hyperspace! → star wars ✓

xxi. the final battle / return of the jedi

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THE FLIGHT TO EXEGOL WAS ROUGH, far rougher than any of them had anticipated even with all of the information they had gathered from D-O. Nova and Finn had taken one of the smaller ships and both of them were more than content with letting Artoo do all the flying. They sat across from each other on the benches that lined the main hold (though it wasn't much of a hold; the ship was rather small), both lost in their own heads. Nova's hands were folded, her elbows resting on her knees as she leaned forward slightly, her gaze fixed on the floor. Finn, meanwhile, was sitting with his back against the ship, staring blankly out the front as Artoo navigated them through the chaos that was the Unknown Regions.

Nova would have given some sort of inspirational speech except for the fact that it wasn't needed. Finn knew what needed to be done, he knew what he had signed up for—hell, they both did. They were ready for the battle to come, and they were optimistic, all things considered. They knew there was a fair chance of success. They didn't need any sort of speech, not right then; all they needed was to prepare, to think, to meditate, to breathe.

"We're almost there," Poe announced through their private comm channel, and Nova sat up as she and Finn addressed her wrist comlink.

"All right, be careful," she replied.

"May the Force be with you," added Finn, and Nova smiled just slightly, exchanging a glance with her trainee. They had a sort of silent conversation and he gave her a nod, signaling he was ready for whatever it was they were about to face. Then, the ship entered hyperspace one last time, and as it dropped out, chaos erupted instantly around them.

They had arrived at Exegol, and as expected the First Order had been expecting them. X-Wings and other Starfighters weaved in and out of the air, narrowly avoiding cannon blasts from the fleet of Destroyers—the largest fleet any of them had ever seen. Questions blossomed in Finn's head, questions about whether their limited forces would be able to take them all out or not, but he suppressed them. He had to remain optimistic, because if he lost that he didn't know what the hell he'd do. Besides, he had his own mission to worry about.

As they neared the surface, a fight had already begun in the very structure they were heading for. Rey had encountered Ben Solo, and the pair of them had found themselves surrounded by the Knights of Ren, who were more loyal to the New Empire and the First Order than they were their former leader. They fought near the entrance to the base, working together with Luke and Leia's lightsabers in a way that was almost ceremonial.

Artoo landed their ship near the primary blast doors and they wasted no time on debarking. Finn followed Nova's lead exactly, mimicking her stance as they jogged to the base. They paused just short of the door and turned to one another.

"We have no clue where those Dark Troopers are being held. They could be all in one place or he could have deployed them throughout. Either way, be careful."

"You too," he said, and she gave him a nod of thanks. With that, they finished their approach and entered the compound.

"Stay close," she whispered, and they moved about as quickly as they could while still taking all of the proper precautions. They held their hilts by their sides, ready to ignite the blades at a moment's notice. They held their breaths as they turned each and every corner, and each time they were left with the relieving sight of just another empty corridor. Neither had any real idea of where they were hoping to go, so they decided to cover every bit of ground they could, and after a few minutes of wandering about they managed to encounter their first obstacle.