Possibly trying to provoke a war? I'll give the peace pusher credit, he's no pacifist when he comes to throwing punches."

"How bad is it?" Han asked, not asking the obvious question.

"She's safe, that much I know. As for the rest? Well, a state of emergency has been declared, Congress is on lockdown, and the Antarian Rangers have been branded enemies of the state after they apparently found something to link them to the bombings. To top it off, there's a manhunt for my uncle, and Hera's fleet's been grounded on Mandalore."

"Grounded?" Wedge asked, paling like a ghost, "Do you mean-?"

Raddus nodded, "Whoever is pulling strings is good and fast. Ackbar was barely out of drydock when SecFor attempted to detain him, and he only managed to get a third of the Fifth out before they were interdicted. Hera didn't even get the chance to move hers out of Mandalore's orbit before the Second seized them. She had to get out on an escape pod down to the planet."

"And Sabine?"

"Refusing to let them land."

Wedge chuckled "Girl was always stubborn, but this? Heh, well Hera is family. Have they established a blockade yet?"

"Yup. They haven't gone any further yet, but the word is that the Chancellor's having the Courts draft up an extradition order."

"Borealis wouldn't dare," Wedge snarled, "the Mandalorians would never hand her over. They'd have to bomb the planet. Even he isn't-"

"Insane, stupid or just plain angry that his friend is dead and we're an easy target? The man's practically like a Reek seeing red. I was just lucky I left for Dac early and managed to pull this much out."

"Yeah, but if he follows through and there is a fight?" Han asked gravely, "Well, the other Sectors won't take it lying down and we all know the Core Worlds would side with the Chancellor."

"Civil war," Wedge said for them all, "stars, they played us. At this point, the First Order doesn't even need to fire a shot. We'll just do it for them."

"All the while they get the Forge and probably justification for an intervention," the proud Calamari slunk into his chair in utter despair, "we spent a decade fighting for the dream and over night we'll destroy it. What the Seven Corellian Hells do we do?"

"We stick to Leia's plan," Han answered resolutely, "the Imps are gonna make a move and soon. If Borealis won't stop them, then we'll have to."

"Before or after our own start shooting each other? Even if we win, the First Order will still get the Forge, and they'll have all the cards needed to flush us out. Face it, Han, we're kriffed."

"Never tell me the odds, Wedge. This isn't over, not while we're still here to fight it out," he then turned back to Raddus, "Now, where's Ackbar?"

"I don't know. He's supposed to rendezvous with us, but he went comm. silent hours ago after he escaped Caridia."

"Then the plan hasn't changed. We secure and hold, see if we can get the First Order to blink first."

"That's a dangerous play, Han. That's even assuming Ackbar does get here."

"It's the only play we have left, Wedge. I'll be damned if I'm letting them win after what we went through just to get here."

Raddus chuckled at that, making the ex-smuggler raise an eyebrow. The Mon Calamari simply shrugged, "With that passion, you could've run for office."

"Do I look like Lando, Raddus?"

"Nah, he's the respectable one," Wedge smirked, "though there was that one time he tried to sell Hera—"

"I rest my case, Wedge."

"There is one other problem we haven't considered," Raddus interrupted gravely, "what with Borealis ordering a manhunt for my uncle and generally arresting everyone who stands with us, the chances of us having a blue on blue is quite probable. Especially if stopping the First Order means having to go through our own."

"Yeah," Han sighed, his hands creasing his eyes, "we'll cross that nebula when we come to it. Now, how soon can you get your fleet back in order, Wedge?"

"Honestly? Days if we're lucky. But more than likely it's going to be more than that. Sydow beat me down worse than a bar fight on Nar Shaddaa. Only consolation is that I did worse to him."

"I'll arrange my best technicians to give you a hand. As for the meantime, I'll be taking over perimeter security until my uncle arrives."

"You really think Sydow or his employers would want a second round with you here?" Wedge scoffed, "They're crazy, not stupid."

"They're not what I'm worried about," Raddus shook his head sadly, starring out into the void of space, "not by a long shot."

In the heart of the Scarlet Night, Kylo Ren entered his private chambers with his prisoner still unconscious in his arms. As he entered, secondary false walls opened and revealed the prison cell hidden there. He had requested the room for that very reason. He extended his fingers out, opening the arma-glass pane and bringing forth the reconfigured surgical table before he felt a sudden discomfort. He heard a soft hiss and saw the Yssalimir sticking its tongue at him from the corner of the cell.

"What are you looking at?" he growled, feeling the uncomfortable sense of flailing in dark, constricting waters. He never liked the little lizards or how they could rob him of his connection to the Force with their mere presence, but they were useful. Especially in this case.

The fuzzy creature glared at him for a long moment before laying its head down on the branch that provided its nutrients, and Kylo got to work. He placed her on the table, locking the securing clamps around her limbs, especially her hands.

"Last thing I need you doing is pulling a Rusaan with some wall wires and a conductor. Might take out the power to the ship trying to open the door."

She moaned softly at that, catching him off guard. He couldn't help but look at her, brush aside an idle hair from her eyes, run his hand over her ear… he stopped himself, and sighed. "I'm not here to reminisce. I just need you out of the way."

'Is that the only reason?' a voice asked him, 'After all that we've given up, you really think that's the only reason you went out of your way to get her?'

"The mission isn't over. That's all that matters. Her being out there would just complicate things. She'll be safer here."

'Safer in the hands of pirates whose buddies she's killed? Yeah, can't imagine what they would do if they knew she was here. You're lucky Sydow's such a generous man.'

"Shut up," he snorted, securing the last of the locks, "I don't have time for an argument with a guilty conscience, not with what's ahead."

'You could just take her now. Find an escape pod, walk away.'

"It's too late for that. Far too late."

'Is it?' He looked to his right, and saw in the refresher room a face staring at him from the mirror. His face, one without the mask or the years of pain marking it. It held him with measured contempt, its eyes judging him with that kind of righteousness he'd grown to hate. 'You had everything, everyone that a man could want. But you threw it all away. Do really think this will change anything?'

He threw a simple gesture to smash the mirror to pieces. He growled when nothing happened, even seeing the little furry bastard smirking at him in his peripherals. He walked into the lavatory, his face glaring at him all the while before he slammed his fist into it with a loud crack. It shattered to falling pieces, clattering into the sink as blood dripped from his fist.

"Yes. Considerably."

He went back and closed the door to the cell, locking it into place and giving her a last glance before his comm's dinged. "This is Lord Kylo."

"Boy, its Sydow. We need to talk. Meet me in the medbay, room 134. And don't dally, or I'll send a crew to get you."

"As you wish, Captain. I will be there in a few minutes."

He sealed the cell away behind the facade, locking his quarters up before he made his way to the top of the ship. The process took longer than expected, what with so many decks being out as well as several of the turbo lifts. But at least the crew kept their distance, either too busy to notice or generally wary of his presence. He didn't care either way.

He found Sydow a few minutes later, staring out at the immobile form of Captain Phasma secure inside a horizontal bacta tank. To his surprise, he had his great helm off. The worry did much to age him.

"Will she live?" Kylo asked.

"I don't know, lad," he answered, not daring to look away from her, "internal organ damage, bleeding; fractures to her spine, hip, pelvis and ribs; multiple contusions to her cranium…"

There was probably more, but the captain couldn't bare to continue and Kylo didn't push the matter. Truth be told, the sight of the cold stillness to the once marvelous form sent an unconscious shiver down Kylo's back. He knew the feeling all too well.

"She is alive, at least. I can sense her in there, fighting. The Admiral knows how to pick them."

"Thanks for tryin' to make me feel better, boy. But that ain't why I called you here," he spun in his chair, his icy eyes seizing him angrily, "you killed one of my men."

"He was careless with his explosives. Besides, I did tell him to get aboard. He refused, and we were pressed for time."

"I saw the recording, boy. I know what happened."

"Then why am I here, Captain? What's done is done, and I do not answer to you."

"Maybe not, but this is a dangerous game you're playin'. I wonder what your colleagues are going to think about all of this."

"Are you threatening me, Sydow?"

"No, just statin' the obvious. After all, you kill a man for tryin' to kill your father. Then you bring a Jedi aboard my ship without sendin' word to anyone else. Quite suspicious, don't it?"

"I am a Lord of Ren," he growled, "I am beyond such allegations."

"Sure. Why is she on my ship, boy? Why have you not called your mates? I'm sure they'd love to take her off your hands."

"I'm sure they would."

Sydow rose to his feet, glaring deep into his obsidian visor as he jutted a finger into his chest. "You had best keep trouble off me ship, boy. Else, that trouble will find you."

"The only trouble will be if you fail to uphold your end of the bargain. As per your contract, the First Order and Knights of Ren cannot board your vessels without your express permission."

"So that's what this is? You renting space so the boys in black don't get your girl?"

"Only until I can move her to my own ship, where I have complete autonomy."

An artic smile passed the old pirate's lips. "There's more to it than that, isn't there? You could've called in that ship the moment we hit hyperspace, but you didn't. I wonder why that is. Something to do with your boss, perhaps?"

Kylo shrugged. "He's not the most trusting of people."

"And he's the only one who can demand you to hand her over, autonomy or not. You're hopeless, boy, you know that? All of this fuss over a woman."

"No different than you, Captain."

"Sure. I want double the payment."

"Done."

"...how much money have you stolen from those crime bosses, boy? I thought this would be a deal breaker."

"Enough to rival Count Dooku. I even stole one of his treasure barges from Zorba the Hutt once."

That made Sydow chuckle, "Y'know with that much wealth, you could've just bought the New Republic Congress. Well, most of it anyway."

"And why would I do that? I'd just be contributing to the problem."

"Still could've made some difference. Be easier than waging a war."

"I'm not going to buy the people's representatives, enough do that already. Besides, the issue is far more systematic than that. Deeper than any politician can solve."

"Still though, a lot could be done with a few bribes here and there."

"Then why have you not done it, hmm? Why are serving with us when you have the credits to achieve your own goals? A few bribes here and there would do well to put the spotlight on Zorba and Zhan."

Sydow looked at him for a moment, sighing as his brows furrowed. "Because I shouldn't have to."

"Yes, we shouldn't have to, and in the end it would be pointless."

"There's always a bigger fish to get its way."

"Yes. Thus, it requires a more drastic solution. As the good Captain once said, change can only be achieved through force, and violence is the ultimate expression of that."

Sydow shot him an odd look. "You've fallen a long way from being the Justicar of the Jedi. A long way."

"I'm just balancing the scales. No different than you."

"The difference is that it makes sense for me to do that. But you? You were the best of them."

"No, I wasn't. I never was," he turned to make his way to the door, "if there's nothing else, I'll be in my quarters."

He stopped at the threshold, turning his head. "And Captain? If I find your men in places they don't belong, I won't ask nicely."

"They'll leave her alone."

"I'll hold you to that."

Helplessness. That was one the feeling above all else Finn had been taught to resent. The feeling of powerlessness. To feel it, he was taught, was to surrender one's own personal control over the world around him. That in turn would lead to despair, weakness. Little more than beasts with little concept beyond mere survival.

'Survival,' he thought grimly, 'what point is there to that when I am met by only failure?'

He couldn't answer that question. It was for this that he was in the fields of the dead, helping the Rangers move the countless corpses burned, buried and shattered for miles around. It took his mind off of things, made him not think at all. Even the smell didn't bother him, or the feeling of grimey ash covering his form. He didn't care, and he hated that.

What point was there to living if he had to resort to becoming an unthinking droid because he couldn't solve or overcome what put him there to begin with? His boot found something to kick, and he sent it rolling into a ditch. He hadn't even realized he'd screamed when he did, not until he saw the worried glances around him.

Unknowingly, he had kicked the body of a pirate, and the blow had burst open its chest cavity. The sight was less sickening than it was aggravating. An exclamation point to his lack of control and discipline.

"Finn? You okay?"

He turned to find Poe standing there, extended a hand out to take him by the shoulder. He shook his head at him. "No, I'm not. Are you?"

Poe looked haggard, bags forming under his eyes as the skin clung to his bones like leather. Finn honestly didn't know if he looked worse than himself, but he did look a lot more grim.

He shrugged his shoulders after a moment. "Not really. We lost a lot of good people today. I lost a few friends too. One's even in critical care at the moment."

"Deliah?"

Poe nodded. "Guessed you sensed it?"

"You think out loud. I now understand what Rey felt being around you."

Poe chuckled and slugged him in the arm. Finn cracked a smile despite himself, but it was only for a moment. "We failed, Poe. Everything that we accomplished has become like this place," he gestured to the fields of death and ash, "they have the map, they have Rey, and—"

He couldn't bring himself to finish it. He hung his head at his inability to do so, hating himself for that weakness.

"It's not weakness," Poe suddenly said, bringing his eyes over, "what? You ain't the only one who can sense things now, y'know."

"Yes," he smiled slightly, "how very annoying. A comfort I had was that I could always brood in peace. Now you've taken that away from me."

"Well, it's gotta balance out somehow. But look, you're wrong about yourself. You ain't weak, and we haven't failed."

"Have we? From my observation, the First Order has achieved all of its objectives thus far. They will have the Forge, the New Republic is tearing itself to pieces, they have the last Jedi, and I failed to save her."

"Her. Chewie told me what happened."

"I don't blame him, if that's what you're wondering. No, that's not what's bothering me."

"Yeah it is. Maybe not her getting blown away, but 'cause you feel like you failed to bring her over."

"I was so close," he gritted his teeth, wringing his hands, "a little longer, she would've seen the truth."

"Your truth or her own? There's two sides to everything, pal, and even if she had gotten back, you think anything would've come of it?"

"Yes, I do. It would've taken time, but she would've carried my message. Perhaps stopped this war before it began."

"You're putting a lot of faith on the shoulders of one person."

"It always starts with one, Poe. Even your New Republic started that way."

"Maybe. But I learned a long time ago that things that are worth it are never easy. You'll fail, you'll stumble. What matters is you get up and keep trying until it happens."

"Your mother said that?"

"Nah, my dad."

"Hmm, I can see that," he shook his head, "but what is the point when the finish line is moved away? We can't win, Poe. We can fight, even fight well, but we'll lose in the end."

Poe grabbed him by the shoulder and turned him about, glaring at him with a passion hot as a forge. "Then we'll make the end worth it. I'm not giving up, not while I still got two hands, two eyes and a joystick to use. 'Sides, we don't need to win to win."

"Um, what is that supposed to mean?"

Poe chuckled softly as he elaborated, "I'm sure they taught you all about the Rebellion and how they won in the end."

"They won the battles that mattered."

"And they got kicked around a lot before they did. That's how they won. They kept fighting even when they lost again and again. To give up is to die, Finn. That much I can agree with what they taught you. So, let's not give up. And if we have to die to prove we ain't gonna break, then so be it."

Finn smiled at that, the sight truly genuine. "The words of a true Jedi. Rey certainly picked you well."

"You too, pal. Though to be honest, I don't wanna die. I got plans."

"And women to be with?"

"Nah, just one. I'm done playing around and feeling sorry for myself. It's not what my mom wanted. It's probably not what my dad wants either."

"So, are you going to ask her when she wakes?"

"Uh, no. I ain't ready yet."

"We could die soon. You might not get the chance later."

"Then I won't die."

Finn just laughed, more bark than anything else. "You have a roundabout way of things, Poe Dameron. You speak encouragingly about glorious sacrifice, then you try to wiggle your way out so you can be with your wingwoman, and now you're trying to wiggle out of that, too."

"I'm complicated, okay?"

"Yes, you are. I think it was the reason I dragged you across a desert to begin with."

"Hey, break your legs sometime soon and I'll repay the favor."

"Oh no, I don't enjoy that particular sensation."

"Buddy, no one does, and the ones who say they do are liars."

"What about masochists?"

"Them be liars, too."

"Ha." Finn then unconsciously felt for the lightsaber at his hip, staring at its manufactured form. "If the worst happens to Rey—"

"It ain't gonna."

"But if it does, you and I will be the last of them. What then?"

"Then we'll figure it out together—" he then looked past his shoulder, "huh."

"What?" Finn looked over to see what he was looking at.

"I dunno, there's just a feeling or something."

"I feel it too."

They took off at a run, dodging past platoons of men with stretchers and wheelbarrows until they ended up at an unsuspecting crater. For whatever reason, something was drawing them there, and they felt the strange urge to start digging.

"Oh no, I ain't getting my hands in that," Poe replied, "we're civilized folk. We'll use shovels."

"We're Jedi, I'm sure we can probably just push it aside."

"Oh sure, go right ahead. You know how to do that, right?"

"...no."

"Then we use shovels. Hey, you! Yeah, you! Get over here!"

A Ranger came running over, holding a rucksack full of entrenching tools. Poe took it from him, pulled two out, and then shoved the bag back at him. "Thanks. Now git."

The Ranger looked at him oddly. Poe sighed, "I'm sorry, you can leave now, please." He nodded and left. "What the hell was that about?"

"You ever met a holy man before, Poe? Or a shaman?"

"No?"

"They had looks like that, too. Especially in their holy places or of that nature."

"Oh you gotta be kidding me. What, we a pair of gods now? There gonna be a city of gold next?"

"Honestly, that just sounds like the plot of a holo-film. Regardless though, we're a pair of symbols now. Best to act the part."

"Thanks," he took his tool and kicked the shovel into the dirt, "but I ain't ready to be an inanimate object."

"Ha," and Finn set to his pace. Eventually, they found what they were looking for, and Finn took the saberpike into his hands. "Well, now we know how Rey was taken. Didn't anyone tell her that one's weapon is one's life?"

"Considering she got a valley dropped on her, I think you can excuse her. Now, give it here."

"Why?"

"You already have one. I think it's fair for me to get one."

"You're a pilot, Poe, what use would you have for it? Besides, it's not yours," he unrolled the strapping and swung it over his shoulder, "and I plan to return it to its rightful owner."

"Frickin' buzzkill. You ain't no fun," Poe then held up a hand to his ear, "Dameron here. Ah, alright. I'll be right there."

"Debriefing?"

"Yeah. They want you too."

"I thought as much. I need to visit a workshop anyway."

Poe looked at him strangely, "Why's that?"

Finn held up his bandaged hand and gestured to his lightsaber, "Phasma almost took my thumbs off because the lightsaber didn't have a hand-guard. Before I go into battle again, I am going to rectify that. I have a feeling I'm going to need to use it again."

"What are you going to use? Not many metals can stop a saber, or even a vibro-blade for that matter."

"I'm sure the Rangers got something."

A note from the Authors:

Hey everybody, this is JSailer and Squasher here. Due to it being the end of the college semester, I've had to split time between writing this and working on projects. So, we got this done literally around 2 in the morning. While we will work to get our backlog back by November 10th, we may delay the release of certain chapters if we can't. I will update if this is the case. For that reason, no preview will be posted this time. We'd also like to thank IanAlphaAxel for his review.