Star Wars: Duel of the Fates

Chapter 41

"Ok," Poe said from the bridge over the comlink, "We are about to drop out of hyperspace: everyone on standby for the lead cruiser to fire the disrupter."

They returned to normal space.

Lasan was far beneath them, four Star Destroyers orbiting above it.

"Countdown starting now," Rose said, "Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one."

The lights across the entire cruiser went dark as the shockwave spread out from the front of the vessel. It engulfed each of the Star Destroyers in turn as all of the Resistances systems rebooted.

"Ok, is everything back online?" Poe asked.

"All systems operational," Connix said.

"What about the First Order ships?"

"They're down."

Poe smiled, "I feel like this is going to be a good day."

Colonel D'Arcy nodded, "How long until the autocannons are primed?"

"A few minutes."

"Connix," Poe said, "I want you watching the readout on their ships: at the first sign that they're active before we're ready I want us out of here. Landing bay, I want all pilots on standby in case this goes south."

"Engines are set and we're ready for a fight," Snap replied over the com.

"Hopefully it won't come to that."

Finn was let into the detention block of the cruiser.

He rubbed his eyes and sighed heavily as he stood outside the cell where the Mirialan boy was lying casually on a bunk. Seeing Finn, he came forward and leant between the bars, "What do you want?"

"You been given any food?" Finn asked crossing his arms.

"I'm used to not having much, this is no different."

"I'll have something sent to you when I leave."

"...You fixed everything didn't you?"

"We did," Finn said, "We also made a disrupter that took out the First Orders ships."

The boy looked at him incredulously, "So...you got away safely?"

Finn nodded.

"Are you here to gloat?" the boy asked.

"No."

"To lecture me then? Save your breath."

"I thought that you might want to know what the High Command has decided to do with you."

"Let me guess? Execution."

"No."

The boy looked surprised for a moment but then wiped his face blank, "What then?"

"For now you'll be kept in here. Then you'll get a trial to decide your punishment."

"How civilised," he said glibly.

"You don't even understand what you've done do you?"

"A stormtrooper with a lack of regard for living things...how shocking," he said snidely and tilting his head, "So you're angry and disappointed with me because I killed your precious general."

Finn barely contained his rage, speaking tightly, "You don't wanna know what I'm feeling right now."

"The only thing of note about her was that she was Darth Vader's daughter. That's all that she was."

"She stopped a blaster shot in mid-air, pushed everyone else to safety and closed the blast doors to protect us."

"Can't all force users do that?"

"She saved all of our lives including yours."

"At least if you're going to lie, pick something more convincing. She didn't mean to save me; I just got swept up with the rest of you."

"She hit a dial smaller than the size of my hand from across that room to close those doors. Trust me; if she wanted you to die in that room with her she'd have done it. But that wasn't who she was."

He stared at Finn processing what he'd said.

Finn pressed on, "She believed in people. She didn't care who they were or where they were from. She looked at me and had nothing but sympathy and understanding. She didn't reject or judge me; she took me as I was. Despite everything she'd been through, the people she'd lost to the First Order...her son, her husband, her brother...not once did she let that change who she was or what she stood for. And she saved you knowing that you'd caused her death."

The boy's eyes were wide in the darkness of his cell.

Finn slackened, shaking his head, "That's who she was."

And he left without a backwards glance.

"Autocannons primed and ready to fire," Connix said.

Poe leant forwards, "Move into position and target the closest Star Destroyers hull over their reactor."

The cruiser shifted its position and fired a volley a red blasts that hit the First Order vessel. It erupted into a massive ball of fire, the shards spreading out and smattering the next Star Destroyer.

"Take out the rest of them," Poe said with satisfaction.

They fired again and again until the Star Destroyers were all reduced to broken rubble.

A cheer swept through the bridge of the cruiser.

"Ok," Poe said, "Let's get back to base and tell them the excellent news. Then, we are going to take them down...one ship at a time."