Star Wars: 30 Years Later The Real Story - Chapter 36

Starkiller’s Orbit – Finalizer Star Destroyer

– “Populist and Centrist factions had opened fire on our ships, General”- informed an officer

– “Enemy requesting communication, General”- informed another one.

– “Open it”- ordered Hux looking at the panels.

– “Here Amilyn Holdo from the Populist Factin of the New Republic”- said the voice of a female who semeed to feel superior for the way she was talking to Hux- “We come here to bring justice for all the innocent people that were murdered by the First Order… surrender immediately and we will show mercy!”

– “Ransolm Casterfo here”- said another voice and Hux recognized the tough and stubborn man behind it- “you can surrender if you want but we will destroy you anyways so I suggest you to run away”

– “Well, I did not know you two were gong to work together against the First Order” said Hux showing no fear- “I see you are in better terms than people would say.”

– “I don’t know the racist prick on the other channel”- said Holdo with a great hatred- “I’m here representing justice and fairness”

– “I will make a pact with the devil if necessary in order to kick your buŧŧ, Hux”- said Casterfo ignoring the comments of Holdo- “your crimes will be paid in blood so wash your neck and wait for us…!”

– “What a waste of time”- said Hux but he knew they had done that to distrct him from giving commands but they were incredibly naive if they thought that would work with him- “Just delaying the inevitable… Prepare for new orders”

– “Yes, General”

Hux was extremely annoyed by the newcomers who had definitely given the Resistance a breather and were causing losses by both flanks of his formation. However, this did not make him panic and he just started to think about how to reaccomodate his forces in order to face this new scenario.

– “Separate both flanks as different quadrants in the maps from sectors AC-200 to AC-500 tagged as quadrant A while JK-600 to JK-900 as B”- ordered Hux and almost immediately the new sectors appeared in the map with different colors- “Also tag all the previous battlefield as quadrant C.”

– “Maps have been updated”

– “Quadrant A is led by the Centrists who are battle maniacs without a shred of intelligence”-thought Hux and immediately thought of a counter- “Have all captains in the quadrant to wait for the enemy attack and wait for openings. They should not try to go on the offense unless victory is definite.”

– “Yes, General”

– “Quadrant B is led by the Populists who are extremely timid and coward”- ȧssessed Hux who had fought against them in the past, they were the type to retreat immediately if things went a little south for them- “Have all the captains to launch an aggressive offense to them. Don’t let them breathe and push them to their limits… I’ll be surprised if they do not run with ther tails between their legs after 10 minutes…”

– “Roger that”

– “How much time more for the weapon to be ready?”- asked Hux knowing that the Resistance was just like a desperate and helpless man drowning and he would enjoy the show until the end.

– “The weapon will be ready in… eh?”- the officer received some news that made her stop her words and her expression just froze due to the shock.

– “What…?”

– “A small fleet has been deployed and is going in direction with the StarKiller Base”

– “That’s impossible”- said Hux with a mocking tone.

– “The shield has been deactivated”- said the officer who had been shocked- “we have been notified that the shield generator has been destroyed”

– “What…?”- said Hux thinking that the mere idea of the possibility of the loss of the shield generator was so ridiculous that it could not go through his skull but then he opened his eyes wide- “send the red alert to the base and deploy all the TIE fighters in the squadron 502 to follow and destroy the enemy before they can land”

– “Yes, Sir…”

Hux was extremely annoyed and he could not believe he had been played like this by the Resistance. However, he was even more annoyed by the fact that the land forces had allowed such attack to occur.

(…)

Poe Dameron started to breathe and tried to calm down the tremnble in his hands. It was not nervousness, but anxiousness. He wanted to get out and fight. He oculd not never sit still while others were out there dying for the cause. He really wanted to fight but waiting was also part of the mission. He was following the radio and he heard how their boys and girls where falling lke flies. If he and his squadron were there he was totally sure he could minimze the losses but it was not his function today.

– “I know how you feel, Captain”- said the voice of Admiral Akbar- “I’m sure all your team feels the same, so I need you to give them the example.”

– “Yes, Admiral”

There was a different beep in the radio and now Akbar’s voice could be heard by all the Rogue Squadron.

– “We have received transmissions from the StarKiller base and it seems General Solo has infiltrated succesfully”- said the rasp voice of the legendary Mon Calamari- “Prepare and be like a arrow which is tensed by the bow ready to be fire. Gather that anxiousness so when you go out, you are an unstoppable force…Akbar out!”

– “Ok, guys”- siad Poe and he surprised himseflf to hear his collected voice- “You heard the admiral, our time will be here at any moment. I don’t want anyone to be sleeping when the time comes.”

Many laughs could be heard in the hangar and like that around five minutes passed when the green light activated.

– “Rogue Squadron!”- the voice of General Organa resounded in the hangar and Poe felt his blood rush knowing the time had come- “Initiate the atack!”

The R-droids beeped in joy as their pilots put on their helmets and started their machines. What had been a graveyard a few moments ago had transformed into a noisy mix of sounds that foreshadowed the battle that was about to come.

– “Hangar 43-J ready to deploy”- multiple voices said through the speakers.

– “All permission granted!”

– “Green light given!”

– “Opening the gates!”

– “Only permitted personnel must be in the area!”

– “Operations personnel follow the protocols for the take-off!”

Following a pattern that had been drilled many times before, the X-wing Starfighters of the Rogue Squadron started to float some meters while being directed by their operators who used light sticks. Poe followed the instructions carefully. One could consider it a waste of time, but they would waste more time if someone provoked an accident inside the hangar. Poe looked at his operator and saluted him thanking him for his efforts. The operator returned the gesture and wished him luck.

– “Rogue Squadron ready to deploy!”- said Poe with a clear voice and waited for the permission.

As soon as they heard the permission, they all departed as a bolt that had been shot from a powerful crossbow. Their mission was clear and very straightforward.

– “Everyone maintain formation and be ready for hostile reception!”- said Poe as they descended and confirmed that the Starkiller planet did not have any protection.

– “Black Leader! Multiple hostiles descending after us”- said Rogue 10- “and many more coming up front!”

– “hat was faster than expected”- said Poe but immediately used the contingency plan- “Teams A and B take my lead… Teams C and D cover our back and the rest open a way for us in the front.”

– “Roger!”

– “Approaching target!”- said Rogue 10 again when they were surrounding a frozen mountain- “Fighters incoming!”

– “Coming at 28.336”

– “Everyone knows what to do!”- said Poe feeling the terrifying yet thrilling vertigo that only pilot can experiment- “Give them hell!”

All the starfighters changed to their battle X-wing mode and separated to receive the incoming enemy TIE fighters which were trying to sandwich them.

– “Heavy fire! Avoid going directly!”

– “We lost Humberts!”

– “Yahoo! Down you go!”

The battle ensued immediately and everything started to happen at a breaking speed. Sometime you did not even realize you are already dead due to how fast everything occurs and maybe that was for the best since at least you would not suffer a slow and torturing dead like many infantry troopers who many times begged for a quick end.

– “Teams A and B! Ignore the incoming enemies and follow me!”- said Poe and immediately increased the speed to pass through the TIE fighters- “Change weapons to Proton torpedoes! Almost in range. Hit the target dead center. As many runs as we can get! All right. Let’s light it up.”

They descended as lightning coming from the sky in a wild roar and passed over the oscillator building as they launch their torpedoes which fell and caused multiple destruction.

– “Hah!, direct hit.”- said Rogue 6 in a happy tone.

– “But no damage!”- noted Rogue 8 who seemed dissapointed for the lack of impact

– “Yeah, we gotta keep hitting it. Another bombing run!”- said Poe a little surprised by the level of armor they had and then he noticed the sun was extinguishing at an alarming rate- “Remember, when the sun is gone that weapon will be ready to fire. But as long as there’s light, we got a chance. Guys, we got a lot of company!”

Multiple TIE fighters came behind them. It seemed that the teams he sent to cover them were not enough to stop all of them. Also, the land Anti-aerial weaponry was shooting a heavy load on them which made them fly in a more careful manner.

– “I got one behind me. You see it?”

– “Yeah. I’m on it. Burillo’s been hit.”

– “Watch out for ground fire.”

– “Jess! Move 54 on those two bastards!”

– “On it!”

– “Poe! the weapon will shoot in ten minutes you have to hurry.”- said Maz’ voice through the intercom.

– “Working on it!”- replied Poe while dodging the fire of three TIE fighters who seemed to have been sent to deal with him exclusively- “Keep bombing… we have a target to destroy!”

(…)

Meanwhile on land, Rey and Finn had managed to escape from the Starkiller base and were now trying to find their way to the Falcon. They had been separated from Chewee and the last they saw of him was his furious roar while throwing himself to battle. In a mad rage he started to slaughter every stormtrooper he found and he even tore apart one in half when he managed to grab him. They did not hear anything from Luke since the intercom had gone silent since the explosion. They had no option but to go to the Falcon and wait for the other two.

– “The Falcon was East from the base”- said Finn checking his holomap and confirming their position.

He hard soft sobs and then he noticed that Rey was crying. Finn knew the reason very well. Han Solo had died and he also felt a terrible pain in his ċhėst. They may just have known him a few days but the impact he had in both of them was more than any other person had. He was tough but he was loving in his own way and he had saved them frm death many times. He had cared for them more than anyone, at least for Finn. Finn was not a kid anymore but he thought that if he could be half a man of what Han Solo had been, he could raise his head and walk proudly in his life but bow it was not the time. They were surrounded by enemies and they had to go before they were found.

– “It’s this way…”- he said while taking Rey’s hand softly- “we need to keep going…”

She just nodded meekly and let Finn pull her to the direction where they had to go and the two of them started running through the forest which was covered by snow all over but suddenly she felt something and stopped on her tracks. Finn looked at her confused but then he heard the characteristic sound of ignition of a lightsaber. They both walked to a clear and they found Kylo Ren who seemed to be waiting for them.

– “We’re not done yet”- said Kylo Ren with his typical robotic voice behind the mask. He emitted a dangerous aura as usual but Finn detected something wrong with his posture and breathing- “you two will come with me.”

– “You’re delusional!”- said Finn who believed that Kylo Ren was injured due to Chewee’s shot and the explosion- “why would I return to such horrible organization which only knows how to destroy! I’d rather die!”

– “You have no idea of what is coming, FN-2187.”- said Kylo Ren who seemed to be more talkative than usual- “Only power will save the galaxy…”

– “You killed your own father!”- shouted Rey who was enraged by the lack of emotion of the lord Sith- “you don’t feel anything?”

– “The death of Han Solo had a purpose…”- he said but even though he seemed confident, Finn and Rey could detect a hint of doubt in his voice- “his sacrifice will help in the long run…”

– “You’re a monster!”- yelled Rey and immediately took the laser pistol she had on her waist and pointed at Kylo Ren with it, but almost immediately the dark lord waved his hand on her direction and she felt an terrible force pushing her on the air.

– “Rey!”- shouted Finn as he saw the young girl hitting a tree with a terrible hit which made her unconscious by the time she landed heavily on the ground. He ran to her and examined her while embracing her trying to wake her up- Rey! Oh, no. No, no. Rey!

– “Stand up, Traitor!”- Kylo Ren said and Finn could detect a very angry voice under his tone. It semmed Rey’s words had really affected him- “I’ll personally test you so don’t dissapoint me.”

Finn stood up and faced Kylo Ren who seemed more menacing and threatening than ever. However, Finn felt such anger that it overrode any fear he may have. He threw his blaster and took the lightsaber igniting it. He knew perfectly well that blasters would not work on him. He had seen others make the same mistake. If he were to have a chance, it was by using the lightsaber even though he knew he was facing a master vastly superior to the previous knights of Ren he had fought before.

– “That lightsaber… It belongs to me…”- said Kylo Ren but Finn ignored him and ȧssumed a stance and tried to calm down and connect with the Force like he did with Phasma since that was his only chance.

– “Come get it!”- said Finn and then he calmed down his breathing in order to focus in the moment and just follow his instincts.

– “Impressive…”- said Kylo Ren who seemed to have noticed Finn’s actions and started to walk around him like a lion looking for an opening- “it seems you have been introduced in the ways of the Force…”

– “Just a little…”- said Finn and he also moved to maintain the distance between the two of them and he tried to remember what Luke had told him.

“He will try to enter to your mind and attack you mentally so you attack him in rage but if you do that, you’ll be dead the next second, Kylo is a master so do not lose focus and do not lose control… you can be angry but never lose control. Create distance and work on your defense and wait for an opening but be careful with the feints…”

It was too much to remember but at least he could do the basics and keep his distance while submerging more and more into the sensation of feeling and using the Force which was still a very elusive concept. Was it a power? an entity? does it exist in everything? does it come from myself or from the universe? Or maybe both? This was giving him a headache, in the end it did not matter as long as he could use it to defeat his enemies…

– “Did the old man teach you?”- asked Kylo Ren and Finn detected his mocking tone- “did he lie to you about the Force as he did with me?”

– “He did”- replied Finn keeping his cool attitude- “are you jealous…?”

In that moment Kylo Ren moved in such a fast way that Finn could not follow the attack but he somehow knew where to move his arms and he let his instincts guide his body and managed to block the swing that would have cut him in half otherwise. However, the impact was so strong that he was forced to back down many steps and hand to use his hand as help in order to not fall to the ground.

– “Not bad at all…”- said Kylo Ren but Finn knew he was not being honest- “with a proper training you could be amazingly powerful”

– “More than you?”- asked Finn trying to gain time.

– “There is a difference in talent”- said Kylo Ren who seemed to not mind waiting for him- “if someone may be stronger than me it would be that girl…”

– “Rey?”- asked Finn with confusion.

– “It’s something you’ll know in the future…”- said Kylo Ren and his aura changed into one that was freezing cold- “time is over… you pass so I’ll take you now and we’ll talk more when you wake up.”

He advanced again and all the alarms sounded in Finn’s mind so he let his body move against Kylo Ren with a furious roar. Kylo seemed surprised that he had taken the initiave but still blocked the blow easily and followed with three swings that forced Finn to retreat while blocking them in a very messy manner but then he evaded the last blow and counter attack with a violent down chop that Kylo Ren parried and made Finn lost his balance.

– “I’m so out of his league…”- thought Finn while retreating once more and trying desperately to think in a way to get out of this situation- “if he wanted me dead instead of taking me alive, I would have died many times already…”

His more powerful blows were a mosquito bIte for his opponent, his footwork was like a drunken dance in the lord Sith’s eyes and any idea he could think of had been taken in consideration ages before he had even planned them. In simple words the difference in skill, experience and talent was just overwhelming. Not even Phasma had given him this sense of helplessness before. Just in that moment, as if mocking him, he did the same down chop he had dne before but this was done in such masterfuly way and with such power and precision that Finn was sent to the ground like sack of potatoes feeling all the air in his lungs escape in a second.

– “Cheh!”- Finn saw Kylo Ren make a painful move which was the reason why he did not follow the attack so Finn decided to use that to his advantage and forced himself to stand up.

He immediately swang the lightsaber against Ren but he easily evaded the attack and even made a flourish with his lightsaber as if mocking him for the attempt. Then he dashed to Finn and attacked mercilessly and Finn somehow managed to block, parry and evade feelingthat every move he did was simply flawless and did not waste any sip of energy at all. He wanted to retreat but his back felt an obstacle he had not noticed.

– “Damn!”- he said noticing the tree and realizing that Kylo Ren had moved him there- “just give me a break!”

Knowing he could not evade, he swang furiously and blocked Ren’s attack and both had the lightsabers crossed but Finn noticed how strong Ren was and his lightsaber was pushed back to him with every second while hecould see Kylo Ren’s mask getting closer to his face.

– “Maybe a little pain will show you the truth”- said Kylo Ren and he change the angle allowing the small laser in the tilt of his handle to touch Finn’s shoulder.

Finn felt the burning sensation melt the leather of the jacket and penetrating his skin and touching the bone. He could only scream in pain but instead of surrender, the pain and anger made him act and immediately used his knee to hit the sides of Kylo Ren torso which was broken by Chewee’s attack. The effect was immediate, and Finn noticed his ooponent’s pressure lift and he swang the lightsaber in a feint that Kylo Ren fell for due to the pain and surprise and Finn managed to land a clean hit on the shoulder of Kylo Ren who left a groan of pain escape.

– “That’s your pain!”- said Finn and advance to continue with his momentum but he understood his mistake a second later when Kylo Ren turned his face to him.

Finn knew that his face must have been showing a terrible sight even though he could not see behind the mask. He easily blocked the attack and immediately disarmed him in such a way that Finn could not believe it. Immediately he felt a terrible punch on his face that made him turn around due to the power behind it and in the next second he felt a terrible and horrible feeling of being cut in half from behind just before falling into darkness.

– “Finn!”- Rey who had awaken saw Finn being slashed by the lightsaber of Kylo Ren and she thought the worst. She immediately ran to Finn’s lightsaber which had been thrown very near to her but when she was about to take it, it floated on the air out of her reach.

– “That’s not yours…”- said the voice of Kylo Ren who was pointing at the blue lightsaber with his hand- “you will come with me and… eh?”

The lightsaber that was floating on the air stayed there even though Kylo was trying to pull it to his hand. He increased the power to make the lightsaber fly to him but it just stayed there in the same position as if mocking him. A few seconds later the lightsaber moved but not to Kylo Ren but to the other direction and lande on the hand of a man who had just appeared from the forest.

– “It’s not yours either, Ben”- said the voice of Luke Skywalker who was looking at his nephew with cold and harsh eyes which made the frozen forests’s temperature even more gelid.