Star Wars: 30 Years Later The Real Story - Chapter 52

Finn dashed towards Phasma at full speed ignoring the warnings from Rey who had not reacted on time to stop him. Seeing the young man approachinga at a very unnatural speed, Lensen raised his hand to give the order to all the stormtroopers around to shoot, but Phasma stopped him from doing so.

– “Let me deal with him”- she said with a voice which showed a great fighting spirit. The commander showed his disaproval with a harrumph but lowered his hand in a silent acceptance.

She immediately started to run while taking her baton which was made of the best materials just as her battle armor which was a engineering wonder based on the technology of the Mandalorians while improved wth other forging techniques from dark places which made it even stronger, lighter tand would put any mandalotian armor to shame.

– “Come on, 2187”- shouted Phasma as she made a pistol appear from wh knows where and shot at Finn who also responded by drawing his plasma gun and shooting almost at the same time.

They both shot and even though Finn had shot well placed shots, the armor of Phasma just recieved the blasters like nothing and they rebounced doing no damage. As for phasma’s shots, Finn used his lightsaber to deflect some of them and evaded the rest. Seeing that their blasters were of no use, they both put them away and grabbed their meelee weapons tighter as they jumped to meet each other.

– “Ahhhhhhhhh”

– “Ahhhhhhh”

CLASH

They meet in the air and both wepons clashed repelling each other since Phasma’s baton was made of a material which could not be sliced by lightsabers easily. Phasma kept atacking with a combo of three hit which tested any defesnse due to the strange patterns and angles she used. However, Finn managed to defend and counter attack using his own techniques but after nine exchanges both repelled each other and took distance. Phasma laughed in satisfaction.

– “It seems you have not lost your edge, 2187”- said Phasma with a tone that showed a little note of pride- “I always knew you had potential… what a waste you decided to use it in the wrong side.”

– “You do not have to stand up”- said she before shooting a trooper who could not continue running after being totally exhausted just to look at the rest of them as if telling they wuld be next if they dared to fall.

Finn thought it was a waste of potential. Maybe they were not the best but with time and effort they could become something better. In the eyes of Phasma though, if you had no talent you were useless and it was the same if you died now or later. She sowed seeds of terror in every candidate under her since the moment they entered into her FN Corps and many times Finn, himself was beaten by her in order to make “his potential bloom.” Even though Finn’s results were the best of the class, in her eyes he was passable and what was worse, she used him as a way to pressure and terrify the other members placing his results as if they were the minimum required to achieve which was impossible for the rest to do. This only created an environment of stress and desperation and made Finn the target of hatred and resentment since if it was not for him, they would not have to suffer so much.

– “They are only jealous!”- had told him his protegee “Slip,” or FN-2003 when Finn started to feel overwhelmed- “you’re the best FN-2003!”

Of course, others than Slip, there were other candidates who still approached him with worshiping and amazed eyes expecting to befriend him. Most of them were only looking for use him somehow and he learned to differentiate those people and keep his distance. He still managed to lead and earn the trust of the teams he was in charge of. Due to his high performance, he was transferred to an elite team under Phasma’s direct command. The change was heavy on him, since he had to say bye to the cemented position he had among his peers and be considered a newcomer who was treated with mock and humiliation by the veterans who were eager to put the “rookie” in his place. The only thing that was good, was that Slip was also ȧssigned to his platoon and this gave Finn the mental strength to keep on and soon he was gaining reputation until his fall from grace when he refused to obey Phasma to shoot the protesting miners.

– “I… wanted… to help…”- said with a weak voice before dying in FN-2187 arms.

His only friend had died in Jakku feeling desperation and with the hope of having make something good. However, he saw the reality of the First Order and their “justice” in both situations when they attacked civilians and killed them in cold blood.

– “Traitor!”

– “Kill him!”

– “For the First Order!”

– “The point is to never become insensitive to the act of taking a life while not permitting the hatred and violence dominate you”- had told him Master Skywalker when he asked about this topic- “even Jedi have to take lives to protect the balance but one thing is to do what you must and other different is to relish in the death of others.”

It was very difficult since he had been taught from childhood to use his anger and many other negative emotions to focus and get the upper hand in combat situations, which was of course another thing Phasma reinforced during her training. It was very difficult not to hate an enemy who was trying to kill you and even more difficult to control the sense of elation and joy after defeating said enemy knowing that you were better than him.

– “Put your hands up”

However, the war did not give him time to put his emotions in order before having to face them directly in the middle of the battle where any dobt or second thoughts could very well cost you dearly.

– “Go to hell, traitor!”- shouted back the trooper before activating a termal detonator which blowed the place taking many republic soldiers as many other troopers.

Finn had always tried to take stormtroopers alive if possible, but sometimes they were simply too stubborn and prefered to die in battle than being taken as prisoners. This was another result of the First Order and Phasma’s training and had cost the lives of many who like him maybe could have seen the light and change. He knew that it was a difficult task, but after the Battle of Startkiller base, he had started a personal campaign to try and convince captured stormtroopers of the real face of the First Order. He would visit prisoners and show them evidence, including the fact that most of them had been abducted and their parents killed and many examples of the terrible masacres and terror acts of the First Order.

– “It’s a lie… you’re lying!”- he had heard many times- “they were rebels… I never killed innocents!”

The results were slow and little to be honest. Many times, the stormtroopers decided to end their own lives after discovering the truth since it was too much for them to take. Others, had isolated into themselves and even lose their sanity. Of course, there were many who had pretended to be convinced, only to betray them and return into the First Order with new information about the Republic.

– “You’re a traitor and I hate you!”

– “Stop, Finn”- said the voice of Leia- “this is taking us no where…”

Finn knew she was right, of course. However, the resentment for Phasma was something that he would still need a lot of time to deal with. Even Luke had realized this during his meditation sessions and today he had been proved correct at attacking in anger which was totally against the Jedi code.

– “Is it over already?”- asked Phasma with dissapointment and Finn could imagine her nasty grin under her helmet- “at least you still know how to obey orders like a good dog.”

Using every drop of willpower he had, he forced himself to turn his lightsaber off and stepped back to where Leia and the rest of his group was.

– “Since it seems this is over, Lensen”- said Leia using her most diplomatic tone- “Shouldn’t you at least control your subordinates?”

– “It was your bodyguard who attacked first”- said Lensen in the same diplomatic tone- “I ȧssure you I wish no unnecessary bloodshed here.”

– “In that case you should not be wary since you have the obvious advantage”- said Leia with a respectful tone.

– “All my years of experience fighting against you, Channcellor had taught me to never understimate you”- said Lensen with a cordial smile- “Which is why I’ll ask you to give all your weapons to the people behind you.”

From the shadows behind the way they had come two figures clad in black robes and mechanical masks appeared and walked to them while having lightsabers ready at their hands.

– “It’s surprising Snoke let the already scarce Knights of Ren bring two of their members”- said Leia with a surprised expression- “I’m flattered”

– “That only shows the importance of your capture, Chancellor” – said Lensen who showed a relaxed expression knowing that his victory was ȧssured and there was nothing his opponents could do- “now, please surrender and I will make sure that you and your bodyguards are treated kindly. Otherwise I’ll have to kill them all and take you unconscious to the Supreme Leader.”

– “Lensen you know why you never ascended further than you are now?”- said Leia with a grin which made Lensen feel that she was up to something- “because you never learned to look beyond the obvious that is before your eyes.”

He raised a brow at this comment and he mentally checked the battleground. The enemy was completely surrounded. Phasma placed herself next to Lensen to ȧssure his protection while the two knights of Ren had already arrived to their position and were flanking the group. Lensen looked at the stormtroopers which were surrounding the enemy from a higher position and he concluded it was a perfect formation with no possibility of escape or retaliation.

– “There is no need for pointless bluffing, Chancellor”- said Lensen smiling at the attitude of Leia which seemed nothing more than a tantrum made by a kid who had lost- “This is my win so do not take more of my time.”

– “I will not”- said Leia grinning even more broadly- “to be honest I am also extremely busy and cannot waste more time here.”

Lensen was very confused and did not understand why she seemed to be so confident even though she was utterly outnumbered.

– “Its time to seal the deal”- said Leia and immediately Lensen felt a terrible hit behind his head which sent him to dreamland immediately.

– “Start the mission”- shouted Phasma and immediately all stormtroopers on the right side of the hangar started shooting their blasters to their own allies who were completely shocked and could not react on time. Many were downed almost immediately with only a few taking cover and shooting back.

Almost immediately, a deep magenta colored lightsaber appeared at Mara’s hand and moved at such speed that most would only see a brief flash before being cut in half. However, the knight of Ren who had received the attack managed to evade the slash though not completely and his armor had been sliced and you could see some blood being visible. The knight of Ren which seemed to be female put distance from the master while activating her lightsaber.

– “Celina!”

– “Yes, Master!”- said the young girl who immediately jumped on the injured knight of Ren while activating her two lightsabers using a dual wielding style which such ferocity that had nothing to envy the most bloodthirsty Sith.

While this was happening on that side, the other had a similar scene but having two youngsters attacking the other knight of Ren who had also been taken by surprise but who had reacted faster than his counterpart and avoided the surprise attack that Rey had launched against him. Even so, now he was on the defensive trying to deflect the constant barrage of attacks which Rey and Finn were unleashing at him at an incredible syncronization which was only possible after practicing together for a long time.

– “Shouldn’t you help them?”- asked Phasma seeing that Mara stayed next to Leia who was already walking to Mon Mothma to untie her.

– “They will be fine”- said Mara with complete confidence while deflecting any stray blasters which flew their way.

The reason Phoenix sticked with Leia was because she knew the padawans could manage on their own. For last three years, Luke and Mara had focused in hunting down the most powerful members of this knights of Ren while looking for Kylo Ren, as a result, the First Order seemed to have accelerated the recruiting of Force sėnsɨtɨvė individuals to fill in the ranks which had caused a notable decline in the quality of the individuals. Veteran members could now be counted with the fingers and most of the members were at most padawan level. In the case of the two knights of Ren now present. The female she had injured was very powerful while the other was obviously just a recently ordained Sith apprentice. She had injured the most problematic while leaving the weaker one to Rey and Finn. Of course, she could have easily gotten rid of them, but they were just the perfect target practice for the three padawans to hone their abilities.

– “Injured mice for the kittens…”- said Phasma who seemed to like Mara’s approach.

Mara’s trust was not wrong and very soon, Celina overwhelmed her opponent with her agressive and constant barrage of attacks. She was totally different from the quiet and seemengly anti social person Finn had fought before and she was like an extremely agressive wild animal. She easily managed to break the already weaken defense of the female knight of Ren and finish her off by stabbing her on the ċhėst. As soon as her opponent fell down, Celine returned to her cold and quiet attitude while never lowering her guard.

– “Now, Rey!”- shouted Finn flanking their enemy.

– “On it!”- replied Rey accelerating from the other side.

– “Pull him down!”- said Rey and both padawans used a Force pull which sent the knight of Ren to the floor in a violent manner and even though he managed to land safely. It was very obvious he had hurt his knees and maybe ankles and was tumbling.

Finn and Rey did not give any opportunity and once again attacked him in combination, having Finn attracting the attention of the enemy while Rey danced around looking for an opening to exploit. It was simply too much for the knight of Ren who was pushed back and would be soon neutralized.

– “Damn it!”- shouted the knight of Ren and he seemed to have gotten a second wind- “I’ll kill you!”

Somehow, the dark user seemed to gain speed and power beyond what he had shown until that moment and managed to stand his ground against both Rey and Finn. He started to make random objects fly on their direction breaking their formation. In a moment he managed to make a big container fly to Finn who had to use a complex pirouette to evade the huge object but this made him get lost behind it making it impossible to support Rey who now had to face the knight of Ren by herself.

– “Raaahhh die!!!”- the dark user of the Force started to unleash heavy blows injecting his anger and hatred making Rey go on the defensive and about to be overwhlemed.

She knew she had to hold off as much as she could until reinforces came; however, her defense was slowly being breached and she knew she had to act before it was too late. However, the knight of Ren did not give her the opportunity and hit her using a big box of metal which hit her on the side breaking her posture. Rey saw his opponent’s red lightsaber in front of her face and by reflex evaded and jumped trying to get distance but his enemy pulled her back to the floor where she lost her lightsaber due to the impact.

– “You’re mine now!”- said the dark user apprtoaching but Rey used a powerful Force push which made the Sith also lose his lightsaber but immediately used a Force lightning again only this time concentrating all the power on Rey who tried to block it using a Force barrier but it started to dissapear bvery fast and she could feel the electricity on her skin and she knew the attack would hit her completely in a matter of seconds- “you’re nothing in front of the power of the Dark side!”

For some reason, that phrase made Rey very angry. As if something inside her had awoken and felt the person in front of her was not worthy of those words. The pain caused fro the electricity fueled the feeling of anger even more and soon Rey was looking at the Knight of Ren with furious eyes full of hatred.

– “Use it now!”- Rey seemed to hear from somewhere inside her heart in seething and dark voice- “Show this faker what true power is…”

Rey would have normally fought this voice and the will it showed but the pain and the anger had simply overwhelmed her and she felt that her strength returned and could fight back. The Force barrier vanished completely but Rey now started to receive the lightning directly with her hands using a technique Luke had taught her which had been used previously by Master Yoda against Sith lords who used this type of attack. He received the lightning and then dispersed it. This action made the knight of Ren surprised by he continued his attack by increasing the power.

– “Use your anger… unleash your fury”- whispered the voice in her head which had a tone that showed a cruel glee- “stop holding back… make him submit!”

Rey started to stand up and soon the lightning started to return to its caster who started to tremble and even though you coud not see his expression behind the mask one could easily tell he was horrified. How could this young girl return his own lightning and where she could get the power to do so… he decided to stop his attack, but then he noticed that the torrent of lightning still came to him. The pain started to run through every cell of his body as he received this attack and immediately knew that he was suffering not from his own lightning but the girl’s.

– “You’re supposed to be a Jedi!!”- he said while screaming in pain- “you’re not supposed to use this attack.”

– “Oh! and who decided that?”- said the girl but her voice had a different tone and etween his spams of pain the knight of Ren could see that the girl in front of him was smiling with a gleeful grin and her eyes were not the same color as before- “you are… using…”

– “I’ll show you power!”- said Rey stopping the torrent of lightning and clearly enjoying the view of her opponent spasming in front of her.

– “No…”- shouted the knight of Ren using his anger to ignore the pain and once again making objects fly to Rey while jumping back to create distance.

Rey simply evaded the objects with a dashing speed and appeared in front of the dark side user who felt a terrible cold feeling when he saw the glare she was giving him. He tried to use another attack of Force ightning but before he could gather the power to do so he felt a sharp pain and a sense of weightlessness coming from his arm. He needed some seconds to notice that his arm had been chopped off by his own lightsaber which for some reason was now in Rey’s hand. However, before he could even speak, he felt his body being lifted on the air and thrown at a metallic box with a tremendous power, making his bones tremble in such way that he thought they were broken.

– “Who… are… you?”- asked the knight of Ren fighting for not losing conscience due to the pain and then he saw the girl walking to him with cold eyes as if she were watching an insect which disgusted her.

She advanced with the red lightsaber which gave her a horrying yet magnificent visage which for some reason captivated the knight of Ren and he could only see the girl raise his own lightsaber and without any doubt or mercy slash down to him.