Running like Mandalorians

A battle scene with Force sensitive Finn and Boba from my alternate sequel trilogy, with Mandalorian Finn and Boba the Mandalore (link to masterpost). This most likely takes place during the Battle of Tatooine in Episode IX. For @fettjango’s birthday, happy 28th!

The shard of darkness flies to Finn through the air, flipping end over end. He does not grab it so much as it falls into his hand, as though the metal grip of the hilt were always meant to be there. He whips the blade sideways to parry away the lightsaber, the blade of light and the one of darkness crackling with white static in the moment of their meeting.

Before the Knight of Ren can bring her saber back in line Finn stretches out a hand, gathering the strands of power that stretch throughout this spaceship corridor and beyond. He pushes it out toward the Knight and she flies back, hitting her back on the far wall.

He is ready for her when she bounces back from the wall and kicks off it through the air at him, borne on waves of the Force like a Mandalorian warrior on his jets. He raises the Darksaber with one hand while preparing to dodge out of the way.

The Knight is yanked off course, and it isn’t until she is being slammed against the bulkhead that Finn sees the cable wrapped around her wrist. She pulls at the cable and reaches out with the Force, pushing with it against her new opponent before she can be zipped along with the cable as it winds up. She lands on the floor on her back, and even as Finn runs to her he can tell that she has stopped pushing and is pulling at the floor for leverage, keeping herself on the floor so that her heavier armored opponent, rather than pulling her to him, hurtles to her as his cable winds. Her other hand holds out her lightsaber, knocking away the warrior’s blaster bolts and ready to impale him as his reflection looms larger and larger in her mask.

Finn leaps in with a shout, buoyed by his jets and maybe with the Force, it’s hard to tell at times, and swings with the Darksaber at the cable. He half expects the blade to bounce back from the taut metal but instead it cuts through with the ping of the wire disconnecting. White sparks fly and the airborne warrior, now freed from the cable, activates his jets to flip backward through the air, still shooting. The Knight on the floor rolls away to avoid the bolts and the end of the severed cable that whips toward her.

Finn cuts his jets to pounce, Darksaber in both hands stabbing down, but she manages to strike his blade away as she rolls and the Darksaber strikes sparks off the floor instead. The Knight leaps to her feet, breathing heavily, her back to a wall as she faces both the warriors.

“Surrender. It is two against one, you have no chance.” Finn holds out the Darksaber at her while the other warrior lands next to him with a hiss of jets.

Just then footsteps pound toward them from their left–no, from their right as well–and Finn sees more Knights and soldiers coming down the corridor from both sides.

“No.” The Knight stands straight, holding out the burning red light of the saber. “You have no chance. Surrender.”

Next to Finn a blaster clatters to the floor.

“Boba!” Finn stares aghast at the warrior who raises his hands through the air. No, not he, the Warrior of Warriors, Boba Fett the Mandalore himself. Finn feels his eyes sting at the very thought even while he widens his stance and watches the Knight out of the corner of an eye. She is relaxed, however, taking a breather while her comrades arrive to trap her adversaries.

Boba’s hands stop on either side of him, stretching out toward the left and the right at the approaching enemies. Finn feels the tug of the Force and realizes what is happening a split second before the Knight gives a sharp cry and charges at Boba with her saber. Finn throws himself between her and Boba, throwing her back with a parry.

The Force bursts from Boba like a flare from a sun, so overwhelming Finn’s Force sense shies away. On either side of the corridor the approaching enemies are knocked over, flattened as though with a hurricane. Before they can recover the doors on either end of the corridor slam shut, locking them out. From the pounding and the sound of lightsabers being activated, Finn can tell it is a temporary situation.

The Knight of Ren, cornered, charges again, but Finn meets her and this time a crackle of electric energy from the Darksaber flings her away against a bulkhead where she slides down to the floor, stunned.

“We go left,” Boba grounds out through gritted teeth, and Finn feels the strain on him from keeping the doors closed. He nods; it is the right call, the direction where he saw fewer enemies. “Activate my pack. Have to… concentrate.”

Finn nods and steps up to wrap the Mandalore in a bear hug. He reaches behind Boba at the ancillary control on his jetpack, building up a pressure in the right main jet to start tilting him over. Holding Boba steady in his arms, Finn activates his own pack with the muscle gestures familiar to him since childhood and kicks off slantwise, increasing the output on Boba’s pack so they have enough propulsion for both bodies.

When they are horizontal, the floor to Finn’s right side and ceiling to the left–this is crazy, it occurs to him for the first time–he fires both jets so they are flying through the air at the door as though to ram it with their heads.

He feels Boba release the hold on the Force with a gasp of relief, and the door ahead of them disappears as it flies open with a whoosh. Finn releases the Mandalore and they fly apart, Boba already shooting with his other blaster at the soldiers who are just now bringing their blasters up, Finn pushing them over with the Force and slashing with the Darksaber that seems alive in his hands.

They break through the line of enemies and land on the other side, then leap off once more down the corridor toward their allies. As he runs, propelled by his jets, Finn gives a sideways glance to Boba and their eyes meet.

“Thank you for the assist.” Finn holds up the Darksaber. “I’ll return it once we’re out of the woods.”

Boba shakes his head before he turns to fire at their pursuers. “Keep it. It suits you.”

micyclethearcangle:

there are expressions in mando’a, boba knows, for family, and for brother, and for family-is-more-than-blood. there are words for no-longer-father, for disgraced parents who were not what their children needed or deserved.

he is ten years old, squatting in the geonosian sand, and he does not think there is a word for alone, does not think there is one for orphaned, does not think there is one for fatherless, that could describe how he feels right now.

his fathers teachings echo in his head.

assess the situation. list your resources.

boba fett is ten years old, grit in his eyes from the battle around him, and this is what he has: his father’s helmet, clutched tightly to his chest. the knife in his boot and the pistol on his hip. ( should have used them should have put a hole in the jetii’s back what kind of a mando are you if you can’t even save your family ) he has – what does he have?

twenty-some credits in the pockets of his tunic. a holocommunicator. he has – he has …

his father’s corpse, headless, bloodless, in the sand.

boba presses the helmet to his forehead and stifles the sting in his eyes, blames it on the sharp smell of ozone and burning flesh or the desert wind. he catches his own reflection in the dull silver metal, and tries to steady his breathing, imagines his father’s voice coming from inside of him.

i have myself. i have the will to fight, and i have my father’s face. i have what he taught me.

and it works, on some level, as he sees the gunships, remembers that the faces underneath the white helmets taking off now are the same as his. remembers where his father left slave one, and the many times he’d allowed boba to help fly it.

boba has himself. nothing less, nothing more.

and that will have to be enough.

jewishcomeradebot:

themandalorianwolf:

Han, Chewie, and the kid, were preparing the Falcon and getting ready to leave D’Qar for Starkiller base. While they all were making preparations, Chewie nudged him and motioned to the worn and slightly ripped clothes Finn was wearing.

Han and Chewie wondered why Finn hadn’t changed his clothes at all while they were with the Resistance. They were starting to look on their way out after their last scuffle with the First Order.

Han recognized that Finn had still been wearing his Stormtrooper clothes under the Resistance jacket. It was hard to miss. Han himself had disguised as a Stormtrooper with Luke all those many years ago, so he knew roughly what they looked like under the armor. 34 years hadn’t changed that much in the Stormtrooper dress code apparently.

Sighing, Han waved at Chewie and told him he’d handle it. He searched through the Falcon trying to find some extra clothes for Finn. The kid was risking his life trying to help their asses and save his friend, or maybe she was his girlfriend? whatever she was, the least Han thought he could do was make sure Finn had something clean to change into after everything was said and done.

Just as they were about to take off, Han gruffly handed Finn an outfit he had found tucked away in the Falcon. Lando had gotten it for him decades ago, saying something about him needing to update his wardrobe.

For what?! Classics never go out of style. The kid might like it though. It seemed more his style with the Solo touch, and it had the Lando seal of approval.

Finn looked down at the clothes and shuffled awkwardly, bitting down on the inside of his cheek. The only thing he has ever been given was the armor he was expected to die in, and Han was giving him something that was just his and no one else’s.

He looked up at Han, doing his best to stay composed. “Thanks, Solo,” Finn said softly, hoping his voice didn’t crack.

It did, but Han wasn’t going to call him on it.

Han smirked, patting the kid on the shoulder, “No problem, big deal. C’mon, let’s go save the day.”

Finn smiled back and tucked the cloths safety away. He’d wear them after the mission. He’d have to thank Han properly for this. It wasn’t like he had any money, or anything, but maybe he could clean the Falcon! The old thing looked like it needed a wash…and pait…and new parts…

Maybe he’d talk to Solo about getting a new ship.

Post TLJ

After the Falcon sped away from Crait and the rest of the Resistance were finally settling into whatever section of the ship wasn’t infested with Porgs, Finn, who had retrieved the clothes Han had given him, had found his own little secluded space of the ship to be alone.

It hadn’t taken long for Finn to find the clothes. He’d left them in the same compartment he had found the blanket he had given to Rose earlier.

Everyone was so busy. Poe dealing with the news from Black Squadron, Rey reading the Jedi texts. Finn just wanted to be alone for a chance and think.

Finn held the clothes tightly in his hands as memories of the brief time had shared with Han played in his mind. Han’s death was the memory that kept repeatedly flashing in his mind.

Everything had happened so fast. From Starkiller to Crait felt like it had happened I’m in a heartbeat, and Finn still felt like he was still there, laying face down in the face. It was at that moment of all the emotions came at once and Finn felt the soldier’s mask he wore crack.

Finn slammed his fist into a wall, barley feeling the throbbing pain that coursed through his knuckles as they made contact. How could that bastard kill his own father? How could he just have something that so many people didn’t have, and just throw it all away?

Holding the clothes closer, the first real gift he had ever gotten that was his alone, Finn felt his throat choke out a sob as his legs weakened and he let himself slide down to the floor.

“Thanks, Solo,” Finn whispered into the clothes, “Thanks.”

A sad little fic on how I think Finn got his clothes for EP IX.

Thanks Satan.

@

@errrbodylovesfinn Looks like I didn’t have to write it myself.

Okay this whole thing fucked me all the way up, but this part in particular… like…

The only thing he has ever been given was the armor he was expected to die in

Actual footage of what you did to me:

An AU

Rey Dameron anxiously awaits her brother’s return. When he is nowhere to be found, she flies to Jakku after him. She doesn’t find Poe, but she finds his droid, chasing a man wearing his jacket. The man, who calls himself Finn, explains that he rescued Poe from the First Order only for Poe to die in a crash. Rey is furious but has no time to mourn because her ship is destroyed, forcing her to run with Finn and BB-8 in a junk ship that she recognizes as the one General Leia always told her about: the Millennium Falcon. After escaping Jakku, Rey apologizes for being angry with Finn, since it wasn’t his fault Poe died. Who should they run into next but Han Solo, the owner of the Millennium Falcon! Han recognizes the name Dameron and agrees to help them. But first they have to deal with two gangs Han owes money to. Rey, being more experienced in dogfighting than using a blaster, needs a little help from Finn, but both of them are able to fend off the gangs, thanks to an ingenious plan by Rey to release the rathtars (pretending that that was the plan all along and not something far less reckless.) Chewie is wounded, but Rey has had experience as a pilot since her brother taught her to fly. When they get to Takodana, Finn tries to leave. Rey begs him to stay, if only for the sake of Poe’s memory, but Finn says he’s done all he can and nothing he can do will bring Poe back. Rey and Han have everything covered, they don’t need him. Rey, crushed, watches him leave, then follows voices into the basement, discovering a box with what she recognizes as a lightsaber– but whose? When she touches it, she has a vision and sees a man wielding it. The dark figure he’s battling, the droid he lays his hand on– his robotic hand– make her realize this lightsaber is Luke’s. Realizing she’s tapped into the Force, she realizes just how desperately the Resistance needs the map. She runs off in search of Finn to tell him what she’s discovered, but is captured by Kylo Ren, who takes the lightsaber. Finn hears screaming and sees a vision in the sky of a red flame quenching stars and planets. Finn duels a trooper with a riot control baton using a pole he finds and manages to knock the trooper into a wall, not realizing he used the Force to do so. He sees Kylo Ren’s ship and immediately assumes (senses) Rey’s on it. He goes to D’Qar with the Resistance and finds out Poe is alive! He tells him Poe what happened. The Resistance plans a mission to rescue Rey and destroy Starkiller Base, using Finn’s intel. Meanwhile, Rey escapes. She runs into Finn and Han and goes with them to set charges to weaken the reactor. They witness Kylo Ren murder Han Solo and chase him into the forest to confront him. Rey Force-pulls Luke’s saber from Kylo Ren and duels him, but the saber is knocked from her hand. While Rey defends herself with the Force, Finn picks up the saber and uses it to distract Kylo Ren. Kylo Ren Force-throws Rey into a tree and duels Finn, wounding him. Rey comes to Finn’s rescue and picks up the saber, dueling Kylo Ren and wounding him. She goes to Finn’s lifeless body and Chewie picks them up in the Falcon. The medics tend to Finn while Poe promises his sister he’ll look after him. Rey Dameron flies off in the Falcon to find Luke Skywalker in hopes that he will help her understand her abilities more fully and restore hope to the fight.

PS– this AU means Poe would be Finn’s brother in law when Finn and Rey end up together, which Finn would be ecstatic about.

L.J.: Also anon submitter has said Rey would be a Latina in this AU. I nominate María Mercedes Coroy (link).

archiveofourown*org/works/15283413/chapters/35454660 – careful, in addition to the shit about Finn this is one of those “knotting” stories. (btab anon)

captainamericagf:

captainamericagf:

link

thank you for sending this and so you guys dont have to read any of it, i thought i’d share some highlights with regards to finn (tw for racism, obviously. this is a reylo fic we’re talking about)

Keep reading

also the comments on this fic are even worse, somehow. reylos keep finn’s name out of your fucking mouths!

Finn calling Rey his property
Finn being called a brute and an oaf
Rey’s friend thinking Finn would rape Rey rather than rescue her
The self-serving author’s note where the author denies they’re racist because they ~know~ in their ~heart~ that’s not who they are

*dry heaves*

By popular request…

finn: [oh shoot here comes rey be cool be cool]
rey: so, finn…
finn: what’s up?
finn: [nailed it]
rey: i was wondering…
finn: [what does that face mean? why is she flushing it’s like 60 degrees on this ship she lives in the desert]
rey: um…
finn: [i love her voice, I could listen to her talk all day]
rey: i was wondering… ah…
finn: yes rey
finn: [i’ve never seen her so red. oh no is she mad at me??? shoot i can’t read facial expressions all my peers wore helmets help]
rey: i…
finn: [oh shoot did she forget what she was going to say? maybe she won’t be mad at me she can’t remember what she’s mad about. what is she doing with her lip? wait maybe she’s not mad at me. she seems very anxious, is she upset? does she need a hug? she’s giving off signals i think she’s going to hug me right now. ok finn spread your arms out just a bit so she can slip into them. here it comes]
rey: i was wondering… about your friend poe.
finn: [ohhhh that’s what she was wondering about. wait does she still need a hug? no snap out of it finn just because rey looks at you like that doesn’t mean she wants to fall into your arms and never leave, you’re projecting, that’s what YOU want. focus.]
finn: what about him
finn: [does she want to know what planet he’s from? what conditioner he uses? if he’s gay? shoot crap I don’t know any of that stuff]
rey: yeah, um… could you like, maybe…
finn: [come on rey say it i would literally do anything for you TELL ME HOW TO SHOW MY LOVE TO YOU WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO]
rey: could you set me up with him?
finn: […]
finn: [what did she just say]
finn: [does she have a crush on poe]
finn: [i knew she was looking at him dang it why is my best friend so sexy]
finn: [calm down finn. this is good. you’re happy for them. your two best friends are getting together. that’s amazing.]
finn: sure i can set you up
finn: [you’re happy for poe. you’re happy for poe. you’re happy for]
*later*
finn: so poe my friend rey was asking about you
poe: that girl i met like twice? the one you talk about all the time?
finn: yeah um so apparently she wants to go out with you
poe: she does? um ok i guess that makes sense, she knows i’m like 32 though right
finn: and gay right
poe: what
finn: nothing
finn: …
finn: anyway she’s over there
poe: um ok i’ll go talk to her you sure about this
finn: haha yeah of course haha
poe: dude you laugh weird

archiveofourown*org/works/15283413/chapters/35454660 the reylos have lost it

thelastjedicritical:

lj-writes:

Putting a screengrab below the cut because this is… really something.

Weiterlesen

Is knotting what I fear it could be?

But then my brain stopped working when I read Finn is Gaston… yeah, right. But you’re all not racists who reinterpret the story for your shit ship, right?

As far as I can tell the whole A/B/O genre is just terrible canine sex ed, based on long-debunked theories about the social behavior of wolves.

Also who the fuck is this guy:

Later on we have Rey holding her breath to avoid smelling him. Nice.

The Binary Sunset

The second sun returned to its original shape. The flare divided, with the majority following Rey, and a small irregularity causing a flash of light to bathe the desert. Luke Skywalker exhaled as the Tuskens and Jawas around him cheered. In Luke’s brief attempts to Force Project before, he had crashed to the ground upon returning to his body. As he levitated in the air, he realized this was different.

C-3PO looked over to congratulate his old friend, but parts of his arms have begun to fade.

“Master Luke?” C-3PO walked over, worried. Luke looked down at his hand becoming transparent.

“One time, Threepio. Just Luke.” Luke realized what had happened. He only hoped he had more time than Yoda had.

“Yes… Luke,” C-3PO pieced together what was happening. “Can I contact someone? Perhaps Master Tano knows—“

“No, it’s okay,” Luke replied, as tears began to form in his eyes. “It’s my time. I just need to say my goodbyes.”

Loved ones, on and above Tatooine, and across the galaxy, felt a presence, warm but fading. Leia felt a right hand on her shoulder. Lando felt a left hand on his.

“Everyone,” Luke spoke out, and the Force echoed in his intended targets. Even R2-D2 experienced a new phenomenon, like hearing something without sound waves. “I don’t think I have much time left. I… want to say I love you. While I can.”

Caro and Lowbacca, victorious on the front lines, sped towards the last location they saw their old mentor. Lando rushed towards his hangar.

“It’s okay, everyone. I’ve had a great life. Caro, Lowbacca, all of my students. I am so proud of you. You have become far greater Jedi, greater peacemakers, and greater souls than I could have hoped for. Mara, Ahsoka, you’ve taught me more about the Force, and more about myself, then I thought was possible. I leave the future of our family in capable hands.

“Leia, I wish I could’ve helped your son. I’m so sorry.”

“No,” Leia uttered through tears. “This is on him, not you. You—“

“I know,” Luke responded. “I don’t blame myself. And you can’t either. Everyone here today, everything that happened, was because of you. Remember that. You saved the galaxy.

“Chewie,” Luke reached out specifically to the injured wookiee, recovering on Kashyyyk. “Artoo,” to the droid struggling to understand a new sense. “I don’t know if you can hear this, but get better soon. Someone needs to look out for these jokers.

“And Lando.”

Lando, almost taking off, stalled his engine. The tears in his eyes welled to the point of being unable to see. Luke paused, unsure of what to say to the man that had gone from a complete stranger to a complete friend. He settled on something simple, yet true.

“Thanks for the years.”

Lando laughed.

At this point, Luke was almost gone. C-3PO would have cried if it was possible.

“Oh, and Finn?” Luke sent out a private message, as of an afterthought to his heartfelt farewells. “She’s out there. And keep the lightsaber. It suits you.”

Luke’s body became pale and slowly his clothes began to sink.

“I’ve held on too long,” he said aloud, only to C-3PO. “I’m going soon.”

“If only it wasn’t on this contemptible planet,” C-3PO joked. “The furthest from a bright center of the universe.”

“I don’t know,” Luke whispered as he stared forward, leaving the mortal plane. “Just look at that sunset.”

(Moth)

If there is going to be jealousy in IX, I don’t want Rose to be jealous of Rey or vice versa.

No, I want Finn to be jealous of Rose.

What if, since their escape from Crait, Rey and Rose get along famously and Rey seems to have hardly a word to say to Finn? It gets to the point where Rose, feeling awkward that her friends aren’t talking and remorseful of how she reacted to Finn’s relationship with Rey, tries to get Rey and Finn to talk to each other. Rey seems angry and agitated at the very suggestion, though, and Rose drops it. She knows someone being badly triggered when she sees one, and suggests Rey talk to an on-base counselor. They were a big help to Rose herself, after all.

There are always excuses not to talk, though. The Resistance has to knit together its shredded operations and scramble for allies. Finn and Rey are needed everywhere, separately and together, to convince potential allies, negotiate terms, to outmaneuver the First Order, to recruit, inspire, and fight. A year, even more could pass this way.

Maybe it’s on one of their missions together that the silence finally snaps. They are on one of their rare missions together, on their way back from repelling First Order forces from a planet and gaining it as a valuable supply station. The atmosphere is relaxed between everyone except Finn and Rey, and while they talk amicably with everyone else, the void of conversation between the Resistance’s two biggest heroes is getting harder to ignore.

At one point Rey hears about something amusing and giggles, “I have to try that with Rose when we get back to base.”

Finn mutters, “Of course. Rose, again. It’s not like I’m right here.”

His words happen to fall into a gap in the conversation and everyone stares while Finn looks around as if for an exit, and Rey stares stonily ahead. The room clears in under half a second as everyone dives for cover or gives them privacy, or both.

Rey turns to Finn. “What is that supposed to mean? My being friends with Rose is a problem? Why, because the two of you dated?”

“No! She’s my friend, too. The problem is…” Finn swallows. “What hurts is, you don’t want to be my friend anymore.”

“What?” Rey looks away with a sound that is both a scoff and a sob. “Did you seriously think I… of all the ridiculous!”

“Ridiculous? You avoid me. When we are in the same room you won’t look at me, and when you have to talk to me outside a mission it’s like you’re on a five-word limit. Is this all in my head?”

Rey presses her lips together and won’t look at him.

“Rey.” He comes to sit down a few seats away from her, getting closer while giving her space. “I’ll understand if you no longer want to be friends. But at least tell me that so I can understand and move on. If we can’t… can’t be friends anymore, at least we have to be able to work together. We’re hurting morale and jeopardizing the Resistance’s mission.”

“That’s all you care about, isn’t it.” Her voice is low and edged. “The Resistance.”

“…Huh?”

She turns on him, the look in her eyes so ferocious he leans away. “You were going to die, Finn. You were going to leave me forever.”

“That’s- is this what this was about? Rey, it’s been a year.” The beginning of a shaky laugh bursts out of him.

“Don’t laugh. Don’t you dare laugh! How could you do that?! How could you even think about… about…” Rey looks away, her shoulders shaking with earnest sobs now.

After a long silence punctuated only by her crying Finn says, staring down at his hands: “You could have told me.”

“I knew I would fall apart. Like I am now.” She wipes tears and snot off her face with a hand, and Finn slides her napkins. “Thank you.”

“It was logical in the moment. Maybe someone would come.” He glances over at her. “You were there, with the Falcon. If I bought enough time, and if there was another way out, you and Chewie could get the survivors out. I was right about that, you know. It was a sound strategic decision.”

“Logical. Strategic.” Rey looks at him, her face red and wet. “Finn, if I had lifted those rocks and not seen you… if I found out you had…” she shakes her head, overcome at the horror.

“Well Rose stopped me, didn’t she?”

“Yes, Rose did. She saved the person dearest to me in the galaxy, and you were going to take him away from me. Who do you think I’d be grateful to? Who do you think I’d be angry at?”

“Wait. Wait, I need a second to process that-”

“Was that how they trained you, to think of yourself as expendable?” She leans toward him. “I just, I need to understand.”

A long moment of silence passes. Finn looks down at his hands tearing a napkin to shreds, and Rey presses him with the intensity of her gaze.

“I didn’t want to die.”

Rey flinches, her eyes filling with fresh tears at the raw pain in his voice.

“I wanted to see tomorrow, where I could be free–with you. But if I couldn’t see that day, maybe you could, maybe Rose and Poe and the others could. I said good-bye to you in my mind.” He lets go of the shredded napkin pieces and stretches out a hand, which she holds tight. “I was thinking of you the whole time.”

She rises from her chair and then falls into him, clutching him in a hug that almost tips his chair over.

“I can’t lose you, Finn. I can’t. You’re the only one who ever came back for me.”

“And you came back for me.” His arms tighten around her.

“I wanted us to go away together, once I got Luke to join the Resistance, and when he wouldn’t–Kylo Ren.” She laughs to herself. “That didn’t go the way I thought it would.”

He lifts an eyebrow. “My nearly-severed spine could have told you that. Or Han, if he were here.”

She winces, looking away. “I was so desperate, I didn’t even know how long you would stay with the Resistance and I thought you might already be gone to the Outer Rim.”

“And when you saw me again… you realized I wasn’t leaving.”

“And I couldn’t leave, either.” She draws back to look into his face, her hands on his shoulders and a knee on the chair between his legs. “I wish there were some place for us away from this fight.”

He gives her a slow sad smile. “Are you going to ask me, ‘Come with me?’”

She snuggles against him. “You’d tell me, ‘Don’t go.’”

“Rey, stay and fight with me. Please.” His breath moves her hair. “I wanted us to go away, too, but there is no ‘away.’ The only way we can be at peace is through this fight, not running from it.”

A tear spills down her cheek. “I know, and it’s not fair.”

“It never is.”

Neither of them initiates it, or they both do. One moment their cheeks brush as they move their heads silent agreement, the next their lips meet in a long kiss. She slides down to lean against his chest and he bows his head over hers, holding her to him. Both their eyes are full of tears but they melt into each other in complete relaxation, no longer holding back from each other.

“I- I think we’re holding up the kitchen area.” Rey stands, wiping tears from her cheeks and laughing.

“Yeah.” Finn raises his voice. “I sure hope there’ll be no one listening in the corridor when we go out, that would be awkward.”

They hear hurried footfalls outside and chuckle to each other. He holds out a hand, she takes it, and they walk out smiling at each other. The Resistance no longer have reason to fear being in the same room with them, unless it is the fear of catching them in compromising positions.

For @finnreyfridays

What is, in your opinion, the biggest battle (Republic v. Mandalore, Republic v. Separatist, Rebellion v. Empire, Resistance V. First Order) in the entire Star Wars franchise, and how would you try to top all of them in your version of IX?

What an excellent question, and it really helped me focus my Episode IX feels. I’d say the Battle of Endor from RotJ was the biggest with
significant resources thrown in on both sides with a ground battle
element, though the Battles of Scarif and Yavin were IMO better written
with higher emotional stakes.

My Episode IX
could roll all those elements together and bring the trio of trilogies
full circle to… the Second Battle of Tatooine! The existence and plans
of the Galactic Union have been revealed, and while it has failed to
take Coruscant the worlds loyal to the Union have declared their
allegiance. The Republic is split in two and turning on itself, while
Mandalore faces an impossible dilemma: Must it fight its own stolen
children? See also my alternate Episodes VII (link) and VIII (link).

The action would be divided into three
parts: space battle over Tatooine, ground battle on Tatooine, and an
uprising plot with Finn turning the Union’s Crusaders. The newly reinstated
Chancellor Leia Organa together with Admiral Ackbar leads the Republic
forces to Tatooine and Geonosis space, where the Galactic Union had been
hiding a large part of its fleet and personnel now ready to deploy and
take Naboo, Takodana, Jakku, Hosnia and more.

Leia implores
Boba Fett for help, but the Mandalorians have their own problems. The
part of the Republic now loyal to the Union is continuing the assault
against the Mandalorians, tying them down. The Mandalorians are also
hesitant to fight the main body of the Galactic Union and the Crusaders
who were revealed to be Mandalorians stolen as children. Unable to count
on Mandalorian help Leia nevertheless continues to Tatooine, Lando’s
fleet from Bespin joining hers. Poe and Black Squadron have scouted the
area and report back that the Union fleet are close to deploying. Luke
has already been on his home planet a while, brokering a peace treaty
between the Republic and the various factions on Tatooine with the help
of C3PO (link).

Rey
is on a separate mission looking for Finn. Finn himself, imprisoned and
being reconditioned, tries desperately to hang onto his sense of
self. Rey senses his pain and resolve, and dives into a dangerous
defunct hyperspace route in search of him. She makes it through a
hyperspace storm that she barely steers the Falcon through before finding herself in a
regular hyperspace route alongside the Union flagship. They drop
into normal space and so does she, and is tractored on board. Taken
prisoner and facing Kylo Ren with the Knights of Ren arrayed around him,
she finds Finn–standing guard next to Kylo, staring straight ahead,
not seeming to hear her pleas. Ren offers her a place in the Union and
she refuses. Ren then orders Finn to fight Rey, and during the fight reveals to her that Finn’s father killed her parents.
Rey realizes he’s telling the truth and fights back in hate and rage
until she realizes she is falling to the Dark Side and, remembering her
love for Finn, throws down her saber.

Ren orders Finn to kill
Rey and he marches forward, seemingly about to strike her down before he
turns his attack on Phasma. He had been repeating a phrase
drilled into him, a Mandalorian motto that the Union had stolen and
twisted around, and held onto it while he was being reconditioned. Now,
with the revelation of his heritage by Ren, his memories rush back and
he remembers his fathers, his sense of belonging, Mandalore in whose
ways he had been brought up all along though in a way that was twisted to serve his kidnappers. He
rallies the Crusaders, reminding them that they are Mandalorians even
though they were stolen and bred as weapons. They are not weapons,
however, they are warriors. Some of the Crusaders rally to him, others
turn on them, and there is enough confusion for Finn and Rey to escape
with the freed Mandalorians and damage the flagship in the process.

Back
on Tatooine the Tatooine Alliance of Hutts, Jawas, Tuskens, and farmers attack
the Union ships and supplies, destroying a significant number of ships
before they can launch. Luke is in the thick of the fray, with C3PO
complaining about how disorderly everything is and also directing a droids for espionage and sabotage.

In the space above
Tatooine Leia and Lando’s fleet shoot down the Union fleet while Ackbar
blocks off the perimeter with mines and bombers. The Union fleet is still an
enormous force and are wearing down the Republic fleet. They need help
and have nowhere to expect it from.

On Mandalore, the warriors
are defending the home world from Union forces while a Union
dreadnought moves into position for bombardment from orbit, a move that
would wipe out all life on the surface. At that desperate hour more
Union ships emerge from hyperspace and it looks like all is lost–but
these are the free Mandalorian warriors led by Finn and they fall on the
Dreadnought, destroying it! Finn informs the Mandalorians by comm of
what happened. Watching this brave young man, Idrian Fett and Teros Kryze are
gripped by the strangest feeling of recognition while telling themselves
it can’t be. The Mandalorians together send the Union fleet into a
route.

The Mandalorians must now decide whether to stay and
protect their homeworld or go to Leia and the Republic’s aid. Finn
argues that they must save the Republic’s fleet. The Union’s entire
strategy consisted of sowing dissension between the Republic and the
Mandalorians, and it is only together that they can win the day. Idrian,
thinking of the long-ago tragedy his own anger caused, backs him up,
convincing the Mandalore.

Over Tatooine Lando personally shoots down a number of ships
at the head of the Bespin fleet. Leia crashes enemy starships together
using the Force. Ackbar’s defense never wavers, despite great
sacrifices. Droid-piloted ships crash into the enemy, leaving holes in
their lines. Poe and Black Squadron bring down a capital ship. If the Republic is to fall here, they will make every death
count to at least give a fighting chance to the rest of the galaxy.

That
is when new Union ships arrive, alongside Mandalorian ships! There is
confusion for a moment before they realize the Mandalorian cavalry is
here, and the day seems to be theirs.

Meanwhile, the Tatooine Alliance back on the surface of the planet discover among the captured Union equipment some kind of regulator that is connected to one of Tatooine’s suns. Luke is stunned when he realizes that, essentially, the suns of Tatooine have been turned into bombs. The Union must have been waiting for their enemies to gather in one place and one of the suns will engulf the entire system in twenty minutes, setting off the other in a chain reaction.

Luke warns Leia to get the fleet out of harm’s way while he attempts to evacuate the planet, but when none of the ships can jump into hyperspace they realize that the Union has blocked off hyperspace travel in the area.

Then Kylo Ren’s Union flagship bursts into normal space. Ren informs his mother by comm that this system is about to be destroyed and he will take her away, installing her as the political head of the new Union to rule the galaxy as she sees fit–as she deserves to, as their family deserves to after all it has done for the universe. Leia flat-out refuses, saying she won’t be a puppet front for a mass murdering regime. She urges her son to stop the bomb and Kylo is angry with her, berating her for her ingratitude when he has paid such a high price for her. He tries to tractor and drag her ship into hyperspace, but she orders thrusters reversed and holds fast.

Ren, now panicked at the thought of losing his mother as well as his father, leads a boarding party to her ship to extract her. When the hatch opens he is greeted by Finn and his Mandalorian warriors who jump into battle with Ren and his Knights.

Meanwhile Rey is on the Falcon, having hit on a plan with Luke over the comm to try and open a hyperspace route to divert the solar flare from the first sun before it hits Tatooine and reaches the other sun in the system. Luke, with no time to join her physically, goes into Force meditation on Tatooine.

Finn and Ren have a rematch and it looks like Finn is done for when Ren disarms him. But Finn takes Ren’s lightsaber to replace his own, wins the fight, then pulls a T’Challa and captures Ren before he can kill himself. Ren needs to face a tribunal–and worse, his mother–for his crimes.

Together Rey and Luke manage to open a route into hyperspace and Rey disappears into it ahead of the flare, trapping it in hyperspace. Back on Tatooine Luke disappears in the light of the binary sunset, too much of his essence poured into the Force. Finn and the others watch and wait for Rey to emerge into normal space and contact them, but she doesn’t.

The battle won, the captured Union database gives the freed Mandalorians information of their origins and Finn reunites in an emotional scene with Idrian and Teros. Leia, unsmiling, tells an arrested Ben that he is grounded for life. A memorial is held for those lost in battle, and Rey’s name is among them.

After a time skip Finn is proclaiming the creation of a new joint force between the Republic and Mandalore to keep peace in the Outer Rim and root out slavery. At that moment a ship jumps out of hyperspace, its hull red-hot and visibly falling apart, and a giant gout of flame follows in its wake. Finn recognizes the Falcon and tells Rey through the Force to eject, which she does just before the Falcon is consumed by the flames and blows up. ~~Told you my version of Finn solves far too many problems by ejecting people into space~~ Finn blasts into space to catch her and they bring her in, burned, frostbitten, and barely conscious but clinging to Finn as she tells him she followed him home, his light burns so bright.

When Rey comes to she is safe and in treatment. Her right hand was damaged and had to replaced with a mechanical prosthesis. She is, little by little, introduced to the new reality and we learn it through her. The Galactic Union is in disarray, and Republic and Mandalorian forces are hunting them throughout space. Leia is working to pull the Republic back together and bring the pro-Union leaders to justice. Hearings are beginning on Ben’s trial. Rey talks about her own ordeal, how she was lost in space and time and thought she was going to die, how she found Finn’s Force signature in the maeltrom and made her way out.

Hesitantly Finn introduces Rey to his fathers, and Rey hears from Idrian himself what happened. She learns that her mother is alive, though comatose, and goes to see her in the same hospital. When Rey stands over her mother’s bed she and Finn both feel Irena trying to wake up and reach out to her daughter, and they clasp hands to join their Force powers and bring Irena back. You see glimpses of Force ghosts around the bed, Qui-Gonn, Obi-Wan, Yoda, Anakin, and Luke, helping them. Irena opens her eyes and, without a moment’s hesitation, calls her daughter’s name. They hug, camera pans out, credits.