Fandom Star Wars: Frayed Ends [closed]

[Lucyfer]

Poe Dameron wasn’t sure if he should consider himself lucky or not, but he felt it even with blood on his lips and a missing jacket, and a missing droid. The wind whipped across his face as he rode on the back of a scavenger’s speeder – modified to carry plenty back – all the way to an outpost on Jakku. Thankfully, not Niima, although he didn’t know about the dangers of that until he arrived at the area fitted with travel amenities for off-worlders there to locate parts, including a cantina, but most of all – a way to send messages.

He passed his thanks on to the one who provided the ride before he stepped into the complex and got on the first commlink he could to call back to Leia Organa.

Or rather, Vi Moradi, who then contacted Leia Organa on his behalf, because contacting Leia from here would not have been a secure line. He was told to ‘stay put’, more or less, and given nothing else, to his immense frustration. However, at least Vi was able to tell him not to worry about the droid.

So, Poe went to a pillar, and he dug around for a few credits the First Order may have missed when they turned out all his pockets for information. “Damn,” he muttered. Not enough for a drink. Certainly not enough for a shower, and he definitely needed both right about now. His head still ached from Kylo’s violation, but also from the crash. ‘Finn.’ The Stormtrooper so-named, who had come crashing down to this wretched planet with him.

His back hit a pillar.

He let out a sigh. He knew he couldn’t really afford to feel too bad about that, but he did. Finn trusted him, used him as a pilot to get out of there, and now he was probably gone. ‘Maybe he survived.’ Poe knew the odds weren’t good. On the other hand, it was just as unlikely the Admiral survived, and perhaps that was for the better.

As a prisoner, she may have proven more annoying than useful.

Still, he felt for Finn, freshly named, about to live his own life. “Stars, now I really need a drink,” he chuckled to himself. It was hard to break the habit of not speaking his thoughts aloud. BB-8 was usually there to offer a comment. No such luck this time. No happy beeps. “Ah hell. Might as well do what I can,” he murmured and pushed off from the pillar in search of a mirror and some place to at least clean his face off of the blood and sand.

He’d be cleaning sand out of places he didn’t know existed for weeks, he was certain of that.

~***~

Kay, once Cadance Faraday of the First Order, once a nameless child, could only stare at her cup as Finn’s queries came. In light of the answer she’d given him, his questions seemed suddenly stark. Frightening.

The New Republic may not be taking action against slavery and pirates, they may be abusing Outer Rim worlds, but there was one truth: they weren’t active in killing others. They weren’t active in kidnapping and enslaving others to their will.

Although Kay wouldn’t believe that the New Republic ever hoped to change for the better of all, could she truly claim the Order wouldn’t continue this? Was it truly worth it?

“What else is there?” Her own question was shaky, nearing an edge of truth she didn’t want to consider was truth. The woman who had worn the white of the First Order admiral didn’t dare to lift her gaze to Finn, to the Stormtrooper who’s idealism she admired.

Idealism the universe, the Order, needed.

An idealism that wasn’t blind to the reality of the Order. “The New Republic isn’t going to change its ways, it never has, it never will.” That didn’t answer the question and she knew it. Did she believe that all the Order did was justified? “If the Order obtains its ends…wouldn’t it all be better? There’d be no more need to kill or torture people, it’d just….” It’d just what? Did she expect everyone to fall in line to their roles in society with no fuss?

Did she expect no rebellions?

She swallowed. Even she knew how impossible that was, if they weren’t raised in the Order. If they weren’t taught like the Order. Even within the Order, these things were difficult. “I can’t believe the galaxy is doomed to destroy itself. I won’t believe that.” She negated that, “I have to believe the Order could have done something good, eventually. It’s better than letting the galaxy stagnate.”

Wasn’t it?

She wasn’t certain. She wasn’t certain, when she framed the Order’s crimes, alongside those of the Republic.

 

[witchingly]

Skye's ship was something she hadn't used in a while. Since she joined the Resistance, it was more of flying around in X-wings than anything else since there had never been much use for her light freighter, unless it was for jobs like the one she was currently on.

Her ship wouldn't go unnoticed at the Jakku outpost, but it would at least raise fewer questions than if she landed in an X-wing. Besides, the point of the job was to find and bring back an alive Poe Dameron since he'd been stranded on the desert planet after escaping the clutches of Kylo Ren, so Skye needed space for an extra passenger.

An extra passenger and BB-8.

Despite the trauma the droid may have from whatever time he spent on Jakku, once Leia had asked Skye to pick Poe up, BB-8 was adamant to come along. It was safe now, since he'd been brought back to the Resistance and the Map was now with Leia, for her to look over, so Skye didn't see any problems with him coming along. He was good company, and she knew he was anxious to reunite with his owner.

Skye landed not too far away from the outpost, deciding to walk the rest of the way despite the heat. As she opened the doors, BB-8 rolled up beside her with a series of beeps.

"Yeah, he should be here," Skye answered the droid. "We'll find him and get off the planet soon, don't worry." She was well aware that the First Order could be back down here at any moment to continue their search for the map so Skye wanted to get out of there quickly.

The walk to the outpost felt longer under the blazing sun, but Skye didn't let her guard down once. Her lightsaber was strapped to her side, and so was a blaster, and once they got close enough, she trusted BB-8 would let her know if he found his owner before she did.

As Skye passed a cantina, BB-8 got her attention. She turned to the droid in time to see him rolling away from her and speeding up, though she didn't quite catch what he'd said. She assumed, since he was in a hurry, that he found Poe, so she didn't bother wasting time and seeing if she was right, she just trailed along behind him, picking up her pace to keep up.

~***~

Finn made note of how Kay refused to meet his gaze. She seemed to have a lot of things on her mind, which was expected, given their situation, but above all, he sensed some doubt. Perhaps doubt in the First Order, or doubt in this whole war.

Either way, Finn didn't think her beliefs were as strong as the others currently in the First Order.

She spoke of the uselessness of the New Republic, but that didn't quite answer his question. Just because the New Republic wasn't efficient didn't mean that the First Order was the only other answer, especially with the way they operated.

"Can't say that for sure," Finn murmured softly when Kay said that there'd be no need for killing or torture if the First Order came out victorious after all of this. Finn had a feeling it would only increase in number, with various officers drunk on power.

No good system would resort to torture and killing to get what they wanted. Right? Finn liked to think that was the case. He knew he himself wouldn't want to live with that kind of authority ruling the galaxy, so why would anyone else want that?

"Could have done something good," Finn echoed Kay's words and kept looking at her as he spoke, even if she wasn't looking at him. "So you admit, then, that up until now, nothing good has really come of it?"

Finn didn't mean to sound like he was interrogating her. He was just trying to make sense of all of it as well, to see if there was a side to be chosen, and to see if Kay truly was passionate about her beliefs or if she herself was unsure.

 

[Lucyfer]

Poe was heading towards the washrooms he saw near the cantina when a series of trill beeps caught his attention. No beeps sounded like BB-8, and his mind instantly started to translate the binary as he turned around, “Buddy!” He dropped to a knee as the droid rolled over to him, and wrapped an arm around the droid as his knee was bumped by its round body. “It’s so good to see you!” His other hand ran over the metal, as if the droid were a dog.

He honestly wasn’t sure if droids cared all that much about touch, but BB-8 seemed to enjoy the shared excitement, beeps continuing to trill after him and let him know some of the situation, “Slow down, slow down!” He laughed, and the droid concluded on a note of how he looked, “Really? I thought I looked rogueishly rugged, I was gonna see if I could get a free drink from some—Skye! Er, no, not going to cheat her out of a free drink, Beebee,” he laughed, getting to his feet.

She didn’t stand out in the area, except that she wasn’t covered in sand or dirty. That stood out, a little. The woman was a sight for sore eyes all the same, and clearly the reason BB-8 was there. His droid had made it to the Resistance, and so some of his message started to translate – a man in his jacket, First Order Admiral, Scavenger – things to go over in more detail with Skye.

Just, not out in the open. “We probably don’t have that kind of time, do we?” He drew a hand up into the back of his hair and combed upwards, some sand scattering behind him as he let his hand drop back, “Ah well, there’s drinks back home, and showers. We should get going, I feel like there’s a lot I missed, and usually I don’t miss much.” Usually he was a part of the Big Events.

BB-8 trilled agreement.

~***~

If you believed in something, you had to be able to defend it.

The questions Finn asked were not questions that Kay had been posed in the Order. Not to herself, not even from others – on their side or otherwise. She didn’t handle much in the ways of interrogations, of course, but somehow these seemed like questions that should have occurred to her, all the same. She could dismantle the New Republic easily, and she did – but she never turned the arguments back on the Order.

‘Think of one good thing.’ One good thing was all she needed to defend the Order, but her mind ran through planetary conquests and weapon tests. These things had been good for the Order. Their numbers swelled, their weapons improved, and the lives of the people who came into the Order improved, but the average citizen?

Poisoned on their world.

Destroyed in weapon tests.

Left barren without resources.

Wasn’t that what the New Republic did? Left worlds destitute all in pursuit of letting the wealthy elites live a life of luxury?

Every time, she’d told herself it was leading to something better. These were necessary sacrifices. Just like the village on Jakku.

FN-21 – Finn saw it happen once, and said no more.

Wordlessly, she reached for the balm for her burns, deciding it didn’t really matter if it was poison or not. She’d deserve it, if it was poison. She touched the green gel-like substance to her neck, and offered Finn no answers but her silence; she couldn’t defend the Order, but saying that it did no good…saying it aloud felt like it might destroy her.

“Why didn’t you leave before?”

 

[witchingly]

Skye quickly noticed Poe's familiar face when he turned around upon recognising the beeps from his droid. It was quite heartwarming to see their reunion, actually, which was why Skye slowed down a bit, not wanting to intrude on their moment quite yet.

Despite her attempts to stay behind, Poe soon noticed her, and made this clear by speaking her name. She responded with a simple smile before walking closer as he got to his feet. "Good to know you're okay," she told him, before correcting herself after giving him a once over. "Well, okay-ish."

At the mention of a drink, Skye tilted her head to the side a bit in thought. They'd passed a cantina just now so finding it wasn't going to be trouble. She had wanted to get off this place as soon as possible, but looking at Poe, she knew he could benefit from a quick trip inside.

"I want to say no," Skye nodded in agreement when he pointed out the time constraint. "But you look like crap and I don't know how long you've been out in the desert," she explained with a bit of a smirk.

It would be okay to have just one drink, right? And then they'd be out of here and one step closer to finding Luke Skywalker.

"I can't have you dying of dehydration on my watch so if you want to get a drink, we can," Skye finally offered, gesturing to the cantina behind her. It didn't seem very full to begin with anyway. For the time being, at least. And her ship wasn't far either so they could hurry back when they were done.

If he thought he would manage without it though, then she'd just brief him on everything once they were off Jakku.

~***~

Finn waited for an answer. He thought he might get one even as she reached for the balm that would help treat her wounds. He figured she was just taking her time to answer, maybe thinking on how best to word it but then she threw a question at him instead and he realised she didn't want to answer.

Or she didn't have an answer.

Whatever the case, Finn wasn't going to push for an answer. Despite where they came from, Finn had always respected her, and he still did. She was probably the only one, considering how she'd treated him and various others.

He realised she was put into a tough position now, and he was at fault for it, so if he could avoid making it worse, he would.

"I wasn't sure about it before," Finn explained, after taking a moment to think about it. "I wasn't sure when I did it now either, but I had a way out, and it was a small window." He couldn't get anyone else to fly the coop with him, so it was better to help a rebel pilot escape.

"But I didn't do it just because I was confused about what I believed in," Finn added, deciding he wanted to be honest with her. "I was afraid."

Afraid of what could happen to him if he didn't get better. Or what happened to him if he continued to question things, and fail to carry out orders like he'd done on Jakku. He knew people noticed. Staying on after that would have made things harder for him, and if he didn't improve... well, he was just one soldier among many. Nobody would miss him.

"I'm stuck in the middle of a war now, and being held as a prisoner by the Resistance, but I don't feel so afraid anymore, now that I'm away from the Order."

 

[Lucyfer]

Poe was a bit startled by how easily Skye agreed, teasing at the answer before giving it. He laughed a bit, shaking his head. “Usually a pity-drink isn’t what I’d go for, but beggars can’t be choosers, right?” And Poe was definitely a beggar without credits to his name right at that moment.

BB-8 beeped a denial, insisting that they needed to get back. Reminding them both of the First Order ship above the planet. They were lucky it was just one, but they’d still have to navigate around it. A drink wouldn’t help.

“Beebee’s right, though. I’ll take you up on the offer when we get back home,” what a strange way to think of the base, but it was just that – back where Black Squadron was, and the rest of the Resistance, was home almost more than Yavin IV was home, sometimes. Though he made a mental note that he really should check in on his dad one of these days soon.

He just didn’t want to drag the old man back into a war, or get him into any trouble. This was still just a cold war, technically speaking. Even if they’d done plenty to warm it up and start a few fires under the asses of the First Order.

BB-8 took to spinning away, leading a bit ahead to head back towards the freighter, “So, tell me it’s all good news, at least,” before he got the details in the ship, “that we know what we’re doing next.”

That they knew where Luke was, and they could hop in a ship and pick the old man up. Give him a good tongue lashing for abandoning his sister. And Skye.

~***~

The former stormtrooper didn’t press for her to answer. Not right then, anyways, and he gave his own answer. He had been uncertain. Perhaps seeing what the Order did first hand was necessary for him to confirm that it wasn’t where he wanted to be. That it wasn’t what he thought it could be.

She’d seen it several times. She’d partaken in it several times.

She’d never been afraid – not until she was dragged out of the Order by a traitor and a rebel. Stars no – but then again, she’d never been looked at with disdain or concern like FN—Finn had been. She had no reason to be afraid of the Order. She had been moving up.

Her mind betrayed her with the terrible thought: she’d been one of the elites she hated in the New Republic. If she drew the comparison – she was the one who benefited from the slaughter and exploitation of worlds. The Order was the one who benefited overall, but….

More cooling balm was moved around her neck, her hands, her face. She couldn’t see her face, but she was certain it must have been red. “Why are you so certain the Resistance is better? Why are you so certain you’re not going to be tortured for information and then executed?”

It’s what would happen in the Order. Finn didn’t know anything but the Order, so how was he so damn certain? Was it the Pilot? Something he had said, or promised? Did Finn have some ace up his sleeve, some guarantee?

 

[witchingly]

At BB-8's denial, Skye looked up briefly and then nodded in agreement. "Alright then, let's head out." Skye definitely wasn't going to argue with the decision to get off this planet. She'd been there for mere minutes and she was already sick of the heat. She couldn't imagine what it felt like to wander around like Poe had, but they were getting back now and that was what mattered.

BB-8 led the way in excitement, likely more eager than the two of them combined to get away and head back home — much like it was home for Poe, it felt like home for Skye too. It didn't matter where she slept, but rather who she surrounded herself with.

At poe's words, Skye thought of how best to answer. "Not exactly," she admitted. In truth, she didn't know the full details since she'd left almost as soon as Poe reached out with his location, which wasn't long after BB-8 got back, so she didn't stick around to hear all of the stories, or the plan on what to do next. She had a feeling even Leia hadn't thought it out fully, with the prisoners they had yet to speak to.

"I didn't get to speak to Leia though, once BB-8 returned. Since we have what we need, I imagine our next step should be pretty direct." They had the map and it was with the Resistance instead of the Order. It was pretty clear where they needed to go from there.

They reached the freighter a few minutes later and the door opened to let them in. Skye went straight to the cockpit to take a seat in the pilot's chair. She got the ship in the air soon after that and it wasn't long before they'd jumped into lightspeed, onward to D'Qar.

Resting back in her seat, Skye looked toward Poe. "The guy who helped you. The stormtrooper? He's the one who came to us with BB-8," she explained to him, since she figured he'd now want all the details. "Him and a First Order Admiral. And a scavenger. Sounds like the start of a bad joke," she chuckled softly. "Oh, and another thing? They showed up in the Millennium Falcon."

~***~

Finn looked down at the ground as Kay questioned his trust in the Resistance. Well, it wasn't so much trust as it was a leaning, so to speak. And this was only based on what he'd seen and experienced so far.

"I think they would have done it by now," Finn said with a shrug, finding it hard to believe that they'd be tortured for information while they were here. "And, I mean, they gave us food. And medicine for your burns. Why waste those valuable supplies for people you're going to end up killing?"

The more he thought about it, the more he was inclined to believe that the Resistance was the better side. He still wasn't sure he wanted to fight for them but if it came down to choosing, he knew where he'd root himself.

And going back to the Order wasn't an option anyway. They'd kill him as soon as they saw him. He didn't know how different it would be for Kay since she'd been in a higher position but he imagined she wouldn't fare very well either.

"If it were up to the Order to decide what to do after defecting, they'd probably kill you," Finn told Kay, pointing out an observation. "If we did that to the Order we might be imprisoned, and then tried for our crimes. There's a difference in things. Don't people deserve second chances?"

This was Finn's. It certainly felt like it. He was kind of starting over now, starting from scratch, and he even had a decision, in some way. He was just waiting to see what Leia would do with them after she spoke to them.

 

[Lucyfer]

Poe couldn’t help but frown when the pilot’s seat was taken, but he just let out an overly dramatic sigh as he came to rest in the co-pilot’s seat, and let Skye work through getting the ship up and off Jakku and into lightspeed. He let his mind go over the details she’d shared – that they didn’t yet have a heading.

He was sure that would change. Maybe Leia hadn’t had time to look at it – not with her hands full with prisoners and a scavenger.

He smirked a bit, “A Stormtrooper, an Admiral, and a Scavenger walk into a bar on Jakku…,” he mused, furrowed his brow.

BB-8 beeped a thought of continuation, “I like where your head’s at, but no. I’ll have to work on that,” he decided, waving it off. “I’m glad Finn made it. He’s the one who helped me get out of there,” he supposed in theory the admiral helped, but not willingly. Still, an admiral was useful – the information they could get….

The information that Kylo had gotten.

He suddenly straightened up in his seat, “Hey, uh, so I didn’t know where BB-8 got to, besides Jakku - the Order is probably going to waste some time here, but they know where we are. I... I'm sorry. I met Kylo Ren." Ben he may have been, once.

No more.

"He got it out of me with the Force. I never said a word and he still...," Poe sighed. "We'll need to move. Good thing we got the Falcon back." He couldn't help but think it wouldn't be long before Han showed up. "What I wanted to say was, do you think you could get info out of the Admiral?"



~***~

Finn trusted in haste here – perhaps learned from the Order, perhaps just an instinct. Kay couldn’t say she knew what to expect. The incompetence of the Resistance was something that had been ground into her. Perhaps that incompetence would keep her alive, or that mercy.

That thought of second chances.

She was pretty sure Admirals didn’t get second chances. “Do you imagine they would have given another chance to Wilhuff Tarkin?” Finn must have learned that name at some point. People like Finn, the grunts, would get second chances. They were the cogs in the machine. They weren’t the ones pulling the levers.

Perhaps if she gave the Resistance something, but the thought still made her feel…ill. Wasted. Perhaps she was not akin to Wilhuff – not yet – but she had been moved to Starkiller base. Approve it or not, her fleet was the one charged with protecting it, and she had intended to do just that – to let an entire system be destroyed.

And yet she found herself saying it, “If you tell them about Starkiller…if you warn them. You’ll get a second chance.” It was unlikely he knew where it was strike. It was unlikely he knew the full power of it. She’d seen its schematics, the genius that was Armitage Hux written into it. It didn’t have flaws like the Death Star.

If it was going to be taken down, it’d take something like a destroyer to hit it, or internal failure.

The balm was applied as much as she liked, and so she moved it aside and drew up her nearly empty water glass.

 

[witchingly]

Skye nodded at the mention of Finn. "I gotta hear more about all that," she said with a small smile. The idea of a stormtrooper helping Poe escape was one that wouldn't have even crossed her mind so she was curious about Finn.

When Poe sat up, Skye raised an eyebrow in curiosity, and she listened to him as he explained that their location had been given away. She knew how before he even said the name. Poe would never give up that information no matter what. It was taken from him, and only Kylo Ren could have done that.

The man who almost had her killed. She was fortunate she hadn't been found by him under all the debris. It was the only reason she was alive today.

Skye pursed her lips and thought about what Poe told her. "At least we have time while they search for Beebee," she said finally with a small shrug. "It's not your fault."

It was better, then, that they left when they did instead of wasting more time on Jakku. There was a lot more planning to be done, so an immediate audience with Leia upon arrival was highly likely.

Poe's question caught Skye off guard. She hadn't even been contemplating being the one to get information out of the Admiral. She knew the woman had more or less been pigeonholed into helping Poe and Finn, but she supposed she didn't give much thought as to what would be done with her now that she was their prisoner.

They'd want information, of course, but Skye hadn't actually used the Mind Probe on another person before. Fleeting thoughts were different. Reaching in, causing a person discomfort and pain... Skye didn't like the entire concept, but she also knew that it was for a greater cause.

"I could," Skye said after a moment of silence spent thinking about it. The hesitation in her voice was clear though. "I mean I could try," she added on. Skye would have liked to think that Finn would give them whatever they needed, but the Admiral was on a higher level, and thus was privy to more important information. She was definitely a valuable asset to them, at this point.

~***~

"You're not Wilhuff Tarkin," Finn pointed out, as soon as Kay had said it.

No, she was different. She may have the same position, an admiral, but she wasn't the same as him. Right now, he doubted she fully believed all the things she'd believed so far. There was a seed of doubt in her mind. Hell, perhaps it was bigger than just a seed. Whatever the case, he knew that compared to the rest of the Order, Kay was different.

That difference could be what helped her here and now, while they were with the Resistance.

Once again, she helped him, just like she had helped him in the past, giving him words of advice, telling him how best to proceed. He only had one thought though, and it wasn't about him giving information to keep himself safe. "What about you?"

He knew it was possibly harder for her to give up that sort of information, given all she stood for in the past. But if she could encourage him to do it instead, wasn't that almost the same thing? Finn dragged her into this. He couldn't stand by and watch her be punished when he didn't think she deserved that.

Since Kay had used the balm and drank the water, Finn took the opportunity to nudge the plate with the leftover food in her direction. She'd already seen that the balm and the water were clean and solely for their betterment, so maybe she'd have second thoughts about avoiding the food.

 

[Lucyfer]

Poe knew he’d tell the story about Finn agreeably enough. “Yeah – once we get Finn around, we can both tell you the story,” Poe agreed, “I definitely need to hear his side of things, too.” He had an idea of the panic and anxiety Finn had been stressing under. That he had decided to turn away from the Order, after something, but he hardly had time to get the details. “The long story short was he needed to get out of the Order, and he couldn’t fly, so…I helped him.”

And helped himself in the process.

He was still thrilled that Finn made it, and BB-8 noted that when they’d met, he’d shocked Finn. A little. Because he had Poe’s jacket. “I’ll apologize for you.”

Beebee gave a low beep, before Poe returned to the matter at hand. He knew Skye wasn’t anywhere near as cruel as Kylo, and he gave her a sympathetic look, “Maybe it won’t be necessary,” he suggested. He wasn’t sure how much he believed that, but he hoped. “But if she knows anything that could help us…I think it’d be good to try. Assuming Leia thinks the same.”

Leia may disagree, of course. “Maybe you can just do that mind trick thing, anyways, right?” He wanted to make a joke about those in the Order’s higher ranks having weak minds to believe that kind of bullshit the Order preached, but opted not to.

Kylo was among those ranks, and it still hurt to think of all the ways he’d betrayed them. Hurt to think that Kylo might be so weak minded. “He didn’t seem to recognize me,” he said then, voice dropping, “Kylo. And he cut down Lor San Tekka. I couldn’t…I tried to save him.”

There was a lot he’d feel guilty for. He was used to it, from several missions, but that didn’t mean he stopped feeling guilty. He supposed that was what kept him grounded. He took it all seriously.

~***~

Kay gave a half-hearted shrug, the question repeated in the gesture – ‘what about me?’

She knew things that the Resistance would want to know. Numbers, locations, plans of attack, weak-points, leadership. Kay knew plenty that had the potential to make her stay as a prisoner at least more comfortable. In theory. Finn already knew about Starkiller. Suggesting he tell the Resistance about it was just a…direction. It was nothing he wouldn’t have thought of on his own.

Maybe.

A rueful grin touched her lips as he nudged the plate closer, but she reached out for it anyways. She’d decided if she died by poison, she died by poison. And she ate, what little was left. She didn’t have much of an appetite, still, and didn’t think she would, but she needed her strength. In theory. “There’s naught you can do for me,” it was on her and she knew that.

Finn couldn’t relieve the pain of the nagging understanding and the questions. He couldn’t get rid of her stubborn nature in the blink of an eye, a nature that wanted so desperately to cling to the Order, so that her life had some meaning. That it hadn’t been wasted.

It was the kind of stubbornness, the kind of selfishness, she’d attribute to a hundred others afraid of change, and stars knew she was afraid of it right then. That knowing wasn’t soon to go away – even if she could humor the doubt. They hadn’t seen the Order succeed. They didn’t know what it would be like. She could believe it may be good.

Even if, she knew, nothing so far had been good. “I…this was my life. And I believed in it. Even with all we were doing, I wanted to believe – stars I wonder if any New Republic senator would feel so….” So cheated. So wronged. So, utterly, stupid. “But we all – all of us – how can so many who want something good…?” How could so many do so poorly? How could they not see the parallels?

 

[witchingly]

Skye was amused at BB-8’s protectiveness for his owner and she smiled a little wider upon hearing that he’d zapped Finn when he spotted him wearing Poe’s jacket.

As they got back to the matter of her trying to get information from the Admiral, Skye nodded. Maybe she wouldn’t have to but maybe she would. The mind trick might work but it also might not and if that failed then there was no other way to get information unless the woman volunteered it herself.

Skye had been staring at the console but she lifted her gaze to meet Poe’s when he mentioned Kylo not remembering him. She wondered if he’d remember her, considering he’d nearly killed her years ago. She hadn’t seen him face to face since then.

“There wasn’t anything you could have done,” Skye said softly with a shrug. “He’s not who he used to be and...” Lor San Tekka likely wasn’t the last good soul they’d lose in this war but it wouldn’t do good to think like that so she refrained from saying it aloud.

“What matters is that you got what Leia’s been looking for for so long,” she pointed out, attempting to see the bright side of all of this. “We can finally track Luke down and hopefully put an end to all of this soon.” She sure hoped that would be the outcome of finding Leia’s brother. Her former teacher. She had plenty of questions for him but all of that needed to wait till they actually found him.

“Why don’t you get some rest?” She suggested, nodding to the back where she knew there was a place for him to lie down if he wanted. “We’ve got some time before we reach and I don’t think anyone’s going to get much rest once we get there.” A lot was changing, hopefully in their favour, so she wouldn’t be surprised if there were new orders once they reached.

~***~

Finn felt a little better watching her eat the food, finally. He knew she needdd it and he wasn’t sure what they’d be forced to face not very long from now. Leia would soon be done talking to Rey and provided there wasn’t anything else to attend to, she’d come straight here.

Finn tried to think of ways he could help. Kay probably didn’t want to lie but perhaps he could lie for her. He wasn’t sure how or about what but it was an option he considered in his mind.

Finn just didn’t want to believe that there was nothing he could do for her. Even if the Resistance was different and he believed they wouldn’t execute them, he didn’t want to think that Kay would be forced to remain a prisoner for her loyalty to the Order.

Looking at Kay for a while, he spoke again, but only after she was done eating. “I know that there’s some doubt in your mind,” he told her softly. “And you’re beginning to question some of the things you’ve believed in so far but... you deserve a second chance to rediscover your beliefs.” Kind of like he did. She’d been in it for longer so it might be harder but that didn’t mean it was impossible.

“It may still be loyalty to the Order, or it may not. But if that doubt exists then I don’t think you should give up on the chance to find some of the answers you’re looking for,” Finn explained with a small shrug.

He knew that was a tough decision to make and betraying what she’d believed in for so long wouldn’t be easy, but there were some questions she didn’t have the answers for, even when he asked, so there couldn’t be any harm in thinking for herself now, and deciding on her own where her beliefs lie.

 

[Lucyfer]

Perhaps there wasn’t anything Poe could do, but it didn’t change his anger, or his helplessness. He wanted to come back with better news for Leia, not that her son was a monster. Instead, he’d be telling her that.

There was the silver lining, though, and his lips quirked in a smile as Skye brought that up, “Yeah, you’re right,” soon, things would start turning around. “It’s been too long since I got to see him. Last time…,” Poe trailed off, thinking about it.

The last time, Shara had been alive. Shara, who helped Luke rescue a tree from the Jedi Temple, and they planted it in Poe’s own backyard growing up. He always thought of Luke well for it, though he hadn’t known Luke well. He was in so many of his parents’ stories. He’d only met Luke a handful of times.

It was going to be interesting.

“Let’s just hope Leia doesn’t pull his ears off, eh?” He rose from the seat. “I’ll go get that nap. Odds are we’ll be flying out on another mission soon, and I’ll need some rest for that,” he thought Skye would come along with him, as well, given her history. He didn’t consider he’d be sent on this mission alone. Wherever Luke was, it had to be connected to the Force, strongly. “Wake me when we get back.”

~***~

Kay could feel Finn’s gaze on her as she picked at her food. She wasn’t agitated with it, although perhaps she should have been. She was certain there was some pity in that look; it seemed to reflect in his words, as he wanted to insist she deserved a second chance.

That maybe the Order would retain her loyalty – or maybe it wouldn’t.

‘I know what I believe.’

She had considered that was what the First Order believed, as well. Now that was in question – but she wasn’t so sure she had any faith at all in the Resistance, or the New Republic, for that matter.

“And how, Finn, would you suggest I go about doing that?” There was a sardonic note in her tone as she asked him, moving to grab the plate and set it on top of the other so that the dirty things were at least together. She’d take those closer to the door, just so they were out of the way of the small space. “How do you suggest I discover anything without betraying what I believe?”

Without betraying the Order.

She was fairly confident there wasn’t a good way to go about that.

 

[witchingly]

Skye remembered the last time she saw Luke. And not long after that, he went missing and she was supposed to have been dead. That didn't happen though, so despite whatever was keeping Luke away for so long, all of that was going to change now that they had a map to him. Skye wanted some answers.

When Poe asked her to wake him, Skye nodded in agreement. "Will do." He'd get some good rest till they reached, since they still had some time. Skye remained up front in silence, thinking, till she realised she wasn't alone because BB-8 had stayed, to keep her company.

He rolled up beside her with a few beeps and Skye looked down at him with a small smile. "I hope you're right, Beebee," she told him once he commented on how things would start to look up now. She wanted to think so but she wouldn't begin to feel that way till they finally found Luke and saw him in the flesh. Wherever he was.

In a while, Skye knew they'd be dropping out of lightspeed soon, so she called out to Poe, and also sent BB-8 to wake him, just in case he was in deep sleep and didn't hear her. Skye remained at the controls, as the lines of white light all around them shifted, becoming bright dots instead.

The freighter soon descended, landing in D'Qar and Skye wasted no time getting out of her seat to disembark. The first thing they had to do before anything was meet Leia, provided she wasn't with the prisoners yet.

Maybe after that they could get that drink she promised Poe.

~***~

Finn listened to Kay and pondered her question. He didn't know himself how he was going to discover the answers to all the questions he had. Maybe that would become easier to pursue when he was no longer a prisoner since he wasn't going to achieve anything in this cell, but he remained optimistic.

It didn't seem to him like Kay felt any ounce of optimism, at the moment, and that didn't sit well with him, for some reason.

"Is it really a betrayal if you aren't sure you believe it?" Finn asked, arching an eyebrow. He didn't feel that way when he chose to leave the First Order. He wouldn't feel that way telling Leia Organa everything he knew from his time spent with the Order because he didn't believe in their system. He may have been a part of them once, but he didn't believe in them.

If Kay was questioning her own beliefs, then she didn't fully believe in them either. Right? That's what Finn told himself in his head, anyway.

"You have doubts, right?" Finn asked, wanting to be sure. She failed to answer a few questions, and though most of what she said so far had indicated that she doubted some of what she had believed for so long, she hadn't outright said it.

What better way to find out than to just ask.

"If that's the case, you're not betraying anyone," Finn said, choosing to believe it that way, instead of in a more negative light. He knew it couldn't be as easy for her to do that as it was for him — she'd been involved in all of this for longer, she'd done more than he had done, and he was asking her to throw it all away.

Had she been firm with her beliefs, he wouldn't have dreamed of suggesting it. But that slight waver kept him going, because it showed him there was a way out for her too.

 

[Lucyfer]

Poe Dameron didn’t quite hear the call, but he felt the shift from lightspeed to realspace. He imagined he’d feel it in any sort of ship, no matter how smooth the flight or how well pressurized the ship was. He had been flying for so long, he was just attuned to it. It woke him with a jolt, and then he heard the rolling of BB-8. He sat up in the bed and combed his fingers back through his dark hair to try and get them in order.

“Hey, Beebee,” he greeted with a yawn as the droid came over to him, “I’m up now, we’re good.” He could use some food, but he could likely just grab a nutritional bar once they landed.

He was no more inclined to believe that things were going to go slowly once he got on the ground than Skye had been, and he climbed out of the bed, shoved his boots back on his feet, and walked towards the cockpit. He hadn’t bothered to dress down for sleep.

There wasn’t time for that sort of luxury.

He could see them approaching the base, which wasn’t in as much of a fuss as he expected. He whistled low as he saw the Falcon. He may have been warned of it, but it was still quite the sight. No sign of Chewbacca or Han – yet, anyways. He was still certain they’d show up soon. Leia had her ways to reach Han, even if the two were more or less separated.

Never divorced, just…separated.

He could see Threepio outside the base, red arm waving to them, and General Organa alongside him. “She doesn’t look happy,” Poe noted aloud. “Why doesn’t she look happy?” He was briefly worried he was in trouble.

He had no idea it was because the map was partial.

~***~

There was no denying the doubts that moved about Kay’s head. She’d had questions, doubts, before, but never to this extreme. Of course, she had been in the Order before. She could, at times, speak to others about them. Not as doubts, but as queries of how they were going forward, how they were going to deal with this matter.

And she’d been satisfied.

Now all she had was her own mind, and Finn.

Finn, who thought doubt was enough reason to consider a treacherous act, not to be treacherous. It soured her mood a bit, “I suppose it will be very easy for you to rid yourself of me then,” her tone was cold, “once you’ve realized you have doubts about me,” right now, he was clearly trying to help her see things his way.

It was enough to bring doubts forward into the open, but this thought struck her as almost personal. “I suppose it will be very easy for you to harm your former squadron and those who may have once looked upon you fondly, because you have doubts in them.” Doubts, and nothing solid.

How easy relationships and everything else were to leave, if one could walk out on just a doubt. No, it certainly wasn’t that easy for her. She had friends in the Order. There was a woman she admired to the point of making up impossible fantastical futures with her, in the Order. There were people who had ideals like her of a better galaxy.

How could she condemn them all, just like that? Just on a doubt? “I had friends,” friends who would now see her dead for her treachery, “I knew people who wanted to see the best for this galaxy, just like I did. Am I supposed to betray them, because I had a moment of weakness and valued my life?”

 

[witchingly]

Skye looked back briefly when she heard Poe stepping into the cockpit, BB-8 rolling in right behind him, and then she turned back ahead to see the Resistance base. As they neared, she too recognised Leia waiting, C3PO right beside her, though he seemed to be more enthusiastic about their return than she did, which struck Skye as odd.

"I don't know," Skye admitted. "But let's not jump to conclusions."

Maybe she'd learned something from the prisoners that spelled bad news for them? Skye couldn't be sure, but they'd find out soon enough.

She landed the freighter and got up to disembark, allowing Poe and BB-8 to go first before she came to stand beside them in front of Leia.

"It's good to have you back, Poe," Leia said, looking to the pilot with a small smile before letting her gaze shift between the two of them. "I'm afraid there are isn't all good news though."

Skye furrowed her eyebrows together in confusion, her gaze focused on Leia. "What do you mean?"

"We took a look at the map," she began to explain, "and it seems that it's incomplete."

"What, like there's a part missing?"

"One part, several parts," Leia shrugged a little. "It's hard to tell."

"And even worse," Threepio chimed in, "it matches no charted system on record. We simply do not have enough information to locate Master Luke."

~***~

Finn realised this was taking a turn, heading in a direction he hadn't meant for it to go. He figured this out as soon as Kay began to speak, and the shift in her tone was evident. "No, that's not—" Before he could defend his words, she continued, talking about him harming his former squadron and those looked upon him fondly.

Finn decided to wait for her to finish speaking, before he replied to her. In truth, he had trouble coming up with something to say in his defence because she wasn't wrong. But he also didn't think she was totally right.

"Nobody's ever looked upon me fondly," he told her, meeting her gaze. "Nobody, because I never had a family, thanks to the First Order. The only one who ever did treat me with any respect was you. That's why it's hard for me to see you just give everything up."

Letting out a small sigh, Finn glanced down at his hands as they began to fiddle with the edge of the jacket he had on — Poe's jacket. Poe who may very well be dead right now, all because he was fighting for a good cause.

"I don't think you can call them friends if they're willing to kill you over a mistake," he said, lifting his head again. "Or refuse to listen to you and understand that you didn't choose this." Maybe if it was that simple, she could go back. Her life would be spared and she could continue as an admiral.

But things weren't that way within the First Order. Why would she want to go back to that?

 

[Lucyfer]

Poe wasn’t pleased with the news either, but at least he wasn’t in trouble. He hadn’t really expected it, but it had happened a time or two before. And he knew that this wasn’t the news any of them wanted. “Well, we’ll just have to find the rest of it.” Somehow.

Leia gave a small smile and an inclination of her head, “I like where your head’s at.”

“Heh yeah. About that. My head. We need to pick up base and move, now. The First Order knows where we are. I didn’t mean to—” he was about to start babbling again, but Leia held up a hand to quiet him. He quieted.

“We’ll begin preparations immediately,” she said, “I already have someone on the way who can help with it,” that twinkle in her eye told Poe all he needed. Han Solo and Chewbacca would be here, soon, no doubt to reclaim their ship but they’d help in packing up the Rebel base just as well. “Your…friend needs to be debriefed.”

“Finn?”

“Yes. He’s been chatting with the Admiral,” they probably didn’t even think, or care, about the cameras. Leia had left them undisturbed. Finn was exposing weakness, doubt, in the Admiral. That was useful. “He’s with us, I can see that, I just need you to speak with him. I think he’ll respond well to a friendly face.”

“Right – got it!” Poe understood, but before he could dash off, Leia grabbed his arm.

“Hold your X-Wing, flyboy,” Leia said, “Skye, there’s a woman here I need you to speak with, as well – but first I want you to see if you can get the Admiral to talk. She’s mentioned something called Starkiller that Finn will give up,” she glanced to Poe, before to Skye, “but I don’t think he knows as much about it as she does. Be gentle,” Leia suggested, “She’s showing doubts, but she’s still loyal.”

Kindness had its place. Leia wouldn’t say to be kind, exactly, but they needed to show they weren’t so harsh as the Order. To give the Admiral something to start to consider.

Leia could begin packing up and evacuating during that time. The prisoners could easily be the last transport off.

~***~

Kay knew otherwise. It seemed Finn hadn’t noticed it, or recognized it, and she scoffed as he declared that no one but her had looked on him fondly. “You think family matters so much?” She had denied hers, something he didn’t need to know right then, “Phasma saw potential in you. She’s the one who brought my attention to you in the first place.”

Likely, not something Finn expected.

Phasma was notoriously difficult and strict to those who worked under her. She never showed an ounce of care, for all she cared about, so far as anyone could tell, was the Order. But she had seen something in FN-2187, now Finn. Something to draw the attention of an Admiral.

‘I saw potential in you.’

Still did.

“I would harm anyone who betrayed the Order. Anyone who chose their life over the Order. I understand why they would kill me. In their position….” In their position, she would do the same. “Faith is important where there is doubt.”

She should have trusted the Order. Died for it. She would have done so, on the deck of a Bridge, or in a TIE. Why not when a blaster was pointed at her by a rebel?

‘Coward.’

“I suppose that’s a lie. I haven’t harmed you.” And he betrayed the Order. “Still.” The rest wasn’t. That faith was important. That others had cared for Finn. Those weren’t lies, and he’d have to live with that.

 

[witchingly]

Someone was on the way to help and Skye had a feeling she knew who it was. Still, she gave nothing away as she listened to Leia's instructions. Poe had warned her about this on the ship. Skye knew she would be gentle, there was no doubt about that, but she also didn't want to feel like she was failing Leia if she didn't get anything from the woman.

She didn't want to use mind tricks but she'd have to just see how it went. Even if she was more than capable, she only felt like using it would make her no different than the First Order.

"Got it," Skye said with a brief nod before turning to Poe. There was no time to sit and relax. They needed to get a move on, especially if the First Order now knew where their base was.

~***~

Finn was genuinely surprised to hear that Phasma thought he was capable of something. She certainly never showed it. Or perhaps she only did what she did because Kay had been known to look over his progress. Or maybe she did that with many others. Why should he be any special?

Probably because you were the worst at your job.

That was true. It definitely gained some attention from the higher ups, and now he had gained even more attention for helping a prisoner escape and using an Admiral of the First Order to do it.

"How come you didn't harm me?" Finn asked her curiously. It wasn't a question of not having a weapon. He knew she'd be more than capable of doing some damage without one, and he'd likely fare much worse against her. But she could have gotten rid of him, used it as something to get back to the First Order and gain their trust.

She didn't do anything though. She even offered to drop him off somewhere so that he could remain hidden while she went off... somewhere.

Before Finn could get his answer though, he heard footsteps approaching, and he was forced to look up. The moment Finn saw Poe as the door swung open, he had to blink a few times to assure himself that what he was seeing was real.

Beside him was a darker skinned girl who seemed to be eyeing Kay up and down and Finn began to realise what they were here for.

Regardless, he got to his feet, still in a state of slight disbelief. "You're alive?" He looked Poe up and down. "I found your jacket. I-I thought... the ship sank and... you're alive."

"He's alive," the woman beside him confirmed. "And you guys have much to talk about so why don't you join him?"

 

[Lucyfer]

Kay was not allowed a moment to answer Finn as to why she didn’t hurt him. She wasn’t even sure how she’d answer that. Was it because she knew it would do no good? That was likely a part of it, but certainly not the largest. It would have relieved some of her anger to hurt him – it was why she’d tried in Jakku. She failed. That hadn’t been calculated, though.

That was just anger at what Finn asked, and the situation she was in.

No, instead of answering, she stayed silent as the door opened, and two stepped in. One, she was familiar with from before – Poe Dameron.

The other woman wasn’t familiar to her in the least.

A smile lit Poe’s face at the sight of Finn, and BB-8 trilled happily to see Finn was okay, as well. “I’m so glad to see you, I was afraid you died, too,” he said, and walked further into the cell to offer the man his hand to pull him up to his feet, “Come on, let’s walk and talk a bit, yeah? Food—oh, looks like they got you food, good,” he noticed the plates a moment later, both empty, along with the cups and the burn balm.

Well, at least the Resistance was definitely showing themselves to be better than the Order. Poe hadn’t been allowed so much as a drink.

Poe would glance back to Skye and give a nod – he’d leave her here, it sounded like she wanted to keep this room, so Poe would see himself and Finn out. Finn might not quite be a free man yet, but he would be, soon.

“Let us know if you need anything, Skye,” Poe offered, then, almost sarcastically, gestured, “Oh yeah – this is Admiral Cadence Faraday – Admiral,” he sounded mocking, “This is Skye Ruana. Finn, Skye,” he introduced those two more casually.

“Charmed.” She wasn’t charmed at all. She knew what this meant. Interrogation time.

 

[witchingly]

Skye briefly faced Poe as he did a quick introduction for all of them and she nodded, smirking a little after picking up on the sarcasm in his tone. Then he was gone, along with Finn, and Skye was left alone with the admiral.

She closed the door behind her and walked over to where the woman was sitting. Skye didn't sit though. No, she leaned against the wall and looked down at her, thinking hard about what she was going to say first.

Coming out immediately with a direct question was one way to go, but not one way that Skye thought would work. She couldn't be sure. This was her first time meeting Cadence Faraday. She wasn't sure what would and wouldn't work.

"You know why I'm here, so I won't waste your time or mine." Sky said first. The woman wasn't stupid, and Skye knew that. She and Finn were probably expecting someone to show up and start asking more questions.

"What can you tell me about Starkiller?" She remembered Leia saying she knew more about it than Finn.

She also remembered Leia saying that she was showing doubts. Well, Skye would at least be able to sense if the woman wanted to give up that information or not. She'd look for hesitation, something that gave away that her beliefs were hanging on by a thread, or at least starting to fail her.

~***~

Finn glanced back into the room as the woman — Skye — walked inside, seemingly to interrogate Kay. He tried to lock eyes with her before he was led a different way by Poe, and further away from the cell. He didn't know if Kay would give anything up, but he knew he'd try himself to paint her in a better light. And he wasn't holding anything back either.

He did have some questions though, so he looked back to Poe as soon as the cell door was out of sight. "How the hell did you survive that crash?" he asked, still quite surprised by it. "When I saw your jacket I thought you went down with the ship."

BB-8 beeped something that Finn didn't quite understand since he still had no idea how to speak droid, but he assumed he was talking about how he recognised Poe's jacket on Finn.

"He found me," Poe explained, nodding to BB-8. "And shocked me. Literally. He thought I stole your jacket," he explained, before realising he was still wearing it. "Oh, yeah, this belongs to you," he said, shrugging out of it with the intention of handing it back to its rightful owner.

"So..." Just because Poe was being friendly, didn't mean Finn had the right to act like he belonged her, considering where he came from, but he was still curious. Concerned.

"What's going to happen?" He asked, glancing back in the direction of the cells briefly. "To the Admiral? And me."

It was a fair question to ask. Part of Finn was nervous to hear the answer but things had been okay so far, so he held out hope.

 

[Lucyfer]

Starkiller.

Kay had suspected there may be cameras, and it was among the reasons she hadn’t said more to Finn. Now she had confirmation of that, and she narrowed her eyes on her interrogator.

“I can say quite a bit about it,” Kay answered. That much was true. She could say a significant amount about Starkiller, its defenses, its target, and much else besides. The answer was a non-answer, though.

What she could do was numerous. What she would do, was significantly lower. Her thoughts lingered on what Finn had suggested of doubt and betrayal. The Order wouldn’t care if she refrained from speaking on it at this point – but they would care if she did speak about it. She wasn’t certain if there was a future for her, but she recalled where she had wanted to go.

When she knew she didn’t want to harm Finn, when she promised to take him somewhere, anywhere, her thoughts had been on finding Terex, of understanding more about why he left the Order. They returned to that. “I won’t speak of it unless you can take me to Terex.” She wasn’t sure she’d speak of it then, but she wanted to hear what he had to say.

He hadn’t spilled Starkiller secrets, either.

She didn’t know how effective such a demand would be, but she was willing to try it.

~***~

BB-8 hadn’t, in fact, mentioned his meeting with Finn but instead commented on his own curiosity as to how Poe lived. Poe chuckled and shook his head, “Well I couldn’t get the ejector to work on my side – I think I got you loose, but me? I was caught. Eventually I had to guide the ship down into a crash as best I could, and I was thrown from the wreckage, sans jacket – and hey, keep that.” Poe reached out and clasped a hand on Finn’s arm as he extended the jacket, “It looks good on you.”

It looked right on him.

It made him look less like a Stormtrooper, for one.

It also seemed proper to give him something to welcome him into his new life. A name, a jacket, eventually he might need a family name but that was a problem for later. Poe took him towards another space, one that seemed more like an office rather than a cell and he gestured Finn and BB-8 in.

“You rescued me. You risked your life for me. So far as the General and I are concerned, you’re welcome in the Resistance if you want to be here, or as soon as we can, we’ll find you another place,” Poe offered, “We kind of can’t do that right now, we’re packing up to get out of here, but once we get moved and settled we can talk about that. I’m sorry,” Finn wasn’t the only one suffering it.

So was Rey.

“As for the Admiral,” again, that obvious derision, “that depends on her. Leia seems to think there’s some hope – she was monitoring you two,” Poe didn’t have much hope, “There was something said about a Starkiller?”