Star Wars: Journey Through the Force

Disclaimer: I own nothing (unfortunately). All rights and characters in this fic belong to Disney, Lucasfilm, George Lucas and other respective owners and creators. I gain no profit from this. It's purely for fun. I only own my OC's.

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Chapter III

''Rey's missing?''

Finn bolted upright in shock, halted as a sharp pain ripped through his back. He hissed and clutched his shoulder, on the verge of mumbling a word Phasma had used many times before to mock him. Closing his eyes and backing down, he almost missed the bed. Thankfully, Poe reacted in the nick of time, carefully guiding his friend until he was sitting and resting.

A few heavy pants escaped Finn before he glanced towards Poe. The ex-Stormtrooper's eyes were wide and searching. ''Why did they go missing? Were they attacked?''

Poe shook his head. ''No, not as far as we know. They just…stopped communicating with us.''

''But why?''

''That's the big mystery, buddy,'' Poe said grimly.

Finn stared around the medical room, dropping his shoulders and feeling his heart race towards dangerous levels. ''Why would Leia lie to me?''

There was a moment's hesitation from Poe. He kept a firm but gentle grip on Finn's shoulder, feeling the younger man push back against him. ''Probably to stop you from doing something stupid.''

''I need to find her…''

''Like that. Something stupid, like that.''

Finn turned sharply to Poe. ''After everything that Rey has done for the Resistance, we can't just leave her out there alone…''

''She's with the Luke Skywalker.'' Poe grinned with a gleam in his eyes. ''If you're worried about her safety, I say she's in capable hands…''

''That's not the point,'' Finn cut in, his voice filled with sorrow and frustration. Between breaths, he was biting his tongue to hold in the pain that was surging throughout his wounded body. The Bacta-Lit was either not working at all, or doing its job appropriately because Finn's face twisted in pain from a stinging sensation. His head dropped into his hands as he rubbed the sweat building across his brow.

Waiting for Finn collect his thoughts, Poe stared intently at his friend. ''What is the point?''

Slowly, Finn raised his chin and turned to Poe. ''She's been alone for as long as she can remember. No one should ever have to go through that. I left her behind once, and I can't do that to her again.''

There was a slight twitch at the end of Poe's lip, causing it to curl upwards. As gently as he could, he patted Finn on the shoulder, stopping when he saw Finn still react to the taps. ''You'll see each other again. She wouldn't have disappeared without a reason.''

Finn grasped those hopeful words and refused to let them go. He nodded and breathed through his nose deeply, breaking the silence in the empty room. ''Hasn't anyone else gone to Ahch-To? The resistance must have sent a search party of some kind?''

''A few days after Rey stopped reporting to us, a squadron travelled to the planet. They couldn't a trace of them. No sign of Rey or Luke Skywalker. Even Chewbacca and R2 were missing and the Millennium Falcon was gone. They could be on the other side of the galaxy as far as we know.''

Finn was unable to suppress a groan from slipping past his dry lips. A sense of guilt and hopelessness overwhelmed him, causing him to feel small and weak. The scar on his back seemed to deepen.

Glancing downwards, Poe noticed Finn's fist clench tightly over his knee. Feeling just as helpless, the pilot gathered his resolve and shuffled closer to Finn. ''I know that you want to help her. But it's out of our hands for now. Like I said, she wouldn't disappear without reason. She'll come back, along with Luke.''

A quiet snort came from Finn. ''I never believed in Luke Skywalker. He was always a myth to me.''

Poe smirked. ''Well, you'll have time to marvel at the legend when he returns.''

As much as Finn was actually looking forward to that moment, all he cared about was seeing Rey standing next to Luke, safe and well.

Satisfied seeing the tension fade slightly, Poe straightened before standing. ''I need to get going. Duty calls.''

Half-listening, Finn nodded, his mind elsewhere. It only registered when he noticed Poe turning heel to leave what the pilot had said. Desperately trying to ignore whatever pain he knew was about to swell over him, Finn practically leapt off the bed and stood with his two feet planted firmly on the ground. Poe turned, caught completely off-guard and left bewildered as Finn stumbled towards him. ''Let me come with you.''

''Finn, you don't even know…''

''I don't care. Whatever it is, I want to help. I've been left out of the action for too long. I need to do what I can to help the resistance.''

Poe heard a small voice in the back of his mind telling him to instruct Finn to stand down. However, the cheers he wanted to bestow to the fiery fighter drowned that voice. He missed the grit and determination shown by this young man, who came from a past show dark and horrifying that Poe recoiled at the mere thought of it. Kylo Ren gave him a small taste…right before Finn arrived to rescue him. Who knows how many times Finn had witnessed such terror, or suffered through it himself?

A beaming smile broke out across the pilot's face. ''Welcome aboard, buddy.''

Finn broke out into a happy and fulfilled laugh before instantly poising himself and hoping to keep a professional manner about him. ''Thank you.''

Poe titled his head, gesturing towards the door. ''Wait here. I need to do a few things and then I'll come back to get you. In the meantime, get yourself ready.''

''Ready for what?''

''We're going to find out what the First Order are after.''

After seeing to other matters and returning to collect Finn, they had one last issue to deal with.

It took a bit of coaxing from Poe to get Finn around Lira. She barked angrily at the pilot and demanded that Finn is seated back inside the medical facility to rest and recover. Unfortunately, for her, she'd given them leverage via explaining the healing time of the Bacta-Lit. Before the arguments could escalate to a heat that rivalled a lightsabre, Finn's scar was sealed up and responding well to the treatment. It wasn't perfect or pretty, but it gave Finn the belief that he was ready to step back out into the world. Coaxing the protective doctor, stating his wish to return to help the resistance, Finn was allowed to pass.

''I think she likes you,'' Poe chuckled as he and Finn rushed down the corridor and out into the docking bay of the resistance base.

Finn spun around, looking at the base and then back to Poe. ''I don't think so. She was just making sure that I don't end up back in there.''

''No one wants to see you back in there. I'm glad to have you back out here. It'll be our first mission together.''

''I'm ready. Whatever comes our way, I'm ready to face it!'' He said passionately.

The enthusiasm was infectious…perhaps, too much so. Poe could see the boundless energy coming from Finn. The young rebel was eager to step back into the action like he never left. That left a troubling feeling bubbling inside the pilot. He stopped and turned to his friend. ''Don't think that you have anything to prove. You've more than earned yourself a place among us.''

Finn nodded. ''Right, sorry.''

They marched onwards. Finn gazed at his surroundings, admiring the multitude of resistance ships soaring in and out of the docking bay. Each of them was sleek and primed for battle. The sound of their engines roared with mighty power and caused Finn's bones to shake. Something about them felt different from flying a TIE fighter.

They seemed more…freeing. With nothing to hold back a pilot except for the distance of the stars and the pilot's willingness to travel between those stars.

Not wanting to fall behind, Finn hurried behind Poe as the best pilot in the galaxy strutted knowingly to their destination. ''How many of us are going?'' He asked curiously.

''You, me, and I'm bringing along two from my squadron. Jessika Pava and Temmin Wexley. You can call the latter Snap. He's a bit of a stick in the backside of a Bantha, but he's alright once you get to know him.''

Finn furrowed his brows and sprinted forward briefly until he was marching side-by-side with Poe. ''Is that all we're going to bring? What if we're ambushed?''

''We're hoping it doesn't come to that,'' Poe replied morosely. ''The fewer of us going, the less likely we'll be of being spotted by the First Order. We're heading to a planet where they were shipping something under our noses. There's a good chance they'll come back to collect what was stolen from them.''

''Stolen? By who?''

''So many questions and so little answers,'' He turned to an agitated looking Finn. ''Trust me, buddy, I don't like this as much as you do. I'm normally a friend to anyone who goes against the First Order, but until we know the full details of what's going on, we have to always watch our backs.''

''You can count on me. I've got your back.''

''I know you do.'' Poe smiled.

In a few short minutes, Poe slowed down as they approached a large, bulky-looking cargo ship. The first thing that stuck out for Finn when inspecting the ship was how nothing appeared to stick out about it. It was unassuming, clunky and was a far cry from the majestic ships proudly waving the Resistance banner. Then again, if Poe was addressing this like an undercover mission, it was the perfect ship for them. It seemed capable of housing at least a dozen more passengers, with enough space for anything that would be in need of transportation. Twin engines on either side of the mass bucket of bolts were in the midst of repairs from a couple of service droids and one woman checking that everything was in place.

''Jess!'' Poe called out to the woman, who turned and waved at her squadron leader. ''How's she looking?''

Jessika patted her grimy hands, causing puffs of dust to drift into the air. Her uniform was discarded, replaced with a casual garb that had Finn believing she was just a lowly ship engineer and not part of Poe's team. ''Scruffy, sturdy and rough around the edges.''

''Good,'' Poe grinned. ''That's just the way we need it.''

Before she could say anything else to him, Jess noticed the younger man standing next to Poe. It took a few seconds for realisation to kick in, having never seen the man awake and standing before. She patted her hands on her legs and rushed over to greet the newcomer. ''You must be Finn, the First Order runaway that Poe never stopped talking about.''

Finn's gaze floated back and forth between Jess and Poe. ''Uh…yeah, wait, me? Talk about me?''

She extended her arm and grabbed Finn's hand, shaking it excitedly. ''Of course, he needed to explain who could possibly convince Poe to give away his prized jacket.''

Poe stepped forward, smiling amusedly at her. ''Okay, you might be over exaggerating a tad.''

''No, I think I'm exaggerating precisely.'' She winked with a teasing tone in her voice.

Feeling that this was a battle he couldn't win, Poe strutted around her and headed towards the opening compartment door of the cargo ship. ''Speaking of, I need to change into something less conspicuous. Is the ship good to go?''

''She's only waiting for you.''

''Then I won't keep her waiting too long,'' Poe called out before disappearing into the ship.

Standing alone, without Poe around to guide him, Finn suddenly realised how out of place he felt walking around the resistance base once again. He barely had any time to formally introduce himself or engage in pleasantries, as he was so concerned with saving Rey from Kylo Ren and the Starkiller base. Walking around, he felt eyes burning into him from the glares of those who still didn't fully trust him. He couldn't blame him, but that didn't mean he liked being judged without being heard.

Thankfully, he needn't worry about that with Jessika, who turned and greeted him warmly like welcoming an old friend. ''Are you coming along for the ride?''

Finn froze and nodded affirmatively. ''I am, ma'am.''

Jess giggled lightly. ''You don't have to be so formal. We're all on the same side here. Right?''

''Yeah…'' He shifted awkwardly. ''I'm Finn, by the way.''

''Jessika Pava. You can call me Jess, everyone does. At least, I hope everyone does.'' She greeted. ''I have to commend you.''

''On what?''

''You haven't been on your feet for a few months now and already heading out for a mission. You're a fighter.''

''I am,'' Finn rushed. ''I want to take this fight to the First Order as soon as possible.''

''Well, I personally have had enough fighting for one day. I'm hoping that we can get all the info that we can and get back home before we find ourselves in real trouble.''

Finn didn't know what to say. He wanted to find some way to prove himself and give his new team a reason to trust him and show that he could pull his own weight.

However, something plagued him from deep inside.

Distant voices and images erupted deep within his subconscious. He saw First Order stormtrooper helmets. Hundreds, potentially thousands of them, were all lined up accordingly and staring at him. Out of the crowd, Finn could see one that was different from the others. Three thin trails of blood clawed down the helmet and a crack began to grow. The mask threatened to break, as Finn was unable to drag himself out of the nightmarish vision.

Just when the mask erupted and broke, Phasma's voice exploded with a lingering echo and vengeful fury. ''FN-2187!''

Under the shattered helmet was Finn's bloody face with white eyes and his mouth agape.

''Finn.'' Jessika barked. Startling Finn and pulling him back to reality.

Feeling jolted and almost buckling under his weak knees, Finn cleared his throat. ''Wh-what?''

''Are you okay? You seemed to fall into another world there.''

''No, I mean, I…'' He hesitated, not sure how or if he could give her answers. ''I think my head's still…I'm still getting my bearings.''

It wasn't a lie. The pounding in his head left him feeling numb and sick. He feared that he would slip back into the unknown darkness. Luckily for him, it didn't come to that and he was able to smile reassuringly at Jessika.

The young pilot glanced over Finn's shoulder and spotted someone else walking towards them. She beamed and rushed over to him, causing Finn to follow her and meet the newcomer. ''Finn, this is Temmin Wexley. But, he likes being called Snap.''

Snap was a large, slightly more imposing figure in comparison to Jess that left Finn feeling on edge. He was wearing the same attire that Jessika wore, though not quite as grungy. Snap eyed Finn interestedly before offering his hand. ''Good to finally meet you face-to-face.''

Feeling relieved, Finn quickly accepted Snap's hand, shaking it keenly. ''Good to meet you too.''

Jess nudged Snap with her elbow. ''Finn's going to be coming along on our secret mission.''

Though her voice was friendly enough, Snap's expression darkened as he narrowed his eyes. Finn shuffled his feet, waiting for a barrage to spew out from Snap's mouth. Instead, the irritable pilot tramped around Finn and towards their cargo ship. ''Don't think this'll be easy. We're hoping we won't find any trouble, but if we do, you're going to need to defend yourself. We can't be falling behind because we need to help any loose fodder.''

Jess rolled her eyes. ''That's a harsh way of spelling things out for the new recruit.''

''It's the truth,'' He barked at her before turning back to Finn. ''I mean it. Every mission is important for the resistance. We can't be watching your back if you're cowering against a wall.''

Finn stared at Snap for a short time before looking towards Jess. She was clearly annoyed with her comrade's tone but understanding that it needed to be said. ''I hear you loud and clear,'' Finn said.

A faint smile crept on Snap's face. ''Good.''

Jess bounded forward, wrapping an arm around Snap's shoulder and leaning against him. ''You two are getting along already.''

''Better than you and I ever have.'' Snap glared.

Suddenly, Poe's charming voice called out. ''Come now, be honest. You two love each other.''

They all turned to see Poe emerge from the cargo ship, standing by the open door and zipping up his jacket. The disguise was flawless. The three-squadron members wouldn't look out of place working around the galaxy. In his hand, Poe carried another set of the work uniform. As Finn was about to question him, Poe tossed it towards the young man. Finn stumbled back and caught it, holding the uniform up against his body and noting that it appeared to be his size. The two shared a knowing glance, with Finn bowing his head slightly, enough to thank Poe for the gesture.

Jess huffed and playfully bumped her fist against Snap's arm before walking into the cargo ship. ''He wishes I loved him like that. But he knows that he's not my type.''

''Thank my lucky stars,'' Snap grumbled, following closely behind.

Once they were inside, Finn hurried along, stepping onto the platform and ready to enter. Poe raised his arm, stopping Finn and whispered in his ear. ''Last chance. Don't push yourself. There's no shame in resting for a little while longer.''

Finn looked at Poe, locking eyes with him and never looking away. ''I can do this. I want to do this.''

Poe smirked. ''You are a good man, Finn. Don't ever doubt that.''

Their moment was interrupted with Jess returning and staring questioningly at Poe. ''What are we going to do if they speak another language?''

Without missing a beat, Poe offered an encouraging grin. ''I have a plan for that.''

''Commander Dameron? Commander Poe?'' C-3PO called out, hastening towards the ship fearing that they would take off before he could reach them.

''Right on cue,'' Poe murmured so that the droid wouldn't hear him. He turned and walked over to greet the golden, protocol droid. ''What do you have to report?''

''I just wanted to inform you that I have made contact with General Leia. She is now aware that you are setting off for Kuat.''

''That's excellent to hear,'' Poe replied. Pausing briefly, he folded his arms over his chest and emitted an entertained grin. ''Do you have any other matters to attend to?''

''None at the moment,'' C-3PO answered promptly. ''My daily duties have been accomplished. I pride myself on punctuality. Did you not ask me that question earlier?''

''I did, I just wanted to double-check,'' Poe gestured towards the ship. ''Come on then.''

C-3PO flinched. ''What?''

''Kuat is infamous for trade deals. There'll be many different languages spoken there. We need a protocol droid with your calibre to assist us.''

The droid's apprehension was momentarily subsided at the kind words. Almost bashfully, C-3PO soaked up the praise. ''My calibre? Oh, I appreciate your opinion, Commander Poe. However, I am fluent in only six million forms of communication. Many of the newer protocol models are…''

''We're not looking for a newer model,'' Poe interrupted. ''You'll do just fine. Come on.''

He didn't give C-3PO a chance to argue, turning and striding back into the ship while Jess watched on in amusement. ''Welcome aboard!'' She cheered.

''Oh…'' C-3PO sighed.

Despite him only being a droid, and not able to express emotion in the same way Finn could, the ex-stormtrooper empathised greatly. Swallowing his worries and keeping them locked inside, Finn walked into the ship and searched for a place to get changed.

As for Poe, he took his rightful seat at the front of the ship, ready to steer his comrades into a new adventure. It might not be a smooth as an X-Wing. But for the time being, he gripped the steering gears tightly and nothing else other than this ship mattered to him. He signalled that they were ready to take off, with Jess and Snap finding seats in the back.

On the outside, the maintenance droids working on the ship glided away, allowing it space to prepare for departure. BB-8 whirled and beeped with excitement as the ball-like droid rolled between C-3PO's legs and inside of the ship.

With the door about to close, C-3PO wobbled forward and entered. ''Oh dear, how is it that even without R2 by my side I still end up being dragged into this madness?''

Once everyone was on board. Poe set the ship in motion and in a few seconds, they lifted off the ground and rocketed above the heavens and into the vastness of space.

To Be Continued…

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