Chapter Fifteen – The Rise of Finn

Finn, Rose and Poe stood looking at each other, forming a kind of triangle in their cell. Behind them Hux was still bleeding and whining on the floor, while Phamsa was still recovering from her near conversation. The incapacitation of the two First Order officers gave the three of them the chance to speak.

"I can't believe this is the best idea we have," Finn said, shaking his head.

"I mean I am all for your idea of cannibalizing what's her face's chair to see whether there is anything we can use to get these things off," Poe said, gesturing to the manacles on their wrists, "but there's no guarantee there's anything useful."

"And she would suffocate," Rose interjected. "Am I the only one that thinks it's a problem to kill someone who doesn't pose a threat?"

"Maybe," Poe said as Finn answered, "Yes."

"She was going to kill me once too, you know," Rose responded, "and I haven't gone all bloodthirsty."

"Ok, quiet," Poe commanded. "Let him concentrate."

"Bwah, Bwah, Bwah, Bwah!" Hux yelled loudly, which earned him a kick square in the face from Poe.

"I will kick you until, one way or another, you are quiet," Poe said. As Hux curled into a ball in the corner of the cell Poe turned to Phasma and asked, "You need convincing?"

"No," a frightened Phasma said.

Poe turned backed to Finn and said, "Ok buddy. Take your time. Get it done. No pressure, but I can't see any other way out of this."

Finn gave Poe an annoyed and shook his head as he sat down on the bench. "This is a stupid plan," he said. After sitting Finn closed his eyes and began to take long, deep breathes.

After a minute or two Poe leaned over and whispered to Rose, "Is he falling asleep?"

"No!" Finn shouted as his eyes opened to glare at Poe. "This is how the exercise Rey taught me begins. It's the only way I know how to even try to do any of it. What happened to quiet?"

"I'm sorry man. Go ahead," Poe said, "You're doing great."

After Finn closed his eyes again, Poe rolled his eyes at Rose, who gave him a chiding look. After another minute or so of doing the exercise Rey had taught him, Finn began to feel the difference. He felt his worry and anxiety slowly ebbing, though at the same time becoming more aware of the same feelings in Poe and Rose. He could feel Hux and Phasma too. In Phasma he could feel only hatred and bitter despair. Hux was nothing but a ball of fear. He felt as though he could push his mind outward, like there was no limit to what he could do. He could feel the manacles on his hands, the walls around him, the door, the guards beyond the door, but he felt sure he could reach more. But he reminded himself of his purpose. He concentrated on the manacles, tried to visualize them moving as Rey had taught, or tried to teach, him to do. They would not budge. His mind could feel what was there, but not change it, not move it. He could feel what his friends felt, but not reach out to them, not communicate with them, not give him the peace the Force trance gave him. He began to feel frustration rise within him. He was going to fail, he felt sure, and his friends would die because of it. He grew desperate, his breathing erratic. And then, it seemed to him, he fell out of the trance. He opened his eyes expecting to see the cell and the disappointed faces of his friends, but he found something else entirely. The image that greeted his eyes upon their unveiling was of a Coruscant sunset. He was in the same room Rey and Kylo had found themselves in before, though he had no idea of what it was, Rey having never spoken of it to him, and obviously having never seen the inside of Padme Amidala's apartment. He stood looking out the window, for a moment simply took in the world city which he had never seen before in his life. The war having never taken him there, Coruscant was always just the name of the place where self-important people who liked to make demands lived. Even without the multitude of ships and assorted other vehicles, it was a sight to behold.

But he did not look long, for he saw something dark out of the corner of his eye. He turned to his right and saw him standing there, tall and dark as the oncoming night. Darth Vader stood immobile on the balcony of the apartment, looking directly at Finn. While he had never seen the city, and did not recognize the apartment, Finn, like all others in the galaxy, knew the figure before him. He took a terrified step backward and said, "What the…? Where…?"

For several seconds Vader neither answered nor moved, he only stared. It was only when the sun went down behind him, and the lights of the apartment slowly faded on that Vader spoke.

"There is no time for subtlety," he said. "The moment has arrived, and all depends on your strength." Vader strode toward Finn, who scurried back. Only as he did this did Finn realize that there, wherever that place was, his hands were not restrained.

"Defend yourself," Vader commanded.

"What?" an incredulous Finn shouted.

By the time he said this Vader had reached Finn and backhand slapped him across the face. The force of the slap sent Finn flying, but before he hit the ground an unseen force pulled him back to Vader's grasp. Vader grabbed him by the neck with one hand and hurled him across the room, towards the balcony. A stunned Finn watched as Vader advanced on him again. The armored figure reached out his hand and suddenly a lightsaber appeared in it, and a second later a red blade emerged from it.

"Oh come on!" Finn cried out.

Vader leapt to where Finn lay and struck down with the saber, a strike Finn just managed to avoid by rolling away to his right. He got up and began running along the windows of the apartment. As he passed by the table near the couch he picked up the lamp and threw it at Vader as Vader advanced on him. Vader caught the lamp and placed it gently back on the table, all without stopping his advance.

"Running will achieve nothing, Irayne," Vader said.

"Who is Irayne?" a confused Finn asked as he continued to fall back, knocking items over as he went, hoping Vader would retain his commitment to preserving the décor.

"You," Vader answered as Finn, continuing to back up turned to place the couches between himself and Vader.

"My name is Finn," Finn said resolutely.

"They took you from your family. Took your name and gave you a number, FN – 2187," Vader said. "Finn is the name your rescuers gave you. But it is not your true name. Not the name your family gave you. Not the name they cried out when you were taken." As he reached the couch separating him from Finn Vader sliced down with his saber, cutting the couch in two.

"How would you know that?" Finn asked as he continued to back up, now towards the balcony. With more hope than conviction he said, "None of this is real." Finn feinted to the left in an attempt to get by Vader on the right, but Vader once again grabbed him by the neck and pinned him against one of the columns.

"Does it feel real?" Vader asked menacingly, before throwing him again. "You can suffer here, and you can die." Vader swung his saber again, cutting through an end table Finn had picked up. Finn dropped the two pieces as Vader lifted his saber to strike again. As the blade came down Finn threw his hands up. Vader's saber came to a stop a foot above his head, where it had been blocked by a blue lightsaber which somehow had appeared in Finn's hands.

"Impressive. Now push," Vader said. Vader began to push his blade down, closer to Finn's face. With a deep growl Finn did what he had not needed Vader to command him to do, and pushed his own blade back up. As he did so Vader leaned over him.

"Good," Vader said. "Now see the restraints." Seeing Finn's uncomprehending eyes Vader continued, "Clear your mind. You have stopped me. There is no longer any need for fear. You know what you can do. Close your eyes, and see the restraints on your hands. On the hands of your allies."

Without consciously deciding to do so, Finn's thoughts went to the cell, where he saw himself, Poe and Rose sitting. He could see his eyes were closed.

"Now push!" Vader yelled.

Finn yelled and his face twisted with the intensity of his effort.

"Push! You are their only hope," Vader said.

Finn saw his face contort in the cell as it was there beneath Vader's blade, but he also saw the manacles on his and his friends' hands start to shake, and Poe and Rose look up at him in shock.

"Push!" Vader yelled again. "If you fail, they will die. The girl Rey will die, and with her, all hope for the galaxy."

Finn screamed from the bottom of his lungs as he gave everything he had. He could see the restraints shake more and more until at last he saw all three pop open. When they did so he opened his eyes to see Vader rising above him, both sabers gone. The terrifying figure withdrew to the balcony where he folded his arms and looked out over the city.

"It is as my daughter saw," he said. "You are no Jedi. But what was needed, you have done."

Suddenly Vader was gone, and where he had stood was Anakin Skywalker, his hair and his clothes as they had been at the end of the Clone Wars, the last time he had stood on that balcony.

"Now go," he said. "Save my family." Anakin looked around the ruined furniture on the balcony and said, "This place was not meant for him." Immediately all the broken furniture and items in the room were whole once more, and Anakin turned back to look out over the city. A second later Finn opened his eyes back in the cell.

"That was beautiful Finn!" Poe was yelling as Rose squealed, "You did it!" Hux and Phasma looked on dumbfounded and more than a little afraid of what they had witnessed.

"Is there any way you could open the door?" Poe said hopefully.

Finn tried to stand and almost fell over before Rose caught him and made a face at how sweaty he was as she got him back on his feet.

"Not in a million years," Finn said wearily.

Poe, still too thrilled to be dejected by the answer, gave Finn a study pat on the back, which nearly caused Finn to fall over again.

"That's ok we'll think of something," Poe said.

A few moments later one of the Knights of Ren heard loud noises coming from inside the cell. They turned their vibroblades on and opened the door. The first Knight stepped in and saw Hux and Phasma huddled together on the nearest side of the cell. He turned to the other side, and as he did he was rushed by Poe and Finn. Poe grabbed one arm, and Finn grabbed the other, the one holding the blade, forcing it straight up as Poe pushed the stunned Knight's head down onto the blade, killing him instantly. The second Knight kicked Poe in the back from behind, ignited his vibroblade and swung it at Finn, who ducked under it and grabbed the Knight's sword arm. Rose jumped towards the Knight with the manacles that had just been on her wrists and clasps one of them around the Knight's free arm. Poe knocked the Knight's feet out from under him from behind, and the Knight falls to his knees. Finn took his sword arm and twisted it back until the Knight was forced to let go of the blade. Then Poe and Rose pulled the arm back and bound it in the manacles as well. The Knight struggled and tried to get up before Poe took his head and smashed it into the bulkhead several times, knocking him out.

As the three of them looked down at the two Knights of Ren, one dead and one incapacitated, Finn said, "Wow."

"Yeah," Rose said. "That worked surprisingly well."

"I wasn't surprised my plan worked well," Poe said.

Finn rolled his eyes as Rose looked around the cell and then said, "I have an idea. Leia told me about it, and I think Chewie will appreciate it."

Several minutes later the three of them emerged from the cell, Poe and Finn wearing the Knights' outfits and Rose walking between them with the manacles around her wrists, though close inspection would have revealed they were unlocked.

"Ok," Poe said, "we make for communications and the hyper-drive. Then we figure out where everyone else is being held and we spring them. I can handle communications. You two figure out how to take out the engines."

"There should be a comm hub on every level, but you have to know codes to use one of those to beam a message off ship," Finn said. "If you want to broadcast unsecured your choices are the bridge, or the Quartermaster's office."

"The Quartermaster?" Poe asked.

"He has to order toilet paper and things like that all the time. They don't want him doing it from the bridge," Finn explained.

"Ok, where's his office?" Poe said.

"Usually somewhere in the lower decks. Just tell someone the head was out of soap and you want to complain. You'll get directions to the Quartermaster's office," Finn said.

"Do you think these guys," Poe asked as he gestured at the Knight's outfit, "regularly make soap complaints?"

"No but when they do I am sure everyone is very motivated to help them," Finn said.

"Alright," a clearly unconvinced Poe said.

"Do you know where the hyperdrive is?" Rose asked Finn.

"Yeah," Finn said confidently.

"And you know where I can get some tools? We need to really mess this thing up if it is going to stay offline long enough for the fleet to get here," Rose said.

"Yes," Finn said indignantly. "I know where everything is."

"Except the Quartermaster's office," Poe pointed out before they split up.