STAR WARS: EPISODE VII - THE LAST JEDI (with a better story)

Nineteen - Solo

The Raddus

Bit by bit, the Raddus is being ripped apart.

Turbolaser fire shreds the hull, drawing out explosions from within. The entire ship is rocked back and forth, struggling to remain in one piece.

On the bridge, Leia takes a seat in one of the officer's chairs. There is a joystick and throttle in front of her. She puts one hand on each. She moves the joystick around, angling the Raddus at the Supremacy. She looks out at the remains of the Resistance fleet and for a moment only stares. At length she nods, and returns her gaze forward.

Suddenly, the comm crackle with Poe's voice. "General, they said you were only one left onboard. What are you doing!?"

Leia smirks.

"Sorry, Poe. I spent all that time chiding you for being reckless. Now here I am doing something worse than anything you ever pulled..." She shakes her head.

"Leia get out of there!" Poe shouts. "We can still all make it out of here!"

She sighs. "No Poe, I don't think we can."

"No! You...you can't! This is all my fault, if I hadn't-"

"Poe listen to me! You did the best you could. You were reckless..." She laughs to herself. "...but we're freedom fighters. We're all reckless. I guess I forgot that for a while."

"Leia, you can't..." Poe says quietly. "...we need you."

"No you don't. You'll do just fine without me..." Her voice trails off. "...take care of the men. Ackbar's a good strategist, but he doesn't know the men in the same way you do. You'll make a fine leader."

"I...no! I'm coming to get you!"

"No you aren't!" Leia commands. "You go keep the rest of this fleet alive. That's an order. My last one. Understand, soldier?"

"...yes ma'am."

Poe's X-wing turns and starts to fly away from the Raddus. Leia smiles at that and the tension seems to release from her body.

"Goodbye, Poe Dameron. You were the best soldier a commander could ask for." Leia says, with teary eyes.

"Goodbye...Princess Leia."

Poe's hands tremble on his controls, as if burning to whirl around and fly back to the Raddus' aid.

But he doesn't.

Poe sucks in a labored breath, and flies his X-wing onward, to the the remainder of the Resistance fleet.

Leia watched him go. Finally, she wipes her eyes, and sets her hand back on the throttle.

"Coming to see you Han..."

***

The Chimera

"They're escaping on shuttles." Hux says.

Thrawn narrows his eyes at the smaller ships leaving the Raddus.

"Shall we target them, sir?" An officer asks.

"Why would they abandon their command ship now...?" Thrawn muses.

"Perhaps they think by splitting up a few of them may survive." Hux suggests. "It's pointless though, we will destroy them all."

Thrawn drums his fingers on the command chair, looking thoughtful. His eyes widen suddenly, and he stands bolt upright.

"Hail the Supremacy, now!"

***

The Supremacy