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chapter forty-four: across the stars
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FINN LOVES CANTO BIGHT. He knows he shouldn't — he's aware that it's a terrible place filled with terrible people — but gods be damned, he has never seen anything quite like it in his entire life. The city is made up of finery and flashing lights, but the people are extravagant, too, with glamorous outfits and high-fashion hairdos. For a brief moment, he feels nothing but starstruck as he takes in the sights around him with Stefan and Rose as they enter the decadent casino.

"Okay," Rose says, squaring her shoulders with determination. "Now that we're here, we need to find Lando Calrissian and get the hell out of this place as soon as possible. We don't want to linger."

     He knows that she's right — they've got a job to do, after all — but he also feels surprised by the venom in her voice. Even during their long flight from the Raddus to Canto Bight, Rose had sounded anything but eager about visiting the wealthy planet.

     "Rose, do you know this town?" Finn asks.

     She gives him a guarded look. "From stories," the technician replies grudgingly. "It's a terrible place filled with the worst people in the galaxy."

     He frowns, glancing over at Stefan. "Do you know this place?"

     The former First Order officer sighs. "In a fashion," he admits, crossing his arms over his chest as he scans the room filled with wealthy socialites. "Who do you think all of these people are? There's only one business in the galaxy that'll get you this rich."

     Finn's face falls slightly as the realization dawns on him. "War."

     "Selling weapons to the First Order," Rose confirms, doing very little to hide the disgust in her tone. "My sister and I grew up in a poor mining system. The First Order stripped our ore to finance its military, then shelled us to test their weapons. They took everything we had — all because of people like this. I wish I could put my fist through this whole lousy, beautiful town."

     His brow furrows. "If this is a place run by people like that, then what the hell is a guy like Calrissian doing here?"

     Before Rose can say another word, BB-8 rolls over to them and begins chattering excitedly. Finn, who still has trouble understanding BB-8's language, frowns before looking to Rose for help with the translation.

     "BeeBee said that he heard someone mention something about Calrissian," she relays quickly. Her eyes are alight with excitement as she informs Finn of this development, but her face falls slightly as the droid continues its heated chatter. "Wait. Apparently Calrissian was arrested weeks ago on suspicious charges. No one has seen him since."

     "Arrested?!" Finn demands. "Well, that's just great. How the hell are we going to be able to get anywhere near Calrissian without getting caught if he's locked up in a cell?"

      "Actually, that might not be a problem," Stefan interrupts, looking over Finn's shoulder.

     He shoots the other man an incredulous look. "What do you mean that might not be a problem?"

     "I mean that this is probably going to sting, but don't resist," Stefan says under his breath, his expression grim. "BeeBee, get out of here! Find us later."

     The droid beeps in confirmation before rolling away quickly, leaving Finn, Rose, and Stefan behind in the middle of the casino. Still confused, Finn shakes his head at Stefan. "Nakada, what's going on?"

      "Just trust me," Stefan repeats as the sound of footsteps grow louder in the background. "I know what I'm doing." He pauses to purse his lips. "I think."

      Finn narrows his eyes and turns around. However, before he can say anything else, a painful jolt of electricity makes his limbs go rigid as his body seizes with pain. Beside him, Stefan and Rose are also tased, letting out twin shrieks of pain.

      "You three are under arrest for parking violation 27B/6," a voice says in Finn's ear as he and his companions are rounded up by the security guards. "You have the right to remain ..."

     Finn groans in both pain and disbelief while the guards drag him away from the pretty lights and finery into the darkened underbelly of the casino. He vaguely remembers something about an alien man yelling at them when they first landed their transport on the beach, but he hadn't thought much of it then. Evidently, it had come back to bite him in the ass.

      As he is thrown into a cell, Finn can't help but think of just how disappointed Poe would be if he could see them now. Stefan and Rose are unceremoniously shoved into the cell after him before the door is slammed shut with a loud clang.

     "Oh, this is just fantastic," Finn rants, throwing his hands up in the air. "We're trapped in this lousy cell, we have no idea where Calrissian is, and the Resistance fleet is probably running on fumes at this point!"

      From the darkness, a hoarse voice speaks. "Did you say Calrissian?"

     All three of them jump, unaware of the presence of anyone else in the poorly lit cell. Finn peers into the darkness, seeing the faint outline of the frame of a human figure sitting on the floor.

     "Yeah," Finn says cautiously. "What's it to you?"

      Slowly, the man pulls himself off the ground onto his feet and takes a few steps forward. Instinctively, Stefan throws a hand in front of Finn and Rose, pushing them behind him as the person comes closer. An older man with graying hair and a patchy looking beard enters the light, revealing brown eyes and taupe colored skin. However, it's his smile that catches Finn off guard. In spite of his weakened state, there is a twinkle to the man's eyes — as if he knows something that they don't.

      "What's it to me?" The man repeats with a gruff laugh. "It is me."

      Stefan's mouth drops open. "You're Lando Calrissian?"

     The stranger beams at him. "At your service," Lando replies with a wink. "What can I do for you?"

SIRENS AND SHOUTS blare throughout the corridors of the Anodyne we Indira helps escort a woman with extensive bandages all over her body to the transport hangar. It's grueling work, allowing the injured female to lean heavily on her as they take slow, painstaking steps down the hallway. Heavy tremors shake the walls and the foundations of the medical frigate, making it even more difficult to walk steadily, but Indira continues to press on in spite of the chaos around them.

     "We're almost there," she says to the woman, trying to keep her tone reassuring. "Just a few more steps; you've got this."

     There were only a few passengers left aboard the doomed ship, but the evacuation was taking too long. The Anodyne had exhausted all of its fuel reserves and the ship had fallen behind the rest of the fleet. This left the frigate vulnerable to attacks from the First Order's canons. Within minutes, the shields would no longer be enough to protect it from the blasts and the Anodyne would be blown to bits. The only goal of the crew on board was to load the patients onto transports as quickly as possible and shuttle them to the Raddus. It was too late to salvage anything else.

     As soon as the injured woman is safely stored inside one of the tiny transports, Indira turns around to look for anyone else who needs help. She catches sight of Poe struggling to move a man submerged in a bacta tank and hurries over to help him, not saying a word as she falls into step beside him and starts to push. As they move in tandem, she can feel Poe's eyes boring into her, but she doesn't look at him — still too cowardly to meet his gaze after their argument.

      As they cross the threshold to the hangar, a large blast rocks the ship and nearly topples the tank over. The explosion rushes through the corridor behind them, filling the ship with smoke and heat. Several other volunteers run over to help Indira and Poe with the tank, taking the burden from the estranged couple's shoulders and wheeling the man into a waiting transport.

     For a moment, the pilot and the technician stand and look at each other; neither of them moving or speaking. Indira hadn't seen Poe since their fight, but the sight of him alone makes her feel the myriad of exhausting emotions she'd felt earlier that day all over again — ranging from anger to hurt to frustration and even longing, though she tried to ignore that particular feeling.

Even so, Poe looks as miserable as Indira feels. His eyes are dark and sad as he watches her, full of desperation and desire. He opens his mouth to speak, but before the words can leave his lips a second blast rocks the ship and nearly topples the two of them over. Indira sways on her feet before steady hands reach out and grab her, settling on her hips to keep her upright.

For a moment, both of them freeze in that position; chest to chest and nose to nose. The comfort of Poe's touch, even through the fabric of her uniform, is more reassuring than she would like to admit. Indira had missed being close to him and having him near again makes some small part of her want to lean in and bury her face in the space between his shoulder and neck just to breathe in the familiar scent of skin.

     However, the moment passes quickly and she untangles herself from his grasp with a swift efficiency, taking a few steps back to create a distance between them once more. "Thank you," she tells him in a clipped voice.

     He swallows thickly before shaking his head. "You don't —" his voice is hoarse. "You don't have to thank me."

     She holds his stare for a few moments before finally nodding and looking away. Outside of the nearest transport, C'ai waves for both of them to hurry up and board one of the evacuation ships. Indira obeys, ducking into the transport as Poe follows behind her. She takes an empty seat near the front windows as he finds a spot near the back; the two of them on opposite ends of the ship. Behind them, the doors slam shut and within seconds the ship clears the hangar before the Anodyne can combust.

      Seconds after the last transport breaks away from the frigate, the Anodyne goes up in flames, having succumbed to the fury of the First Order's guns. Indira watches from the window, wincing as the ship is obliterated in an explosion of light that illuminates all of the people on board the transport and casts light upon their downtrodden faces.

     Many of the passengers were patients on the medical vessel, receiving treatment for various illnesses and injuries. Several of them still wear bandages around their heads or slings around their limbs, awake and in terrible pain that they bear in silence through gritted teeth. Others are slumped over from exhaustion, sedated by whatever drugs had been administered to them onboard the frigate. All of their faces are grim — then again, so are the faces of the volunteers from the Raddus. Not a single hopeful smile could found. It was as if the spirit of the Resistance had been abandoned with the Anodyne itself.

      Without meaning to, Indira looks for Poe again. Her eyes meet his across the ship and she can see barely contained fury blazing in them — anger that she knows is meant for Holdo, whose plan ( or lack thereof ) had lead them to such dire circumstances.

      "Don't," she warns him, the word a silent movement of lips meant only for him.

     His shoulders tense automatically, as if he wants to protest, before he lets them fall and nods in resignation. Poe closes his eyes, thumping his head against the wall of the ship as the transport enters the Raddus and lands with a slight jostle.

As soon as they're steady, Indira begins unloading the medical patients from the ship and escorting them into the care of Doc Cosimo and Doctor Kalonia, who would take them to the medical wing. All the while, she works silently and without complaint, hardly speaking a word to anyone around her.

Once all the patients are clear of the hangar, she slips out of the room before anyone can stop her. Indira doesn't want to speak to Poe yet and she definitely doesn't want to see Holdo again, so she chooses to return to her own empty quarters and makes sure to lock the door behind her.

Her desire for peace and quiet is somewhat short-lived when it is interrupted by a soft beeping sound. EV-1 is waiting for her expectantly, relaying a short message to Indira; one that has the technician's eyes widening in surprise as a small smile tugs at the corners of her lips.

"Nhagy made it to the First Order?" She repeats and EV nods her little round head in confirmation. "That's great! Did she say anything important?"

EV nods again before playing a recording of the transmission, allowing Raena Nhagy's voice to momentarily fill Indira's quarters. "I'm on board Snoke's ship," the spy whispers into the comm link Leia had given her. "It's kind of weird being back here, but I know what I have to do and I won't let anything distract me from the goal at hand. I had a meeting with Supreme Leader Snoke today, too. He seemed suspicious of me, but I think I convinced him enough to trust me. That fat-headed alien had me fucking shot with a blaster to prove my immortality — and boy, did that hurt!"

Without meaning to, Indira laughs before she claps a hand over her mouth to stifle the sound. She shouldn't have done that — not when nothing about the situation was funny — but Raena's abrupt and uncaring way of speaking amused her. Indira had never heard anyone refer to the Supreme Leader of the First Order as a fat-headed alien before.

"I don't know what's going to happen. But, if I find any firsthand information, I'll let you all know." Raena's voice pauses and she sighs heavily. "Goodnight and ... may the force be with you. Over and out."

The transmission cuts itself off and Indira lets out a sigh of her own. Without Raena's voice to keep her company, she is all too aware of just how lonely she is. As she looks around the room, Rose's absence weighs heavily on her heart. She can see the little Tico's gadgets and personal items scattered across the floor, making Indira even more aware of the fact that she's gone and that she might not ever be coming back.

Please, she begs silently, closing her eyes and bowing her head. Keep them safe. Please, let this work. Please, don't let this be the end of us; not yet, not like this. Please, please, please.

FAR, FAR AWAY from all of that, there is a man with graying hair, wisened eyes, and tired bones. Once, he was a great someone, but now he is no one. As he sits atop a bed of rocks overlooking the island he calls home, the man finds himself alone and insignificant to the rest of the universe; a dimming star amongst an infinite field of constellations, a grain of sand buried beneath an endless desert, a wave tossed in a storming ocean. He is alone, truly alone, without the Light or the Dark to keep him company. More than anything, he is empty.

Night has settled over the island, with heavy clouds rolling in over the ocean that bring the promise of rain. The old man settles into his seat, allowing his eyes to shut as he summons the courage to reach out and touch the universe in ways he hasn't dared to try in several years.

Breath. Just breathe.

The Force rushes over him slowly at first, then all at once. As he opens his mind and his body to the familiar presence, he feels the life flow of everything around him; from the chirping porgs in the tall, billowing grass to the bustling fish swimming beneath the waves of the sea.

Tears spring to the man's eyes as he reaches further, longing for the companionship and connection he once knew so well. His mind stretches across the galaxy; unable to hold back any longer from the sister he loves and misses so dearly.

He finds her thousands of miles away; her presence muted and strange to him. Once, her spirit seemed to shine so bright — brighter than any star in the galaxy — but now he finds her spirit dim and unresponsive, clouded by a misty fog. It's his first sign that something is wrong, even as he feels the familiar brush of his twin's soul against his own.

Luke, Luke, Luke, she seems to be calling out to him.

He lets out a shuddering exhale. "Leia."

The call of his sister's soul is strong to him — so strong that it nearly overwhelms him — but her soul is not the only one calling his. Luke can feel the pull of the Force, guiding his focus elsewhere until it is drawn to another soul; one familiar yet unfamiliar to him at the same time.

The last time his soul touched hers, she had only been a child. Their spirits had always been entwined, though not in the way that most fathers are tied to their daughters. Still, even though Luke Skywalker had once agreed to keep his distance from his only child, he could never fully sever the connection between him and the girl without cutting himself off from the Force entirely. To do so had been unthinkable at the time, so his spirit had been present beside hers throughout her life; leading, guiding, directing, and comforting her whenever possible — until he closed himself off completely.

Now, he finds his daughter's spirit changed. She is no longer the adventurous girl he once knew, brimming with childlike wonder and innocence. Instead, she is older and a bit colder — still intelligent, but cautious, too. Her innocence is gone; her happiness dull. It hurts so much — this shift, this unexpected change — that it brings tears to his eyes and he does nothing to stop them from falling.

"Indira," Luke Skywalker whispers, calling to his daughter for the very first time in years from across the stars.

Far, far away in the bowels of a ship, a girl with dark hair and dark eyes lifts her head in surprise. The echo of a whisper rings in her head; a presence both foreign yet familiar all at once. Her lips tremble as she reaches for the glowing crystal around her neck, feeling it pulse beneath her shaking hands. She closes her eyes and stretches out with her own mind, reaching towards the presence that had called her by name on the other side of the galaxy.

Her spirit meets his and — for the briefest of moments — it feels like home.

"Dad," she breathes.

And the connection vanishes.

a/n: I'M SO SORRY FOR HURTING YOUR FEELINGS WITH THE LAST CHAPTER

EDITED ON:
11.06.19