Thanks for all the faves, follows, and reviews! It all gives me life and I love you all so much for even giving this story the time of day!
Well, the reviews have spoken and I shall try to update regularly instead of taking a six month hiatus! And like last time, this chapter got way too long, so I had to cut it in half. Chapter 35 is 75% done and am aiming to get it out within the next week or two. So since this is a middle chapter, don't expect a lot to happen. It's setting it up for the conclusion next chapter.
NightElfCrawler: Throughout this whole ordeal on the Eravana, you'll see if Ren regresses or not. I guess it might depend on your point of view when it comes to defending yourself. Is he in the right to kill someone who is trying to kill him? When is it considered too far? We shall see how Finn handles all of this. Ren isn't the easiest person to get a long with. lol. Jnads1: Awww thanks! it makes me happy that you get so excited when I update. It helps me to keep writing! Unfortunately, I am going to be going back to school at the beginning of May, so updates might take longer than usual. I'm sorry! But I will not abandon this story. I've come too far already. Gotta finish now! vana9: I wanted everyone to know that Finn and Poe are still good friends and care for one another. Poe kinda sees Finn as almost like a son, with having essentially given him a new life and name. Poe can get territorial of Finn, but in a platonic way! I don't know if anyone here is a stormpilot fan (I am), but the two are just friends– which you all know by now. lol. This chapter is the middle of the whole ordeal on the ship, so the next chapter is the conclusion. Will Ren kill most of the people? Maybe, maybe not. The guy has been doing better, but he is never going to be a completely good person. I'm saying that to prepare you all for future chapters. Ren doesn't always make the best decisions. More Poe and Jess next chapter! Natalie-S-246: No six months then! Honestly, I think if I did that I probably would never finish the story. Updating once or twice a month gives me a current goal to work towards. EV: Looks like everyone else is on the same page as you! Didn't get a single person wanting the six month wait. So I shall keep going! SheLitAFire: Glad you liked the structure of the previous chapter. With this one, it is more sporadic with the pov's. I tried cleaning it up, but it jumps around a lot. Mainly because Finn and Ren aren't always together and I wanted everyone to see what was going on with them individually. So, I write way too much and I am trying to work on having descriptions and thoughts be shorter. It's hard to do! lol. I just get too detailed sometimes and I apologize. Definitely something I will go back and edit once done. It always surprises me what people like in a chapter. Gotta say, I didn't think anyone would love the part where Finn can't hear what Ren is saying to Poe. But I see how it gives the scene a sense of mysticism and intrigue. And of course, Ren is such a typical Byronic hero. Broody, sexy, dark. But he has the tendency to be sarcastic and funny. I rewrite dialogue so much before the final product, so I'm glad you liked their interaction. Yes, I think everyone wished Poe went with them. He might be meeting up with them sooner than you think. Things happen. ;) I had to think long and hard how Leia would feel towards Rey once knowing about how Ben feels about her. If I were in her shoes, I'd be frustrated and kinda mad that my sons own father couldn't have a big enough impact to bring my son home, but some random girl shows up and suddenly he changes his life for her? Yeah, I'd be annoyed. But Luke reminded her that Han did have a big impact on him. And how I'm writing the characters, if Rey never showed up, Ren would have left on his own eventually, being a hermit somewhere. Rey is just such a good, compassionate person that making her go full dark just didn't work. I did brainstorm some stuff she could do, but it was too out of character. She wishes the people who took her parents away ill will, sure. I think we can all understand that. Empathy has always been strong with her, though. When she was on Jakku, she actually wasn't there for too long. I totally forgot to put a sense of time in that part, so I went back and wrote some time points in. Especially when she is in her AT-AT. Tops, she was on the planet for an hour and a half. And with her thinking she has a half day head start, she was willing to sacrifice some time to visit Unkar and get her belongings back. And yup, she is headed back to Spira, but will keep a low profile. It didn't end well the last time she was there, but she wanted to go somewhere familiar. Her options are limited. Can't say much about future chapters, just that we are getting closer to the end. Only 10-15 chapters left! I so want to know what you think will happen. You'll have to tell me when the story is all done. And you're right, if I left FanFiction for a bit, I would miss you all too much! Wouldn't want you to disown me! As always, I enjoy your reviews! Keep taking those notes :) Milo: I'm so happy you love the story thus far! I will endeavor to keep going and to keep it entertaining! Aleta Wolff: Not gonna lie, had to use google translate for your review! Took two years of Spanish in high school, so I understood a few words since it's kinda similar to Portuguese. Thanks for thinking it's the best Reylo fic you've ever read! I love writing thoughts and emotions because it helps you connect to the character better. It can be difficult at times to get in a character's head, but it's worth it! I wish you all could be at Celebration and we could meet up and gush over Reylo! And I will not even think about taking a hiatus again! I shall try to stay on my usual schedule. Big hug back and glad to have a fan from Brazil!
Onto the chapter!
Chapter Thirty-Four
Finn noticed the smell before his other senses had a chance to catch up.
It hit the back of his throat with a sting of a thousand knives, its pungent odor a torturous mixture of sewage and rotting flesh. This shock to the olfactory nerves launched him the rest of the way to consciousness, his eyes popping open and his hand immediately covering his mouth.
Jumping to his feet, Finn looked for reprieve, but found to be locked in a sizable holding cell. The metal walls were smeared with some type of clear, dry substance, its crusty appearance texturizing every inch of the room. The coated floor crunched under his boots as he moved around frantically, making his way to the huge door. Only a small, rectangular window gave him view to the outside. Once Finn was able to focus his vision, he realized where he was.
And what was behind the rancorous smell.
Rathtars. This is where Han kept the rathtars.
Upon making that discovery, Finn retched in the corner, no longer able to keep his roiling stomach calm. Breathing hard between each lurch, his throat burned and his eyes watered to the point of tears.
"Best to get it all out now," came a muffled feminine voice. "I kept throwing up for two hours and it was a nightmare. At least, I think it was two hours. I'm without a chrono in here."
Finn froze and shivered, but not from the vomiting. That voice… was lovely. The musical lilt of her tone, the cadence in which she spoke, the faint accent in her words, he'd never heard speech so mesmerizing before. He could listen to whomever this was talk all day… and that was when he figured he'd gone crazy. Since when had a noise ever affected him so much? Beauty was found with the eyes; ears couldn't pick up on that sort of thing.
Right?
Inhaling and exhaling deeply, he wrapped his arms around his midsection, trying to find the source of the voice. "Over here," she said, making Finn turn around to the wall right of the door. "Some of the grime might be blocking the vent. Look toward the bottom." As Finn stepped closer, he noticed a small opening covered by a mesh metal shield. Kicking it with the toe of his boot, the crust crumbled away.
Finn knelt down, trying to peer through the guard, but saw nothing. "Don't bother trying to see me. The vent winds through the side." He was disappointed over not putting a face to that voice. "That's probably why I sound so far away, but really, I'm on the other side of this wall."
"Who are you?" he asked directly into the vent. Maybe he should ask her what she looked like–
Stop it. That would be weird.
Her voice turned bitter. "Someone who's soon to be dead. Who are you?"
Training told him not to reveal himself to a stranger. "Someone who will probably join you."
"Don't want to tell me your name?" she asked teasingly.
Finn smiled, which was a remarkable feat given the atmosphere. "I asked you first."
She chuckled, a noise that was more than welcoming. "Fair enough."
Finn adjusted his position, sitting against the wall and next to the opening, his head angled downward. "Can you answer how you came to be locked up next to me?"
"Made a deal with Bala-Tik. One of my many mistakes." He heard shuffling and envisioned her in much the same position as him. "I did what he asked... it just took me longer than the deadline to deliver. Though, if you want my opinion, I think he just doesn't want to pay me. What about you? How'd you get in here?"
Finn's face shaded with anger. "I have a feeling my partner is behind that."
The woman gave out a descending whistle. "Ouch. Never a delightful experience being betrayed by a friend."
"He isn't a friend," Finn said quickly. "But I thought we shared a common goal."
"Allegiances change all the time."
"His changes more frequently than he kills people."
"Who's this partner of yours?"
Finn sighed, knowing he was talking too much. "Nobody important. Just a murderous sociopath."
"And you're traveling the galaxy with him? I question your decision making."
Finn chuckled. "Me, too."
The thick door opened, admitting a man in a dark uniform followed by four masked guards. Finn recognized the leader of the Guavian Death Gang from his thick, sharp accent.
The man towered above him. "Why do you have the Millennium Falcon?"
Nothing.
"How is it we found you unconscious in the cockpit?"
Kylo Ren used his Force tricks to knock me out. That's how.
Impatient, Bala-Tik nodded to the guards, two of which rough handled Finn to the middle of the room, holding tightly onto his arms. "Let me explain how this is going to work: you answer the questions, and I think about maybe letting you live. Silence isn't going to help you in this situation. If you don't talk, we'll find a way to make you."
Finn tightened his jaw.
Bala walked closer, the sweat on his brow dripping down his temples. "The Falcon is Han Solo's ship. That man owes me a great deal of money and is responsible for killing a third of my crew."
Finn faked his amazement. "One man killed all those men? He must be a legend."
The blow to the gut was swift and competent, forcing the air from Finn's lungs. The two guards held him up as his legs went weak.
Bala massaged his knuckles. "Hardly. He got lucky. As usual. Where is he?"
"Who?" Finn asked, glancing up.
A vein popped out from Bala's forehead. "Han. Solo. Is he with the Resistance? Or are the rumors true that he's dead."
"Maybe he's a ghost. I've never met him."
"Care to explain how you have his ship?"
Finn acted remarkably indifferent. "I won it in a game of sabaac."
"Where were you gambling?"
"Elerion. At the Lucky Star casino." The only casino Finn was even aware of.
Bala narrowed his stare. "Who did you win it from?"
"Sorry." He wasn't. "We didn't really swap names."
The man wasn't amused, as shown through another hit to the abdomen. Finn groaned and then snarled, drawing his lips back. "You know what I think?" Bala asked, wiping at his face. "I think the Falcon was at a Resistance base, and for whatever reason, you're flying it around the galaxy. Probably on a mission, but I honestly don't care. What I do care about is who your shipmate is."
"I work alone," Finn said, deeply.
"Really? The Millennium Falcon is a difficult ship to man alone. And if Han Solo were truly dead, who else would have the freighter other than his son?" Finn kept his expression blank, but on the inside, his heart skipped a beat. "The Resistance made it clear he defected from the Order and was now on their side. So while I highly doubt you could fly such a ship on your own, I would think Kylo Ren certainly could. Or does he go by the name Ben Solo now? I'd wager you know."
"As I said, I won the ship and pilot it on–"
"The First Order would pay a lot of money to the person who returned the Supreme Leader's apprentice." Bala was now mere inches from Finn's face. "And I gotta be honest, I'm in desperate need of that money. If you tell me where he is, I could cut you a little share."
"Yeah, like you promised to pay me?" the woman's voice interrupted, causing everyone to glance at the vent. "Don't listen to him! You're dead either way!"
"Shut up, Caliiya!" Bala shouted, his face contorting. "Don't think I've forgotten about you. I'm–" Alarms sounded throughout the corridors, the red of the spinning light casting an intermittent glow into the filthy cell. The guards rushed out, leaving Finn swaying to stay upright.
Before exiting, Bala-Tik turned and pointed at him with an air of authority. "We're not done yet."
Where have I heard that before... "See you soon," Finn countered, not missing a beat.
Barrier shut and dulling the sirens outside, Finn guided himself carefully to the corner and kneeled down, grunting from the pain of his bruised abdominals.
"You doin' okay?" Caliiya softly asked.
"Yeah."
"I take it those alarms are because of your partner."
Finn closed his eyes, breathing deep and slow and wanting to just listen to the smooth timbre of her voice. He needed an escape from the reality he was in. Just for a little while. "Most likely."
"You think he's coming to get you?" She sounded hopeful, wishful even.
But Finn wasn't going to lie to her. Leaning his head back against the wall, he said, "That is less likely."
His response killed the conversation… which he should've anticipated better.
Good job.
()()()()()
The security rounds were becoming more sporadic and less fluid as time went on, allowing Ren to get a good feel for timing his escape. He'd only been in the smuggling compartment for about an hour, but it felt like days had come and gone while in the tight space.
At least he had enough time to change into one of those red suits, via one of the corpses.
An alteration in apparel would make it harder to be noticed, but getting into the garb had almost given away his location multiple times. Ren was not a contortionist by any means, and he was probably the least flexible man in the galaxy – thanks to his bulk – but somehow, he'd squeezed and floundered his way into the tight crimson and black suit without getting a concussion or making too much noise.
If only leather had more give.
Black armor on his shoulders and belts strapped securely around his waist and thighs, he holstered a blaster and stuffed the saber under the dark armbands. Studying the circular mask, he slid the apparatus onto his head and adjusted it into place. The spherical opening offered him poor visuals, but it wasn't like his own mask was any better. Helmets such as these were used more for an eerie façade rather than practicality. Fortunately in Ren's case, the Force made up for the impairment.
Mostly.
Still, the whole outfit was wedging itself into places that were not suitable for visual consumption. At least his feet were comfortable since he opted to wear his own boots.
Even disguised, he was picky about his footwear.
Finally finding a lull in the security rotation, Ren jumped from the hidden compartment, adjusted the uncomfortable leather, and casually walked his way right off the ship.
Blending in by acting collected, he passed a few thugs stationed at the bottom of the ramp, all the while surveying the decent sized service deck. Cargo bins of various sizes lined the walls, but Ren's focus immediately fell on the nearest control panel. Walking up to it, he initiated the console as images of both the freighter's interior and exterior materialized. Looking briefly around, it didn't seem like anyone was paying him any heed, but he knew the longer he stayed there, the more someone would become suspicious.
Scrolling past the security footage of empty cargo rooms and outside visuals, he suddenly stopped on a familiar image of the trooper. Reading the monitor's location – corridor 1745B – he cursed at how non-specific it was. That holding room could be anywhere on the large vessel and Ren didn't want to idly walk around till–
"Something you trying to find?" a guard asked as he walked up to Ren's right. Slowly, Ren shifted his gaze.
"We aren't supposed to–" The man stopped mid-sentence, his muscles visibly tensing underneath all that leather. "Yoston?" He moved closer to Ren. "Everyone's been trying to find you? Where have you been?" That was when Ren noticed a subtle mark on the man's shoulder, which Ren assumed was the insignia of the Guavian Death Gang. But it didn't match the one on Ren's uniform.
These symbols represented a person, not a group. Made sense. You had to be able to identify these people somehow.
"Around," Ren spoke in what he hoped sounded like a universal tone.
It wasn't.
The guy stepped back, the helmet bobbing up and down, giving him a once over. Ren sensed the man's anxiety spike. Before he had a chance to yell and give up Ren's position, Ren coolly and controllably said, "Everything is all right. There is no need to alert anyone to my presence." The criminal relaxed and repeated Ren's commands. "Now I want you to look at this monitor," Ren pointed to the image of Finn, "and tell me how I can get to this room."
Ren attentively listened to the directions while keeping a close eye on the others. One was starting to pay the two of them too much attention. "Where are the main controls for this ship located?" As the thug explained, Ren saw the curious one finally start to make his way over.
"When I leave, kill everyone in this hangar." Ren didn't stay to hear his command repeated, but he didn't need to. He felt the thought take hold. Turning, he ran through the circular exit and took the first left just as he heard the sounds of blaster fire and yelling.
Ren didn't stop to regard those who ran by him, heading straight for the mayhem. His focus was on getting to the main control station as quickly as possible. The lock on the Falcon had to be undone if he was to get off this freighter before the First Order showed up.
Upon entering the station, Ren killed the man helming the controls and moved him off to the side. With haste, he ignored the banks of instrumentation and went straight for the main monitoring systems. There were clear views of Guavian members running down long corridors, the fight that was currently happening in the hangar, rooms filled with cargo or that were empty…. Ren disengaged all monitors and entered in a code that would make it impossible to get them back online without him. Pivoting, he went to the manual operating system and wiped the access codes. They'd been entered in months ago – probably by his father – and saved, which explains how the gang was able to take control of the Falcon.
With two tasks done, he headed off to the next, hurrying down passageways. Typical of a ship owned by Han Solo, the decrepit walls and haphazard paint job made it appear like the vessel had lived through better days. Hallway and room indicators were mostly faded, making Ren squint so he could make out the basic directions. A few times, thanks to his frantic pace and hindering headpiece, he bumped and tripped over random piles of gear and crates, the loads unorganized and sticking out from the corners and walls.
But all things considered, everything was going surprisingly well. Obstacles were not greatly hindering his time, and he hadn't even killed that many people. Well, that is if he didn't count however many fell victim to the massacre in the ship bay. Should those people be included in his calculations?
Probably.
Ren was treading through dark territory the more he justified his actions. But any one of those criminals wouldn't have hesitated to turn him over to the First Order, which essentially meant his death. So was he justifying, or just being realistic?
Whichever it was, he refused to deviate from one of his most fundamental survival beliefs: Shoot first, ask questions never.
He learned that from his father.
()()()()()
"Your partner really Kylo Ren?"
Finn didn't respond. Nor did he glance up when a tap came at the door. Only when the tapping turned to pounding did he give the sound his attention. Why was a guard knocking at the heavy barrier?
The person grabbed at his mask and revealed himself to be a very disheveled and sweaty Kylo Ren. Finn jumped to his feet and nearly pressed his nose to the rectangular window, worried that his eyes were playing tricks on him.
"You're still here?" Finn asked in disbelief.
"Do I strike you as someone who takes the easy road?"
"Yeah, actually, you do."
Ren gave him a flat stare before stepping back and looking at the oversized, triple-reinforced port. Finn watched him touch the panel, seeming disappointed.
"Well?" Finn said, growing impatient. "Open it already."
"I can't." Finn's heart sank. "They have a blocking sheath over the electrical cables in the door that prevent me from doing so."
"If you leave me–"
"Move away." Ren gave Finn only a second of reaction time before a section of the door started to glow red, the rising heat resonating through his clothes. Finn jumped back as a blue plasma blade shot through the metal, arching into a circle to cut out a decent sized section of metal.
The durasteel fell to the ground as Finn stood to the back, frozen. Ren peered through, looking annoyed. "I'm rescuing you, in case you were confused as to what I was doing."
Finn swallowed, exiting the rank room while never taking his eyes off of the saber in Ren's right hand. "I see you got that lightsaber back."
Ren regarded the weaponry for a moment. His features remained remarkably blank, but his eyes gave away his ire. "Thanks to you."
"Look, your uncle–"
Ren turned and started walking down the passageway. "We can talk about it after we get out of this."
"Hey!" Caliiya shouted, her face looking out of the murky window of her cell. She pounded at the enclosure. "Don't forget about me! You said you'd help me get outta here!"
Finn moved to the access panel, pressing at the buttons in hopes something would happen.
"You're on your own, lady," Ren said from behind.
Finn wheeled around to see Kylo continuing his journey down the corridor. "Wait," Finn half yelled, half whispered as he ran up to him. "We can't just leave her here."
"Yes, we can."
Grabbing at his arm, Finn's grip slipped as Ren twisted out of it, his black and gutless stare pinching. Finn stepped back, giving Kylo some space before the guy killed him. "Bala-Tik is going to kill her," he explained.
"It's not our problem."
Finn shook his head before turning back to help Caliiya. There was no way he could get through that door, but if he could get into the sub-accessway, maybe he could remember how Rey opened the doors the last time.
"What are you doing?" Ren asked.
"If you won't help her, then I will."
But before Finn could unlock the hatch, Ren ignited the lightsaber and brusquely walked up to the barrier, carving out an opening. Finn hadn't been expecting Ren's compliance, but he pulled together his surprise as he helped Caliiya out of the rather small hole.
"Thank you," she whispered as she straightened her midnight blue jacket and brushed at her dark figure forming slacks. "I was starting to think I'd die in there."
Finn couldn't stop his eyes from widening as he took her in. Her black hair and bangs contrasted perfectly against her pale, delicate skin. The sharpness of her jawline and cheekbones accentuated her femininity, as well as her single folded eyes. But out of all of that, Finn always came back to her lips, watching her mouth move as she spoke.
He was chained in place.
And then Ren's voice snapped him out of the spell. "You still could. Die that is."
The alarms stopped, casting the area into deafening silence.
Her eyes grew an edge to them as they shifted to Ren, sizing him up. "What a lovely personality you have. Who'd ya kill for the suit?"
"Yoston." Neither Finn nor Caliiya had been expecting an answer.
The circular portal down the far left of the hall suddenly opened, a quartet of gang members walking through and then halting. A second came and went as both groups stared at each other before blasters were raised, firing at the newly escaped prisoners.
Finn and Caliiya dove into the cell as Ren ignited the saber, his feet staying put as he deflected shot after shot. If Finn had a blaster–
Ren grabbed the pistol from his thigh holster, tossing it through the small opening. He caught the weapon with precision, his finger already on the trigger as he got down low and fired from a protective position. Finn hit two in the chest as Ren ran at the two remaining men, dismembering one and impaling the other.
The scene went quiet as nobody moved, all three of them listening and waiting to see if any more would join the slaughter.
No footsteps came; no doors were opened. Ren disengaged the blade.
It was Finn who broke through the silence first. "Okay, we should start coming up with a plan to–" Ren abruptly turned and walked past Finn, going for the holding room at the far end. Ren stilled, his eyes widening as he looked inside. "What are you doing?" Finn caught up to him and immediately mirrored Ren's shocked expression.
Ren went to work carving out a portion of the door, this time making it noticeably bigger than two he'd done for Finn and Caliiya. Carefully, Ren levitated the segment and placed it against the wall.
Two Wookies were huddled in the corner, both staring at them with apprehension. By their smaller than usual size, Finn figured they were children according to Wookie standards. And what Finn meant by smaller in size was that they were his height. Maybe a little taller.
Finn took a few calculated steps inside, getting a better look at the matted hair and dried blood streaked along their brown fur. If they weren't already against the wall, they would have backed away from his approach.
"Don't get any closer," Ren ordered, hunched over and peering inside. "Just because they're children doesn't mean they're weak."
Preferring to keep his limbs, Finn kept his distance and asked, "How did you get here?" But they just stared at him, holding onto one another.
"Leave them," Caliiya said as she walked over, steps clanking on the walkway. "They're too afraid to be useful." Just as she came into view, the Wookies tensed and roared, both of them talking over the other in their own native language.
Confused, Finn held up his hands in an effort to settle them down. "I– I don't understand what you're–"
Quick shuffling and a groan came from behind, and when Finn flipped around, he saw Ren pinning Caliiya against the outside wall, her feet dangling as Ren held her by the throat. She was kicking and clawing and trying to get free, but Ren didn't seem to register the blows.
"Let her go!" Finn yelled as he ran to the opening, but he didn't get far. Invisible energy threw him back a few feet, his back sliding against the dried substance of the floor.
"You're the reason they're here," Ren snarled. "You followed their family as they traveled the galaxy and snatched them when the parents weren't looking."
Finn climbed to his feet and exited the cell at a less aggressive pace. "What?"
"Bala-Tik made a deal with her," Ren continued, his icy cold anger scaring even Finn. "Wookies still run a high price on the slave market. In exchange for these two, she would receive a small cut and her debts to him would be forgiven. But it took you longer than you thought to get them." Ren glanced at him. "She's a bounty hunter, and she knows who you are."
Finn looked at the woman he was so transfixed by struggle to breathe. He was momentarily flummoxed, his tense body unmoving save for his wide eyes and shallow breaths. Finn knew he should feel unsure on what to do next, but he wasn't. "Put her down."
Ren gaped at him. "Did you hear what I just said? The only reason she knows who you are is because the First Order has an exclusive bounty on your head."
Finn couldn't think about that right now. All he wanted to do at that very moment was focus on not watching this woman die. "Yes, I do understand. Put her down." Kylo didn't move, and Caliiya's gasps were becoming fewer and far between.
Finn stepped closer, knowing he couldn't match the man physically. So talking it was. "Ren, we don't have time for this. We need to get out of here. So if there was ever a time not to do something rash, now would be it."
Ren's mouth twitched. "My time is later."
Reasoning with this oaf is like talking to a duracrete wall. "Later is now. And you know Rey wouldn't want you to kill out of anger."
Ren's grip became so tight, Caliiya's breathing completely stopped, her face going blood red and bloating from the pressure. Just as Finn was going to step in, Ren tossed the woman to the ground, his eyes remaining fixated on the wall. Finn knelt next to Caliiya, holding her shoulders as she gasped and coughed for air.
Finn shot him a glare. "You need to learn to control yourself."
Ren glanced down at them. "She looks alive to me," he retorted as he turned his attention back to the two Wookies. He disappeared into the cell, but Finn kept his attention on Caliiya as she tried to breathe through her nearly crushed windpipe.
"Are you hurt?" he asked, realizing the question was a stupid one.
"No," she croaked, massaging her neck.
"Is what he said about you true?"
Caliiya glanced away, seeming almost embarrassed, but eyes remaining hard. "Yes. Gonna let him kill me now?"
Well… this complicated his life. A bounty was the last thing Finn needed while roaming the galaxy and searching for Rey. Why didn't the Resistance tell him about this? Did they even know? Maybe not, seeing how Ren said something about it being exclusive. The First Order would only want the best of the best looking for him, and if Caliiya was part of that group, he wondered what she was capable of.
But he couldn't leave her here to survive on her own. "No," he said, hoisting her up with him. "You're getting off this ship with us."
"Why?"
Finn had a feeling from the way she was looking at him, she wasn't used to being offered help. When will people stop leaving each other behind in this galaxy? It's all anyone ever expects now.
Before Finn could answer, Ren reemerged with the two humanoids in tow. "The Wookies are coming with us." Ren pointed at Caliiya, his hostility more than palpable. "If you even look at them wrong, I break a bone in your body. Understand?"
Great. Everyone in this newly formed group was either dubious of the other or hated someone. Finn didn't completely trust Caliiya or Ren. And Ren didn't like him or Caliiya. The Wookies looked to be afraid of them all.
Not exactly what Finn would call an efficient ground unit.
()()()()()
Lounging on one of the soft beaches of Spira, Rey had her boots off, her toes wiggling in the warmth of the white powdery sand. It wasn't the shoreline Rey had experienced before, but the one on the opposite side of the island. Here, she waited for the silent reveal of the sunrise. She arrived just in time to see the view.
Rey always loved early mornings. It felt like the rest of the world was still fast asleep and she was the only one awake. For a while, everything felt like it wasn't real and she would forget her problems, because for now it was just her, the world, and the break of day.
But beauty and peace only lasted for a couple moments. It was the sunrise who taught her that.
Even after the dawn had passed, Rey stayed put, hoping the magic of the warm rays would keep her from thinking too much. But of course, distractions only got her so far.
Today, her mind decided to torture her with memories of her childhood.
Rey hadn't just grown up in the wrong part of Jakku, but the downright dangerous section of the galaxy. She'd been terrified every night because she'd been scrawny and weak and defenseless as a child. Finding people to work for gave her time to grow up and become strong, to the point where she became feared. But no matter how much muscle she packed, every day was the same, every day she bargained for food and almost died on numerous occasions. The door that separated her from death and starvation had seemed thin as paper and somehow, she had survived. And through all that turmoil and loneliness, her dreams remained.
She had wanted to do good in the galaxy. Part of her still did.
She had wanted to find a family, have a mother and a father, be part of a clan. That scenario was now torched.
She had wanted to fall in love and be with a man.
Didn't anymore.
Rey was beginning to understand that emotions in the heart were much like tendons in the body. You could pull and pull and pull till you felt the pain of the stretching, and up to a point, the ligament would still function. The attached limb would bend, rotate, and support the weight and remain useful. But the constant pressure had its limits, like everything else in life.
Rey had snapped. And she was damn sure there was no physical way to fix it.
After a lifetime of feeling ungrounded, of floating through the last fifteen years with only false hope to hold her in place, she'd been given a glimpse of what she always wanted, only to have it torn apart by a lie of omission. Yes, the thing affecting her most was the truth of her parent's death, but why didn't Ben sit her down and explain everything to her? Why did he have to keep secrets? He had lied to her one too many times, and this time just so happened to be the final blow that broke her faith in him and the life they were forming together.
And yet... Rey missed him with an ache that made no sense, considering how they left things.
Rey groaned.
She was really getting sick and tired of everything always circling back to Ben. It was getting more difficult not to think about him as time went on.
Brushing off her feet, Rey slid her boots back on before standing and wiping the sand from her clothes. She ventured to the other side of the island and found the pathway leading to the city. Through the journey, her loneliness was more prevalent, making her feel how she did on Jakku.
But she'd spent a lot of years walking this particular stretch of isolation; just because she was doing it on a different planet was irrelevant.
Rey didn't enter the village. The last time she was there, things had ended rather violently. So she would wait for the concealment of nightfall before visiting the town she held so dear. Keeping along the outside wall, she didn't mind taking the chance to study the foliage, thick verdant vines, and–
Is that a house?
Seeing what appeared to be a see-through rooftop, she moved closer, realizing that it was extremely low to the ground. Dirt steps lead down to an underground wooden door, layers of brick lining the front. Going around the t-shaped border, she peeked inside, but was blocked by too much condensation on the glass. Still, she could see a wide array of colors down there.
Rey walked down to the door and quietly went inside.
The humidity was considerably worse, but Rey hardly noticed against the vibrancy of the place. Eyes wide with wonder, she gazed around, seeing plants of all different textures, sizes and colors. Most she didn't recognize. There may be more beautiful showcases of nature in the galaxy, but so far on her travels, this was definitely rivaling for the top of her list.
Well, it wasn't like she'd done much exploring to begin with, nor had she seen such wild flowers before.
But she knew enough to know there weren't just flowers in this place: mushrooms were sectioned off in a dim corner, an array of plants wearing a thick coat of needles sat atop a table to the side, and the small trees toward the back had leaf shapes Rey never knew was possible. This whole place was a collection of nature's beauty and oddity, and it was overwhelming to be standing amongst so much life.
"What are you doing here? This is private property." A small man – belonging to the species Bimm – stepped out into the aisle, his long, dark beard barely stroking the floor. His overall appearance was quite disheveled, his unkempt hair almost hiding the pointy ears underneath. His dirty robes and hands gave him away as the owner of the conservatory. That, and the fact that he looked at her as if she were a robber.
Rey glanced around quickly, now realizing why the tables were knee high. "I'm so sorry. I– I didn't mean to intrude."
He wobbled closer, his nasally voice saying, "But you are intruding."
Rey gulped. "I, uh..., yes. I guess I am."
His stare wondered up and down her frame, eyeing her suspiciously. "You a tourist?"
Well, Rey figured she was. "Yes. A tourist. I was just… I was taking a walk around the island when I saw this oddly shaped building in the distance. I, uh, got curious."
The Bimm raised a bushy brow. "Uh-huh. This 'oddly shaped building' is a greenhouse."
Rey had read on a lot of subjects, some more useful to her survival than others. But she never came across the concept of a greenhouse. "A greenhouse?"
The man gawked at her obvious confusion before his features marginally softened. "You don't know what that is?"
Her eyes darted and she reflexively started to twist her fingers. "I grew up in a desert and my education was... well, you could say minimal."
Recognizing her embarrassment, the Bimm said in a lighter tone, "Education isn't everything. My family started in the horticulture business and none of them went to school."
Rey glanced up. "They didn't?"
He shook his head. "Nah. They were all self-taught botanists."
"And you?"
"Name's Garov, and I actually went to Garqi Agricultural University for a degree in botany. You should have seen my parents when I told them. Our knowledge has been handed down from generation to generation. 'You don't need no school to teach you how to love nature.'" The Bimm said in a lower, sterner voice. He chuckled at the memory. "My father never understood why I had to go."
"So your shop has been in your family for a long time?"
"Oh, no," he said, grabbing a dirty towel from the long middle table, wiping at his hands. "I wanted to branch out, start something new on my own." He fanned out his stubby arms, cloth swaying. "Ended up here, where I put my knowledge to good use. Drove out my competition, too. Now I have multiple shops all across Spira."
Rey spoke while glancing around, drinking in the marvelous plant life. "This is where you grow all your plants then?"
The man was amused by her assumption. "Not quite. This is my personal greenhouse. The one for my business is on another island where there is more room to expand. Khalon is a very small place."
There was a pause before Garov asked, "Would you be interested in seeing a very rare flower?" Rey lit up immediately and nodded. He motioned for her to follow. "Decades ago, I labored at Emperor Palpatine's personal skyhook. Right after the Empire fell, but before the Rebellion got to the Imperial Palace, I took the floret and came here. I was lucky it survived the journey."
"I thought–" Rey snapped her mouth shut, not wanting to offend the Bimm.
Halting, he wheeled around. "You thought what?"
"Well, wasn't the Emperor prejudice against all living beings that weren't purely human?" Rey hated saying such a thing out loud, especially since she might be related–
No. The New Republic was wrong. I'm not related to that monster.
Or were those thoughts just denial?
"Ahhh. How did a Bimm like me come to work for him, you mean?" Garov pursed his lips, thinking back, remembering. "It's because I wasn't working for him. Think of it more as slavery. He only wanted the brightest botanists in the galaxy." He paused, voice fading. "I was taken and forced to be there."
Rey bit her lip, regretting bringing it up. "I'm sorry. That's horrible."
Garov shrugged. "It is what it is, and it was a long time ago." He continued waddling along. "At least I got my most valuable possession out of it."
Turning a corner, he stopped and pointed to a plant that came all the way up to Rey's shoulders. "So this is it – the alpharas flower," Garov said proudly, all sense of sorrow now gone. "It only blooms once every hundred years. Unfortunately you came two years too soon, but isn't the peduncle and sepals gorgeous?" Rey guessed he was talking about the outside, and truly, the shimmering green was of nothing she'd ever seen before. It was like the plant donned hundreds of emerald crystals, demanding every ounce of her attention. "It's extremely rare. They're native to only a single small island in the middle of the Alkaline Sea on the planet Durace. Of course, that meant the Emperor had to have one. Took years before one survived the journey to the palace."
Rey had been quiet for a while, absorbing everything to memory. "It's… breathtaking," she finally whispered. "Sad it's not blooming, though."
Garov grinned, taking satisfaction out of her mesmerizing gaze. "Sometimes the most beautiful things in the universe can only be seen for a short while."
Rey glanced down. "Can you tell me more about all the flowers you have?"
His forehead creased from surprise. "You want to know about all these? Botany isn't the most exciting subject."
"But this place is heavenly," she pleaded. "I've never seen so many colors. I never even knew this many different plants existed."
The Bimm shifted his sights back on the alpharas, his hand stroking at his course beard. "Well, if you're truly interested, I guess I can give you a tour."
Rey jumped from excitement, startling the little man. "Yes, please. A tour sounds great!"
Garov let out a hearty laugh, his eyes lighting with excitement. Clapping his hands together, he looked around, finding where to start first. "Alright." They moved down the aisle. "Over here is the pyro flower, which are actually pretty common in gardens. Beautiful, blood red color, but not atypical. And then this one is a dew flower. Its petals can be mixed with groundapple to make juice. Really quite delicious. Oh, and this one…."
It wasn't enough just to gaze at the beautiful plants. Garov must've noticed the unrest in her eyes, because he unexpectedly gave Rey permission to touch them. As she reached out and caressed each of the soft petals, she felt their essences flow through her veins, sensing their desire to grow. Rey couldn't dismiss the link she suddenly had to the living, thriving plant life. There was a certain comfort in knowing the she belonged to them all, as they belonged to her.
And that was all she ever wanted: to belong. Maybe this was another chance at getting it right.
Or maybe… the universe was reminding her that she already found her belonging. And that she should go back to him before it was too late.
()()()()()
Seeing how they now added three to the group, Ren agreed on Finn's strategy of taking the sub-deck. Although, scanning the area, he didn't see any way of opening the accessway.
Striding over to an unremarkable section of the wall, Finn activated a hidden wall control, unlocking the hatch. Ren arched a brow. Finn shrugged. "I remembered from the last time I was here."
Down below, Ren took the lead as the young Wookies procured the tail end, leaving the bounty hunter and Finn in the middle. On hands and knees, Ren moved through the service crawl space, trying to take them back in the direction of the ship bay.
Finn scuttled up next to him. "So the Wookies do understand Basic?"
"No."
"You speak Shyriiwook?" Finn asked, shocked.
Ren kept his mouth shut. Admitting that he could speak such a language wasn't really something to take pride in, especially since his dialect sounded like a dying animal. Chewie always told him not to be hard on himself, that he spoke the language better than most. But Ren always was a perfectionist, which pushed him to ask for a lot of lessons. Chewie never said no.
The memory formed an ache in his heart.
Sure, Ren was helping the two Wookies because he always had a weak spot when it came to slavery and children. But… he also wanted to do Chewie proud by helping his species.
It wouldn't change anything, Ren understood. But he couldn't deny his motives.
Finn fell behind next to Caliiya once he realized Ren wasn't going to answer. Pity their whispers didn't go unnoticed, though.
"How confident are you of making it out of here?" Caliiya asked Finn.
"Considering I was once a stormtrooper and he's Kylo Ren, I'd say I'm confident."
The light scraping and thumping of everyone sneaking along filled the short pause. "Yeah…" Caliiya breathed out. "I'm gonna give that response a four. I don't care if his magical powers live up to the hype. There's a lot of men on this ship."
Frustrated, Ren stopped before turning a corner and shot the bounty hunter a distasteful glare. "How confident are you of making it off this ship without aid from the two of us?"
"You are offering me help?" Caliiya gaped. "You nearly crushed my trachea ten minutes ago."
"Not help. I just don't like when someone questions my abilities," he argued back. "Really, I'm still hoping you run off and take a random blaster bolt to the head. If I'm blessed, I'll be there to see it."
"You always talk to women this way?"
"I don't see how gender has anything to do with this. You're a shit of a person, whether you're male or female."
Caliiya scoffed. "So I'm a horrible person for doing my job and meeting a quota?"
"No, you're a great person for kidnapping children and selling them into the slave trade."
She pointed vehemently behind her. "Those are Wookies. Not children. And such judgment coming from you hardly counts."
"But here I am, judging you regardless."
Finn finally interrupted. "Stop it, both of you. We need to get off this ship, not argue with each other." He attempted to scoot forward. "I'm getting between you guys before–"
Footsteps came from above, catching their attention. A comlink beeped at the guard's belt and he looked down to retrieve it. But as his sight swept over the flooring, he made direct eye contact with Ren.
Another example to add to the long list of how Ren truly believed fate had it out for him.
The guard fired as Ren rolled onto his back and Force pushed him to the ceiling, ramming the body roughly against the intertwining pipelines, inconveniently rupturing them. Steam shot out as Ren closed his fist and pulled the man onto the grated floor, his skull splitting open upon impact, killing him instantly. Blood dripped like a lazy rain, falling onto the chest of Ren's red leather guise, blending in perfectly.
He stayed there for a moment, breathing and staring at the vacant eyes of the dead.
Caliiya cleared her throat. "I think you're friend here is a little too addicted to violence," she said, voice strained. Ren flung the body down the corridor so it wasn't directly on top of their position.
"At this point, I'm pretty sure violence is addicted to him," Finn counterpointed.
Caliiya groaned, catching both men's attention as she lowered herself completely to the floor, clutching her stomach. Finn grabbed at her shoulders, rolling her over and grimacing when he got a good view of the blood staining her sallow shirt.
Ren crawled over, but stayed back, watching from a looming vantage point as Finn lifted the fabric. The perforation was in the upper right quadrant of her abdomen, right where the liver was located. A wound such as that was fatal.
Maybe fortune is on my side.
She peered over the scrunched up shirt and chuckled. "It's only a scratch."
"You're bleeding more heavily than you should from a blaster shot," Finn said as he rolled her to the side, finding a wound to match. But the entry point in her back looked to be high enough that it missed the kidneys. "It must've hit something serious."
She grimaced. "It's only serious when you can string your intestines through your belt loops."
Finn breathed through thin lips, his eyes glancing up at Ren expectantly. Why did the trooper have to be so smitten with this woman? Finn basically drooled when he first saw her out of the cell. Ren wasn't the best at picking up signs of affection, but Finn's had been glaringly obvious. Worse, the bounty hunter was attracted to him, too.
Honestly, he had no clue what they found so appealing in one another.
Ren rolled his eyes. "Before you assume anything, there's this thing called asking."
"Can you help her?"
"No."
Finn blinked. "I didn't ask if you want to help her. I asked if you could."
"I don't see a difference."
Finn looked down at the woman, then back up. "This is your fault," he accused, trying a different tactic: Guilt.
Jokes on him, though. Ren didn't give two bantha ticks for the girl. "If that were true, the shot would've gone through her skull."
"How about you do a selfless thing for once in your fucking life?" Finn snapped, frustration finally piquing. Such language coming from the man's mouth was startling, but it didn't push Ren any closer to being of assistance.
Meanwhile, the Wookies remained huddled and silent, watching the scene unfold.
Ren ran his bottom lip between his teeth, trying to rein in his annoyance. "Enlighten me: This girl wants to turn you over to the First Order for a sizable amount of credits, and you want me to save her? Give me a reason. Preferably one that makes sense."
"How about the fact that you wish you didn't struggle with being a good person. So how about you start by faking it. Who knows? Maybe you'll actually like how it feels."
Ren's attitude softened, but only somewhat. He forgot that Rey talked a lot to her friend, and one of the subjects of conversation was no doubt about him. And the trooper wasn't wrong – Ren truly wished compassion was something that came easy to him.
Caliiya's lips were now ashen and her body shook out of the false belief that the atmosphere had now turned frigid. Laying in the puddle of her own blood, it formed the nice outline of a crimson deathbed, and Ren could almost envision the reaper waiting close by, tapping his foot and checking the time.
"Dammit," Ren cursed under his breath as he kneeled next to her, taking off his gloves so he could have skin-to-skin contact. Healing was always easier that way.
Caliiya slapped his hands away. "I'd rather die than get help from you."
Ren sat back on his heels, keeping his head from hitting the above pipes as he gave an indifferent shrug. "Okay, great. Guess it's decided then."
She glared. "Fuck you."
"I'm not that desperate," he quipped back.
"Just shut up and let him help you," Finn harshly whispered at her. "You really want to die over something as stupid as pride? Because I'm pretty sure it's not worth it."
"Actually–" Finn shot Ren a look that made him not continue with that sentence.
Caliiya breathed in a trembling breath and groaned. "Fine," she said reluctantly.
Finn motioned at Ren to start.
"So there's no time for me to kill her, but there's time for me to heal her?"
Finn didn't answer.
Ren shook his head, and then got down to it.
Covering the wound with his palms, Ren felt the warm, viscous liquid ooze between his fingers, melding onto his skin. Eyes closed, he focused on trying to find a sense of center as he mended the damage done to her liver and skin. While he restored the organ to a healthy state, he held off on kicking her body into making a rapid amount of red blood cells. His strength was already drained below a comfortable level, and he wasn't charitable enough to keep lowering it further for someone he wished dead.
Ren scooted back, letting Finn look over his work.
At the far end of the corridor where the body had been deposited, an additional clutch of armed thugs appeared, their surprise over stumbling upon their dead friend made evident by the frantic shouting.
Below the flooring, the rag-tag group remained still, not even an eyelash or a piece of fur moving out of place. Running. More yelling. Comlinks beeping. The above level was turning into chaos and all it would take was for someone to look down and focus through the grating to see them.
Moving his right hand slowly, Ren went for the saber below his left arm guard while keeping his eyes up top. Unfortunately, his hands were still wet with blood, and the lightsaber fell from his fingers and clanged against the floor. The few people above them reacted to the sound, aimed their weapons, and fired.
Ren froze the bolts, a wall of blue streaks growing thicker with each passing second as he yelled, "The hatch we passed two corners down. Get to it!"
Reversing the plasma energy back the way it came, the three men and their reinforcements went down. Straining, Ren Force pushed against the metal flooring, popping the section loose and sending it flying down the hallway to the rest of the cohorts. Glancing briefly to his left, he saw that the service tunnel was now empty.
Ren was on his own.
He grabbed the saber and jumped onto the walkway, sprinting down the open corridor. Ren became more and more turned around, getting lost in the expansive layout of the ship. Rounding a corner, he ran into a random Guavian, sending them both to the ground. Grabbing the guard's free pistol, Ren fired a quick round of shots straight into the man's chest, threw the weapon away, and continued on.
Attempting to correct course, he just became more disoriented. Or maybe he was heading in the right direction and didn't even know it. But that would require luck, something that he didn't really believe in.
Rushing down a passageway, he skidded to a stop before he went completely through a circular opening. The space beyond was vast and empty and if he had kept running, he would have fallen into the dark void. It wasn't a hangar, nor was it being used for storage. It was just a part of the ship that never had the opportunity of being completed.
A safety hazard is what it was. No such place would've been allowed on the Finalizer.
Ren heard the beating of boots coming closer, and the only place to go was the broken down elevator shaft to his right. He jumped the gap to the ladder and climbed.
Shots flew passed him, but then stopped.
"Don't shoot him!" A thick accent ordered. "He's wanted alive! Set your blasters to stun."
Jumping through an open entryway before they had a chance to daze him, Ren's legs went off at a dead run, skidding around junctions, his brain rapidly trying to come up with a plan. Shouts and footfalls were caving in on him, seeming to push him toward one direction in particular.
Light poured in from the end of a passageway, and Ren rushed toward what he believed to be an opening to the hangar. It was – except he was three stories high and overlooking the ship bay, hands gripped onto the railing, breaths coming out fast and hard. Down below, his presence had been expected by the way all the guards and thugs were looking up, watching him.
Weapons came to the ready. Ren glanced around, his eyes blazing as he saw there was nowhere to go and nowhere to hide. Turning back, more security lined the corridor, bracing for a fight.
"Ben Solo," boomed the confident voice of the Guavian Ren presumed was the leader. The man, carrying himself with poise and wearing a black soldierly suit, stepped into the middle of the hallway, a dangerous smile playing along his lips. "You're gonna make me a very rich man."
After everything he'd done to escape the First Order and elude his previous master, Ren was not going to be denied the brief liberty he'd been granted over the last day. Especially from an atypical gang that put more interest in their matching attire than becoming a formidable presence in the galaxy.
Refusing to lie down and accept the situation, Ren did the only thing he could do: he flung himself over the railing. Energy from the stun blasts hit him harder than a moving speeder, robbing him of controlling his descent. Trying to hold onto consciousness, he put all he had into slowing down, but blacked out before making it to the tarmac.
()()()()()
Finn hesitantly flipped open the hatch, peering down the lit corridor in both directions.
Nothing.
He could hear distant running and blaster fire, but he concluded it wasn't an immediate threat. Besides, they could no longer crawl around the sub-accessway now that the route was compromised.
They had passed the hatch Kylo had sent them to, but Caliiya and him agreed the more distance between them and the blaster fire, the better.
"We're almost back to where we started," Caliiya commented as she climbed out and looked around. "And we should keep using the service tunnel."
Well, they sort of agreed on a plan.
Finn helped the Wookies from the tunnel while Caliiya swiveled her head between both ends of the hall. "They know we're using it," he whispered. "We have a better chance of surviving on foot than crawling in a restricted space."
He didn't see her expression, but he could feel she was annoyed.
Once everyone was out, Finn headed in the direction he believed the hangar would be. Studying the decrepit walls and pipes, he tried to see something familiar, but nothing stood out. He didn't understand why a ship of this size didn't have signs or arrows or flashing lights pointing you to the ship bay.
And Caliiya wasn't helping to quell his frustration. "Do you know where you're going?" she asked, keeping up next to him.
He glanced back, making sure the Wookies kept pace. For their size, they were surprisingly quiet. "Somewhat. I've been on this ship before. Although, I wasn't paying close attention to the layout at the time."
They all stopped as they heard pounding footfalls coming toward them. Turning, they were thwarted with more noise from the opposite direction. Picking the last available option, he prayed the room to the right was accessible.
Slamming a palm against the access panel, the door slid open, admitting the frantic group. Finn shut the barrier and joined the rest of them behind some crates near the back, causing rats to scuttle out of the way, squeaking their curses. Finn chose a spot by the wall just below some shelving, his blaster propped up and ready to discharge at anything that came around the corner.
In his history of being raised a soldier, there had been many days such as this where drills ran him into the ground and he had to find moments to catch his breath and think. There were times he feared for his life, because he knew too many failures would mean his termination. But while he wasn't the most ruthless student in the class, he had been the smartest, out scoring all his classmates and even testing as one of the top stormtroopers to ever go through the academy.
They pushed him hard when it came to weapon mechanics and problem solving – even going so far as depriving him sleep for days. Thinking about what he had endured, this almost seemed like a vacation.
Almost.
Closing his eyes for a brief moment, he wondered where Ren could be and if he was making better progress in getting back to the Falcon. It was strange for Finn to discover that he wished Ren were with them. Though the reason was mainly so they had a powerful Jedi on their side.
Former Jedi, Finn reminded himself.
Still, Finn was just getting used to them operating as some sort of team, albeit a dysfunctional one. Having a teammate gone, not knowing their status, felt like the absence of a limb or important organ.
Looked like old habits died harder than detestment.
The soft breathing of the two Wookies and humans intermingled with the muffled presence of men searching for them outside. After a few moments, Caliiya crawled over to Finn, nodding to their furry companions. "What should we do with the two Wookies?"
"They're coming with us," Finn stated.
"They're only going to slow us down."
He was baffled by her callousness. "You want to ditch them?"
Through clenched teeth, Caliiya implored, "They aren't our problem."
Finn glanced at the Wookies, their glares at Caliiya hot enough to burn a hole right through her. He had an inkling they knew what was being discussed. "They are our problem. You brought them here. How about taking a little responsibility for that."
Caliiya sat back in a huff. "The only person I'm responsible for is myself."
"Bet that's gotten you far in life."
"It has," she bit back.
Finn cocked his head. "So being a bounty hunter was always a dream of yours?"
She shrugged. "It's a means to an end."
"And what end could that possibly be?"
"Get enough money to pay off my debts so I can be free."
"Why did you get into so much debt in the first place?"
Something changed in her. Finn knew the instant it happened, but couldn't describe exactly what tipped him off. Might have been a twitch in the face, or a subtle shift in body language. Or those eyes.
"I…" She paused, her voice becoming tight. "My father. He had a degenerative nerve disease and I borrowed a lot of money from some associates of mine to try and get him help. But the medical trials ended up being useless. He died anyway, and I've been trying to find ways to pay back the money ever since."
Finn tried to control staring at her. He certainly wasn't expecting a story like that. And sure, she could be lying, but she wasn't. He recognized the truth when he saw it. "I'm sorry," he offered in a more compassionate tone. "That sounds like a hard situation to be in."
She looked away. "I don't want your pity."
Respecting her pride this time, he asked, "How much do you have left to pay back?"
"Just Bala. This job was supposed to be it for me. Guess I'll have to go into hiding if I survive this."
"There's always another solution. I can help you find it, if you want," he offered, her eyes catching his in shock.
She broke eye contact first. "It's quiet now. We should get moving."
Finn was the one to check the passageway. He nodded and the rest of them followed his lead. For some weird reason, he felt invigorated, ready to take on whoever came his way. The corridors even started to look familiar, which spiked his adrenaline more, making him hyper aware of the surroundings.
And then there it was, the main level accessway to the hangar. Finn grinned as he got closer, which immediately vanished as he took in the scene. Flattening against the wall, he motioned for the others to do the same. Peering through the circular entrance, he saw a large group of guards, their weapons drawn and pointing up at a terrace. Ren was bracing himself for an attack, extremely outnumbered and out of luck. Words were spoken before Ren threw himself over the balcony only to be stunned, hitting the ground hard.
The Guavian members swarmed and dragged him away.
That high Finn had been feeling was spent. This whole operation had now gone from an escape to a rescue.
Could things possibly get any worse?
Unfortunately, the universe viewed that as a challenge.
He never saw the blow to the back of the head coming.
A/N
Please forgive any grammatical or spelling errors. I edited this chapter while my kids were running wild and PJ Masks was on the TV. Not the best environment, but I have to work with the time I have. It's gonna suck when I go back to school.
Anyway, things are getting worse for Ren and Finn. Both are in tight spots, while Rey is dillydallying on Spira, looking at plants. If only she knew that the men in her life were trying to find her. Sorry for not much Rey in this chapter. Other than her thoughts and her conscience, not much is going on with her right now. That will soon change. What did you think of Finn and Ren interactions? I find it funny how Ren thinks everyone is incompetent when he was the one to give away their position. If you have time, leave a review and tell me what you think! May the Force be with you and thanks for reading!