Heir to Skywalker ⤇ Finn

Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Playlist: Her Intermission (on spotify)

Han, Padme and Chewie split. Chewie headed up to the upper levels, Padme to the pipes, and Han stayed on the lower level.

They placed their explosives quite quickly. The hardest part of Padme's job was getting to the middle of the pipes in the first place. She decided to scale the wall and go that way.

After a few slip ups and near falls, she finally made it. "Wow, okay they looked much closer together from down there," She muttered. She placed and armed the first explosive and prepared to jump to the second pipe. "I can do this, I can do this, I can -" She jumped, almost over-estimating the distance. "Oh, too much power, okay," She said. She decided, with the minimal explosives she had, to place them every three.

The sun was draining. Finn and Rey made their way on the snowspeeder towards an observation area before the sun was completely out, shutting off all heat access. They needed to get inside, and fast. Finn's coat wouldn't protect them both from the frozen climate of Illum.

After 10 or so minutes of arming and placing explosives and avoiding eyeshot from troopers, she had finally circled around again. As had Han and Chewie. She jumped down quietly, having gotten used to the feeling of using the force to jump and land.

Someone was approaching. Padme looked at Han, who was now very near her. They both knew who was coming, they had dreaded it all day. But the moment had arrived, and they couldn't escape it now. Physically, sure, but Padme knew Han couldn't leave without trying to bring back his son. Ben was in there somewhere, they just knew it.

They hid behind a power chamber before Kylo Ren passed them, which was soon after. Padme kept her mind blank, hopeful that the Commander of the First Order wouldn't sense her, or his father.

They watched him pass. Images flickered on the backs of her eyelids when she blinked. Images of their childhood, that night, and their most recent encounter. He was someone different know, but Han wouldn't give up on him.

Kylo Ren started to cross the bridge that connected the two sides of the oscillator. He was nearly ⅔ of the way across when everything went sideways.

Padme practically heard Han's thoughts as he remembered Leia's words earlier. Before she could do anything, Han was out of the hiding place.

"Ben!" His words echoed against the curved walls.

"No," Padme whispered. She had to reveal herself, too. Maybe if they were both there, it would help sway her cousin. So, she did.

"Han Solo. I've been waiting for this day for a long time," He introduced. Padme made herself seen beside her uncle. "Padme Skywalker, I'm surprised you've returned. Come to change your answer to my invitation?"

"Never," She shouted back. "I will never join the dark side."

"We'll see."

Finn and Rey finally arrived at the hatch to watch the ending of their mission. A ray of sunlight shone on Han, Padme and the dark figure Finn recognised as Kylo Ren.

"Take off that mask. You don't need it," Han shouted.

"What do you think you'll see if I do?" He asked from across the way.

Han stepped forward, against Padme's gentle pull against the back of his coat. "The face of my son."

He removed the mask, revealing Ben's face. The face Padme had seen when she had been captured with Poe, the face Han barely recognised. He hadn't seen his son in too long.

As if he heard Han's thoughts, Kylo Ren responded. "Your son is gone. He was weak and foolish, like his father." So I destroyed him."

"That's what Snoke wants you to believe but it's not true. My son is alive."

Padme stayed back, leaving the talking to Han. She feared her emotions would get the best of her, so she remained silent.

"No. The Supreme Leader is wise!" Kylo Ren shouted, defending his master.

Chewie joined Rey and Finn at the top observation deck.

Han moved closer again. "Snoke is using you for your power. When he gets what he wants, he'll crush you," Han let that settle. "You know it's true."

Padme sensed a shift in her cousin's signature. A flicker of light let her know he heard his father. He agreed. He could be saved. It isn't -

"It's too late," He said, directing the statement to Padme.

"No it's not. Leave here with us. Come home. We miss you," Han said. Padme yearned for her cousin back. Her best friend. For the first time in a long time, she had hope. Just that one flicker of light in him was enough to re-light the hope inside her.

Tears started to form in Kylo - Ben's eyes. It was him. "I'm being torn apart. I want to be free of this pain."

Padme felt it, too. The pain inside him had reached her. Agonizing, terrible pain.

Han took a few more steps, nearing his son.

"I know what I have to do, but I don't know if I have the strength to do it. Will you help me?" Ben asked, stepping forward and closing the gap between him and his father.

"Yes. Anything."

Ben took out his saber and extended it towards his father. For a split second, Padme thought he was on their side now. But no, it couldn't be that easy.

"No," Padme sensed realization in her uncle. She too recognised what will come next.

Just as the light vanished from the sun, Ben's signature disappeared, releasing Kylo Ren.

"No! Han -" A red light tore through Han's chest. The brightest source of light came from the weapon that Kylo Ren wielded to kill his own father.

"Thank you," Kylo Ren muttered, nearly out of earshot from Padme.

"No, no, no," Rey and Padme chanted together, unknowing of their synchrony.

Kylo Ren slowly let down the saber, Han tilting with it. Suddenly, the red light went out, as did Han's life force.

He wasn't quite gone before he fell off the catwalk.

Leia knows. She feels the disturbance in the Force. The love of her life was gone.

Kylo Ren stayed silent, horrified by his own actions. Padme stayed silent too, almost as horrified as her cousin. Reason being that Ben was the one to kill his father, not Kylo Ren.

He had killed his own father so that Kylo Ren would rule the galaxy. He couldn't return now.

The spell of silence was broken by the screams of Chewie, followed by the firing of his bowslinger, the gun his friend used to love.

Just one shot was enough to hit Kylo Ren. His side began to bleed as he stepped back, stunned.

But Padme couldn't move. She was mortified by what her best friend had done. She kept eye contact with him, a blank expression hiding the pure rage she felt inside.

The darkness was released again.

a/n - welp. we did it, folks. we killed the best smuggler in the galaxy. good job. i would like to thank no one because this is a crime. 

anyways its raining and i had two migraines yesterday and was awake for 5 hours. my back hurts. 

enough complaining, how is yall's quarantine going?

-olivia <333