Chapter Nineteen – The Heroes Part
"What do you mean 'save Rey from the enemy?' The enemy is here," Poe said. "We just beat them."
"I said I don't have time to explain these things to fools," Ben snapped.
"Hey, idiot, you are the one asking us for help, so I think you are going to have to explain things," Rose said, angry at Ben's treatment of Poe.
"Fine!" Ben said savagely. "I killed Snoke. But it didn't matter, because all along there was someone behind Snoke. Pulling his strings. Pulling mine. Everyone's. And he wants Rey. If he gets her, then it doesn't matter that we won here," Ben said.
"Your fleet is gone. The First Order is dead. The war is over," Poe said. "How could that not matter?"
"Because if he wins the Sith still exist. They will lie low like they did last time they lost. They will move in the shadows and they will strike again!" Ben said.
"Sounds a lot like you," Rose said.
"I'm not a Sith!" Ben said.
"Then what are you?" Finn chimed in. "What was all this for?" he asked, raising his arms to gesture at the bridge.
"I was tricked! Ok! Is that what you want to hear? You want to hear me admit I was a fool? I destroyed the Jedi, betrayed my family, killed my…," Ben was not able to finish admitting his murder of his father, and for a moment said nothing at all. Then he continued, "That I did it all for no reason? I didn't think this was all about bringing Palpatine back. But it was. He tried to control me, and he failed. Now he is going to try with Rey."
"Palpatine?" Poe said. "How in the world can this be about Palpatine? He's been dead for how long?" he asked turning to Lando.
"A while," Lando said.
"That's it! Sit here and ask your questions and wait for backup if you want. I'm going," Ben yelled. "Somebody has to give a damn about her."
His walk to the bridge doors was interrupted by Rose yelling, "Get over yourself!" When Ben turned around, quickly and angrily, she continued, "Everyone here would put their life on the line to save Rey. Because she did for us. It's you we don't trust. You hunted us. You killed our friends, our families. And we are supposed to forget all that, because you had a change of heart and some kind of crush on Rey?"
"This is not about that! Whether you believe it or not Palpatine is out there. He's dead, but still out there. And he has to die. Every trace of him has to be wiped out. That is what I am here to do! That is my purpose. He manipulated my grandfather, he escaped my mother and uncle, and he manipulated me. But I have killed him once already, and I will do it again. For good this time. Unless he takes Rey, the way he took Snoke," Ben said.
Rose opened her mouth to argue back when Poe gave her a look which silenced her. He turned to Ben and said calmly, "Maybe all that is true, but I know for sure that somebody has to hold this bridge till the fleet gets here. We have to end this."
"Not all of us though," Finn said. Poe turned to him with a questioning look prompting Finn to say, "I don't know that we can trust what he says, but I believe that we can trust that he cares about Rey. He didn't help us because he likes us, or because of the cause. He didn't do it because he is a good guy. He needed to get fixed up and he needed to find her. He's going to try to save her, and I have to be there with him."
Chewbacca let out a low moan of agreement.
Poe looked at Finn for a bit, then nodded. "Ok, buddy. Take Chewie and go get her. We'll see you two and Rey after, on Coruscant. Him," he said looking at Ben, "I don't care about so much."
Ben shrugged while Finn answered, "We'll take 3PO and R2 with us, they are with the ship anyway."
"Nope," Ben said. "That's Rey's ship. Chewie and I are going in my dad's ship."
"You think you get to take the Falcon…?" Poe started to say while Ben nodded nonchalantly.
"I mean, honestly, if it doesn't pass to Han's son, I think it should go back to me," Lando said, causing Poe to throw his hands up in frustration.
"Where is it?" Ben asked.
"I think it's the Hangar Bay just above the one you landed in," Finn said.
"Then let's go," Ben responded as he once again walked towards the doors. As he approached them he stopped and then motioned for Finn to stop as well. He grabbed his lightsaber before calling out loudly, "Everyone stand back from the doors."
Ben opened the doors, using the Force, but stopped them when they had separated just enough for him to slide through, which he did quickly before closing the door again behind him. On the other side of the doors were the Knights of Ren along with at least two dozen Stormtroopers. For a moment Ben Solo and the Knights of Ren just stared at each other, while the Stormtroopers nervously stood their ground behind the confrontation.
"My Lord?" the lead Knight of Ren said eventually, realizing that Ben was not going to lower himself to speaking first.
"You will kill these troopers," Ben commanded. "You will do this now."
The troopers began to pull back, fearful that the Knights would obey the order, but stopped when they saw the Knights of Ren not moving to do anything.
"I am your master. You will obey me," Ben said grimly.
"You stand with the enemies of the First Order," another of the Knights said.
"I am the First Order!" Ben shouted.
"Not anymore," another Knight said as he activated his vibroblade. The others followed suit and the troopers behind them raised their blasters, pointing them at Ben.
"Fine," Ben said, clenching his free hand as he did so. A sharp thud could be heard from the end of the hallway, where a row of lights had exploded. The troopers turned quickly to see the source of the sound and saw that all the lights in the hallway were exploding in sequence, starting at the far end of the hall and proceeding swiftly to the doors to the bridge. As the last light went out Ben activated his lightsaber.
Ben leapt forward, striking at the Knight of Ren nearest him. With the light of his saber and the Knights' vibroblades providing only slight illumination, the Knights found it difficult to bring their advantage in numbers to bear on Ben before he had cut down enough of them that the numerical advantage was no longer sufficient for victory. Most of the Knights were only able to trade a few blows with Ben before he was able to bring them down, and when only two Knights were left standing, they yelled to the Stormtroopers to use their flashlights. The troopers, who should not have needed this command had been distracted by the battle going on in front of them, and had trouble finding the flashlights in their kit, and then had trouble attaching them to the blasters which provided them with power. A few of them ignored the order entirely and started firing in the area around where Ben's blade was located, but all that came of this was one of the last two Knights of Ren being shot in the back. After the other fell beneath Ben's blade a second later the first of the troopers got his flashlight on, only for the light and the blaster to quickly fall to the floor, lighting only the wall next to the trooper as he grabbed for his neck. One by one the lights went on only for Ben to grasp the trooper. The few who got a second or two to search for him could not find him since he had turned off his lightsaber after the last of the Knights fell. The last trooper to get his flashlight going was, by dumb luck able to illuminate Ben Solo as he stood, eyes closed and both hands held out in front of him before that trooper fell as well. The last three troopers threw their blasters down and ran away, hoping to find somewhere to hide.
When their footsteps had receded, Ben opened the door behind him with a thought. As the light streamed in from the bridge it showed the Resistance officers the Knights of Ren and the Stormtroopers' bodies piled up in the hallway. Ben stood, panting, his wet hair plastered to his forehead, his tunic cut in several places, though he had been able to turn from the blows quickly enough that he had suffered only minor cuts. He wiped the sweat from his face as he turned back towards Finn and Chewie and asked, "Coming?"
For a moment the occupants of the bridge simply stand in place, shocked at the evidence of Ben's power and brutality. They had seen Rey and Leia do amazing things with the Force, but neither woman had ever used their abilities with the severity and violence Ben Solo just had. But they were all, like he was, warriors, and had learned to accept the necessity of such things.
"Well that seems like its taken care of," Lando said drolly, trying to break the tension. Poe made a face showing some combination of respect and disgust. Chewie simply hooted a few times and looked at Finn before setting off behind Ben, who had started down the hallways, having to take time to go around or over dead bodies to do so. Finn gave a salute to Poe and Rose as he followed, picking up one of the Stormtroopers blasters as he went.
The three of them were able to reach the hangar without incident, most of the crew of the ship having been caught in their rooms when the lockdown began. All who had been available to attack the bridge had either just fallen to Ben, or were running for the lives through the empty hallways.
While walking together Finn asked Ben, "So why bring me?"
Ben shook his head and said, "My grandfather seemed to think you were special. And you and Rey are connected, somehow. Plus you are literally the closest thing to a Jedi on this ship."
"Speaking of, I didn't think Jedi were supposed to choke people to death," Finn said delicately.
Without turning to look at Finn, Ben replied tersely, "Like I said, you are the closest thing to a Jedi we've got."
As the three entered the hangar bay the heard C-3PO yelling behind them, "Here we are, wait for us!" R2 was able to roll ahead of C-3PO, who waddled along frantically towards the Falcon. Ben looked up at the old ship and for a moment was unable to maintain his mask of belligerent purpose. His mind went to the many trips he had taken with his father on the Falcon. Chewbacca, having caught up to him, yelled at him to get moving, and so Ben, with a flick of his hand, lowered the ramp and ran up it before it even hit the ground. Chewie followed him in but Finn waited at the bottom of the ramp for the droids.
"Get in!" Ben yelled as he entered the cockpit.
"What about the droids?" Finn yelled back.
"They always make it on!" Ben said as he started powering the Falcon up. Chewie entered the cockpit and hooted his agreement with this sentiment as he sat down in the co-pilot's seat.
Ben was standing behind the pilot's seat, apprehensive of sitting in his father's place, when Finn appeared in the cockpit doorway and said, "The droids are in, ramp's up."
When he noticed that Ben was not sitting down Chewie turned to him and roared impatiently. Ben threw up his hands and said, "Alright! Alright!" as he took his father's chair. Finn, happy that he finally got to sit in the cockpit at all, took one of the rear seats. The Falcon lifted off and flew in reverse out of the hangar bay, as Chewie and Ben manipulated the controls. Once clear of the ship Ben turned to Chewie and said, "Punch it."