25 || calling the shots

"IF WE'RE GOING TO ESCAPE, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO THINK THIS THROUGH. SO THINK, FINN, NOT ACT ON IMPULSE."

STAR KILLER BASE, FIRST ORDER-

The complex hallways of the Star Killer base were rushing with activity when Kyra and Fox peeked their heads out at the end of the hallway. There were stormtroopers around every single hallway, and there was so much commotion that it was almost overwhelming.

"We don't have much time, Kyra." Finn hastily whispered to her, reminding her that there were most likely countless X-Wings in flight above them trying to blow the hell out of the thermal oscillator. "We're going to have to find-"

"Finn, quiet!" Kyra hissed, whipping back around to squeeze herself back into the corner that she had been hiding behind. "You talk any louder and I'm not going to be able to hear anything. Remember?" She hastily lifted up her hair on the right side of her face, shutting the man up immediately.

Fox, who was on the same side as Kyra and Finn, gave a soft worried look over at Kyra. There was evidently a lot more to catch up on than he had ever anticipated, that was for sure. "The corridor should just be down this way." Fox whispered to the two, trying to ignore the fact that he had just seen something horrifying that had happened to his best friend.

"Alright then, let's get a move on." Han gruffly spoke from the other side of the hallway, getting impatient with the amount of small talk that was occurring between the three former First Order members. "Finn is right about one thing- we don't have much time."

Giving a small nod of confirmation, Kyra turned around towards the hallway, seeing that it was clear. She ran out into the open, her blaster still gripped in her right hand, seeing a rock hallway ahead of her, a dead end on her part. This was the only way that she could've gone, so where-

There were footsteps to her right, Kyra and Finn turning to see Rey standing in front of her, blaster gripped by her side. There was a look of surprise on the young scavenger's face when she saw her two friends standing in front of her- Han, Chewie and another stranger close behind them.

In that moment, the three of them just stared at each other, Kyra and Finn grateful to have found their friend, while Rey was just grateful to have escaped the First Order. A small smile lit up Rey's face as she gave a surprised chuckle of relief, wanting to do nothing more than just hug her friends in that moment.

Han stepped forward to the open space in the hallway, taking the gun from Rey that she was wielding with caution. "You all right, kid?" He questioned, scanning her for any injuries that she would have received while under the careful watch of his son. After all, Kyra had come out of the First Order with some nasty injuries- he wanted to make sure that Rey didn't have any.

"Yeah." Rey smiled at Han, her eyes flashing over to Kyra, who had taken a step back to stand by Chewie and the stranger who she didn't know. Inclining her head towards the back, she arched her eyebrow curiously at the man. "And who's the new guy in the group?"

"Fox. One of my friends from inside of the First Order." Kyra spoke shortly, trying not to keep the group held up inside of the hallway. "I can explain all of it later, I promise." She told the young girl, who accepted her response with a small nod.

"What happened? Did they hurt you?" Rey stared at Finn, who was scanning her as well, almost in disbelief that she had made it out alive. There was just a smile that grew on Rey's face when he spoke. In seconds, Rey wrapped Finn in a tight embrace, squeezing her eyes shut.

"I didn't think you'd come back for me." She silently admitted, a few tears of joy escaping from her eyes as she hugged her friend. "I didn't think any of you would come back for me." Rey spoke again, unlocking herself from her tight embrace with Finn, wiping the tears away from her eyes.

"It was all his idea." Kyra jacked her thumb over at Finn, who blushed deeply at the mention. "If it weren't for him, I'm pretty sure none of us would be in the position that we are now." She grinned, getting an elbow from Finn at the fact that he was becoming a scapegoat in a good and bad way.

"How the hell did you escape?" Fox questioned from the back of the group, confused as to how she had escaped Kylo Ren without any help. "I thought it was impossible to escape Kylo Ren-" He looked over at Kyra, who just gave him an irritated glare as he cleared his throat. "Without any help." Fox finished, earning him an eye roll from the young woman.

A moment of hesitation could be seen as the unfamiliar man in Rey's eyes asked a question, but when Kyra echoed that same confusion in the look in her eyes, Rey knew she had to give an answer. "I can't explain it. You wouldn't believe it." Rey started to speak, her eyes filling up with a sort of joy and mystical aura that Kyra wanted to question further.

"Let's escape now." Han gruffly interrupted the young gang who was staying in one place inside of the First Order for too long. "Question each other and what the hell happened later." With those last words, he turned back into the hallways, ready to get out of the Star Killer base.

Giving a small smile at Rey, Kyra gave the young scavenger a quick embrace hello before turning back to Fox. She gave her friend a quick nod, Fox handing Rey a blaster silently. The two knew that Ren was most likely on the lookout for her, so Rey needed all of the protection that she could possibly get. "Let's get out of here." She nudged Fox, nodding her head at Finn and Rey to follow wherever Han and Chewie had gone in that exact moment.

The hallways of Star Killer base were much easier to navigate now that everyone seemed to be a little more acquainted with them, the crew of now six finding their way out in no time. Inside of the transport that would take them outside, Chewie handed Han his winter jacket back, the man looking a little bit annoyed when his Wookie friend did so.

Kyra turned to Finn and Rey, who were no longer equipped with the proper means to go out into the winter and the cold. "Finn, Rey, will you two be alright out there? It's going to get pretty cold pretty fast." She warned, looking over to Fox to take off his jacket if they needed.

"The deserts on Jakku got cold some nights. I'm sure I can handle a little bit of snow." Rey remarked, the young woman confident that she could handle the cold. Finn seemed to echo this sentiment, his leather jacket that he had been wearing underneath his winter coat enough coverage for him.

"Okay." Kyra gave the two of them a quick nod to acknowledge that they were okay, turning to the control panel inside of the transport. It didn't take long for the First Order transport to take them to a location closer to the thermal oscillator- and where the action was. However, when the group ran outside of the base, snow now falling from the air in a downpour, there seemed to be something going very wrong in the air above them.

"They're in trouble." Han muttered, watching as TIE fighters kept trying to take down the X-Wings that were in the sky, the fighters barely able to outmaneuver the First Order ships. There were few Resistance ships that got even remotely close to the thermal oscillator, none of the shots that they were making doing any direct damage.

"We can't leave." Kyra agreed, trying to hold back the swears that were racing through her mind. She had to make sure that this base was destroyed before it finished charging. Kyra was not about to let her home planet and its system be another product of her destruction.

"My friend here has a bag of explosives." Han nudged Chewie, the huge Wookie revealing the bag that he had slung over his chest for the entire duration of the mission. There was a signature smuggler grin on Han's face as he turned to look at the kids in front of them, all of them realizing what they were about to do. "Let's use 'em."

"The oscillator is just to the left of us." Fox noted, pointing to the general direction to where the most vital part of the First Order base lay. "We can get in there and set as many charges as we want and get out. Assuming we have a remote trigger."

"Of course we do." Han grumbled, arching an eyebrow at the young man that Kyra had decided to bring along with them. He had spunk, Han had to give him that. "What do you take us for, a bunch of amateurs? I've blown up a planet destroying base once before, I'll do it again."

"Great." Kyra gave a quick breath that she had been holding in while Fox had challenged Han, afraid of what the smuggler would do to her oldest friend. "Then let's get a move on back inside. We don't have much time to spare- the light is nearly gone."

The group started to run towards where the thermal oscillator was located, the big hexagonal shape sticking out of the snowy landscape of the planet. The snow was slowly starting to fall down upon them at a faster rate, Kyra watching as Rey let out a small shudder as the ice seemed to melt on her skin. "You sure you don't want a jacket, Rey?" She questioned the young woman, pointing to the outer wear that she had on.

"No, keep it!" Rey disagreed, brushing off the liquid that was on her shoulders. "We're going to be inside in a couple of moments anyways." She pointed out, the thermal oscillator getting closer and closer to them with every long and bounding step that they took.

Eventually, the scrappy gang of heroes landed in front of the door, Fox beginning to type in a quick entry code upon their arrival. . "Alright, let's split up." Han looked at the group of kids in front of them, stopping Fox from opening the door. "We need to divide and conquer."

"Alright." Kyra nodded, gesturing over to Finn, Rey, and Fox. "Can you three go together? I know Fox can maneuver his way around this part of the base pretty well, and you know a lot about ships, Rey. With Finn as protection you can start opening the doors without using Fox's code. I assume by now they're going to block your access codes- they know you're working with us." She pointed out to her best friend, who gave her a solemn nod.

"I can protect them, Princess. Although I can't say that this splitting up idea is the best. How are we going to communicate?" Fox questioned Kyra, giving her a skeptical look that he always seemed to give her before they went on any of their missions.

"You won't. We'll be going in blind." Kyra paused, seeing Fox's hesitation in that moment. He opened his mouth to speak up against the idea, but she interrupted him before he could even do so. "I know, I know. You hate plans like these. But if all of us go in there and try to plant the bombs, there's a greater chance that not all of us will make it out in time. And I'd rather have you, Finn, and Rey safe than getting shot at by battalions of stormtroopers."

Giving a sigh, Fox caved into his best friend. "Alright. We'll go with this plan. I know a good vantage point inside of the oscillator where we can cover your backs while you're setting the charges. But please, for my sake-"

"Don't die." Kyra smiled, remembering the mantra that he loved to hear before any mission that she went on with him and Silas. "I know." She placed her hand on his shoulder for a moment to offer him some sort of reassurance before she turned to Han and Chewie, who had watched the young woman spit out the plan in a matter of seconds. "You two alright with this plan?"

"If I get you covering my back? I'll take it." Han scoffed, Chewie giving a roar behind him. Kyra wasn't sure what he exactly said, but it made Han chuckle a little bit. "He said that he totally agrees. Chewie also said that if worst things come to worst, you have that saber on you as extra help."

"Right." Kyra muttered, glancing down at her belt where the saber hung. She hadn't used it since that battle on Maz's old cantina planet. Something about using it didn't settle right in her stomach- someone with her type of powers wielding a weapon so sacred to a Force user. Granted, if worse came to worst, she would be willing to use it to save their lives.

"Let's execute this plan, then." Finn interrupted Kyra's thoughts, the young man smiling at his new friend with a look of reassurance. He could tell that there was some mild discomfort in her mannerisms- almost as if she felt that something bad was coming. If they were splitting up, Finn figured that he could at least offer her a bit of comfort and hope in that moment. "Good luck you guys."

"Good luck to you too." Kyra whispered back at Finn, Fox, and Rey, gesturing for her friend to type in his access code one final time to let them into this section of the base. Taking in a deep shuddering breath, Kyra fell in line behind Han and Chewbacca.

This was it.

The doors whooshed open loudly for the three, the cold air immediately leaking into the eerie warmth of the thermal oscillator's hallways and locations. Blasters drawn, Han and Chewie led the way, shooting down a whole battalion of troopers that were waiting outside of the entryway for them. Kyra followed close behind, carefully aiming each of her shots as she covered both Han and Chewie.

"Let's keep going!" Han shouted, keeping his blaster up at his eye level, trying to scan for anymore white that he could see within his range. Running to the next closed door, Han pressed to the left side of the hallway, Kyra pressing up tight next to him. Chewbacca was on the adjacent side, his bowcaster held firmly in his hands as they waited for Rey to work whatever magic that would open the doors.

It took but a few seconds for the door to slide open in front of them, Han and Kyra sharing an impressed look at her quick skill. "Kid knows her stuff." Han remarked with pride, proud that he had offered the young girl a job on his ship.

Walking through the tight hallway single file, Kyra rounded out the back, keeping her blaster drawn to protect them from any attacks that would come from behind. Once she had seen that they were secure, she turned her attention back to the walkway, seeing a wide bridge that separated the key part of the thermal oscillator in front of her. Walking to the edge, she saw that Han and Chewie had stopped, Han tucking his blaster back into his holster.

"We'll set the charges against every other column." Han pointed out where he wanted them, trying to strategize what would be the best way to blow the thermal oscillator to kingdom come before the First Order noticed.

"Why don't we just divide by the levels?" Kyra questioned, placing her own blaster into the back of her jacket. There was no need for the weapon anymore- and if she really needed a weapon she had a couple of close range knives and a lightsaber that she could use. Chewie roared a response to Han, which overlapped with Kyra's question of his plan. "What'd he say?"

"The exact same thing you did." Han seemed amused, Kyra earning a small and proud nudge from the Wookie because of the fact that they were both thinking on the same level. "You're both right. Going by levels is a better idea. Chewie, you take the top. Kyra and I will take the bottom." Han pulled out a button, handing it to Chewbacca before he turned around and started walking away. "Detonator. We'll meet back here. Now, c'mon kid, we don't have time to waste."

"Right." Kyra agreed, quickly trailing after Han as he ran down the stairs that would take them away from the bridge that the hallway had led to. Their footsteps echoed against the floor as they stopped at the end of the stairs, Han handing Kyra a smaller bag of explosives.

"Take the right side." The man told her, pointing to the area that was more towards the middle of the bridge area. "I'll take the left. Reconvene here as quickly as you can." He pushed his finger into her heart, trying to emphasize how important it was that she returned. "I gotta return you back to your Resistance pilot- even if it'll be the death of me."

Rolling her eyes, Kyra just took the first bomb out of her back, pressing the button on the side that she knew would activate it to the frequency that the detonator was operating on. "And I have to get you back to General Organa, if it'll be the death of me!" She shot back, hearing a chuckle come from him as his footsteps faded away to the other side of the thermal oscillator.

Kyra began to take off running as she placed the first bomb on a pillar, hearing a familiar activating beep as it stuck to the side of the First Order base. Giving a small smile of satisfaction, the young woman continued to run down the hallway of many pillars sticking out of the ground. She grabbed another bomb and set it ready to charge, slapping it onto another pillar.

If this was all that it was going to take to destroy this base, this was about to be as easy as cake.

However, in that moment, loud echoing footsteps entered into the thermal oscillator room, followed by the rhythmic sounds of stormtrooper boots behind them. It was a sea of white with one man all draped in black, standing at another end of a bridge.

Kylo Ren.

He knew that they were there as he stood at the end of another hallway bridge inside of the thermal oscillator room, the man in the mask closing his eyes as he felt two familiar auras in the Force. One that echoed his father's- and one that echoed nothing at all.
Ren knew what that aura meant.

It meant that Solani was here.

"Find them." Ren whispered, the command harsh and demanding under such a soft and quiet tone. Opening his eyes again, Kylo Ren saw nothing but the vast machinery of the thermal oscillator, the two auras he sensed in the Force growing stronger each minute that he stayed there. Lowering his head, the man took in a deep and shuddering breath.

He knew what his master required him to do- and he was willing to do it- whatever it took.

The troops split up upon the deck, separating to cover both the upper level and the lower one as Kylo Ren stayed in his position. The stomping footsteps of the stormtroopers seemed to echo through the base, the Resistance members inside of the oscillator picking up on them.

"They're here." Kyra hissed to herself, mentally smacking herself for being so stupid as to not think that the First Order would show up and know where they were located. Hux and Ren could probably sniff her and her friends' trail out so easily that it was child's play.

Hearing the echoes of the stormtrooper's comms, Kyra set the last of her charges in a hasty manner, sneaking around the countless pillars on the lower level until she got back to the meeting place. The harsh and cool metal of a blaster met her back when she arrived back there, the young woman slowly turning around to see Han Solo standing back in front of her. "They found us." She noted, getting an obvious scoff from Han.

"You don't think that's obvious, kid?" The man said, gesturing for the young woman to take out her blaster as a means to protect herself. "We gotta get the hell out of here and hope that those friends of yours made it to that elusive vantage point."

"They will." Kyra muttered in response to Han, gripping her blaster tightly with both hands as they squeezed into a small corner as more troopers went by. "Trust me. I bet you that they're climbing their way up now." She closed her eyes, a gut feeling telling her that Fox, Finn, and Rey hadn't failed.

Luckily for her, Kyra's gut instinct was right. Fox, Finn, and Rey had made it out of the hallway that they had opened for Han, Chewbacca, and Kyra, running to the large ladder on the side of the oscillator's main room. The scale up would take some time, but the three would be up on top and at the best vantage point inside of the oscillator within minutes.

Han gave a quick grumble. It wasn't that he didn't trust the girl's instincts- it was just that her blind faith in her friends was a value he didn't expect her to have. Hell, Han didn't even have that trait with him anymore- not after the betrayals that he had experienced traversing the galaxy over the years. "They better-"

"Shh." Kyra whispered, hearing familiar footsteps pound their way down the stars, the girl placing a finger on her lips. The two of them quieted immediately, the footsteps going down the stairs familiar to the both of them. Kyra held her breath while the footsteps passed, turning away from their general direction.

Han, out of curiosity, peeked his head out and watched as his son walked towards the center bridge, a pitiful and sad look on his face as he wanted to follow after his son. Kyra saw the look in his eyes, and upon realizing what he was about to do, held Han back. "Kyra, you have to let me-"

"Han." Kyra abruptly whispered, trying not to draw too much attention to themselves. "Listen to me. Whatever fictional idea that you have in your mind about your son- it's not real. I know that you and General Organa are desperate to get your son back- to bring him back to whatever he was- but that side of him? It's gone." There was a concerned look in her eyes as she watched Han's gaze fall slowly upon her in disbelief. "Trust me."

"But he's my-"

"Son." Kyra finished for him, giving a small sigh in her hushed tone. "I know. But if he was your son, you really think he would so easily slice someone's ear clean off? Or be willing to destroy an entire planetary system with no remorse at all? Believe me, your son has changed over the years. You don't know Kylo Ren like I do. He is a merciless man. There is no more part of your son left in him." Kyra whispered, tears welling up in her eyes as she pleaded for Han to reconsider everything that he was doing.

"Everything that I did- it was all under his command." She admitted, trying to tell Han that this man that they were watching in front of them could not be saved. "Every kill, every planet that we ravaged- it was all under his command. I know that in my heart anyone that is remotely related to you could ever inflict that much pain on someone in their life without feeling remorse- or even doing it at all. Your son is dead, Han. You have to move on without him."

"What do you suggest we do with him, then?" Han whispered, finally accepting defeat after hearing the words escape Kyra's mouth that he hadn't wanted to hear for years. The events that she was describing- it was enough to make him understand that his son was never going to come back- not in the way that he imagined.

"My guess is that he's going to be coming after you. You and General Organa have the biggest targets on your backs to him, and he'll do anything to make sure that you don't survive his reign under the First Order." Kyra thought out, getting into the mindset of the man that she worked under and trained beside for years. "He's not going to expect me to come out here without you."

"He won't expect that lightsaber, either." Han muttered, giving a glance down at the weapon that was still hanging loosely on Kyra's belt. "I remember you said something about not being able to wield one before. That your powers stopped it- right? He's not going to expect you to wield Luke's lightsaber."

"Right." Kyra muttered, placing her blaster back into its holster and detaching the lightsaber, staring at the hilt for a moment. "With me drawing his attention, it's going to give you ample time to run back up to Chewie and get back to Fox, Finn, and Rey."

"You drawing his attention?" Han whispered, giving a sigh as the young woman thought out her plan. "What I meant was that we're going to work together to escape. I told you, you have your Resistance pilot that you need to get back to."

"And I told you that General Organa needs you back on base. I can tell from that look in your eyes that the two of you never fully resolved things. You need to go back and tell her everything. Get back up to the top deck, find Chewie, and get everyone back to the Falcon. I'm not taking no for an answer." Kyra shot back, taking in a deep breath. "Now go!" She whispered sharply, watching as Han ran towards the stairs, the girl moving from where she stood behind the pillar.

It was time to face her demons, whether she liked it or not.

Stepping out onto the bridge where Kylo Ren stood, his back to her, Kyra tried to remain calm as she took in a shuddering breath. There was a deep moment of silence as Han's footsteps could be heard as he ran back up the stairs, the noise causing Ren to turn around, finding Kyra staring straight back at him, gripping the hilt of a lightsaber in her hands.

There seemed to be a silent exchange of words within the ominous stares that were being exchanged between the two. Neither wanted to break the silence, only gripping onto the weapons that were locked in their hands. Finally, Kylo Ren broke the silence.

"Solani."

"You know, when I left, I expected a goodbye greeting card at the very least." Kyra choked out, trying to use her humor to mask the fear that was making her voice waver. "Not a ton of TIE fighters and troopers on my ass, along with a bounty on my head issued to every single datapad in the galaxy."

"It did what it was intended to do." Kylo Ren vaguely spoke, his sentences short and terse as he stared her down, watching as Kyra took a few more careful and cautious steps towards him. "It brought you back to me."

"When you capture my friends it kind of leaves me no choice." Kyra retorted, her finger resting over the button that would activate the lightsaber, the weapon's hilt facing downwards as she continued to speak. "Although I assume you knew that already."

Ren's eyes finally fell upon the weapon in her hands. It was the hilt of a rather familiar lightsaber- one that hadn't been seen in years inside of his family. "That lightsaber-" He started, a million questions racing through his mind in that exact moment. "Where did you get it?"

"This old thing?" Kyra held it up carelessly, almost mocking the man before she pressed the button, the red ominous lighting on the bridge now being contrasted by the bright blue light of the saber. The glow seemed to wash over Kyra's face, a familiar glint that Kylo Ren had only seen in a person once before coming to her eyes. "It's a long story."

"You can wield the saber." Ren noted, grabbing his own hilt and pointing it straight at hers, not caring to ignite his yet. "I wonder how that can be possible, given that your powers restrict it." He remarked, many more questions coming to his mind.

"Well, there's a lot of things that you don't know about me." Kyra held the lightsaber up, her position faltering for a moment as she watched Kylo Ren walk closer and closer to her. The man still terrified her as he lumbered above her, the young woman trying to keep her expression neutral and her face devoid of the fear that was growing inside of her.

"Regardless of how you can wield it- the lightsaber belongs to me." Kylo Ren hissed, not caring to banter anymore with the young woman that he had trained with for so long. He knew her tactics- to talk until she caught him off guard and started to strike. "It doesn't belong to you." The familiar sound of a lightsaber igniting filled the room as the familiar saber of Ren lit up in a fiery red, the man pointing the weapon straight at Kyra.

"You want it?" Kyra questioned, arching her eyebrow curiously at the man. If he wanted a fight, she would give him one. As long as she gave everyone else enough time to set the charges and escape back to the Falcon, everything she was about to do was worth it. The battle was set into motion, and now confrontation was inevitable. All Kyra had to do was start it off.

"Come and get it."

<~•~>

okay so ,,,, uh,,, couple of things

so this update schedule is gonna be just strictly mondays, because I gotta study for some stuff in the next week and everything, I have my AP test on Wednesday and I'm not really prewriting anymore ahaha

today was a special day because I got a lightsaber and I really just wanted to share my joy! if Kyra gets to wield her father's lightsaber I'm gonna world it too 😌✌🏼

so this was a little surprise update, and also a HUGE thank you for 20K! I never thought this little passion project of mine would go this far, so I'm super happy that you all are enjoying it as much as I am!

anyways, thanks you all so much for reading! see you Monday!