3

"Are you serious?"

"You'll be there, watching me," Finn told Rose.

"That's just it. Watching. I don't have the Force."

"We all have the Force."

Rose replied to Ben's interruption with a glare. "I just don't like him poking around in your mind."

"I promise to keep any secrets I discover to myself."

"Very reassuring," Rose growled.

"Where's Jannah?"

"Sorry. I was held up. We really doing this?"

"I can try myself the first time."

"No," Jannah shook her head. "I'm ready."

Finn input the access code to unlock the brig door. Rose unslung her blaster and stood outside at the ready as he and Jannah entered.

"What do we do?"

"Sit down," Ben instructed, illustrating what he meant as he took a cross-legged position against the wall. "Closer," he said. "Take my hands."

Finn did so from Ben's left side. On the right was the bunk, so Jannah had to reach from above.

"Close your eyes and remember the moment of your defection."

"You were there," Finn said.

"That will not help. Remember what you felt. Remember how you realized you would not comply with the order."

"And then?"

"We'll have to let the Force guide us," he said. "Concentrate."

Finn did... and then his memory of that night on Jakku blurred and was briefly overlaid with another view of the same place, but seen differently. He saw Phasma, Poe, the old man... and himself, in the stormtrooper uniform with a bloody handprint over the helmet.

"Sorry. I told you it wouldn't help." Ben's-Kylo's-memory vanished from his mind, to be replaced by another. Stormtroopers were convoying a large huddle of prisoners down a corridor in a Star Destroyer, and he felt the anxiety and the fear of what was about to happen.

Except Finn knew this wasn't his experience, his feelings, though he understood them. Briefly, he remembered his recent ordeal-very similar, but he'd been the prisoner-

And everything went black, and collapsed in on itself. They were back in the Tantive IV brig, having fallen down. Rose was pointing her gun at them, and the cell was filled with laughter.

Ben's laughter. The former Supreme Leader brayed with no semblance of control whatsoever.

"What the hell?" Jannah demanded, overcoming the humor's contagion through sheer force of will.

"Enough!" Rose shouted. "What could be so amusing?"

Ben managed to stop to get one word out. "Hux."

"General Hux?"

"He was our spy."

"What?!" Rose exclaimed.

"That's what I said."

"So that's how you got the Falcon back," Ben finally stopped laughing.

"I still don't see the humor."

Ben laughed again. "It's the reason Hux gave them," he said.

"Oh?"

Finn produced a laugh of his own. "He said that he didn't care if we won. He wanted him-" and pointed at Ben, "-to lose."

When that sank in, Jannah joined in the laughter. Within a few seconds, so did Rose.

It took several minutes for anyone to regain composure. "He's probably dead," Ben declared, cutting off the merriment.

Everyone had to breath deeply to recover themselves. "Want to try this again?"

Jannah clicked her tongue. "Any other tripwires?"

"I don't think so," Finn said. "You?"

She shook her head. "Let's do it."

"Focus on the moment you made the choice. In fact, focus on the feelings behind it, rather than the event itself."

Finn closed his eyes and clasped Ben's hand. The Force made a tense link with him, and through him, with Jannah. Finn recalled everything again-Jakku, the prisoners, Phasma's order. This intermixed with other events he'd not been a part of, but he remembered Ben's instruction to focus on feelings rather than details. He could ask Jannah later.

He found himself floating in the void, but there were flashes of all sorts of events, coming too fast to grasp. On planets, aboard ships, and even in the deep vacuum of space, life went by. He felt like his mind was being hurled across the galaxy.

He concentrated to try to find Jannah. She was far away, but experiencing much the same things, and whose mind was the first to receive the tiny slice of existence became indistinguishable. He remembered their goal, and focus returned. He was getting closer to Jannah, but they weren't heading straight for each other. They were conversing on something.

In a flash of light, he plunged into the blue-white swirls of hyperspace, and finally saw the traveling Resurgent-class Star Destroyer. He gasped when he accelerated towards it, but of course, his mind simply went through the hull and continued into the interior, finally stopping in the familiar location of one of the trooper barracks, among rows of neatly made bunk beds.

Next to Jannah, who was looking about in wonder and fascination.

"Hands up!" a voice baked from behind.

Finn put his hands on his hips and glowered. "I wouldn't shoot if I were you, FR-6081."

The stormtrooper narrowed here eyes. "How'd you-"

"I used to be FN-2187," Finn continued.

"The traitor?"

Finn ignored the remark. "Now I'm Finn. This is Jannah."

"Formerly known as JZ-1719," she supplied.

"JZ?" someone asked.

"They told us you were dead."

"They lied," Finn snapped. "They lie about everything. They do not deserve your loyalty."

"Shut up, traitor!"

That's when a blaster shot rang out. Finn instinctively winced as the bolt sped at him, and just went through. He glanced behind, noting the scared face of another trooper nearly killed by his comrade.

"They're Jedi!"

"Spread out!" Finn commanded, and the scared soldier was the first to leap away-just in time to avoid more bolts as they penetrated his and Jannah's projections.

THe two turned towards the shooters, who stopped and stared in astonishment.

"Jannah," he said. "Now."

He closed his eyes and imagined the impulse not to kill Jakku villagers as a hammer. He smashed that hammer into the crowd of troopers, knowing that Jannah was doing the same with her impulse to desert. The effort put him out of breath, and he staggered back. Jannah held him up, which oddly worked as they leaned on each other. Projections can interact with other projections. Good to know, Ben's voice echoed in his head.

"What... what happened?" FR-6081 mumbled.

"We gave you some of what made us leave," Jannah explained.

"Your conditioning broke," Finn elaborated. "You are free."

"Free to do what?"

"They'll come-"

The barracks' door opened to admit a First Order officer with a squad of gray-armored internal security troopers behind him. "What's the meaning-?"

Blaster fire erupted. Finn winced as the invaders fell. "I don't like this."

"What, did you think they could be won over?" Jannah asked, pointing at the corpses at the door.

"Some, maybe," Finn said. "We'll never find out, now."

"We have to leave," FR-6081 declared. "They'll flood this with knockout gas."

"Hang on!" someone shouted. "We haven't decide-"

"Then stay and get reprogrammed!"

"We won't force anyone," Jannah said.

"We're leaving," FR-6081 did a quick headcount, muttering to herself. "Ten people per escape pod-"

"You mean you plan to run?"

"That's what you did."

"I was one person. Jannah was one company. It's time to think bigger."

"Bigger?"

"There are more of us, and with your along, channeling the Force in that direction is easier." They didn't seem to understand. "Like I said-no one will force you. And it is a risk. You can run, we can cause enough chaos so that you succeed, and the Resistance will welcome you.

"Or you can go to the adjoining barracks and help us free them. And the next, and the next. Until we have enough to take over this ship."

A nudge came through Finn's mind. "Did you feel that?"

Jannah nodded. "It's your lives at risk. It's your decision. We'll be back in a little."

Finn took Jannah's hand, closed his eyes, and imagined letting go of the Force. THe touch of Jannah's hand vanished. He opened his eyes and was greeted by the view of the Tantive IV's brig cell.

"You guys alright?" Rose asked.

All three of them had foreheads glistening with perspiration, and Finn felt as exhausted as he had after some battles. "The Force does not give results for free," Ben said.

"You wanted us to return," Finn frowned.

"Yes."

"But we were going to free more!" Jannah exclaimed.

"I was listening. They haven't decided yet."

"I doubt they'll run," Finn said.

"If they do, we can try my idea on another ship."

"Your idea?" Rose inquired.

"You and your memories," Ben pointed to Jannah and Finn, "are what provides the initial trigger. So yes, you're going back. But once the mutiny starts, you won't be able to contribute much. Projection of a blaster bolt will do no damage."

"So?"

"So, at that point, we should switch roles. You use the Force to support my projection onto the Hundredth Talon."

"The WHAT?" Rose demanded.

"That's the name of the ship they've been on."

"Why?"

"It used to be Voidmaker," he said. "But it's registry number is 689-100. 689 identifies the specific variant of the ship as well as the yard that produced it, and 100 is the sequential number."

"So?"

"The name change was a thank you to the crew of the ship when its former commander was promoted to admiral."

"I still don't get it."

"I don't remember this."

"It was after you left. Kind of a joke, but they liked it. You see, that commander's name is Weidi Claw. 'A Claw has many talons,' as she put it. Hundred is an exaggeration," he assured them. "It's more like thirty."

"Is she any good?" Jannah asked.

"She's dead," he replied, and didn't go into specifics.

"So you want to project there," Finn turned the conversation. "Why?"

"To appear as Supreme Leader," he said. "I can give them override codes, and I can give pointless orders to those who don't want to join to make their response ineffective."

"But you need us."

"If I'm not going to die, like Luke did."

"And if that's the price we asked you to pay?" Rose demanded.

"If it was a question of final defeat of Palpatine? Absolutely. For one ship? No."

"Others risk it-"

"Risk, not certainty. It's a very big difference. Give me a fighter and a lightsaber, and I'll fly to that ship to help any mutiny you want." He smiled when Rose snorted. "You might have to acquiesce to the idea."

"Not yet."

"Very well. Then let's return and see what FR-6081 decided." He nodded at Finn and Jannah. "It gets easier with practice."

"You've never done this," Finn told him.

"I haven't found a Force technique that's an exception to that. Unfortunately."

"Unfortunately?" Jannah asked in surprise.

"Works for everything you do with the Force. Light or Dark."

Turbolift doors opened and Kylo Ren strode onto the bridge of the Hundredth Talon, into the chaos of the effort the command crew were making to keep control.

"Supreme Leader!" Captain Freen quickly saluted.

Kylo stared him down. "You seem to be unable to deal with a mutiny, Captain."

"We are putting it down, Supreme Leader. I have signaled the rest of the fleet. They're on the way."

"Captain!" a junior officer called out. "There has-"

"You were not given permission to speak, Ensign," Kylo snapped.

"Sir, we are still in control."

"My trip up here puts that in doubt. Captain, you're relieved. Commander Nurla, your assessment."

The executive officer gulped. "If they wanted to destroy the ship, they already would have, sir. As long as we have this bridge, we're in control. Turbolaser batteries are on alert for any launched escape pods." She shuddered. "What could have come over them?"

"Autopsies might tell the story," Kylo suggested.

"Captain-er, Commander," the same ensign who interrupted before approached. "Ma'am-sir-permission to speak?"

"Denied," Kylo barked.

"But they-"

"Arrest him," he jerked his hand at a pair of waiting security troopers. "Insubordination will not be tolerated."

They moved to seize him. "What the hell?" several voices exclaimed.

Kylo and Commander Nurla turned to see a pair of TIE fighters rise in front of the bridge transparisteel viewport.

"I've been trying to tell-" the ensign shouted.

The TIE fighters opened fire. Wind howled and the vacuum of space sucked everything unconnected out, including the crew. Kylo was, of course, unaffected, being only there as a Force-projected image. He approached one of the consoles and read out the updated status text.

*MAIN BRIDGE EXPOSED. NO BRIDGE PERSONNEL PRESENCE DETECTED. TRANSFERRING CONTROL TO AUXILIARY COMMAND CENTER.

Perfect. That part of the ship was already in the hands of the risen stormtroopers. He sat down in the captain's chair and looked at the stars without any obstruction. An intraship comm hologram popped up from a projector on his left, displaying the figure of a helmeted stormtrooper.

"Crew of the Hundredth Talon, we greet you," the figure said. Then it reached up and took off the helmet, revealing the face of a young woman, bright-eyed, determined. The hologram expanded, showing more troopers pulling off their helmets. "Today, we were allowed to see that the First Order is a lie. We refuse to serve the lie, and now that we control this ship, we do not have to. Any who do not wish to join us may surrender to be dropped off on a neutral planet."

The Talon shuddered slightly and then the stars ahead turned to starlines as they went to lightspeed.

"Feels good, doesn't it?"

Ben Solo blinked at the figure sitting in the executive officer's chair. He didn't even try to avoid tears. "Mom. I-"

She didn't look the way she did in the Resistance propaganda holos-stately and dignified with age. Rather, she looked younger than he'd ever known her, her dark brown hair without a single strand of gray woven into a thick braid, dressed in the uniform of the old Rebel Alliance.

"I don't understand."

She pinched the uniform and smiled. "I'm not really here, and it fits the circumstances."

"I'm not either."

"I know, Ben."

"You can't have the strength-"

"You went looking for me. Here I am."

He shook his head. "I still don't understand."

"I'm not projecting like you," she said. "That would be beyond my strength."

"Can... can I help?"

"You already have. Seeing you, like this, having overcome the dark side-"

"But you're still-"

"-comatose? That cannot be helped."

"You will die."

"When was I unwilling to pay with my life for a better galaxy?"

I... I never understood, mom." He considered what she said again. "What do you mean, it fits the circumstances?"

She laughed. "This whole hijacking-it just reminds me so much of what your dad and I did with the Harbinger."

"I never heard that story."

"You will. Dad and I had a race to see who'd take control first. I won-"

"Is that how'd he'd tell it?"

Leia laughed again. "Unlikely." She turned serious. "Ben, you're doing good. And like I said, it feels good. But you must be careful."

"Mom?"

"If you start doing things for the sort of thrill you got here, instead of doing them to help people, it'll lead you back where you started. The dark side will give you what you ask, but not so it makes you happy."

Tears poured down Ben's cheek. "I know, mom."

"Don't forget it, then. My time is coming soon."

"Mom, you can't-"

"Don't tell me what I can and can't do, young man. No one ever did. I will die, Ben. So will you, one day."

"I-"

"There's Palpatine's route, of course."

He almost vomited. "No."

"Then you have to keep going, despite all. Always worrying if you're doing the right thing, or for the right reasons, and always knowing that sooner or later, it will be over."

"I will, mom."

"I love you."

"I know."

"So much like him," he heard a whisper as she faded off the bridge. Then the ship itself vanished, and Ben found himself back on Tantive IV. His body ached from exhaust and he fell on his stomach. Finn and Jannah had to pull him to sit and support him. They were drenched in sweat themselves, but seemed slightly better.

"What were you doing? I thought the hijacking was over."

"I talked to mom."

Rose jerked up. "To General Leia? But she's still-"

"In the Force. Oh, damn!"

"What is it?" Jannah asked.

"I should have asked her about Rey. I need..."

"None of you are doing anything with the Force right now," a new voice intruded.

"Uhm..." Finn started.

Dr. Kalonia stopped at the cell door, with Chewbacca standing nearby. "Help them," she ordered Rose. "I want these three in sickbay ASAP. Stun them if you have to, Chewie. I know all about Jedi stubbornness. The Force does not give infinite stamina, and it doesn't exempt you from needing to take care of your bodies."

Chewbacca picked Ben up with one arm, Finn with the other, and carried them over the shoulders. Rose and Kalonia linked hands and lifted Jannah into a sitting carry, and together, the small group marched down the Tantive IV's corridors past the surprised crew busy prepping the old corvette for flight once again.