Hey everybird! What's up!?
Before we get to today's questions…
For those of you who saw the latest episode of The Mandalorian, (And SPOILERS AHEAD!) didn't it very much remind you of when Anakin, Obi-wan, and Ashoka had to team up with a group of bounty hunters to protect a village of farmers against Hondo and his pirates? Because it very much did for me!
Anyway, on to today's question…
How did you feel when you saw the very first teaser for The Force Awakens?
Me: I remember being very speechless, like I felt like my heart wasn't even beating for the duration of the teaser and I was in a dream or something, it certainly came as a big surprise to me and I just couldn't believe it.
Moving on to your questions…
From Stormknight089, he asks, "How would you think Roberto and Eduardo would react if they turn into a human?
Me: Probably very scared and upset, however that depends on when this is, before the second Rio movie or after.
From Nightfly123, he asks, "What do you think of Freddie Prince Jr's rant on Star Wars?
Me: I don't know, I have not seen or even heard about that.
Chapter 50: Holding Out
(Tyler's POV)
With the First Order fleet in disarray with Holdo's nasty surprise, it gave us the time to escape, with the few of us left, down onto Crait's surface, into the abandoned base. As the transport Arthur and I were in landed down, I had to help Arthur get up, since he was still recovering from his injuries.
"You going to be alright brother?" I asked.
"I'll be fine, don't worry, it's going to take a lot more to bring me down." Arthur smiled as we walked down the transports' ramp together to see the rest of the survivors hurrying about, taking out necessary equipment and weapons for the coming fight.
Lookouts were sent on the base's huge front door to keep watch for the First Order, even General Organa was there, just looking out into the clear bluish-white sky. As I watched, I could hear the roar of TIE fighter engines, growing louder and louder and as I watched I could see several of them following a shuttle while the base's front door began to lower, closing to prevent the first Order from getting in. As the door began to close, the TIE fighters fired, but to who was not known as the shuttle came on in, lower and lower, all it was bent on getting inside.
"Incoming!" One of the lookouts shouted as some of the TIEs shots hit inside the base, catching some of us off guard.
"Go! Go! Move!" I could hear Poe's voice shouting as still holding onto Arthur I moved as fast as I could away, while taking out my blaster pistol. "Get that shield door down!"
As the door was just about to close, the shuttle hit the surface, its engines still moving it froward as it slid through the closing entrance, part of the shuttle being ripped off. It eventually slowed down to a stop as the TIEs of course had to peel off to avoid hitting the base and the mountain side it was built in. With the shuttle coming to a stop, everyone who had a blaster took up position and started shooting at the shuttle, even General Organa was holding onto one as she joined in. With both Arthur and I having taken out our blaster pistols, we fired off real shots as we heard voices coming from inside.
"No! Wait, don't shoot! It's us!" The voices called out as I saw wings being held up from the damaged cockpit. "No! Don't shoot!"
"Hold your fire!" Poe ordering as he held up his own wing, a few shots still going out.
"Don't shoot!" One of the voices inside still called out.
"Hold your fire!" Poe repeated as everyone stopped, but still held their blasters at the ready.
"Finn?" The general questioned.
"Finn!" Poe shouted as he sounded relieved while I completely put down my blaster. "Rose! You're not dead! Where's my droid?" Poe asked as beeping was heard and coming down from the shuttle's ramp was Poe's BB droid, rolling down towards his owner. "Buddy! I'm so glad to see you!" Poe embracing his droid, if only mom and dad could do the same with Alex and Ashley.
With that incident over, the Resistance got back to business, checking whatever abandoned equipment was left to use as the base's shields were put online. Arthur and I joined Grandpa Blu in the makeshift command center as portable monitors for comms and other things were laid down. Poe came in, having come from helping those who got the shields up.
"All right, shields are up so they can't hit us from orbit." Poe reported. "Use whatever power we've got left to broadcast a distress signal to the Outer Rim."
"Use my personal code." General Organa spoke up. "If there are any allies to the Resistance, it's now or never."
"Rose, what do you got?" Poe said as I saw one of the groups woh were checking the abandoned equipment come up.
"Rotting munitions, rusted artillery, some half-gutted skim speeders." The female bird Poe spoke to reported, not sounding too positive about it.
"Well, let's just pray that big-ass door holds long enough for us to get help." Poe replied as soon as he was done saying that loud stomping sounds could be heard as it shook dust from the ceiling and shaking the ground a little.
As I thought about what exactly could have caused the shaking, my mind thought it was maybe the remaining star destroyers bombarding us, trying to get through the base's shields, but it was worse than that as I saw Finn get on the scanner fro the outside and told us what he saw.
"A battering ram cannon." Finn said as I knew that didn't sound good…
A what now?" Poe asked, confused.
"Miniaturized Death Star tech." Poe explained. "It'll crack that door open like an egg." Finn said as I knew it wasn't good.
"There has to be a back way our of here, right?" Rose asked to Poe as beeping could be heard, Poe's droid coming up.
"BB-8, what do you got?" Poe asked as General Organa's golden droid, C-3PO was right behind.
"BB-8 has analyzed the mine's schematics." The golden droid translated. "This is the only way in or out." The droid looking towards the huge front door of the base as the sounds of the First Order were heard coming closer, everyone silent, that is until Finn spoke up.
"Come on." Finn said as attention was drawn to him. "We have allies. People believe in Leia. They'll get our message, they'll come. But we have to buy time. We gotta take out that cannon." Finn telling us in a very confident tone as I knew he was right, better to go down fighting than doing nothing.
And with that everyone rushed into action, preparing whatever we had to make a last stand and hopefully long enough to allow help to come and beat back the First Order. As Arthur and I joined in on the stand, Arthur, due to his injuries, wasn't fit for flying one of the speeders, having to join the soldiers in the trenches lining the base's outside as he grabbed one of the blaster rifles. I could have jumped into one of the speeders myself, but I wanted to stay by my brother's side, so I too grabbed a blaster rifle. As Arthur and I were set to join in on the defense, we were met by Grandpa Blu.
"Stay safe boys, survive." Grandpa Blu told us. "I'll be in the command center with the other officers and the general, hopefully we have replies to our distress messages."
"Thank you Grandpa Blu and don't worry about us." I replied as I heard beeping coming towards us, looking to see it was Alex and Ashley, wanting to come with us.
"No Alex and Ashley, you two stay with Grandpa Blu and his droid, if we don't come back you two follow Grandpa Blu, understood?" Arthur telling the droid an order, not a suggestion, to which the droids began to protest.
"Now's not the time you two, stay here." I said sternly at first. "If we don't come back, you two are the only one left to carry on our family's legacy." Alex and Ashley then obeying as they hung their heads low.
"Come on brother, lets get going, the First Order's not waiting around." Arthur told me as we joined the other soldiers who went into the tunnels going to the outside to the trenches and as we got to the trenches, we could see the soldiers taking up their positions.
"On me! On me!" One of the officers shouted as we arrived in one of the trenches, going to find an empty spot for the two to take position. "Move! Move!"
"Gather your weapons!" Another officer shouted as those without grabbed blasters and grenades. "Hold your fire!" The officer continued shouting as the soldiers all began standing up in the trenches, holding out their blasters and pointing them towards the First Order forces approaching us.
Out in the distance, I saw a bunch of huge walkers kicking up a ton of dust and creating a haze being them as in the center of them was the huge battering ram cannon, a monster on its own. What good would a blaster do against any of them… But well it was all I had to protect myself. As I held my blaster at the ready, one of the officers stepped out of the trench, holding onto a pair of binoculars as he took a good lock at the opposing forces, his steps having left prints on the ground, which the ground, being white was actually red underneath.
"Salt." One of the nearby soldiers said as he took a pinch of the soil in front of him and spit it out.
"Ground forces, incoming." One of the positions reported as I heard Poe's reply through the loudspeaker.
"Copy that. On our way." Poe replied as from the back of us, the few old speeders launched off from the base's hangars, coming down and forming up as they raced froward towards the First Order walkers and cannon.
I wished Arthur and I could very much join those racing ahead of the trenches, how much I would have loved for myself to take the shot at that battering ram cannon, bringing it down and preventing it from firing. Or well at least go down like a true hero…
As the speeders got closer and closer, Poe's voice rang through which officially started the battle for our survival or destruction…
All right, ground forces, lay down some fire!" Poe ordered as our own old artilley opened fire, making sure to aim slightly above to avoid hitting any of the friendly speeders as the soldiers in the trenches followed suit.
Watching our fire shoot out, the shots hit the ground around the walkers, some hitting the legs of the monsters, not affecting them at all. However I still kept up my blaster fire, only taking quick second breaks to let the barrel cool down before firing. As I kept my eyes ahead, I saw formations of TIE fighters come up, roaring ahead of the walkers as they began targeting the speeders, strafing the ground as their shots threw up the red soil of the surface.
"Oh great…" I thought in my head as I saw the speeders take evasive action, turning and zigzagging to avoid getting hit, but their trails were easy to pick up, leaving behind lines of red which gave the TIE an easier time in targeting them.
And the TIE were much more numerous than the speeders on the ground, many of the TIEs free to target us as a number of them roared down on the trenches and artillery pieces. I didn't let the TIEs' fire scare me, not taking cover as I focused on shooting, only when I felt a wing grab onto me and get me down did I stop as heated salt flew all over me, covering my body as I saw it was Arthur who got me down.
"You alright brother?" Arthur asked, relieved he pulled me down in time before I got hit.
"Yeah, I'm okay, thanks a lot." I replied back as I shook off the salt that blew over me, getting up again as I refocused my fire up on the TIEs, the sky seeming to be full of them.
I hoped that something would come to help us, get rid of these TIEs, with them up in the air, not only those of us in the trenches were in danger, but the speeders far up ahead trying to take out that battering ram cannon, couldn't because of the constant harassing they were getting. I still stayed strong, keeping my head above the trench as I offered whatever help I could from my own blaster fire, holding onto whatever little hope there was for a miracle to happen…
And cue the Falcon in the next chapter!
Well the battle of Crait and the Resistance's stand has began an not looking too good I might add…
But we'll get to it in the next chapter and with that…
See everybird later!