-ooo- Escape from Ren, 12 of 13 -ooo-

167 Nameless Abandoned Dregs – Ext. 167

General Byzancy stands with his two co-conspirators surrounding a shadowed man in a hovering pillory. They wait in a bombed out courtroom; an abandoned ruin from a defeated era. They stare out into the the pitch black rainfall outside the wide hole. The only light they have is from the pillory's blue propelling valves.

Lights of a large cargo ship plow through the rain. A searchlight finds the men and lands halfway inside the former courtroom. The back opens as ten stormtroopers line up on both sides of the men. Once surrounded, an elated man walks up to the pillory with five more stormtroopers. He is Caine Priamp. Being only a branch member, Priamp has no Knights of Ren.

Priamp gets right up to the prisoner, revealing him to be a muzzled Finn. Finn looks up angrily at the Imperial Family member. Priamp is thrilled.

CAINE PRIAMP There he is, hahaaa!

Priamp grabs Finn's face and looks into his eyes to be sure. The hate confirms it.

CAINE PRIAMP (cont.) With this Byzancy, your band has given us Aquila Galencia, Kylo Ren, and now… the Great Traitor! House Hux extends its highest gratitudes to you and your men.

GENERAL BYZANCY You are too kind, Priamp.

CAINE PRIAMP Nonsense! Byzancy, with this, no action you have done against the Empire will matter. The Emperor will pardon you. I assure you! My House will even offer you a wife to join us. Only name your prize!

GENERAL BYZANCY So great an honor, Priamp.

CAINE PRIAMP You deserve all we can offer.

Byzancy glances at a shadow shuffling along the rafters.

GENERAL BYZANCY Would you offer me anything then?

Priamp finally looks away from Finn to face Byzancy. The man is annoyed, but his joy too great to truly lower his mood.

CAINE PRIAMP Need I continue to repeat myself? Name a desire Peter!

GENERAL BYZANCY Freedom.

Four harpoons shoot from outside, binding the cargo ship in place. Before they can register the ambush, Red Republic soldiers flood in from the vents on the walls, ceilings, and floors. Poe pops in from a floor vent closest to Finn. They have the stormtroopers. The Imperial forces raise their hands, Priamp's horror manifesting.

CAINE PRIAMP No, no, not like this. Not you Byzancy. We own you!

Byzancy taps a button on the pillory freeing Finn. Finn rips the muzzle off and hands it to Byzancy.

FINN I think he needs this.

CAINE PRIAMP No! You'll never reach Ren! We won't let you!

GENERAL BYZANCY Men! Stow the prisoners! Prepare for boarding!

After Byzancy slaps the mask on Priamp, the men take him away with the rest of the troopers.

GENERAL BYZANCY Sorry, Caine. House Hux won't have anything to offer me after today.

A new soldier hands Finn his jetpack, which he quickly puts on.

POE No Knight of Ren made this easy.

GENERAL BYZANCY The Priamp family is only a branch of House Hux. It would take a lot of made honor to earn a Knight.

POE As long as they earned a ship this size, I like 'em. Finn, let's take it for a spin.

Poe hands him the lightsaber once Finn has finished adjusting his jetpack. Finn takes it and slides it in the hilt.

FINN Thanks, Poe

POE I also brought this…

Poe shows Finn the protonium handgun. Finn looks back up at Poe.

POE Hey, you know we're heading. We'll need all the firepower we can get.

Finn reflects on that. He considers the situation, then takes it. Looks down the sights, gets a sense of the weight, and then spins it stylishly into his left holster.

FINN We're not doing anything in moderation anymore.

Poe smiles at that. They join the others at the mouth of the cargo ship, preparing to invade.

TENSE RR SOLDIER We are getting readings of nine still inside, all armed. Two are the pilots. We aren't receiving any surrenders.

Finn activates his burning white lightsaber.

FINN Let a 'Jedi Master' negotiate from here.

Poe rolls his eyes as Finn advances into:

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168 House Hux Cargo Ship – Int. 168

The cargo ship is large and empty. The immediate entrance leads shortly to a convertible wall with two openings on either side. Finn takes the one closest to him. Inside is the holding cabin, the size and emptiness of the ship felt here. Bleak and efficient. The rows of seats in the center have been folded back into a floor. It stretches thirty meters deep, ten across, and eight high. The ladder at the end wall leads into two levels. The second level is the cockpit, but on the first Finn senses a trap.

Finn jetpacks over the covered railing, surprising the waiting troopers. Attacking from the air instead of the ladder, the men cannot readjust in time. Finn slices the guns of the first four men. A fifth man only fires near Finn, and a sixth takes a perfect shot, but Finn deflects it. Finn advances as the remaining two fire, sheering their heads off their shoulders. Finn uses the Force to throw the remaining unarmed men into the holding cabin as Poe and the Red Republic soldiers enter.

Finn lunges to the top, in front of the cockpit entrance. He pauses to search inside with the Force. Then enters.

The cockpit has five seats, only the frontmost occupied by a pilot. A blast from under a side chair, Finn deflects the shot and kills that hidden second pilot. Poe arrives at the entrance out of breath, blaster in hand.

Finn turns off his lightsaber, the remaining pilot looking at him with fearful eyes. Finn waves his hand with filial slowness.

FINN You want to surrender.

TRAPPED PILOT I want to surrender.

FINN You want to tell us the codes.

The pilot takes his hand off the control panel and out of Finn's sight.

TRAPPED PILOT I want to tell you codes

Plasma bolt burns through the seat into the pilot's chest, smoke filling the room. Finn backs away from the blast site, looking at Poe and his smoking gun in confusion.

FINN Poe, what was that?!

POE Look on his side.

Finn looks over the man's burning body. His limp hand still holding a pistol.

POE He wasn't tricked, Finn. He was gonna shoot you.

FINN …Not a full Jedi master yet.

POE Yeah, I know. We're gonna need one now. That was our only in!

Aeneas and another Red Republic soldier enter with a chained stormtrooper.

AENEAS Sirs, everything all right?

FINN There are difficulties. We couldn't take the pilots.

AENEAS …then we might have something for that.

Aeneas looks back toward the prisoner. The other Red Republic soldier lightly gestures the prisoner to speak. The man's fumbling and rushed manner of speaking remind one of another stormtrooper on the Faldur sands.

SQ-4944 Yes, uh, I can give the most current entrance codes for Garage Epsilon of House Hux. If needed.

Poe and Finn look to each other and back to the defector.

FINN How would a regular soldier know them?

SQ-4944 I'm not supposed to! Well, I wanted to be a pilot soon! I'm good with codes. I stick nearby, and I hear them.

POE Get him out. He's got an emergency code to give, trying to alert Hux to trap us right in front of them.

SQ-4944 No! Please! You can give the codes early if you don't believe me! If it's a trap, give it and then cancel it. If it is a trap, they would NOT let you do that. Please, they're real. I can help!

FINN Why should we believe this? Why are you defecting?

SQ-4944 I… uh… I want to be free. In a free planet.

FINN What's your name, soldier?

SQ-4944 Only have my serial number, sir! SQ Forty-Nine Forty-Four.

FINN That work, Poe?

POE I'm feeling Ford.

FINN That work, Ford?

FORD! ! ! Oh uh, Ford, yeah! I like that name!

FINN Listen to me, Ford. It is only by you that we win this day. Thank you for your courage.

FORD Of— of course, Master Finn, sir.

FINN Aeneas! Go back to base. You will lead the flagship once we lower the shields. Take this one back with you. Ford, they will radio us the codes you give. If you choose to betray us, none can stop you.

FORD Never sir!

FINN See that Ford doesn't join you in the invasion, Aeneas… I don't want to risk losing him before he can see a free Coruscant.

AENEAS As you command.

POE Aeneas, this ship is empty, now we need to fit four of our fighters—

AENEAS Already on it, Captain. It's looking like thr—

POE We need to fit four of our ships.

AENEAS …we will make it so.

Aeneas leaves with the group. Finn and Poe look at each other again and laugh when the men leave the room.

POE Haha! That worked out!

FINN Haha! It's nice when someone else saves the day.

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169 The Eagle – Int. 169

Rey meditates in the dark of the Eagle's smuggler compartment. Suddenly her eyes open: he's here. She gets up and out of the room.

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170 Ren's Surface Garden – Ext. (Dark of Morning) 170

Early dawn, just before the sun cracks over the ocean horizon. The ground level of Ren's square base is an elaborate tapestry of legal office and blatant vanity. The Imperial Courtroom, Military Central Command, the Imperial Jail are all on the same plane as the hedge mazes, gardens, and recently customized execution platforms. They are separated only by walkways decorated with statues of the Imperial Family.

Rey ducks behind a statue in the middle of the garden, sneaking around two guards passing by. She watches the ship land at the top of the Emperor's Spire.

Rey eyes Kylo's string elevator connected to that spire.

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171 Imperial Throne – Int. 171

Zaltan is walking up to his throne as his four Cardinal Knights take their places surrounding the seat. Attorn is having a casual conversation from a distance, holding a view board. In the middle of the chamber is the whip Knight of Ren whom Finn and Poe encountered in Port 24. He waits for an assignment by the Emperor.

ZALTAN Cassariot Ren. A fighter, is he?

ATTORN Yes, he butchered half the Red Republic terrorists and alone pushed the rest to flight.

ZALTAN And if he is here before me, he was unable to protect Prince Cizero of Tudorn.

ATTORN Correct.

ZALTAN A porous shield. Assign him to House Galencia as a funeral offering.

ATTORN At once, onto other matters

The light indicating Kylo's elevator turns on. Machinery lugging up the canopy.

ZALTAN …you told me Kylo was secured in jail.

ATTORN He is. I can see him right here.

ZALTAN Stop the elevator.

ATTORN …I can't… It's moving on its own.

Zaltan sighs, feeling it.

ZALTAN You may leave Attorn. You don't want to be here for this.

ATTORN Do you… want me to send up soldiers?

ZALTAN They will do nothing. If you can send up any Knights of Ren… but no, there won't be enough time.

ATTORN As you wish, sir.

Attorn shuffles to an exit elevator, Zaltan eyes locked on the coming danger.

Rey waits, her black dress cut short to maneuver better. The doors of the string elevator open to the waiting Zaltan. He is surprised, but not that surprised.

ZALTAN Ah, so you were both a Rebel spy and his apprentice. He followed the rule of two. How traditional. Have you come to negotiate his life for mine?

Rey finds some confusion in his ruse. Is he buying time?

REY …No.

Zaltan is comfortable in his seat. He has the bargaining power here.

ZALTAN You should reconsider. Kylo is always close to me— I have his detonator right here, in my prosthetic. I planned to press it to conclude the celebrations today. If you want to end the festivities early, I will accommodate.

Rey sees it must be instant. She stares at the sum of her hate.

ZALTAN I see we can wait. What can we provide each other, miss, ah? It must not be Rey, then?

Zaltan feels a growing confidence. Rey is baffled he can be so bold in a naked lie.

REY No, it is Rey Galencia. Silva Galencia was my mother.

The bravado dissolves from Zaltan's face. Her eyes tell the story he thought he ended. Zaltan slumps into his stone chair. Looking at the steps leading where he sits, those old eyes reflect dried blood of past pains. Maybe a bench next to Silva would have been more comfortable.

ZALTAN Ah… so that's it…

Herod Zaltan straightens, then lifts his head. The Emperor stares death into Rey's challenging eyes.

ZALTAN So be it.

Zaltan gestures to the Cardinal Knights. They shift to attack; Rey flicks her hand. Amatsang Ren's two orbiting black spheres flare on, covered in orange plasma. Amatsang floats one in front of Zaltan, protecting him from Rey's blast, destroying his first burning sphere. Zaltan jumps behind his throne; Rey throws her other hand out, lobbing a curved shot and killing the old tyrant before he lands.

The broken sphere shakes the floor. Tzal'aska Ren floats to the back of the room, the machine levitates off her back and begins charging.

Cassariot Ren is closest to Rey, he flails his whips at her. Rey dismissively flicks him off into a wall. She turns back to the cardinal knights, Howlett Ren is already in range.

The four valves on both his palms and elbows raise lightsabers of various colors. He spins these erratically at Rey drawing her attention and deflecting lightning shots.

The slower Johton Ren's colossal frame rounds to flank Rey, his ever-shifting armor now a waving sea of spikes.

As Rey blocks Howlett's combinations, the man activates his shoulder saber. The surprise attack almost worked, only centimeters from her throat, but Rey counters and spikes him at the joint. Howlett is pushed back by the blast —losing his right arm (the lightsabers still lit). Howlett lands on his feet, eyes never leaving the target.

Behind Howlett, Amatsang Ren's remaining plasmasphere is ready: it opens a hole, unleashing a flood of fire engulfing the entire quarter of the room around Rey. She reflexively projects a barrier the flames crash into and surrounding her. Johton Ren charges through the fire and begins to attack.

Johton Ren's armor molds into edged blade along the arm, throwing his entire weight it to Rey's head. The strike directly on her body discharges a shockwave knocking them both back. Rey's pivot foot stays grounded where fire has yet to touch. However, even while pushing the fire aside automatically, her other foot lands on the heated ground. A lightly concussed Rey screams from the burns, escaping back to her now shrunken circle.

Johton Ren pushes, no time to regain her footing as he beats down. Rey blocks both his fists and the flames. She shoots a beam at Johton's Chest, but the armor shifts white clear crystalline, redirecting it behind him. His onslaught continues.

Tzal'aska Ren's laser cannon is ready. She activates the laser, bending the beam in sharp angles from behind the throne and into Rey's shoulder. Rey screams, redirecting it before severe damage. More of Johton Ren's hits start connecting, her skin shielding wanes.

Tzal'aska Ren bends the beam all across the room to avoid Rey predicting its movement. Wave after wave of fire, fist after leaded fist, beam after beam; Rey is completely overwhelmed, and she knows it. Just outside the fire, Howlett awaits. Unaffected by his missing limb. Twitching sabers extending from his modified form.

Rey is desperate and no one is around to help now.

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172 Ren Dungeon – Int. 172

Black cell of cold, damp stone. Only the slightest light from a place beyond. Kylo sits with his head down. His head perks up:

Zaltan is gone.

The collar shocks him, but he suppresses the pain in a muffled scream. All of his focus goes to jutting the lightning away from his body. It arches out, illuminating the metal bars and extremely tight cell. Further, further, the strand arches to the wall as Kylo screams. And then the pain is gone.

Kylo rips off the collar. It is time.

Kylo opens his palm —the cell bars crash into the opposite wall. Every step Kylo takes explodes with rage. He implodes the helmets of two guards as more try to organize a defense. Kylo lifts his hand expectantly.

There is some banging of metal behind the guards. Finally, Kylo's lightsaber rips through the wall of bodies. The Knight catches it and dives in to end the screams of the unfortunate survivors.

Done here, Kylo rushes out. He knows the best way to the throne room.

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173 Hux Garage – Int. (Just before Daybreak) 173

The House Hux garage has fewer warships than the House Galencia garage. Mechanics and soldiers have their regular shifts. We can see a parade float of Kylo Ren fully inflated in the background. A small expectant crowd of troopers and two main House members await the cargo ship entering as the arms open the shield dome.

The ship lands.

TOOSOON HUX The Traitor in our custody, the day Zaltan returns. What luck!

The other man smiles as the cargo doors open —the Red Republic fire on everything they see.

The surprised stormtroopers take most of the losses, but a few of our boys fall too. Everyone rushes off the ship, fighting to secure the area, already prepping get the attack ships out. The surrounding stormtroopers begin a counterattack. The indoor anti-aircraft turrets start turning toward the cargo ship.

Finn flies out on top of his vessel, whipping out his Protonium Handgun. He hits the turrets, makes the hand sign, the white explosion lighting the entire garage. The turrets pulverized.

Finn blocks many shots with his lightsaber, then flies down, shooting all the entrances as he finds cover. He makes the hand sign for each, exploding them one by one. Poe meets with Finn, pointing out inflated Kylo Ren.

POE They made our friend a float!

FINN It's for Execution Day. They make floats of the prisoners and parade them through city streets. The float burns up when the prisoner is killed. I guess Kylo slipped up.

POE One less thing to worry abou— wait, you guys do what— ulgh, your planet Finn…

FINN I remember liking the parades as a kid too...

GENERAL BYZANCY Kid! Ship's ready!

POE Gotcha! Coming up!

The other three ships begin shooting around the garage. Poe starts to head to the Pulsar .9 when Finn grabs him.

FINN Poe, wait.

POE Yeah?

FINN (closer to Poe) Poe, once you're up there, no one can stop you.

POE The best part of flying.

FINN Just hit Zaltan's throne, the shields. Don't shoot into any of the towers.

POE In case Rey is in them?

FINN In case any children are in them.

POE …Finn, once those shields are down, the rebel ships will just do that anyway.

FINN No. The city will surrender when the shields are down. Give them that last chance.

GENERAL BYZANCY POE!

POE (to Byzancy) I'm coming!

Poe jumps in the Pulsar, and the four ships take off. On the way out, Poe launches a modified missile that caves in most the garage. In one sweep they hit every Houses' garage with the same, blocking them off —only a fraction too slow. A few Imperials get out and give chase. One RR ship drops its payload on a generator as it gets shot down. The machine explodes, and the shield dome thins. Poe focuses his efforts to defend the slower bombers, dodging shots himself.

Finn takes out the earring, then looks at Byzancy and his men preparing for an inevitable retaliatory wave. Byzancy looks at Finn's earring. Finn looks at Byzancy in an apology. Byzancy nods, understanding what Finn must do.

FINN You're a good man Byzancy. We will win.

GENERAL BYZANCY You get her and see that we do, Finn Skywalker.

Finn jetpacks out of the rubbled garage.

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174 Imperial Throne – Int. 174

Rey is collapsing under the pressure. Covered in sweat, face bruised, limping from a severe laser burn on her calve, exhausted. It's all too much.

But then, a break: Amatsang Ren's plasma ball runs out of fuel. The fire ends, the floor section blackened —save a small untouched circle around Rey. She gets to breathe for one moment.

The plasma ball's burning surface still active, Amatsang Ren launches it at Rey. It carves the ground it touches. Rey is focused on deflecting the swinging beam from Tzal'aska Ren. Johton Ren backs up for the plasma ball as it rolls right into her. She blocks with both her arms, the lightning around her body flailing out on contact. Rey screams, her arms burned bright red. She lands on the burning ground, too in shock to notice.

Rey begins her counter. Throwing all her weight, she reaches the lightning out to the plasma ball, gripping it.

Rey has her back to Johton Ren, and he pounces on the chance —only for Rey to swing the plasma ball like a wrecking ball. Johton Ren runs right into it. His body bounces against the ground; the armor has a gouge where his head and chest were.

Rey throws the ball this time, right to Amatsang Ren. Amatsang Ren extends both hands, stopping it a meter in front of him. After Rey lets go, she puts both hands together, gathers herself, and right as Amatsang catches it, fires a raging beam. It strikes flush into the plasma ball, knocking it forward into Amatsang Ren, destroying both.

Rey gets no pause —Howlett rams a knife-size lightsaber sticking out from the knee into Rey's face. Shield-static blocks it, but much less than before. Rey's face marred further from the strike. His attacks continue as a dazed Rey retreats.

Tzal'aska Ren fires and bends her beam right where Rey falls back, but Rey expects this. Rey dodges and warps the beam in front of her, slicing Howlett in half.

The battle is between Tzal'aska and Rey. The beam contorts all over the room, shifting jagged angles constantly. It's a fight for control: twisting, shifting, struggling... finally, Rey overpowers her, arching the laser-serpent to strike its owner. In an instant, Tzal'aska Ren's head falls to the floor.

It's over.

Only it isn't.

A plasma whip strikes Rey's back, shield barely protecting her, sending her to the ground. She looks to see Cassariot Ren, still alive. He whips Rey again while she is floored. She blocks and gets up, trying to get a shot in, but his thrashes keep her on defense.

Cassariot Ren swings his other whip, wrapping it around Rey. She blocks the circle of plasma from reaching her, both arms extended wide. Cassariot Ren takes his free whip and wails at her. She lifts a hand away to block, but this tightens the death-circle. Cassariot whips again, the same result, the circle now too close to extend both arms.

Fear shows itself again in Rey's exhausted eyes.

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175 Poe's Dogfight – Ext. (Daybreak) 175

Poe and the only remaining bomber have damaged the last shield generator under enemy fire. Poe sinks another aircraft shadowing his partner, but two TIE-I.N.s tail and rip into him. Poe takes evasive action. Without him protecting the bomber, it gets shot down.

Poe is unable to shake off the ships, and more start following him. The shield outside is only starting to fade. Poe is trapped here for a second longer. With the bit of time he has left, he quickly turns the craft and launches a missile at Zaltan's throne.

(Cut to the inside of the throne. The missile hits on the side opposite Rey and Cassariot Ren. They are knocked away and buried under rubble.)

On cue, that remaining damaged generator fails and the shield dome falls. Ren is exposed. Poe looks at the Imperial Family skyscrapers. He really thinks about it.

His delay gives a TIE-I.N. a chance and clips the Pulsar.9's engine. Poe's ship crash lands into a garden. He gets out of the craft with his hands in the air, surrounded by stormtroopers.

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176 Various Shots of Coruscant (Daybreak) 176

All eyes turn to see the Emperor's throne in flames, the garages of Ren smoking… and the shield dome dropped. Finn told the truth.

This ignites the populace. A teenager gets on top of a military hovercar, yelling "Finn Skywalker!" as he drops an improvised bomb inside. The crowd is a mix of fleeing and mobbing.

Men inside other rebel camps rush to their prepared crafts: "Finn Skywalker told the truth! We won't get another chance at this."

Stormtroopers in a port watch from a screen. The officer among the crowd turns around to all of them pointing their guns at him. One says: "Finn Skywalker will need this port."

Rioters and rebels on standby unleash themselves. Fires and bombs hit Imperial Family property everywhere.

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