Chapter 20 - Battle for Takodana - Third Part (2/2)
Soon, the sky was filled with bombs falling as hell got loose for the First Order. The soldiers were blown away and many were just breaking lines and running around trying to get cover.
- ”They are in disarray”- said Han using binoculars to study the battlefield- ”Kid, adjust the settings to these coordinates...”
With the new calculations of Han, the damage in the First Order multiplied and they started to dwindle. Han took advantage of the momentum and ordered his forces to advance. The frontline of the First Order was cut from the rest by the mortar so they were being dealt with very quickly. The rearguard was in panic due to the mortars and the attack had been halted. What was more important, the First Order Forces were retreating.
- ”Pressure them and make them go to the forest”- ordered Han who kept shooting along with chewee- ”pick up their weapons if you have no more ammo. Big Deal! keep firing!”
- ”General Solo!”- shouted the Lieutenent passing him a intercomm.
- ”What happened Maz?” - asked Han not stopping for a second to shoot- ”not in the best position now but about to repel the forces in the rearguard.”
- ”Get out of there you too!”- shouted Maz- ”one of the black TIE fighters is going to your position with a group of TIE fighters. I'm sure you know what's coming!”
- ”Damn!”- shouted Han and then opened his intercomm- ”all units take cover, aerial bombing incoming! Finn! Get the hell out of there!”
Immediately the forces started to ran in dfferent directions trying to find a good place to hide and started to pray to survive the bombing. Finn received the message but he ordered a last attack with the mortars.
- ”Fire and retreat!”
- ”Fire!”
The ten mortars roared a final time and then the team started to run in direction to the hangars but a few seconds later they could hear the menacing sound of the TIE fighters flying to them. Not long later the bombs started to fall the multiple explosions started to bring hell in the area. Finn felt a strong push in his back before going black.
- ”Damn!”
- ”No!”
- ”Not here!!”
The enemy fighters passed only once before they were met by Takodana forces in the air but the damage was already done and the First Order forces that had retreated to the forest returned to finish the job.
- ”Cough! cough! All units... cough... damn!”- said Han who was completely covered by dust and ash- ”return fire and retreat to the main force using the dust screen! We did what we could here!”
He turned off the intercomm and then he grabbed his blaster rifle while touching Chewee who was shouting at him.
- ”There's nothing we can do!”- answered Han trying to get rid of the terrible headache he was having now- ”can you walk? We have to get out of here before they route us... hey kid, still alive?”
However, the radio only returned silence. Han started to worry and called Finn more times but he did not respond.
- ”Damn it, kid!”- he said and used his binoculars to peek at the position where he was supposed to be and he felt his blood go cold when he saw the dark figure going to the position where Finn was supposed to be- ”this can't get worse! Let's go Chewee!”
- ”Grrreefortable when he was sleeping and now that he was awake again he felt only terrible pain in his whole body. He ġrȯȧnėd but then he choked with the dust in his mouth. He spitted and coughed with desperation until he was able to breathe again. He was injured but nothing enough to disable him, just some small lacerations and burns but nothing mortal. He picked up the radio.
- ”Here BD leader”- he said as much as he could since he felt his mouth had some blood- my team was scattered and don't know their situation!”
- ”Forget about that!”- said Han whose voice transmitted great worry- ”you have a terrible company coming your way so get the hell out of there and fast!”
Finn started to see around and saw a group of soldiers coming his way and in the front he saw the nightmare of any stormtrooper... A knight of Ren and it looked as if he was looking in his direction as if the smoke and dust around were inexistant. Finn knew that if he did not run now he would be dead since none could fight a knight of Ren. However, he also doubted his ability to outrun such warrior. In that moment he saw one of the mortars that had been blown way very ear to him and one bomb next to it.
- ”I'll try to bomb him”- said Finn using his adrenaline to force his body to move.
- ”Don't do anything stupid and get out of there!”- shouted Han but Finn had already moved using all the energy he had left.
- ”This will at least distract him!”- said Finn making the mortar stand up but then he noticed the support was damaged and was impossible to support it- ”this has to be the craziest idea ever!”
Finn clenched his teeth and dragged the mortar and placed the base agaisnt the wall and used his legs and body to support the mortar in a very strange way while calibrating the strenght and angle by instinct. He then managed to unlock the safety of the bomb and placed it in the mortar.
- Fire!- he said and then the bomb was launched in a very powerful way but insted of using angle, Finn had used it as a kind of bazooka.
Finn was not left unscathed and the recoil hit him so hard that he felt he would faint again, but he forced himself to stay conscious and watch the result of his attack.
SWISH! BOOM!!!
The knight of Ren reacted with superhuman speed and evaded the bomb which passed so close that one could say that it had rubbed his armor. The bomb followed its course and it exploded directly in the middle of the stormtrooper army with devastating consequences for the First Order forces.
- ”Ok, It didn't kill him”- said Finn using his intercomm- ”and he's coming here... I won't be able to outrun him.”
- ”Just resist until we arrive there”- said Han who was having trouble catching his breathe- ”seriously... I'm too old for this!”.
- ”I can't fight”- said Finn looking around and trying to fight the overwhelming dėsɨrė to just faint in that place- ”I need a weapon...”
- ”You have one!”- said Han with an impatient voice- ”use what Maz gave you... just put the lense side up and press the buŧŧon. We'll be there in a minute, resist!”
Finn remembered that Maz had given him a strange looking lantern and he started to look for it in his belt. He did not imagine it was a weapon so he just grabbed it and put it in front of him while looking for the buŧŧon. Once he found it, he pressed it and the lightsaber activated letting a powerful buzzing sound which caught Finn by surprise and he almost let it go by accident. It had been a very strong jolt in his hand and even now he found the electric trembling in his hand fascinating.
- Isn't this a lightsaber?- Finn said with gleaming eyes when he realized he was holding a relic of the Clone Wars or maybe even older than that.
He could literally feel the energy coursing his hand and even his body. For some reason he felt more powerful and focused. All the pain he had felt was washed away by the extreme sense of excitement he was feeling right now. He had never felt that way but he knew it was not time to think in that. He breathed and controlled his emotions. His enemy was approaching taking all the time in the world.
- ”Again the training will help”- thought Finn remembering that part of his training in the FN corps had included many kinds of melee weapons like knives, swords, batons and even lances. He had always wondered why Phasma had insisted so much in this kind of training in an epoch of blasters but he supposed that at least he could use it now. Even so, he was not confident at all against the enemy that was approaching.
Finn moved the lightsaber around to accostumed to the weight and distance. It was differnt from the training he had previously. The balance, weight, distance, reach and angles were different and he was worried to cut himself for a bad movement so he started to practice in situ. The knight of Ren stopped at a certain distance and observed him with a curious attitude.
- ”FN-2187”- said the knight of Ren using the modulator of his helmet- ”the once genius warrior who betrayed his brothers and joined the Resistance.”
- ”Do I know you?”- said Finn trying to make conversation to gain time.
- ”No!”- said the Knight of Ren and Finn lost sight of him as if he had vanished in the air.
Finn's instincts screamed in danger and he just swung the lightsaber in his hand to his right and it was blocked by the knight of Ren who had activated his own lightsaber that had a red color.
- ”Hoh!”- said the knight of Ren with a tone that indicated surprise- ”you were able to counter me?”
The knight of Ren pressed his lightsaber and attacked Finn with some basic swings. Finn managed to parry the attacks with some difficulty. He was getting desperate since he knew that the enemy in front of him was just toying with him. Suddenly, the knight of Ren slashed Finn with a powerful upper swing which was so strong that made Finn lose his equilibrium and fall to the ground. Finn managed to recover his footing and kept his stance while kneeling.
- ”I see”- said the Knight of Ren walking slowly around Finn like a lion examining his prey- ”I understand why Lord Ren is interested in you... is this the first time you use a lightsaber?”
- ”What if it is?”- asked Finn who was trying to calm down the trembling he was having in his arm after the last attack- ”why would Kylo Ren be interested in a nobody like me.”
Immediately after that comment Finn saw the knight of Ren wave his hand at him and he felt his body move by itself and he found himself rolling on the floor. His senses were completely shaking in panic. What was that? Any kind of magic? How could someone make him move without touching him? He had a flashback of the time when Kylo Ren had stopped a blaster bolt in midair.
- ”You will show more respect when you talk about Lord Ren”- said the knight who seemed a little angry- ”your skills are mediocre and at best basic... but since you are able to use a lightsaber without killing yourself even after swing it a few times... I say you are passable.”
- What do you mean?- asked Finn trying to control his emotions- ”Passable for what?”
- ”To join us”- said the knight of Ren using a tone that gave the impression he was saying the most obvious thing.
- ”Join you?”- asked Finn with a shocked expression.
- ”It is time for you to return to the flock, FN-8127”- said the knight of Ren offering his hand- ”come with me so you can take your place with the Knights of Ren.”