Chapter 36 - Under the Dying Sun (2/2)

- ”Teams A and B! Ignore the incoming enemies and follow me!”- said Poe and immediately increased the speed to pass through the TIE fighters- ”Change weapons to Proton torpedoes! Almost in range. Hit the target dead center. As many runs as we can get! All right. Let's light it up.”

They descended as lightning coming from the sky in a wild roar and passed over the oscillator building as they launch their torpedoes which fell and caused multiple destruction.

- ”Hah!, direct hit.”- said Rogue 6 in a happy tone.

- ”But no damage!”- noted Rogue 8 who seemed dissapointed for the lack of impact

- ”Yeah, we gotta keep hitting it. Another bombing run!”- said Poe a little surprised by the level of armor they had and then he noticed the sun was extinguishing at an alarming rate- ”Remember, when the sun is gone that weapon will be ready to fire. But as long as there's light, we got a chance. Guys, we got a lot of company!”

Multiple TIE fighters came behind them. It seemed that the teams he sent to cover them were not enough to stop all of them. Also, the land Anti-aerial weaponry was shooting a heavy load on them which made them fly in a more careful manner.

- ”I got one behind me. You see it?”

- ”Yeah. I'm on it. Burillo's been hit.”

- ”Watch out for ground fire.”

- ”Jess! Move 54 on those two bastards!”

- ”On it!”

- ”Poe! the weapon will shoot in ten minutes you have to hurry.”- said Maz' voice through the intercom.

- ”Working on it!”- replied Poe while dodging the fire of three TIE fighters who seemed to have been sent to deal with him exclusively- ”Keep bombing... we have a target to destroy!”

(...)

Meanwhile on land, Rey and Finn had managed to escape from the Starkiller base and were now trying to find their way to the Falcon. They had been separated from Chewee and the last they saw of him was his furious roar while throwing himself to battle. In a mad rage he started to slaughter every stormtrooper he found and he even tore apart one in half when he managed to grab him. They did not hear anything from Luke since the intercom had gone silent since the explosion. They had no option but to go to the Falcon and wait for the other two.

- ”The Falcon was East from the base”- said Finn checking his holomap and confirming their position.

He hard soft sobs and then he noticed that Rey was crying. Finn knew the reason very well. Han Solo had died and he also felt a terrible pain in his ċhėst. They may just have known him a few days but the impact he had in both of them was more than any other person had. He was tough but he was loving in his own way and he had saved them frm death many times. He had cared for them more than anyone, at least for Finn. Finn was not a kid anymore but he thought that if he could be half a man of what Han Solo had been, he could raise his head and walk proudly in his life but bow it was not the time. They were surrounded by enemies and they had to go before they were found.

- ”It's this way...”- he said while taking Rey's hand softly- ”we need to keep going...”

She just nodded meekly and let Finn pull her to the direction where they had to go and the two of them started running through the forest which was covered by snow all over but suddenly she felt something and stopped on her tracks. Finn looked at her confused but then he heard the characteristic sound of ignition of a lightsaber. They both walked to a clear and they found Kylo Ren who seemed to be waiting for them.

- ”We're not done yet”- said Kylo Ren with his typical robotic voice behind the mask. He emitted a dangerous aura as usual but Finn detected something wrong with his posture and breathing- ”you two will come with me.”

- ”You're delusional!”- said Finn who believed that Kylo Ren was injured due to Chewee's shot and the explosion- ”why would I return to such horrible organization which only knows how to destroy! I'd rather die!”

- ”You have no idea of what is coming, FN-2187.”- said Kylo Ren who seemed to be more talkative than usual- ”Only power will save the galaxy...”

- ”You killed your own father!”- shouted Rey who was enraged by the lack of emotion of the lord Sith- ”you don't feel anything?”

- ”The death of Han Solo had a purpose...”- he said but even though he seemed confident, Finn and Rey could detect a hint of doubt in his voice- ”his sacrifice will help in the long run...”

- ”You're a monster!”- yelled Rey and immediately took the laser pistol she had on her waist and pointed at Kylo Ren with it, but almost immediately the dark lord waved his hand on her direction and she felt an terrible force pushing her on the air.

- ”Rey!”- shouted Finn as he saw the young girl hitting a tree with a terrible hit which made her unconscious by the time she landed heavily on the ground. He ran to her and examined her while embracing her trying to wake her up- Rey! Oh, no. No, no. Rey!

- ”Stand up, Traitor!”- Kylo Ren said and Finn could detect a very angry voice under his tone. It semmed Rey's words had really affected him- ”I'll personally test you so don't dissapoint me.”

Finn stood up and faced Kylo Ren who seemed more menacing and threatening than ever. However, Finn felt such anger that it overrode any fear he may have. He threw his blaster and took the lightsaber igniting it. He knew perfectly well that blasters would not work on him. He had seen others make the same mistake. If he were to have a chance, it was by using the lightsaber even though he knew he was facing a master vastly superior to the previous knights of Ren he had fought before.

- ”That lightsaber... It belongs to me...”- said Kylo Ren but Finn ignored him and ȧssumed a stance and tried to calm down and connect with the Force like he did with Phasma since that was his only chance.

- ”Come get it!”- said Finn and then he calmed down his breathing in order to focus in the moment and just follow his instincts.

- ”Impressive...”- said Kylo Ren who seemed to have noticed Finn's actions and started to walk around him like a lion looking for an opening- ”it seems you have been introduced in the ways of the Force...”

- ”Just a little...”- said Finn and he also moved to maintain the distance between the two of them and he tried to remember what Luke had told him.

”He will try to enter to your mind and attack you mentally so you attack him in rage but if you do that, you'll be dead the next second, Kylo is a master so do not lose focus and do not lose control... you can be angry but never lose control. Create distance and work on your defense and wait for an opening but be careful with the feints...”

It was too much to remember but at least he could do the basics and keep his distance while submerging more and more into the sensation of feeling and using the Force which was still a very elusive concept. Was it a power? an entity? does it exist in everything? does it come from myself or from the universe? Or maybe both? This was giving him a headache, in the end it did not matter as long as he could use it to defeat his enemies...

- ”Did the old man teach you?”- asked Kylo Ren and Finn detected his mocking tone- ”did he lie to you about the Force as he did with me?”

- ”He did”- replied Finn keeping his cool attitude- ”are you jealous...?”

In that moment Kylo Ren moved in such a fast way that Finn could not follow the attack but he somehow knew where to move his arms and he let his instincts guide his body and managed to block the swing that would have cut him in half otherwise. However, the impact was so strong that he was forced to back down many steps and hand to use his hand as help in order to not fall to the ground.

- ”Not bad at all...”- said Kylo Ren but Finn knew he was not being honest- ”with a proper training you could be amazingly powerful”

- ”More than you?”- asked Finn trying to gain time.

- ”There is a difference in talent”- said Kylo Ren who seemed to not mind waiting for him- ”if someone may be stronger than me it would be that girl...”

- ”Rey?”- asked Finn with confusion.

- ”It's something you'll know in the future...”- said Kylo Ren and his aura changed into one that was freezing cold- ”time is over... you pass so I'll take you now and we'll talk more when you wake up.”

He advanced again and all the alarms sounded in Finn's mind so he let his body move against Kylo Ren with a furious roar. Kylo seemed surprised that he had taken the initiave but still blocked the blow easily and followed with three swings that forced Finn to retreat while blocking them in a very messy manner but then he evaded the last blow and counter attack with a violent down chop that Kylo Ren parried and made Finn lost his balance.

- ”I'm so out of his league...”- thought Finn while retreating once more and trying desperately to think in a way to get out of this situation- ”if he wanted me dead instead of taking me alive, I would have died many times already...”

His more powerful blows were a mosquito bIte for his opponent, his footwork was like a drunken dance in the lord Sith's eyes and any idea he could think of had been taken in consideration ages before he had even planned them. In simple words the difference in skill, experience and talent was just overwhelming. Not even Phasma had given him this sense of helplessness before. Just in that moment, as if mocking him, he did the same down chop he had dne before but this was done in such masterfuly way and with such power and precision that Finn was sent to the ground like sack of potatoes feeling all the air in his lungs escape in a second.

- ”Cheh!”- Finn saw Kylo Ren make a painful move which was the reason why he did not follow the attack so Finn decided to use that to his advantage and forced himself to stand up.

He immediately swang the lightsaber against Ren but he easily evaded the attack and even made a flourish with his lightsaber as if mocking him for the attempt. Then he dashed to Finn and attacked mercilessly and Finn somehow managed to block, parry and evade feelingthat every move he did was simply flawless and did not waste any sip of energy at all. He wanted to retreat but his back felt an obstacle he had not noticed.

- ”Damn!”- he said noticing the tree and realizing that Kylo Ren had moved him there- ”just give me a break!”

Knowing he could not evade, he swang furiously and blocked Ren's attack and both had the lightsabers crossed but Finn noticed how strong Ren was and his lightsaber was pushed back to him with every second while hecould see Kylo Ren's mask getting closer to his face.

- ”Maybe a little pain will show you the truth”- said Kylo Ren and he change the angle allowing the small laser in the tilt of his handle to touch Finn's shoulder.

Finn felt the burning sensation melt the leather of the jacket and penetrating his skin and touching the bone. He could only scream in pain but instead of surrender, the pain and anger made him act and immediately used his knee to hit the sides of Kylo Ren torso which was broken by Chewee's attack. The effect was immediate, and Finn noticed his ooponent's pressure lift and he swang the lightsaber in a feint that Kylo Ren fell for due to the pain and surprise and Finn managed to land a clean hit on the shoulder of Kylo Ren who left a groan of pain escape.

- ”That's your pain!”- said Finn and advance to continue with his momentum but he understood his mistake a second later when Kylo Ren turned his face to him.

Finn knew that his face must have been showing a terrible sight even though he could not see behind the mask. He easily blocked the attack and immediately disarmed him in such a way that Finn could not believe it. Immediately he felt a terrible punch on his face that made him turn around due to the power behind it and in the next second he felt a terrible and horrible feeling of being cut in half from behind just before falling into darkness.

- ”Finn!”- Rey who had awaken saw Finn being slashed by the lightsaber of Kylo Ren and she thought the worst. She immediately ran to Finn's lightsaber which had been thrown very near to her but when she was about to take it, it floated on the air out of her reach.

- ”That's not yours...”- said the voice of Kylo Ren who was pointing at the blue lightsaber with his hand- ”you will come with me and... eh?”

The lightsaber that was floating on the air stayed there even though Kylo was trying to pull it to his hand. He increased the power to make the lightsaber fly to him but it just stayed there in the same position as if mocking him. A few seconds later the lightsaber moved but not to Kylo Ren but to the other direction and lande on the hand of a man who had just appeared from the forest.

- ”It's not yours either, Ben”- said the voice of Luke Skywalker who was looking at his nephew with cold and harsh eyes which made the frozen forests's temperature even more gelid.