Get up... get up!

Jaina groaned as she was finally able to sit up, her body listening to her commands at last. She got up just in time to see Finn getting strangled by the same stormtrooper. She had to help. She quickly drew her lightsaber and ignited it as she ran up behind him. She could hear the stormtrooper say something, but she didn't bother to listen. She could sense his killing intent. He couldn't be reasoned with. Jaina raised her lightsaber high in the air and stabbed it through the stormtrooper's back.

Finn saw a purple blade inches from his face. It was coming out of FM-2199's chest. He realized too late that it was Jaina's lightsaber. FN-2199 looked down at the blade in shock. He didn't scream, just silently groaned as he refocused his gaze back onto Finn, forcing him to watch the light leave his eyes as Jaina pulls the blade back out. FN-2199's body went limp on top of Finn's. Finn thought back to FN-2003 on Jakku. He had to watch him die too, but to actually see his old comrade's face made things different, more haunting. Finn had to bare witnesses to two of his friends take their dying breaths. He began to hyperventilate. How many times would he have to watch somebody die? To hold them and be up close and personal as they take their final gasps of air, watching their bodies go limp right in front of him? How many more times will that happen? Would their faces haunt him? Already imagining their faces contorted into looks of anguish made him want to vomit. They were his friends. They were almost like brothers considering they had practically grown up together.

Jaina slapped him back to reality. His vision returned and he looked around rapidly, seeing that he was now standing. Next to him on the ground was FN-2199's body. He never got a proper name...

"Finn! I need you!" Jaina shouted, making him focus back on her. Could he have stopped her? Convinced her to give FN-2199 a chance? He was loyal to the First Order, but... if he escaped, then maybe... others could too.

"Finn! Are you there?" Jaina called to him. Finn blinked and nodded. "Okay. My Aunt Mara's coming! You hear me? I was able to speak to her before all this happened! I don't know when she'll be coming though, so let's try and hold out here for as long as we can! Got it?" Jaina said. Finn nodded as he picked his blaster back up. Looking at the other troopers made something in him change. If he could escape, then so can others. Just a little bit ago, the First Order terrified him. Now, he realized that it was made up entirely of prisoners. The First Order may be fighting to liberate the galaxy, but no one in it was truly free. Finn was beginning to understand. He didn't know how to do it, but he knew he had to find a way to save others from the First Order's control. He can save them, but not today. Today, he had to live.

"I'm ready." Finn said to Jaina who responded with a smile. "Good. Sidon's crew should still be here somewhere. Let's watch their backs."

They both ran through the battlefield and caught the attention of several squads of stormtroopers. Finn shot at a few with his blaster while trying to dodge their blaster bolts. Jaina caught up next to him and deflected any blaster bolts that flew in his direction. Up ahead, Finn saw BB-8 along with the others. "I see them! Over there!" He shouted.

Jaina looked where he pointed and saw them as well. She nodded and kept deflecting the blaster bolts before using the Force to lift Finn off the ground and push him forward. She made sure he landed softly.

"The hell?!" Pru shouted as he saw Finn land right behind them.

"Changed your mind I see!" Kix shouted while shooting at the incoming stormtroopers.

"Something like that!" Finn answered. "We can't leave as long as they're in the air!"

"You think we didn't notice that? Nothing we have can take out all those fighters!" Kix responded.

"Best we can do is stick together like wroshyr sap and hold them off!" Pru said.

"Then let's make sure they don't get the upper hand!" Quiggold ordered.

Sidon spoke, giving the others orders that Finn couldn't understand before they all went behind the different walls they were current using as cover.

"You obviously don't know what he's saying, so I'll translate!" Kix said, grabbing onto Finn's shoulder and leading him behind cover as well before more blaster bolts wizzed over their heads. "All of us take cover behind a different wall facing different directions so that we can cover all sides. While Jaina takes care of the troopers, we'll try our best and cover her! Finn! You and I will be taking this wall!" He explained as they crouched behind a cracked stone wall. Finn and Kix looked at each other. "Ready?" Kix asked. Finn nodded as he readied his blaster and took a deep breath to prepare himself.

They peeked out from both sides of the wall, each choosing their own targets to shoot at. Finn couldn't help but admire Kix's accuracy. He's able to land every shot perfectly, even going as far as aiming for gaps in the armor. Finn was sure of it now: Kix is a soldier, or at least was one some time ago. Was he with the Rebellion? He didn't look much older than Finn. Whatever the case, Finn was happy to have someone like him here right now. Finn shot one in the chest, and another in the throat. He ducked behind cover again and watched as four blaster bolts flew past him. He quickly composed himself and peeked out again, opening fire on the enemy. He needed to keep it together and remember his training. He looked to the far left to see a heavy trooper mounting his heavy repeating blaster on some rocks and aiming it at their wall. The other troopers were a distraction so that they would buy this one time. Finn had to be quick!

A blaster bolt hit the trooper directly in the side, killing him instantly. Finn took cover again and looked at Kix. That shot came from his blaster. "Stay alert! They'll try and use any trick they have up their sleeve, but we have to stay ahead!" He shouted. Finn looked back around the wall and aimed his blaster at the other troopers. "We will! We'll stay ahead!" Finn responded.

Squeaky changed his blaster to the fully automatic setting and peeked around the corner. He hated hiding behind cover. He'd rather be marching towards them and mowing them down as if they were insects, but he knew when he was outmatched and in this case, they were pinned on all sides. As far as Squeaky could tell, he and his crew were the only ones left standing. He wondered if that old bat, Maz made it out. He grunted; no time for that. Right now, he would show them what it meant to stand before a true gamorrean warrior. He squeezed the trigger and just let loose, hardly even trying to aim. He watched the countless blaster bolts coming out of his gun effortlessly blow away the stormtroopers.

Reveth was on the other side of the wall and threw a thermal detonator around the corner and heard the explosion. She looked over at Squeaky who was clearly enjoying himself. Crazy pig...

Sidon shot one right in between the eyes and then hit one in the chest, but the blaster bolt went clean through and hit another trooper that was right behind the first one. Quiggold and Sidon looked at each other, both equally surprised by the lucky shot. "Guess the luck of the Crimson Corsair never runs out after all!" Quiggold declared. Sidon nodded. That's right... their luck won't run out today. He looked at the surrounding area, seeing Jaina run around and cut through stormtroopers with ease and deflect the shots they took at her. Watching the purple light of her blade stand in defiance against the raging fire. She leapt high into the air before doing a backflip and cutting a stormtrooper's blaster in half as she landed and then pushed them into another one. Was this... what it meant... to witness a Jedi in action?

END OF CHAPTER 35