Stepping down from the ramp of the Falcon, Leia squinted her eyes in the bright desert sun. It had been almost a decade since she had been on Tatooine. She walked under the Falcon to get some shelter from the scorching sun.

Off in the distance was a collection of odd buildings, most of them almost completely covered by the blowing sand. Many years ago, this squabble was a fully functioning Rebel Alliance base. The base was secluded enough for Jawas and their sandcrawlers to not find it easily, which meant that the Alliance (and their blasters- just in case) were safe. Now the buildings were hardly recognizable as anything more than piles of dust blown up against a few rocks.

Leia's heart sunk as she eyed the Resistance's few ships. Had they really lost that many in that attack? How many officers and crew were crammed onto the freighters and transport ships? Hopefully enough to be able to coordinate themselves and- hopefully- a counter attack. She took one last longing look into the sky just to make sure that no one was trailing behind, but gave up hope a few moments later. This is it, she realized. This is all we've come to.

As the officers departed their ships, they too squinted in the bright light, some of them breaking out almost immediately into a sweat. Leia beckoned them under the cover of the Falcon where she commenced a small and very rushed meeting.

"Alright," she began with an exasperated sigh. "Welcome to Tatooine. This is as far as we could get from the Barnush Moon without attracting too much attention from other planetary organizations. Years ago, before the Resistance was formed, the Rebel Alliance had a base here, but after Luke left, and his program..." she trailed off. With a sigh and a shake of her head, she continued. "Well, luckily for us, this place is still here. Don't expect many pleasantries to remain, scavengers for sure have stripped it clean. At the very least, we'll be able to stay here for a while until we can organize ourselves."

The officers and crew huffed to each other, the heat already making them irritable, but they knew better than to question the orders of the General. They followed her up the ramp once again where a tired and hot Chewbacca leaned against the wall, his fur dripping with sweat already. He never really liked Tatooine, although some parts of it were more bearable than others. With a tired growl, he closed the ramp, glad to no longer be standing in the mind-searing heat. He growled to Leia. She chuckled.

"Yes, I know it's hot," she began. "But that can't stop us from doing our jobs. Luke, Rey and Finn are still on that moon, and we need to establish contact," she reenforced with a stern look. Chewbacca nodded. He returned to the cockpit without another peep.

"And keep the fans going!" Leia added from the service corridor, following the crew.

The valley was almost unrecognizable. The remnants of all of the Resistance ships that had been shot down during their attempts to escape the attack of the First Order lay scattered as far as the eye could see, leaving behind smouldering fires, dead bodies of valiant and loyal Resistance members, and shattered aircraft: some X-Wings, others troop carriers and cargo ships, most of which were carrying either materials or personnelle. Across the valley, where the Resistance was housing their fleet of X-Wings, there sat blazing fires, kept alight by leaked jet fuel and debris from the old tarnished buildings that had been used temporarily as hangers, and ships that had been knocked out before the fight even began. The fires created a blanket of smoke, so thick and black that it began to block out the sunlight, as though fighting at night, though it was mid-day. Ship and battle debris lay strewn about, and looking at the valley, it wasn't hard to tell that the Resistance was going to take a long time to recover after the battle.

Poe was a skilled pilot, but he had never seen an attack such as this one and in these conditions. Fighting on the Barnush Moon was difficult, but he managed as best as he could- he wasn't a certified flying ace for nothing. His old, beat-up X-Wing had never failed him, and Poe was damn sure it wasn't going to then.

Poe developed a tactic. He dived deep into the valley- almost to the river- until the dogfights going on above above him were nothing more than kites on a breeze, and then he would pull up, locking a TIE in his targeting system and shooting him down onto the steep and slippery sides of the cliff. Training, exploration, and battles helped him become more battle-hardened and able to develop techniques such as this one, yet this was the first time he had used it for real.

BB-8 beeped a series of concerned sounding beeps. Poe was going after another enemy ship.

"I know, buddy," Poe reassured him. "We'll take a few more out before we leave."

Going into another dive, Poe shot down towards the river again. Soon the battle above left his sights- the sign to pull up.

As he crested the bottom of the gorge, he looked around at the ruins of other X-Wings that had been shot down. He once flew so close to one that he thought he saw a lifeless pilot sitting in the cockpit, still strapped into his seat. Down the river too, chunks- spoilers, wings, cannons- of other aircraft crashed through the agitated water. A giant knot of parachutes meandered down the coursing river, drenched. The cords were tinged with the blood of a dead body being beaten against the rocks as it was knocked and thrown through the rapid water.

Pulling pack on the control column, Poe managed to count the ratio of X-Wings to TIE fighters above him. It didn't look good for the Resistance. He watched helplessly as another one of his fellow pilots caught fire and fell from the sky, the victorious TIE whizzing by Poe.

Avenge, Poe thought.

Poe set his sights for the TIE. Locking his cannons, he fired two shots, one of which hit the TIE, the other crashed into the cliff, leaving behind a scorching hole. The successful shot tore through a panel of the ship, sending it into a devastating spin before plunging into the cliff side.

"Woohoo! Yeah," Poe celebrated. BB-8, too, let out a series of cheerful blips. But their success was short lived, as it seemed as though another TIE pilot had the same idea as Poe. Avenge.

Jessika Pava was still there with him, along with Snap Wexley, Ello Asty and a few others- most had either been shot down or flown off with the rest of the Resistance fleet.

"How many more are there?" Poe radioed to the other pilots. Frustrated, Jessika radioed back.

"I don't know, but I know we're outnumbered," she replied. "How many more of us are there?"

Snap looked out of his canopy. "There are five of us and twelve of them," he replied anxiously.

"I really don't want to do this guys," Poe began. "But I don't want to lose more pilots."

"What are you saying?" Snap and Jessika said at the same time.

"You guys leave," Poe finished. "While you still can."

Jessika's heart sunk.

"No, Poe, we won't," said one of the other pilots.

"No," Poe retorted, not wanting to play any games. "That's an order. Pava, Wexley, Asty, and anyone else who's still there, that goes for all of you too. Leave, and find the rest of the Resistance."

"We won't leave you," Snap replied. Inside his cockpit, Poe chuckled.

"You won't be leaving me," Poe reassured them. "I'll be right behind you. Snap, in the meantime, I'm converting control over to you."

Snap nodded nervously. "Alright everybody," Snap began. "Let's head out. Form up on me," he commanded.

Poe watched as his friends positioned themselves and, in the blink of an eye, vanished into the sky at the speed of light. For the first time in a while, Poe was alone in the air- and it felt good.

Once again, BB-8 beeped a beep of warning. The TIE was gaining on them quickly.

"God, where'd he come from?!"

Poe dove down the side of the cliff, close enough that he thought he could hear the whistle of his ship soaring through the sky echoing off of the mountain. He banked left and right, and climbed until his aircraft was ready to stall, but the TIE never ceased to be right on his tail. At least the fighter never fired any shots, Poe's aversions had prevented them from successfully locking him in their sights.

But as to be expected, this small victory was short lived as well. Poe's tactic of diving into the valley wouldn't work this time around- with someone trailing him, diving down there was a death wish. Instead, he ascended the skies, pulling back on the column until the nose of the X-Wing was level with the peaks of the mountains above. He pushed the throttle forward and accelerated into the sky, and ever so slowly, the opposing fighter drew farther and farther away. Soon, he reached a height that surpassed even the tallest mountains.

"Is 'e gone?" Poe asked BB-8. The droid beeped back in reply feverishly.

Steadily, the enemy aircraft below carefully measured and calculated the shots they were about to fire. Inside the enemy cockpit, the pilot finally locked onto Poe's X-Wing. Pulling hard on the trigger, the pilot shot at Poe. An indescribable jolt sent Poe's aircraft wobbling through the sky, indefinitely damaged and out of the fight. The ion engines sputtered and crackled and ultimately burst into flames.

"Damn it!" Poe yelled as one of the shots hit him straight from behind. Seeing Poe as a finished opponent, the TIE flew away. BB-8 beeped uncontrollably as Poe made last-minute attempts to land the X-Wing.

"I see a plateau over there," Poe replied through gritted teeth. "I'm gonna head for it!"

The plateau was covered in lots of moss and shrubs, a suitable place to land- or at least attempt to. The X-Wing wailed through the air, tail ablaze. Even with the spoilers extended to their max, Poe wasn't positive that he would make it over to the plateau.

"Oh, god!" Poe groaned loudly as he got nearer and nearer to the ground. He let out a series of curse words as he desperately fiddled with the controls and buttons and switches in the cockpit, but to no avail. BB-8 beeped incomprehensibly behind him, probably swearing in droid-speak too. Having not made any progress with the controls in the cockpit, Poe made the decision to press the eject button.

Flipping the safety panel off, Poe pounded the button, and was suddenly thrown up into the air with a gigantic force, throwing his helmet off in the process. BB-8 too, was ejected from the flaming ship.

Poe seemed to float mid-air for a moment, but soon realized that gravity works only one way- down. He was falling at such a rate that he thought he would be in as many pieces as that X-Wing when they both hit the ground, had it not been for the parachute strapped to his back. He felt around the bottom of the pack for the rip cord, which in his panic he could not find.

"I know it's there," he yelled to himself. "I know it's there!"

Through the air Poe sailed downward, groping for the cord when- aha!- he finally found it. With a grunt only audible to him, he yanked the cord and with a satisfying whoosh, the drag of the parachute slowed his fall.

Feeling safe now, Poe took the time to finally take an unobstructed view of the battleground. He was distracted by a deafening BOOM and an energetic shock wave that pushed him forward as his X-Wing crashed into the plateau. Then he remembered-

"Bee Bee Eight!" He shouted. Poe, not having realized that BB-8 was ejected along with him, immediately burst into tears with the thought of his trusty droid- his best friend- perishing in the fiery explosion.

The thoughts of anguish and despair were successful in distracting Poe enough from seeing that his parachute had deteriorated in the years that it had not been used, and was now almost useless in slowing his fall. He was startled to look up and see the sky through the holes in the orange fabric, and to look down shortly afterwords and see that he was only gaining speed and losing altitude.

Poe, now incapable of doing anything more to slow his fall, looked to the sky as it were full of enemy TIE fighters making their way home. The beautiful orange-red sun seemed to highlight the tears that fell ceaselessly down Poe's face as he fell to the cliff side. Having managed to make it over the plateau, Poe was glad to at least be able to fall onto some shrubs and not the hard rock.

"You're not getting out of this one, Dameron," he called out to himself. Knowing he was alone, he made no attempt to stop himself from sobbing, and found comfort in the loud cries that echoed off of the sides of the mountain and came back to him, as though there were other people, too, crying with him.

Poe looked to the sky and admired how the fires below gave the smoke an orange hue- like the steamy sunsets back on D'Qar. He figured he would rather watch the sky than the ground, thus Poe was able to take one last look at where he had made such cherished memories and spent the best portion of his life.

Vanishing out of sight of anyone left behind through a massive cloud of smoke, Poe was knocked unconscious as he slammed into the ground.

Inside the Millenium Falcon, Leia was desperately trying to calm down the crew of officers and pilots and high ranking technicians.

"How did they find us?!"

"What happened?!"

"This is a disaster!"

"We're doomed!"

"The First Order has to be stopped!"

Leia grew more and more annoyed with every accusation that was screeched into the crowd. With an almighty rage, she slammed her fist against the wall behind her.

"This is not how we react to a situation like this!" Her bellow echoed throughout the corridors. The crowd hushed, sheepishly averting their gaze away from the general. In a more hushed tone, she continued.

"What we do not need, at the moment, are incompetent questions and accusations," she said. "Instead, we need to focus on finding out how this happened together. We cannot coordinate a plan, let alone find answers, if we keep going on like this! I need you all to calm down and be rational."

She paused and allowed the crowd to collect themselves.

"Alright," she continued, "Anyone else have anything to say?"

The new quiet did not last long. A loud chatter grew into a dull roar until shouts were being thrown from across the room.

"There has to be a spy!"

"How did anyone know? We didn't share our plans with anyone!"

"It's a spy, I'm telling you!"

Rage coursed through Leia's blood.

"Everybody, quiet!" Again, the crowd grew silent.

"Major Brance, what is this you say about a spy?" Leia asked.

"Nobody could have known about the plans to move to the Barnush moon," Major Brance answered. "Nobody told anyone anything. Or so we thought, and the only rational explanation has to be that there is a spy in the Resistance!" A low whisper spread throughout the crowd, but unlike before, they didn't grow loud.

"Okay," Leia pondered. "Say there is a spy in the Resistance. Who do you think it is?"

Brance took a breath as though he was preparing himself for what he was about to say.

"Finn."

This time, his answer was not taken lightly. There were shouts coming from all corners of the room, some in support of the theory of Finn being a spy, others utterly outraged at the thought, Leia included.

"Not Finn." Leia repeated it over and over, as though the repetition would make it true. "It's not Finn!"

"I agree, General," said Admiral Ackbar. "Finn has done too much for us to betray us." Cheers of support and cheers of denial were taken up.

"He's wicked clever, too," said one of the technicians. "He's given us a lot of advice on different techniques and manoeuvres. He brings a lot to the table, so to speak."

"But he's a storm trooper!" Yelled Major Brance.

"A former storm trooper," someone rebutted.

"I don't even think he spends enough time alone to be able to transmit any information back to the First Order," added someone else. "He's always with Rey and Poe."

"That's just it," Major Brance said. "Just what do we know about Rey? Where has she been? Who does she know? And what about Poe?!"

Leia had heard enough.

"You stop right there, Brance," she exclaimed, pointing a stern finger at the man. "Poe has done far too much for the Resistance and the Rebel Alliance to bring it all to a crumble. How dare you even think that! And for all his parents have done for you, all for you to turn on them?!"

Major Brance's face turned bright red. "I apologize, Ma'am." Leia nodded in reply.

"What about FN-2191? The other storm trooper?" Asked another person. The crown mumbled in agreement. Admiral Ackbar was the first to speak up.

"If I were to say who the spy is," he began in his warbly, "I would say it be him."

"But what evidence do we have if it is him?" Asked one of the colonels. "He's barely been here."

"Exactly," someone piped up. "Finn's built up too much of a good reputation, but this new guy, he's been here barely a week! And he always gave me bad vibes."

"He never came off as a 'good' guy," added another technician. "I've always been suspicious."

Leia pondered again. Their only lead at the moment was that there was a spy in the Resistance, and being as their only real option for the espionage and leakage of information to the First Order would most likely, most rationally, come from someone who defected from them originally, their only real suspects were Finn, FN-2191, and possibly Rey, who even though she didn't defect from the First Order, was still new enough to raise suspicions. Leia also knew that whatever the problem may have been, that they needed to stop it as soon as possible, and being that FN-2191 was their only available suspect, she deemed it appropriate to apprehend him.

Leia told the group what she thought, and after a vote upon what they should do, Leia's idea of apprehending FN-2191 as he was their only available suspect won unanimously.

"Well, then I suppose this meeting is adjourned."

Up on a ledge, Luke, Rey and Finn blended into the rocks and foliage with their drab clothing rather well, although laying on the ground wasn't that comfortable. High above them, they watched in horror as the First Order fleet abolished what was left of the Resistance. They couldn't describe what it was like to watch as their friends were shot down, littering the valley gorge with debris, fabric and flesh, and spitting flames. They did have some hope, they knew.

Poe.

That was until they horrifyingly watched as even Poe was shot down, too. The billowing smoke from all the wreckage started to block out the sunlight- which there wasn't much of to begin with. It started to look as though it was night. Through the smoke they were able to make out as the remaining Resistance fighters flew off.

"What are they doing?" Asked Rey.

"They're flying off to save what's left," Luke answered. "Look at them, there are only four left."

As they spoke, Luke and Rey didn't notice that as the Resistance flew away, different First Order ships flew in. And with them, the all-powerful who were leading the attack. Only Finn was able to tell what this ship was, it was different from all the rest, and his time in the First Order couldn't mistake him. It was the ship of Kylo Ren.

"Guys," Finn said, "look!" He pointed to the sky. Rey gasped as Kylo Ren's ship cruised through the sky.

"What do we do?" Rey looked at Finn, and then to Luke.

"We can't go anywhere," Finn explained. "They'll be able to track any movement, including us. They're here to exterminate the Resistance, including any traces, like us."

Luke, having not heard Finn's advice, was already pounding further into the plateau, panting as he ran. Finn and Rey, having no choice, raced after him.

"No, Luke!" Rey yelled. Finally, Luke began to slow down. Rey and Finn were able to catch up.

"They've tracked us," Finn whispered to himself nervously. "They're definitely onto us."

"Land there," Kylo Ren commanded as his ships neared the mountains. Hux loomed over him, looking on proudly at the carnage that lay below in the valley.

"Any life forms?" Hux asked the pilot's technician.

"No, sir," the man replied. "Anything that was once living around here is either gone or dead, period."

Hux smiled evilly. "Good."

As they neared the valley, one of the monitors started to beep.

"What's that?" Asked Kylo. Hux stared down the technician suspiciously.

"I-it appears that some life forms remain, sir," he stuttered. He pulled up the monitor to show Kylo and Hux. Plain as day, there were the heat signatures of three human figures on top of the mountain. A rage boiled inside the general.

"I thought you said that there were no life forms," he blurted. "Where are they?!"

"A-about four kilometres away," he replied nervously.

Hux was furious. He couldn't have a few of the Resistance members survive the attack, he needed them eradicated. Gone. Little did he know that the Resistance was relocated to Tatooine. Although, with the New Republic destroyed, they would have no one to back them up, no one to support them and help them regain their hold on the galaxy. Nevertheless, with any trace of them left over, another rebellion may begin in their place. No Resistance members were to survive.

"Land at the edge of the plateau up there," Hux commanded. "We'll deal with them ourselves."

Their ship flew through the thick smoke. As they neared the edge, Kylo and Hux made their way to the ships platform. As they got nearer to the ground, they became more and more aware of the smoke. Kylo replaced his mask as the ship touched down. The platform was lowered, and the two of them walked off. Hux, overcome with a terrible coughing sensation (for he had spent so much time inside), pulled up the collar of his greatcoat to shield himself from the harsh smoke and also to try to act as a mask. Pulling a tracking device out of his pocket, he set it to follow the heat signatures of the three beings.

"Half a kilometre south-east," Hux said with a point of his finger. Together, they headed off to vanquish whoever were out there.

Finn couldn't stop himself from looking over his shoulder every two seconds. The plateau got worse and worse the farther in they traveled, and anyone could be hiding anywhere. For a while, the smoke was almost unbearable, but it settled after a while, although his eyes still watered.

Rey, on the other hand, wasn't bothered by the smoke or difficult terrain. She skipped and hopped over every pool of water, which were covered in a vile green scum. All the more reason to avoid them. She had felt uneasy since Finn said that they were being tracked. She, too, was constantly looking back over her shoulder. She had this "gut feeling", as Finn and Poe always called it, that something wasn't right.

As for Luke, he knew that something wasn't right. He could feel the Dark Side, and it was close. Always on his toes, Luke pulled out both lightsabers.

"Here," he said to Rey, handing her the blue lightsaber. "You might want this."

"Why?" Asked Rey. "There's no one here, right?"

"I can feel something," Luke claimed. "Can't you too?" Rey nodded apprehensively.

"We're turning around," he said again.

"What?" Pouted Finn. "No!"

"We need to see what or who is out there," answered Luke. "Let's get going."

Rey nodded. Holding her lightsaber in a ready position as she had taught herself, they all turned around and proceeded back to the edge of the plateau. Finn looked at them wearily.

"What?" Rey asked.

"I don't have a weapon," he replied.

"Oh," she said. She put her hand to her side and unholstered her blaster. She held it out to Finn.

"Here," she said with a smirk. "Watch the safety." Finn smiled in thanks before lifting the gun up to a fighting position. On guard, they slowly headed back towards whatever danger there may be.

As they walked, the terrain worsened. With every step he took, Kylo began to realize just how weak those painkillers had made him.

I shouldn't have taken that many, he said to himself.

At one point, he nearly stumbled into one of those slime-filled, scummy puddles, but Hux managed to catch him by the elbow, hauled him upright, saying viciously, "Watch where you're going, Ren."

Kylo scowled underneath his mask. "Shut up," he snapped, stopping abruptly. Hux turned to him.

"Excuse you?!," he snapped back.

"No," Kylo replied. "Be quiet!" He stuck his hand in front of Hux.

Kylo could feel something. The Force.

The Light Side?

The trace was strong and close. Why was it so strong? He had felt this certain signature before. It was weaker, though.

His old master.

Luke Skywalker.

Emphasis on "old".

But there was something else, another trace, not all entirely new. A stronger one. A fresher one.

The girl.

"The heat signatures are getting closer," Hux announced quietly. Inside his helmet, Kylo's eyes widened in realization.

They were there. That's why the feeling was so strong.

They were close, too.

They crept closer to the edge of the plateau. Rey could feel something. She was more familiar with it, it was still fresh inside her. She knew what it meant. Luke hadn't felt this signature in a long time, but without a doubt, he knew who it was. Both of them did.

Kylo Ren was close.

"Ben," Luke said under his breath. The mention of his name sent shivers down Finn as Rey's backs, as the last time they had heard that name was on Starkiller Base, coming from the mouth of Han Solo.

They all stopped. They listened in the dark for something, anything.

"The heat signatures have stopped moving," someone said. Finn froze. He knew that voice.

"General Hux," he whispered.

"Where are they?" Luke asked.

"They're close, but we can't see through the smoke," Rey answered.

"We're trapped," Finn admitted.

"Three against two," Rey added.

"Let's take them," said Finn.

"No!" Luke snapped quietly, but it was too late.

"Aha," boasted a robotic voice. The unmistakeable sound of a lightsaber turning on ripped through the silence. A few feet ahead of them, the irregular red glow of the tri-bladed lightsaber of Kylo Ren shone through the smoke.

No going back now, Luke thought. Holding up his lightsaber, he turned on the green blade, casting a low glow across his face. Rey, too, lifted her lightsaber and turned it on, the hum of her's and Luke's sounding almost harmonic. Finn clicked off the safety of his blaster.

Together, the three of them charged forward, the light that was tossed across their faces highlighting their determined, angry, and anticipated expressions.

Woah! A long chapter. I'm not entirely confident with the ending, but regardless, I hope you enjoy! This is my first chapter in almost ten months, so I hope it doesn't disappoint.

~MEH~