Looking about the large open room they saw nothing but their own men in the same white plated armor marching along the walkway looking for the prisoner just as they were. The two stormtroopers standing in the doorway to the hall looked at one another and shook their heads, retreating back the way they'd come.

The three that'd circled their side of the platform with no sign of either the prisoner or 501 - whom Kylo Ren had informed was there for the girl as well – drew to a stop next to a column. How Ren knew the hunter was on the base was beyond them, but they'd stumbled across the bodies of proof.

"Are we sure 501's here?"

"You know anyone else careless enough to kill First Order soldiers on their own base?"

"Maybe it was the girl."

"No," the third said quieting the other two. "I know the mark of her blade when I see it. She'd have come this way looking for the girl, and she's not stupid enough to fly out of here."

"She'll be hiding."

"Who knows why she wants the prisoner; get back in Kylo Ren's good graces, to take what he wants. Either way you know our orders, they're both to be returned to him alive."

"Alive sure, but if you wanna live we're knocking 501 out."

The third shrugged not caring beyond Kylo Ren's wrath. "He didn't specify anything more than breathing. Keep an eye out for any small spaces she could fit into, and watch your back."

The stormtroopers fell in line as they marched back the way they'd come, overturning their designated zone in the hopes either girl might be found. The dark column jutted out from the wall, bore the markings of the First Order's signa, and atop sat both scavenger and renegade.

Rey knelt with her legs under her nestled against Eris' back hearing their armor as they moved further away. Eris was on her feet, her knees bent to her chest, having prepared herself to lunge at the three had any of them the mind to look up. Her arms were spread wide on either side of the way effectively masking Rey behind her; their cheeks molded together, their breaths evened into rhythm.

When Eris was satisfied they were gone, and that no more were coming, she grabbed the edge of the column and jumped down. Rey watched Eris land on the balls of her feet with only the faintest of sounds and met her eyes when she stood and raised her arms to her. She wouldn't be as quiet as Eris, she didn't have the practice, so she slid down the side of the metal feeling Eris' strong hands first grab her waist then as her arms wrapped around her so that Rey landed more on her than the floor. "We're gonna move fast, stick close," Eris told her as she pulled Rey into the hall out of immediate sight. Looking at Rey it was obvious what'd happened; her eyes were slightly red, amidst the relief of being found there was fear, she kept pressing her lips together to fight the trembling of her jaw. Eris tucked a loose strand of hair behind Rey's ear, let her hand fall to her arm as though to embrace her. "Cry later."

Rey quickly nodded taking a deep shaky breath and wiped a hand under her wet nose. "How'd you know I was here?" she asked before Eris could turn away. Rey wasn't complaining it just didn't make sense, Eris had been left on Jakku, and unless she knew about BB-8 Rey didn't understand how she could've known where to find her.

"With help," Eris answered grabbing her arm and pulling her with her. "Keep your gun out, we're killin everyone we come across."

They set out at a brisk jog; Eris' feet were light, Rey's weren't as loud as they could've been. But they stopped at every turn, Eris would then throw herself into the next hall with her blaster aimed and a finger on the trigger. Only once had they stumbled across anyone this way, Eris had effectively dropped them all before they'd had time to realize she was there. It was louder than Eris wanted, more reckless, but already she heard the muffled far away sounds of explosions and knew the shields had been lowered and Poe's squadron was now shooting up the base. Eris had figured with them under attack most of the stormtroopers would've returned to their captains to receive orders, only a few would be kept out and vigilant in search for the prisoner. But if the plan did work, and Han had eventually explained to her what the Resistance wanted in this mission, then she Rey and the others needed to get off the base before it blew. Or Poe's team failed and the Order's efforts were once more on finding them. She was ready for either.

Rey didn't know it but Eris was taking them back to the flooding tunnel, it's where Han knew she'd go but only on the chance he guessed she'd found Rey. It was all she had to go on and like it or not she'd leave them if it was the only way to get Rey off the base. And if she was right, because Rey had stopped her several times to avoid a particular hall Eris hadn't heard anything down, then Kylo Ren wanted Rey for much more than information.

Rounding a corner Eris had enough time to see the shape of bodies to raise the blaster rifle with a finger tightening on the trigger.

"Whoa! It's us." Han yelled seeing Eris' cold eyes as she prepared to shoot – at the same time Finn yelled "no," seeing Rey's scared but firm face as she raised her own gun.

Both girls recognized the familiar friendly faces and released a breath lowering their weapons. Eris watched Finn look at Rey with hope in his eyes as he asked if she was okay, and then watched as Rey looked at him confused but happy – maybe Rey wasn't so thick after all.

"How d'you know I found her?" she asked looking up at Han.

He raised a shoulder smirking at her seeing what might've been a light in her eyes, one he thought had been extinguished with Cal's death. "Saw you come outta the hall as she was climbing up."

Eris nodded realizing they'd probably come the same way she had, stood on the opposite side with a daunting chasm between them. "Shields are down then," she said wanting to get moving again now that they were all accounted for.

"Yeah, tell you about it later," Han answered clapping her shoulder. "You're gonna like this kid." He turned from her disbelieving face to see Rey's arms wrapped tight around Finn's shoulders, saw the kid's arms around her back holding her just as fiercely. "Escape now hug later," he told them urging them toward hatch that'd take them back outside.

Eris grabbed them both and pulled them after her, placing them behind her with her at the front holding the blaster rifle steady.

"She really does do that," Finn said finding himself looking at her back, as he'd been told to expect.

Rey looked from Finn to the back of Eris' purple head. "Do what?" she asked having been wondering what this meant for Eris and her freedom. Rey thought she must've had a plan to get away from the Resistance, Eris wouldn't let herself be arrested just to save her. At least Rey was guarded enough she didn't let herself hope for it.

"Poe said she kept putting him behind her, like he was the damsel," Finn answered with a slight chuckle, finding it hard but amusing to imagine Poe at her back as she protected him.

Rey recognized the name and she thought on it a few moments before remembering the first time Finn had said it. "BB-8's master is alive?" she asked thinking the droid must've been so pleased to see him.

Finn nodded having forgotten Rey hadn't been there to know, she'd been here with Kylo Ren in the same prison he'd helped Poe escape from. "Yeah she found him, got him back to the Resistance. That's where I met her."

"They didn't arrest her?" Rey asked hopeful that meant Eris would be pardoned, or at least allowed to leave.

But Finn shook his head. "Han broke her out." He met Eris' stare as she looked at him over her shoulder, and after she'd turned back around he put his mouth by Rey's ear and said quietly, "I think her husband might be with them, I didn't hear that part."

Rey's jaw slackened at that news, having never guessed Eris had once been married or had ever spared time or emotion enough for it. She knew Eris had once loved someone, had loved them greatly, but she also knew much Eris ached – ached in the same way Rey herself did for something lost with no hope of it ever being found. Just as softly Rey told him, "he's dead."

Finn turned sharply to Rey wondering how she knew that when Poe hadn't even known Eris had a husband. And then he looked to Eris' back, her straight spine, her steady hands – her hard unforgiving eyes, her unkind disposition. It made sense, it fit. It made him sad.

They didn't say much else as they trekked through the snow back to their ship. Finn slung his jacket around Rey's small shoulders earning a small smile from her, Eris slung the rifle over her shoulder, Han forced his own jacket into Eris' hands though she was much less grateful, and Chewie kept his bow in hand looking frequently over his shoulder watching their backs.

With the Millennium Falcon in sight their resolve flared, safety just a short distance away. In truth they'd all considered death that day, of failing – the ship was proof of their victory. Though short lived because the far sound of blaster fire had them turning back to the base to see the X-wings barely had a chance to lock onto a target before they were forced to pull up to avoid the TIE fighters behind them. Not to mention the soldiers shooting from the ground; the fighter pilots were nowhere near victory.

"They're in trouble," Han said remembering a time it'd been Luke in an x-wing needing aid.

"We can't leave."

Han looked to Finn seeing the fight in his eyes. "My friend's gotta bag full of explosives," he said seeing first Finn's confusion and then the gleam in his dark eyes. "Let's use 'em."

The first obvious question came from Finn, a simple how because not everyone had the same mind as Han. Han rushed through the explanation of placing bombs inside the compound to give the x-wings a way in so they could blow the oscillator. A good plan, one Eris was surprised hadn't been made in the briefing room – even if the Order hadn't fought back the planes had no way of getting to the oscillator. The kids would distract the stormtroopers guarding the oscillator, because The Order had to know it was the target, and the three left would place the bombs.

The only problem, as Han saw it, was Eris. Her expression was as cold as the biting wind. She'd wanna leave immediately damn the Resistance – she had what she wanted. "I know what you're thinkin," he said hearing Finn and Rey behind him talking amongst themselves about how to keep the stormtrooper's attention.

"Really?" Eris said staring hard at his pleading face, already knowing what he thought of her. She was a renegade, a deserter, he knew what to expect.

"You run when things hard, it's easier. Kid, trust me I get it." He watched her eyes fall as she turned away, her mouth pursed, her hands working in and out of fists. "One of these days you're gonna hit a dead end and all the things you tried to outrun are gonna catch up." He met her eye when she turned back to him, her gaze was hard and searching, his own stare was soft framed by wrinkles showing his age. "Don't burn this bridge, Eris, she'll pardon you."

Drawing her brows together and narrowing her eyes she asked, "are you done?" He sighed heavily in defeat letting his shoulders slump at the realization she was farther gone than he'd realized. And when he was at his lowest, knowing she'd probably take the ship and desert them to save her own hide, she next asked, "how many explosives can you spare?"

The meaning behind her words didn't hit him all at once, but he turned to her with confusion etched in his weathered face to see she was completely serious. "What?" he asked not believing she hadn't at least considered leaving – hell even he had for a brief second.

But she shrugged unconcerned. "Gettin in's all well and good but he'll probably need a way out," she answered, explaining what she'd actually been thinking. And he stared at her wondering who'd thawed her impenetrable defenses. "That was a real nice speech, Han," she almost cooed, if she hadn't been shivering in the cold. "It take you five years to come up with?"

"Maybe," he answered seeing that right corner of her mouth just barely curl. It really was like old times, only the years hadn't served either of them well. He might've commented on it, knowing that he was reserved only for the pilot as was her investment in seeing this mission through. "You'd be exposed, no way to defend yourself. He wouldn't ask you to do this."

That was true, Poe would outright refuse if he knew what she was thinking. Had he been there he probably would've thrown her over his shoulder and carried her onto the ship where he'd tie her down to ensure she didn't go through with it. But Eris wasn't thinking of what Poe wanted she was thinking of his survival, of the several times she'd pulled him behind her or put herself in front of him, of how soon after meeting him she'd taken on the willingness to die for him. "Some lives matter more than others," she told Han. "And I'm not asking."

Han stared hard at her stubborn face seeing in her set jaw her mind was made up. It left him wondering who this pilot was, thinking he must've been a helluva guy to earn her favor in such short time. So Han stepped back realizing she'd made the choice not to run, and he let her go feeling a certain pride toward her. "Take what you need."

.^.

The sound of a pilot's communicator crackling to an end sounded once more in Poe's earpiece. They'd lost half their fleet already and they'd barely made a dent in the base's defenses. Four guns had been taken out but there were still more continuously firing at their fighters, and hot on their tails were a league of TIE fighters with equal power and greater speed.

"Black leader I've got eyes on Renegade-1," came Snap Wexley's voice over Poe's communication unit.

Poe pulled up avoiding an Order fighter, locked onto another TIE firing at one of his men and shot it down. "Outside the base?" he asked looking briefly to the outer wall but all that brief glance gave him was how many stormtroopers were shooting from the ground.

"Affirmative" Snap answered circling back around in the direction he'd noticed her. At first he'd mistaken her for snow on the otherwise dark gray platform, but snow didn't move that fast, and it sure as hell wasn't purple. "How d'you want me to proceed?" he asked not able to tell what she was doing. All he knew was what he'd been told, a hired gun for the First Order regardless of how highly Poe had spoken of her.

Poe however circled back to one of the guns, finally hit his mark before he was forced to pull up due to the TIE fighter stuck close on his tail. "What are you doing Eris?" he asked himself. He didn't have the luxury of flying by her to see for himself, nor would he on the chance the TIE's pilot caught sight of her and started shooting. "Be there when she needs you."

With a sigh Snap altered his course back around to her. "Roger that, black leader," he said locking on to where Eris was running toward the outer wall.

Planting the explosives had been the easy part, lining them up so that when they blew the roof would cave in giving the pilots an entrance big enough for them to fit. What hadn't been as easy was getting back down, namely because she saw just how badly the Resistance pilots were faring. She should've gone back to Han and Chewie, to be there once they detonated the bombs so they could all hurry to leave before the oscillator was destroyed and the planet broke apart. Or at least have gone after Rey and Finn who'd stolen a snowspeeder luring the stormtroopers away from the base. She should've done anything but run toward the gunfire.

She made quick work of the four manning the gun: shooting the first, knocking the second down, cracking the third's helmet and skull on the gun stand, throwing the fourth over the wall to plummet to his death, and turning back to shoot the second at the same time he'd finally gotten a hold of his rifle and raised it.
Then she sat herself behind the laser cannon enjoying how powerful she felt. She swiveled toward the other gun letting loose a stream of beams cutting both metal and man in half. She almost smiled at her work until a green laser struck the base of the gun and she was thrown into the air where she struck the metal of the compound and rolled several feet coming to a half conscious stop. She could smell her own blood and she groaned rolling onto her side looking up for the TIE fighter that'd spotted her.

With a gasp she rolled to the side as he fired at her hearing the crackling whiz of the beams as the struck the metal beside her. A loud explosion had her looking up to the see the fiery pieces of the TIE fighter as an X-wing soared past – it wasn't black which meant it wasn't Poe's. Turning she saw the gun on its side cut clean from its stand

Poe had finally maneuvered his way behind the TIE fighter that'd been on his tail and had just gotten a lock on it when a torrent of green lasers cut across the sky shooting the fighter down. He pulled up avoiding the line of fire wondering who the hell was firing Imperial weapons on the Imperials. He flew too quick to make out the details but he saw the grey of Eris' suit as she stood on the black compound holding the heavy cannon almost bigger than she was as she took out as many TIE fighters as she could.

"Are you seeing this?" he heard Pava exclaim over the comm.

He gave a loud whoop as he circled another fighter and got a lock on them. "That's my girl."

Her mouth was open wide as she screamed, her body jolting with every blast from the cannon, feeling invincible. But her strength gave out and she dropped the gun and hunched with her hands on her knees catching her breath feeling blood trickle down the side of her neck. That'd really pissed her off. She looked up seeing in place of the three ships she'd taken out five more had come. They'd have to figure it out, she didn't have the strength to pick the gun back up nor the time to waste before Han set off the charges.

She climbed back down, wearily taking three more stormtroopers with her, and stood outside the compound letting the cold soothe her aching body. With instinct demanding she return to the ship to wait, her part completed, she instead ran back into the base on the chance any part of their plan went belly up. Eris should've known from the lack of presence in the halls something was wrong, that she should have at least come across one small team walking their designated area on the lookout for the escaped prisoner. But she considered it luck, thought perhaps it was proof she was on her way to doing the right thing.

At least until she reached the room containing the massive thermal oscillator and found that the stormtroopers who should've been monitoring the halls were crowded on the landing she stood at the back of and the one where Chewie stood below her. Looking up she found Rey and Finn had safely returned and she followed their wide confused stares to see Han standing in the middle of the bridge with Kylo Ren. It made no sense to her how he could know Kylo Ren, how he could stand barely an arm's distance away as though…
Only once had he ever allowed her to see him without his mask, she'd woken from a long bout of unconsciousness to find his young stony face where he'd sat beside her. She hadn't been in the mind to realize it then but he had Han's eyes, the point of his nose, even the shape his jaw. Her understanding gave way to knowing: Kylo Ren didn't want the light, it festered in him like a plague but he didn't want it. Han was making a mistake.

Though the sight of a red lightsaber piercing through Han's back was not unexpected it was greatly unwanted, and Eris stepped forward with wide eyes and a gaping mouth. Below her Chewie gave a pained cry, his closest friend lost, above her Rey screamed for the only father she'd likely know, even Finn had cried out at the loss of a great man. But Eris stood silent, her chest numb, unable to comprehend. She looked at Kylo Ren, who felt a familiar muted pain and looked up to see her violet hair realizing the woman he'd spared in a moment of weakness had turned on him. His gaze shifted above her catching sight of the scavenger with more power than she knew – these two women, they'd destroy him.

A gasp was pulled from Eris' lungs at the bolt catching his side making him stumble back. She remembered herself, remembered as lonely and starved as he was he was also a murderer – not so unlike herself. She remembered herself. Raising her blaster at the stormtroopers now aware of Chewie's presence she fired several shots hitting at least two but mostly aiming to draw their fire from the Wookie. She ran forward and dropped to the floor sliding beneath the rails to the platform below where Chewie caught hold of her and ran to the hall. She stood against his soft chest feeling the violent reverberations of the explosions jarring through her, causing her skeleton to tremble.

She knew Rey and Finn would have to go back outside to reach them, the oscillator half blown to bits. "Come on," she told Chewie with as much gentleness as she could, but her tone was still hard as iron. The two ran for the flooding tunnel coming across two groups of soldiers who Chewie cut through with his bowcaster and an enraged grieving roar, and back out into the frigid air. It looked like night, cold and dark, the only light to be found was far away reflected on the surface of some other planet.

"I don't know how to fly this thing," she said when they'd climbed aboard the freighter and Chewie sat himself in the copilot's chair. He gave a mournful bellow refusing to sit in Han's chair. It left her huffing as she acted as pilot staring at the console for several long moments trying to orient herself. "Don't blame me if we crash," she told him sternly, toggling a switch here and flipping a lever there. For the most part Chewie took control of the ship keeping it level while Eris stood leaning over the console to get a better look out of the window for any sign of Rey and Finn.

"Wait, go back."

Chewie turned the hovering ship back around until Eris told him to stop. He asked what she saw but she raised a hand to quiet him, and he was left sitting impatiently as she stared hard into the dark. Chewie watched her climb onto the console, her knees too close to pressing buttons she shouldn't, her hands cupping her eyes as she pressed against the window trying to see against the glare of the ship's lights.

At his quiet unsure moan Eris answered, "lightsabers. I think." She wasn't sure, she was seeing sparks of something through the trees, a little red a little blue sometimes nothing at all. "They can't be fighting," she said more to herself, "unless Kylo sucks I don't see how she thinks she can w- oh."

Staring at her backside Chewie was quick to ask what, unable to see for himself, not that he was making an effort to look past where Eris was bent in front of him. But his impatience won and he nudged her leg.

"I don't see red anymore," Eris said no longer seeing anything. Behind her Chewie asked for a little more information than that but she could only shrug. "I don't know, I was seeing red and blue and then the red disappeared followed by the blue. I mean, it seems like she might've,"

The planet itself seemed to quake and the once level ship began to sway roughly, the Wookie had one hand holding them steady and with the other he caught Eris before she fell. "Bout time Poe," she muttered pushing herself away from Chewie and back into the seat. "Someone's that way," she said pointing just slightly west of where they faced. "And if it's Kylo Ren we're shootin him."

Chewie gave a loud agreement as he flew them to the quivering tree line as the planet began to fall apart. Bursting through a row of trees the ship's beam landed on two small forms lying in the snow. "Open the door," Eris yelled already running for the exit. Hitting the snow she ran beneath the ship to the place Rey knelt beside Finn. "Is he breathing?" she asked dropping to her knees beside him.

"I think so," was Rey's choked answer.

"Hey," she said laying a hand on Rey's shoulder, "cry later." She held Rey's pained gaze and waited until she nodded before pulling Finn's limp body up and over her tired shoulders. "Get inside, go be Chewy's pilot."

While Rey sat in the captain's chair Eris was tucked away in a small room kneeling beside Finn doing all she could for him, feeling the ship lurch from how narrowly they'd avoided being destroyed along with the planet. They were one man less, one and a half considering Finn was just barely hanging on; it wasn't the victory they'd hoped. But it was a victory nonetheless.

So next chapter is the last of part one. I've been considering whether or not to write a prequel which would feature mainly Eris and Cal, with a lot of Han and Chewie (and a little bit of Kylo Ren). And I'd love to hear your opinion on that, whether you all would be interested in reading it.