Chapter Two
"Are you nervous?"
Finn turns toward Rey and smiles, shakes his head. He feels something, but it's more excitement and anticipation than nerves, though yes, there is a bit of that. It's a big day, how could he not be nervous? He's restless more than anything, though, and that's because he has been looking forward to this for a long time.
"Good," she says. "I bet Poe's a mess."
He cocks his head, reaches out with his senses, and grins. "Of course he is, he's—" There is a ripple in the Force, or maybe in Poe, and he frowns. "Did you feel that?"
"No," she says. "I can usually only sense one thing when it comes to you and Poe." She grins at him, the implication clear. Where he might normally banter with her about it, something has him worried.
"Right, sorry about that," he tells her yet again, since it's not the first time she's mentioned it. "But this is different. I think—"
He is interrupted by the sounds of shouting below them, of blaster fire and something crashing. And of Poe's sudden fear—for him, and his father, and everyone else who's come to Chandrila to celebrate with them.
This time Rey feels it as well and they run from the room, instinctively turning toward where Poe is waiting with his father. Poe is already running toward them, his blaster drawn, while Jess and Chewbacca are running in the opposite direction with Poe's father. Good, Finn thinks. He wants Kes to be as far away from whatever's happening and as safe as possible.
"What's going on?" asks Rey. Poe squeezes Finn's arm, the only acknowledgement of their special day for now, as the sounds of fighting grow louder below them.
"No idea. Jess said they're here for me and Finn."
"Of course they are," Finn mutters, and Poe gives him that grin.
"We're irresistible," he says. "Let's go see what they want with us."
"Careful," says Rey. "There's a lot of them downstairs."
"Good to know," Poe murmurs, leading the way.
They are in one of the New Republic's buildings off Senate Plaza, where the former Resistance forces have been based for six months. It is an older building, with a grand lobby that leads up a marble staircase to an open balcony with several halls and meeting spaces on the second floor. Offices line the next two floors, with apartments above them. Though they did not broadcast the time or location of the ceremony that day, security was still tight, and only close friends and family were invited to celebrate with them. All of them have rooms on the sixth floor, and Poe leads them to the emergency staircases, rather than the lifts from the lobby. Finn feels a deep sense of unease.
When they come to the ground floor, Poe looks at them both, and without a word, Rey steps forward, her lightsaber ready. Poe kicks open the door and she steps through, straight into chaos.
There are at least three dozen masked fighters in the lobby of the building. It is a close-quarters fire fight, with blaster bolts flying everywhere. A small fire is burning in a corridor on the left, where some sort of grenade went off, and that's what set the alarms going. There is glass and debris scattered everywhere, with blaster marks already pocketing the walls. Everyone in the building is involved, whether they are shooting, in hand to hand combat, or are helping the injured; most are dressed in their best clothes.
Rey blocks the first several blaster bolts to come their way, allowing Finn and Poe to enter the melee. Finn knows he should be using his saber, but he's still more comfortable with a blaster, fighting side by side with Poe. They are immediately ducking and running and taking out the masked intruders, often by hand. Finn feels the bolts sizzle past his face as he watches Beaumont Kin go down with a leg wound, C'ai Threnalli fighting with an assailant almost twice his size, Rose Tico pulling an injured Duros pilot out of the way.
This was supposed to be a good day, the best day of his life.
And then Poe takes a shot in his left shoulder, and Finn feels the surge of pain as if it's his own. Poe staggers back against Finn, takes out the gunner with a single shot to the head before standing straighter. "This is ridiculous!" he shouts. "Who the hell are these people and where's the Chandrilan security force?"
It's a good question. Finn shakes his head, the feeling of unease from earlier growing stronger, broader.
"I think it's bigger than this," he calls breathlessly over his shoulder. "Than us."
"So I can't take it personally they wrecked our big day?" Poe asks. He shoots down a sniper from the second-floor balcony, who falls screaming into the lobby. Rey sends two masked intruders flying backward into the wall with a wave of her hand.
"No, I'm definitely taking it personally," Finn says, and shoots the nearest man in the thigh. "I wanted cake."
"I don't know what I'm more pissed off about—" Poe starts, then swears hard and dashes away. Finn follows instinctively, sensing Poe's sudden panic. Jess, Chewbacca, and his father have entered from an empty hallway on the far side of the lobby, weapons in hand. He wonders about the last time Kes Dameron was in a firefight.
They both stop talking as they concentrate on fighting their way across the lobby. Surprisingly enough, it is over quickly. The masked assailants were good, but not that good, and though the Resistance forces are beat up, every one of the assailants are down. As Finn surveys the damage, the Chandrilan security force finally shows up.
Finn can tell that Poe is furious—at their attackers, at the Chandrilans, at Jess and Chewbacca and his father. And yet he takes a deep breath before turning his back on all of them and taking Finn's elbows. "Are you all right?" he asks, quietly and intensely.
Finn wants to pull him into an embrace and breathe calm into him, but not here, in front of so many others. He nods and squeezes back. "Better than you," he points out, which is when Poe looks at his arm. He actually grins at the bloody burn that's obvious through the hole in his sleeve.
"Brilliant," he says. "I hate this uniform."
"What is it with you and that arm?" Finn murmurs. Rey appears and looks to Finn, who nods and steps between her and the rest of the lobby. She holds her hand over Poe's injury, healing it quickly. He thanks her with a quick hug.
"All right?" Finn asks Rey. She nods silently as Poe turns away and lets loose on Jess and Chewie, but by the time he gets to Kes, he pulls him into a rough embrace, burying his face in his father's shoulder.
"Why'd you come back?" he murmurs, staying close as Finn embraces Kes from the other side, checks him over. Rey moves to heal the gash on his cheek, probably from flying debris, but he waves her away.
"I'm not out to pasture yet," Kes replies. "I can still fight, especially when it comes to my son." He grips Finn's arm. "Both of them."
"Yeah, well, that's not happening now," Finn murmurs, and Poe turns to him in alarm, takes his shoulders and looks him up and down.
"Why, are you hurt?" he asks. "Did you get hit? Rey, did you—"
Finn laughs, and Kes and Rey join him. "I meant this place is pretty shot up," he points out. "We're not having a party today, Poe. We need to check on everyone, find out what happened."
Poe nods and lets his hand slip down to Finn's, holding tight for longer than is strictly necessary. Which is when Rose Tico comes up to them then, uninjured aside from a ruined dress, with BB-8 rolling at her side. "BB-8 says that according to the planetary comm channels, we weren't the only building attacked."
"What?" asks Poe in surprise. The droid whistles anxiously at him, and he kneels down to pat BB-8 on the head. "Yeah, I'm all right, buddy, no worries. Are you telling me it's just a coincidence they hit us today?"
At that moment, a dozen security officers burst through the doors and stop in their tracks at the state of the lobby: dirty and smoke-filled, with bodies—many of them moaning—laying everywhere. A tall woman with red hair steps forward and directs them to start checking the assailants. Chandrilan medical personnel follow behind, moving toward injured Resistance members. The tall woman makes her way to where they are standing, watching her warily.
"Captain Gira, sir," she says with a salute to both Finn and Poe. "I was told to render assistance, but it seems you have it under control."
Poe raises an eyebrow. "We can take care of ourselves," he says. "When we need to." Captain Gira nods.
"Of course, sir. My apologies for not arriving sooner. There were two other attacks on the city. The New Republic Bank was hit right before you, and I've just had word the Chandrilan Academy of Science is under attack as well."
"Do they need assistance?" Finn asks immediately.
She shakes her head. "No, sir. And you should stay in place anyway, until we know whether it's safe for you to go out. You could be in more danger if you leave."
Finn frowns, already feeling trapped. He tries to think of the connection—the Resistance, a bank, and a science academy. It doesn't make sense, unless that was the point: random violence. They won't know until they start questioning the attackers.
Poe is glancing around the lobby as if he has the same idea— there are at least forty attackers strewn about, dead or injured—and his eyes narrow as he stops on two officers nearby who are holding a man between them. He's been shot in the leg and is bleeding profusely, his head lolling toward his chest. Poe strides over and Finn follows, BB-8 trailing behind them.
Poe lifts the man's head up, drops it and turns away. He runs a hand through his hair in frustration and BB-8 gives a shrill whistle that brings Jess Pava running over. Finn stares at the man, trying to place him and figure out why it would upset Poe so much, but before he can say anything else, Poe turns around and punches the man hard in the face; BB-8 beeps in approval.
"Sir," Captain Gira protests from behind them, but she doesn't sound too upset so Finn isn't too worried about Poe's temper.
"Seriously?" Poe asks, grabbing the man's shirt and pulling him close. "You?"
Finn doesn't recognize the man, but apparently Jess does, swearing under her breath.
"Do you know him?" the Chandrilan captain asks.
"He's with the Ranc gang," Poe says. "Out of Kaddak. He's probably here for us. For me."
The man's head lolls up, blood dripping from his split lip. "Poe Dameron, nice to see you again."
"Can't say the same for you, Soro Bulut."
"You remember me!"
Poe crossed his arms over his chest. "Yeah, I remember all criminal thugs who've tried to kill me." He pauses. "Multiple times." BB-8 rolls up and practically shrieks at Bulut.
The man grins maniacally. "Couldn't pass up the chance to try again."
"Who're you working for?" Poe demands. "Who sent you?"
"No one."
"He's lying," says Finn. He may not be that strong in the Force, but it's pretty obvious anyway.
"Of course he is," Poe says. "He was way down in line with the gang last time I ran into them. He couldn't organize something like this."
"I could too!" Soro Bulut protested. "I set this all up myself."
"Bullshit," says Poe. "No way you could hit three places at once, not on a planet like Chandrila. Look around." He gestures at the lobby of the New Republic building, where every single one of Bulut's people is down or in captivity. "If this is the best you've got, I hate to see what the other hits look like."
"Who put you up to this?" Finn asks, stepping forward. Soro Bulut is a small, bulky man, with the oddly colored eyes of a Keshian, and a tattoo that covers the side of his neck. He looks Finn up and down with a squint and sneers.
"No one," he replies. "I wanted to see the happy couple. Did I ruin the big day? I'd apologize, only don't feel one click of regret. Not after what your husband did to us." He practically spits the word.
Poe grabs him again, pulls his fist back, but it's Jess who puts an arm out to stop him. "He's not worth it," she says softly. Poe steps back, but BB-8 zooms into the gangster, and Bulut kicks him away.
"Jessika Pava!" Bulut exclaims. "The gang's all here, even the kriffing droid!" He offers a fake frown. "No, wait. Someone's missing. That's right, L'ampar went down last time we met, didn't he? And Wexley? I heard he blew himself up at Exegol. You're losing your touch, Dameron."
To Finn's surprise, Poe drops the man's shirt and shoves him away. "Get him out of here," he tells the Chandrilan officers. "We need to check on our people." He turns his back, but Bulut calls out.
"I'm not talking to anyone but you, Dameron!" he calls. Poe waves him off, but Finn can tell it's taking a lot of effort for Poe not to have another go at the Keshian.
"Then it'll be awfully quiet in jail." He ignores the shouts from the door as Bulut is dragged away and they return to where the others are waiting.
"Well, this is not good," says Poe. His tone is light, but the tension in his body in clear. Finn can see the tight set of his jaw, the fists at his side. Bad enough that Poe's past has come to find him on what should have been a perfect day; for this skug to rub Wexley's death in it made it even worse.
"I'm glad Karè isn't here," Jess says quietly. Poe nods and BB-8 beeps sadly.
"She would have gone after him for sure," Poe says.
"And we shouldn't?" Finn can't help but suggest. "We need to know what he knows, because he definitely knows something. These things are all connected somehow." He looks to Rey, hoping for confirmation.
"I agree," she says, and Chewbacca echoes her. "This isn't random. Not here, not today."
"I don't think so either." Poe takes a deep breath and glances around the lobby, frowning. "How did we do?" he suddenly asks. "Where's Connix—Connix!" he shouts, motioning her over from where she's helping Larma d'Acy with a cut on her face. "Casualty report," he says when she hurries over. "Any idea yet?"
"We've got a few major injuries," says Connix, who looks remarkably put together for having come out of a firefight moments earlier; the only sign of it are a few hairs out of place. "Medical is already working on them. Arana took the worst hit, but says he'll be fine. A lot of minor injuries, but no losses."
"Good," says Poe. "It better stay that way." He exchanges a look with his father, then Finn. "All right, here's what I think. We should split up and look into this before Chandrila does, because if I know them, it'll be days before they figure it out."
"Agreed," says Finn. "Plus it's personal." The others nod around them.
"Finn, why don't you head out to the academy with Rey, and I'll go to the bank with Jess. Find out anything you can. Connix, coordinate things here with the authorities. Chewbacca, I want you on security." They all nod, and Poe rubs his face, eyes slipping closed for a minute before he opens them to gaze at each one of them directly. "If everyone's all right, we leave in five. Finn, can I talk to you?" He doesn't wait for an answer, but takes Finn's hand and leads him behind the staircase, to a dark corner in the back. Glancing around, he takes Finn's face in his hands and kisses him hard.
"Whoa," Finn says when they're done, because of course he's going to kiss Poe back first. "You all right?"
"Are you?" Poe asks instead, running his hands up and down Finn's arms. "You're not hurt anywhere?"
"I'm fine," Finn tells him. "I didn't get shot, and no one has a personal vendetta against me, at least not today. So I'll ask again. Are you all right?"
Poe rubs his chin, and Finn can see that his hand is slightly unsteady. "I'm rattled," he admits, which is a big deal for him and Finn tries not to show his surprise. It is, in part, a testament of how close they've grown, how comfortable they are sharing such things. But it also means it's bad, and Finn knows he's going to have to be the one who keeps Poe settled.
"Quick background on this guy," Finn says. "Fill me in so I'm not working at a disadvantage." He's keeping it objective, and can tell immediately that Poe understands why and appreciates it. He stands straighter and nods.
"Back when Black Squadron was trying to find Lor San Tekka, we kept running into this First Order agent—Terex. He was with the First Order Security Bureau. He was a Stormtrooper with the Empire, then went off on his own and took over the Ranc gang before joining the First Order. And then back to the Rancs."
"Got it. Bad guy."
"Really bad guy," Poe says. "He kept slaves as leverage, and took my tech's wife hostage. Which was how Terex always knew where we would be, and what we were doing. It was bad," he sighs. "For a while I didn't know who it was—Snap, or Jess, or Karè. L'ulo." He swallows hard. "In the end, Oddy turned on them, got his wife back, and was killed when he sacrificed himself to blow up one of their cruisers." Finn whistles at that. Impressive. "But we lost L'ulo as well. And instead of stringing Terex up, we turned him back over to the First Order."
"Then what?" Finn asks.
"They gave him a cybernetic implant to keep him nice and obedient, but it didn't quite work. Last intel we had on him was he got out of it and disappeared. But this…this is something he would do, Finn. I know it, in my gut. It has to be him. This guy, Bulut, he's nothing. If the Rancs are involved—and it's no coincidence one of them is here, today—then Terex is behind it."
"Did we ever see any intel on him? Or the Rancs?" Finn asks.
Poe shakes his head. "I haven't seen anything on either for a long time, no. Once Kin is stable, let's get him on it. But until we hear otherwise, we assume he's behind this, and we assume there's a reason."
"Besides you?"
Poe's shoulders slump. "Besides us," he says. "This was too sloppy. Disrupting our day was a bonus. There's something else going on."
"Something to do with the other two attacks." Finn is certain there is more to it, and Poe nods in agreement.
"What I don't understand is why hit a science academy? What have they got that a bunch of gangsters would want?
"We'll figure it out, Poe. And we'll stop him."
Poe pulls him into an embrace, turns his face into Finn's neck the way he likes to every time. "Just be careful," he murmurs, then steps back to look into Finn's eyes. "I'm really sorry about our day."
"Not your fault," Finn tells him, and kisses him soundly. "We can rebook."
Poe smiles and takes his hand, leads them back to the others. "Yeah, well, I already have an idea about that. Let's clean up this mess and then we can start planning."
Poe squeezes his hand and walks over to his dad and gives him a hug, says something to Chewbacca about staying at his side. Kes argues, but Chewie agrees, and Poe motions to Jess. With a wave at Finn, they leave to make their way to the bank. Captain Gira protests, insisting they stay inside, but Poe ignores her and walks right out. Rey comes up to Finn's side.
"You okay?" she asks quietly, hand touching his arm lightly. He presses his other hand against hers; sometimes he needs to be grounded as well.
"I'm fine," he says. "Mostly pissed off. Let's go see what this is all about so I can get married." She nods, and they too ignore Captain Gira and head outside to find their way to the academy, determined to stop whatever is going on in Hannah City.
Author's Note:
Thank the stars for Wookiepedia. I'm trying my best with the worldbuilding here, but it's a big galaxy so who knows. I did read the comics, though, and that's were Terex is from. Soro Bulut is my own guy. Thank you for reading!