--FINN--
The slanted walls of the crumbling Jedi temple tower over us as Poe lands his two-seater X-Wing on a hidden platform. The canopy opens with a hiss, exposing us to the stale air of Coruscant's artificial climate.
"I had no idea this place was so huge," Poe mutters, gazing up at the imposing structure. "How'd Vader take down the whole thing by himself? I mean, I get he was tough and all, but even for him that seems almost impossible." He presses a button on the control panel and BB-8 is lowered to the ground.
"He had help, remember? The Imperial stormtroopers were the Republic's clone army before they turned on the Jedi during the execution of Order 66." I grab my blaster from its perch beside me, hop over the side of the cockpit, and slide down the ladder. My feet hit the ground with a thud and send up a cloud of dust.
Poe looks down at me, head tilted. "How do you know so much about all that? I learned all about it during training but I barely remember anything now."
I grin up at him and shrug. "Ex-Stormtrooper, remember? Now come on, let's get inside. I feel like we're being watched." Poe drops down beside me and motions for BB-8 to follow us. We all take a moment to glance around, acting like we don't know they're already there, watching our every move. I think BB-8 is more nervous than me and Poe combined.
Okay, maybe I lied. Rambling is always the tell-tale sign of how anxious I am. "Did you know the Emperor took over the Jedi temple after all the Jedi were killed? He redecorated and everything, then had all his Imperial guards moved in and set up base. It's like the entire Clone War - especially Order 66 - was just so he could get a new place to live. Do you think--"
"Finn, no offense buddy, but I need you to shut up for, like, five minutes." Poe holds my gaze until I nod. So much for filling the awkward silence.
Ten minutes later, we finally find the main entrance and make it up the many, many stairs. My back is aching from helping BB-8 up - apparently whoever designed the spherical BB units didn't think about the droids encountering stairs.
"How are we supposed to get in?" Poe asks, gesturing to the fallen statues blocking our path. I walk around, searching for a place we might be able to break through, but can't find anything.
"I guess we have to climb over." I pull my ascension gun off my belt and fire the grappling hook over the statue. It hooks on the stone and pulls tight. "I got BB-8 up here, you can carry him over," I call out as I grapple over the shattered image of the Emperor. Poe groans behind me, but pulls out his hook anyway.
Cold, dead air blows against my back, sending shivers up my spine despite the heavy jacket I'm wearing. I turn into the shadows and my jaw drops. "What the...?"
"Finn, catch!" I barely have time to turn before a squealing blur of orange and white is dropping on top of me. My back hits the ground as the droid lands on my chest, shoving all the air out of my lungs in one huge huff.
"What the hell, Poe?!" I wheeze. I shove BB-8 off of me and he trills in protest. "You could've killed me! He's heavier than he looks."
Poe drops to the ground and grins at me. "You think I don't know that? I just carried him over the statue. Now quit whining and get up. We have work to do."
I grumble as I get to my feet and brush the dust off my clothes. "Do you even know what we're supposed to be looking for? General Organa wasn't very specific when she gave us our orders."
Poe shrugs. "She just said to look out for anything left by the Emperor and his people. Basically, anything they could use to spy on us or hurt us. Apparently this is where Luke wants to train the next Jedi, if Leia can convince him to start recruiting again."
"What about the...other thing?" I give him a pointed look.
"Yeah, just keep your eyes peeled." Poe gestures as if the First Order's spies are already within hearing distance. I look around suspiciously, despite my efforts to appear oblivious to their presence. Leia's orders echo in my mind as we trek farther into the cool, damp darkness.
* * * * * * * * * *
One day earlier...
"Poe, Finn, I need you for a moment," General Organa called out across the Resistance control room. I glanced up at Poe and he shrugged before heading over to where our still-mourning leader stood, examining the layout of a large, unfamiliar structure. She turned to us with her usual stern but caring expression and gestured for us to sit down at the table surrounding the illuminated map.
"How can we be of service, ma'am?" Poe asked in a formal tone. We'd been treading carefully around Leia since Han's death, not wanting to set her off or make her more upset than she already was.
"I need the two of you to run a recon mission to Coruscant," she stated bluntly. I frowned and looked at Poe, who was wearing a similar expression. What could the general possibly want with the polluted, partially abandoned urban wasteland? Really, it's just as useless and miserable as Jakku.
"Coruscant? Are you planning on rebuilding the Senate and capital in the old Imperial Center?" Poe questioned.
Leia sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "No. I, well... I'm not sure yet. While it is true that I'm sending you there to investigate the condition of certain buildings that could be used for that purpose in the future, my main focus right now is the First Order."
"The First Order? I thought they went into hiding?" I tried to hide the concern in my voice.
"They did, for a while. But recently our scouts have had a sharp increase in sightings, including high-ranking officers leading raids on villages looking for any information on the location of our base." Leia pressed a few buttons and the projection zoomed out to show the entirety of the building she was studying earlier.
"What does that have to do with Coruscant?" I asked, rhythmically tapping my fingers against the table.
"I was getting to that," the general grumbled. I ducked my head sheepishly. "The First Order and their...leader...are getting bolder, which means if we want our next encounter to be on our terms, we need to make the first move." She paused, making eye contact with both of us before continuing. "I want you to lead a unit of stormtroopers to Coruscant. Make it seem like you're just there to scope out the old Jedi temple; don't let them know you know they're following you. Let them track you when you leave, and we'll take care of the rest."
"What will you do with them?"
Leia smirks. "Aggressive negotiations."
* * * * * * * * * *
As Poe and I ventured higher into the temple, the vast corridors grew brighter, warmer, and slightly more creepy. There was something about the contrast of the light and shadows against the cracked walls that emphasized the despair that laced through the veins of the structure.
"How much farther do we have to go?"
Poe shoots me an exasperated look. "What's wrong, afraid of the hawk-bats?"
"Hawk-what?! Are they here? Can they eat us?" I glance around nervously, though I'm not sure what I'm looking for. I've never seen one before.
"If they're hungry enough, yeah. You don't know what they are? Giant reptilian birds with scales instead of feathers? Razor-sharp teeth for tearing flesh? Prey on anything that moves?" Poe grins at me and I can't tell if he's serious or not. I puff my chest out a little and put on my brave face.
"I'm not scared, I can take them on. If they're even in here, that is."
Poe shrugs. "Considering they were one of the Emperor's favorite delicacies, and the fact that this was his 'palace' for a while as you pointed out, I'd say there's a pretty good chance we'll find them here."
"Do you--" I'm cut off by the sound of rocks falling somewhere in the dark, cavernous room behind us. Our heads whip around simultaneously, eyes wide and searching for any sign of movement. Several terse moments pass without any sign of life. "I think we've gathered enough information to please the general. Let's head back to base." I hope Poe hears the underlying meaning. Let's go see if the First Order has tagged our ship yet. He nods slightly and I know he gets it.
BB-8 rolls up to Poe and starts beeping wildly. "What's the matter, buddy?" He asks the hysterical droid. BB-8 beeps some more and Poe looks up at me. They're here.
I gulp and head for the nearest window. Looking down at the platforms below, I spot our X-Wing several spots down. Sure enough, several white-clad figures are standing around it, surely placing a tracking device or searching it. Light glints off shiny metal and ice-cold dread fills my chest.
"Phasma," I whisper. "This changes everything. We can't go-"
"We have to," Poe hisses back. "We have a mission to complete. I won't let the general down."
"But what if-"
He cuts me off again. "No. No buts. We gave our word."
I nod sharply and glance at BB-8, who seems to shrug. "Should we wait for them to leave? We can't go down there now, we're outnumbered."
Poe snorts. "Yeah, outnumbered but not outgunned. Those damn bucketheads couldn't hit a target if it bit them in the ass."
"Language," I chide him. Poe rolls his eyes.
"We can't let them know that we know they're here. Phasma probably thinks she's being sneaky, the dumb bi-" he stops and glances at me. "Sorry. I almost said a bad word."
I narrow my eyes at him. "Don't mock me. Come on, let's just go. They probably have guards stationed who will tell them when we're on our way out. They don't want to be seen as much as we don't want them to know we've seen them."
BB-8 chirps in agreement and Poe nods. "Good point. Lead the way, pal."
I swallow nervously and wrap my hand around my blaster. We slowly make our way down the many corridors and staircases, constantly scanning our surroundings and looking over our shoulders. Every sudden noise made my hand tighten on the trigger. We finally make it back to the entrance where we came in, and this time it's easier to get everyone over the fallen statue. The trip down the stairs is long and nerve-wracking--being out in the open really accentuates the feeling of being watched.
As we round the corner of the temple, Poe drags me back and slams me against the wall. I'm about to yell at him when he places his hand over my mouth and shakes his head. I nod and he releases me, then points in the direction of the landing platform. Slowly, carefully, we peek around the corner and see the stormtroopers, minus Captain Phasma, still standing in front of the X-Wing.
"What do we do?!" I hiss. Poe points at my blaster and I look at him like he's crazy. He shrugs and winks at me before rounding the corner, strolling confidently toward his ship. "Poe!" I whisper-yell.
The stormtroopers spot him almost immediately and raise their blasters. "Stop right there! Put your hands up!" Poe sighs and puts his blaster on the ground before raising his hands. The troopers glance at each other as if their orders didn't cover arresting the pilot.
Poe uses their lack of attention to grab his blaster and dive for cover. Several shots are fired in his direction but none seem to find their mark. "Now would be a great time to start shooting!" He yells at me. I break out of my stunned daze and raise my blaster. I take down one of the eight troopers before they finally see me and I'm forced to retreat behind the corner. A flash of chrome draws my gaze to the hill behind the X-Wing. Phasma is back.
"Fall back! We have our orders," she yells in her commanding voice. Admittedly, I'm still compelled to obey. After so many years of taking orders from one person, it's hard to break the habit. Poe glances up at me and I shake my head, telling him to stay put. The troopers follow their commander down toward their transporter and I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding in. The transport takes off and disappears into the hazy sky.
"Clear?" Poe calls out. I nod and wipe the perspiration from my forehead before coming out from behind the wall. He walks beside me, BB-8 trailing behind. "They'll be back. I have no doubt their orders were to follow us back to base." I nod in agreement and head for the ladder of the X-Wing. Settling into my seat, I look down to see Poe still standing at the bottom of the ladder.
"Hey, are you okay?" I ask him, voice laced with concern. He nods and reaches up for the first rung. His face contorts in pain and he grunts. "Poe?" He teeters a little on the ground and holds out the hand that had been pressed against his side. It glistens red in the dying light, and Poe seems startled by the sight of blood dripping down his arm. "Poe!"
"I'm fine," he growls, but I can hear the pain in his voice. I jump up and slide down the ladder, landing in front of him. His eyes meet mine and I can see the light fading, as if he's about to pass out.
"You're not fine, you've been shot. Let me see." I pull his hand away and try not to let the shock I'm feeling show on my face. "It's not too bad, just needs to be packed and bound. Do you have anything I can use?"
Poe looks at me vacantly. "I don' feel so good," he slurs, before stumbling and falling against me. I try to hold him up, but his knees give out and I barely have time to catch him before he hits the ground. He's still breathing, but the wound in his side is spilling blood faster than I can mop it up and I know it's just a matter of time before he loses too much. I take my jacket off and press it against his side.
"Poe, stay with me. I'm calling for help." I pull out the com from my belt and talk to Poe while I tell Leia what happened. "He's still awake, but I'm not sure that'll last much longer."
"I have medics standing by just outside Coruscant. I'm sending them to you now. Just stay put, and don't let him pass out."
Poe coughs and blood trickles down his chin. "W-what about the mission?" He wheezes.
"Forget the damn mission, Poe! It's over, you're hurt. We'll figure something else out." I keep pressure on the wound, but my jacket is already soaked with blood.
"Language, Finn," he laughs, then coughs again. I'm about to chastise him when his eyes roll back in his head and he slumps down, unconscious.
"Poe?" I ask, shaking him slightly. He doesn't wake up.
"Poe!"