Leia reached over and touched a switch on the outside of her chair's armrest, dimming the lights and activating a hologram over the central table of the conference room. The translucent blue image was of a planet with a sizable chunk removed from the equatorial region. A mass of technology and machinery had been installed within the carved out section, most notably an enormous cannon port.

"What can you tell me about the defenses for Starkiller base?" Leia asked.

"How about answering a few questions of mine, like why didn't the Republic take this thing out before now?" Finn countered. "Why did you wait so long?"

"We didn't think it was a viable threat," she admitted.

"A planet sized gun wasn't a threat?" Finn demanded in disbelief.

"There are no engine ports or thrusters, so it's impossible to aim the cannon at anything beyond what the rotation of the planetary axis allows," Leia pointed out. "Even if an alignment with the target world was possible, there would be no guarantee another planet, moon, or asteroid might not be in the way. Firing clear across the galaxy and not hitting anything else didn't seem possible."

"But the First Order found a way," Finn stated.

"From what we've been able to discover, they used a new piece of technology we've never seen before," Leia explained. "Cargo ships deployed robotic drones in the Hosnian system. The drones, when in position, create an artificial hyperspace window, probably in conjunction with one in front of the Starkiller cannon. The blast is released into the hyperspace channel and emerges at the target. At least, we think that's how it works. There isn't much left in the Hosnian system to study for clues."

"With it, they can hit anywhere in the galaxy," Han added. "Unless the Republic wanted to halt all cargo traffic, they'd never be able to protect against it. Our only choice is to take it out. You were there, Finn. How do we do it?"

"A direct attack is impossible," Finn explained. "They have numerous shield generators all around the planet. You'd never be able to hit it hard enough to collapse it. The only time they lower the shield is either when ships are arriving and departing, or when they are using the cannon."

"Why do they lower the shield for the cannon?" Leia asked.

"They power the weapon directly from the sun," Finn told her. "They charge the space between the sun and the base, so when solar flares and other radiation stream out into space naturally, the energy is harnessed and drawn in. Once the energy is inside the reaction chamber, it's focused and amplified before being fired. The shield has to be dropped to allow the energy in."

"That's their weak point," Han decided. "The moment they start to recharge, we'll go in and knock out their shield generator, leaving them wide open for an attack before they can fire."

"There are too many shield generators and backup units," Finn denied. "You'd never be able to do enough damage before they fire the cannon and raise the shields back up. They have massive numbers of troops and fighters on planet. Whatever force you still had in the area would be seriously outnumbered and outgunned."

"What would you suggest?" Han asked.

"The power drawn into the base is so intense, the weapon has to be fired very quickly or everything will overload," Finn concluded. "The whole planet will break apart."

"Perfect," Han accepted. "We'll ignore the shield generators and go after the cannon itself. All we have to do is prevent it from firing again, and the stored energy will do the rest."

"The size of the cannon may require an attacking force of incredible magnitude to disable it," Finn warned. "They have backup systems for most of their equipment. Estimating on the safe side, I'd suggest bringing a force large enough to vaporize a large city. If you can, bring more."

"I appreciate you telling us this information," Leia thanked Finn. She manipulated the controls on her armrest again, shutting off the hologram projector and returning the lights in the room to standard levels. She also paged an assistant.

The doors opened, and a young girl barely out of her teens entered. "You sent for me, General?"

"Yes, escort Finn to an available room," Leia instructed.

"Of course, General," the aide answered with a bow of her blonde head. She gestured to Finn. "This way, please."

Han and Leia waited until Finn had departed from the room, and the door shut behind him, before they spoke again.

"Did you see the map?" Leia asked.

"It's not complete," Han cautioned. "It has missing information, like it was divided in sections."

"So, we need to find more?" Leia questioned.

"It seems that way," Han admitted regretfully.

Leia sighed. Leaving his chair, Han knelt beside her, taking her hands in his.

"It'll be alright," he promised. "We're closer to the end than we were before."

"I just want to know what happened," Leia said, tears forming in her eyes. "I want to know why Luke left us when we needed him most. I want to know what happened to our son."

"I know," Han agreed. "I'd like answers to those questions too."

With a gentle tug, he pulled her out of the chair as he stood, wrapping his arms around her.

"Don't worry," Han whispered. "We'll find Luke. We'll find our answers."

***

The strike fleet exited hyperspace over the planet of D'Qar, a rich green world with a dusty gray orbital ring surrounding it. Finn and Han stood on the observation deck, looking down at the planet as the ships entered the atmosphere. The tall windows composing the forward wall of the ship provided a spectacular view outside.

"I thought the base would be bigger," Finn admitted as the vessel broke through the white clouds and descended over the outpost.

"The Republic has military bases all over the galaxy," Han explained. "Since the resources don't exist to put a fleet in orbit and military garrisons on the ground for every single planet in the galaxy, outposts such as this are in place to secure the sector. If any trouble starts nearby, D'Qar can respond and keep things from getting out of hand before a full military fleet arrives to take charge."

"I see," Finn accepted. "It's an early warning system."

Han nodded.

"With what you've told us about Starkiller base," Han continued, "we've sent messages to the fleet for reinforcements. They should be here soon."

"I hope it will be enough," Finn said grimly.

"Yeah," Han agreed.