Finn chased after Han down the ramp and yelled, "Wait—a what?! Did you just say rathtars? Hey!"
What in the universe are rathtars? By the look of the fear in Finn's eyes, they can't be good. I think this day has just gone from bad to worse, thought Rey.
Han punched a few keys on the control panel, which held nine security screens of the ship. Three of the screens brought up different views of the exterior of the Eravana where a freighter was docking. Han motioned to the screen, with his hand, upset. "Oh great. It's the Guavian Death Gang—they must've tracked us from Nantoon."
Rey took it all in. This is getting worse by the minute. I should have stayed on Jakku. At least there I could handle myself. I didn't even bring my staff with me when we left the Falcon!
Chewie growled, upset. Han raced down the corridors to a long, narrow passageway in the middle of the freighter. Bulkheads, pipes, and cabling were exposed. Grating served for decking. Large metal posts for supports. This was a working ship, with no money spent on cosmetics. Cargo containers were stack to the overhead, lining the passageway.
Chewie opened a hatch in the middle of the passageway, the hydraulic lifters whooshing as it opened. Han pointed to the hatch and ordered, "Get below deck and stay there until I say so—don't even think about taking the Falcon."
Rey asked, "What are you gonna do?"
Han replied as Finn and Rey climbed below decks through the hatch, "Same thing I always do: talk my way out of it."
Chewie growled, "Right. You try to, but it never actually works out the way you expected."
Han retorted, pointing at Chewie, "Yes, I do. Every time."
A man with a strange accent challenged Han. The cocky man bluffed his way through the conversation until another hatch opened at the end of the corridor, revealing yet another gang. Is there anyone in this galaxy this man hasn't swindled? thought Rey. I've got to do something, or Han's dead, Chewie's dead, we're dead, and the First Order gets the droid! Think, Rey, think! This is not unlike all those ships you took apart. What can you do? You can't let Tasu Leech and his gang take you! You know what happened the last time you ran into them.
Rey and Finn crawled to the other end of the crawlspace as Tasu Leach continued the unintelligible words. Tasu Leech added something unintelligible to the conversation that upset Han. BB-8 poked his head out from behind Han to view the two gangs.
Bala-Tik, recognizing BB-8, stated, "That BB unit... the First Order is looking for one just like it." Chewie moaned, and BB-8 rolled back behind Han, tilting his cranium sideways to still see Bala-Tik. "And two fugitives."
Finn and Rey suddenly stopped in unison underneath the deck. They looked at each other, worried.
Han continued to bluff, "First I've heard of it."
Below the grating, Finn and Rey look at each other, afraid. Finn and Rey start hyperventilating in a panic. They crawled quickly in the opposite direction, ending up directly under Han and Chewie. There is a junction box here. Rey examined it carefully, deciding it was a fuse box for those blast doors.
Rey whispered to Finn, "Wait! wait! wait! wait! If we close the blast doors in that corridor, we can trap both gangs!
Finn asked, unsure, "Close the blast doors from here?"
Rey explained, "Resetting the fuses should do it." Rey pushed the four fuses, causing sparks to fly from them. They heard the hatches moving with groans and squeaks . . . and growls. Then they heard something stick to the decking with force. Rey looked up, seeing long tentacles stretching through the corridor. The lights dimmed. Uh, oh. That wasn't the fuse box for the main hatches! thought Rey.
All of sudden the absolute worst noise Rey has ever heard screamed across the deck before the crunch of bones was heard. Chaos broke out above them as the rathtars attacked both the Guavian Death Gang and Kanjiklub.
Rey and Finn crawled quickly to the next floor hatch and popped up through it. Rey looked one way while Finn looked the other, making sure there were no Rathtars or gangsters in sight. Rey motioned for Finn to jump down so she would have room to get out of the hatch, and then Finn followed her. They both ran down the corridors, trying to get back to the Falcon.
When they turned the next corner, they came face-to-face with a Kanjiklubber being ravished by a rathtar only ten meters away. Rey covered her mouth, afraid she was going to spew.
Finn yanked her away and raced around another corner, straight into another rathtar. Finn yelled, "This way!" He directed her to another corridor, away from the rathtar.
Rey asked, "Are you sure?" She had a feeling that this was the wrong way. Something was waiting for them.
As they ran, Finn is grabbed by a tentacle and pulled backward. He screamed, "No! No! No!"
Rey turned around and ran toward Finn, trying to save him as the creature dragged him away. "Finn!"
As the creature pulled him into another corridor, Finn yelled, "Rey!"
When Rey caught up, a tentacle whipped out at her. She barely avoided it by jumping back, screaming. I take it back! I take back everything I thought about him! Please, whoever is out there, don't let him die this way! Please! thought Rey.
Finn continued to yell, "Get off! Get off!"
Rey ran down the corridor, stopping at an X intersection. She listened for any sign of Finn, and then she heard him, directly ahead.
Rey yelled, "FINN!!!!" as she ran toward his voice. What's going to happen to him? Is that it? I meet him and lose him the same day? Thoughts raced through her head as she raced through the corridor. And then she heard, "Stop!" This time it was not her own voice, but she did not have time to figure out whose voice it was. She just knew she had to stop.
"The control panel," the voice insisted. She looked around, but she could not see anyone. Quickly, she moved to the console and watched the screens, as Finn was dragged by the rathtar. Rey quickly punched a code in, preparing the hatch mechanism. She held her hand over the switch, waiting for just the right moment. She knew she would not get another chance. Finn's life would be over if she did this wrong. She stared intently on the screen, slowing her breathing. And then she heard the voice again. In the near quiet of the corridor, she thought she recognized it from her dreams. "Use the Force, Rey." That was it. Rey did not have time to ponder his words, so she closed her eyes and visualized with her inner eye, waiting for the exact moment.
Finn's voice echoed over the monitor, "Rey!"
Bam! She hit the button with all of her might, slamming a blast door shut on the rathtar. The rathtar screamed in pain, its severed tentacles still wrapped around Finn. He stood, pulling them off, screaming, "Get off! Uhh! Ahh!"
Rey ran to Finn, beaming to see him alive. Thank you! Thank you! Thank the Force! His adrenaline pumped through his body, still unsure that he was still alive. But what is the Force? And how did I know what to do? thought Rey for a brief second before reuniting her friend, "Finn!"
Finn moaned, "It had me! But the door—!"
Rey replied, "That was lucky!"
Rey led Finn through the corridors and break-neck speed, racing toward the Falcon. That old freighter was their only hope of escape now.
When Rey and Finn reached the landing bay, Han and Chewie were already heading toward the ship. BB-8 rolled along behind them. Rey could tell that Chewie was injured. She hoped a rathtar had not gotten him.
Rey yelled, "Han!"
Han turned and commanded Rey, "You, close the door behind us!" To Finn he ordered, "You take care of Chewie!"
Han and Rey raced up the ramp as Finn headed up with Chewie, who is roaring wildly in pain as Finn drags the Wookiee's arm around his shoulders.
Ani lurked again as Rey ran to the cockpit. While watching over her all these years he had seen his wife Padmé in her. He had seen himself in her. He had seen Leia. But now, he saw Han in her. Her recklessness, her brashness, her attitude. She was her daddy's little girl. If only Han would realize it.
And then Ani smiled. He was so proud of her. Rey instinctively used the Force—and she obeyed him immediately, trusting him. Ani's training had not been in vain. If only she could stay to the light side, her family would survive.
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