Episode IX The Legacy of the Sith

Two Interrogations

Finn was restrained, hand and foot on an interrogation table, much like the one he had witnessed when he had been a stormtrooper for the First Order. His friend, Poe, had been confined to one the day that Finn had saved him and thereby defected from the First Order over a year ago. Now Finn found himself on the opposite side of that situation.

He struggled to move his arms and legs, studying to see if there was any way to loosen his bonds; but he knew that all his endeavors to free himself would be pointless. The attempt was simply to bide his time, keeping him aware and ready for whatever inquisition was coming. Hours passed in isolation.  His legs became unbearably numb and his wrists sore, but he preferred the discomfort to torture, and he knew torture was coming.

The prison cell door eventually opened, and Rey walked coldly into the room, instructing two stormtroopers to remain outside. She did not look directly at Finn, but walked over and positioned herself squarely in front of him. There was a moment of silence between them. Finn bit his lip, thinking of a million things he might say. In the end, he broke the silence.

"Do I call you Rey or Darth Irata?"

Rey squinted her eyes then looked at him, and with a calm voice asked, "Where is the Resistance base?"

Finn shook his head in disappointment and said sadly, "I will not answer questions from Darth Irata."

She stepped closer her dark cape wafting slightly with the movement. "You will answer me. You know what the First Order can do. You know what I can do. Now, where is the Resistance base?"

Finn stared directly into Rey's emotionless eyes. "What has Snoke done to you?"

Rey's anger seethed. "Where is the Resistance base?"

"He's using you, and you know it; a tuk'ata hound on his chain."

Without warning, she punched him in the face. "Answer me!"

Finn's head snapped to his right shoulder.  He looked surprised for a second then squinted his throbbing left eye and returned his gaze to Rey.  "Is this his test? To see if you can prove yourself by torturing someone you care about? The same thing he did to Ben Solo when he sent him to kill Han, his father."

She gritted her teeth in anger and punched him again. "I am the one in charge here! I ask the questions."

Finn spat some blood to the side. "Must have been close to the mark on that."  Finn did not smile.  "You think you are in charge. Maybe for the first time in your life, you think you're in charge."

"Shut-up!" Rey yelled. "You are just a pawn of the Resistance. Don't tell me how I'm being used."

Finn laughed at that. "Snoke has fed you a bunch of garbage. You know better than that, Rey. You know it was the First Order that took me away from my family, to grow up in an army, and fight for them; to be their pawn. I know you lost your family and life, too. But you have joined the side that is doing that very thing!"

Rey did not want to respond to that. "Where is the Resistance base?" She returned to her questioning.

Finn did not change the subject. "And another thing! The Resistance doesn't own me. I didn't join them because I was against the First Order. I left the First Order for that reason. I joined the Resistance because of—" He stopped short before he could finish his sentence, surprised that his rant had arrived at this point.

Rey appeared to have a second of interest and paused surprised by her own curiosity. "Because of what?"

Finn did not answer immediately, but stared at Rey, his face a paradoxical image of concern and anger.