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Post #1333193

Author
NeverarGreat
Parent topic
Episode IX: THE SHATTERED SWORD - DETAILED SUMMARY COMPLETE
Link to post in topic
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/1333193/action/topic#1333193
Date created
4-Apr-2020, 2:58 PM

Finn, Rose, and their team of commandos make their way down the final hall to the turbolifts, encountering only scattered blaster bolts from security hidden around corners. They gain the turbolifts and they divide into three companies to board the three lifts. Rose asks Finn where the rest of the security is, and Finn answers that it must be in the control tower above. He tells her to be ready for a firefight. The doors of Finn’s lift open and they rush out into an empty room. A voice, cold and imperious, fills the air. ‘Welcome to Arkanis, FN-2187’. They whirl around and see Thrawn on a balcony above the lifts. The other two lifts open and troopers pour out, surrounding the commando group. Finn’s communicator crackles as his other leaders report that their lifts are jammed. Thrawn tells them to throw down their weapons, and as if in encouragement two troopers arrive behind Thrawn with Xindo bound in cuffs. In the shadows behind Xindo is a woman petting a small furry creature. Finn throws down his blaster, a snarl on his face, and the rest of his group does likewise. Thrawn and Xindo walk down to the base level and Thrawn steps to the wide windows of the control center. He tells Finn that he would like the trooper to see this operation, as it will be instructive.

From his destroyer Poe monitors the approaching TIE defenders and barks orders at his squadrons. He recalls Red squadron to help mop up the threat, but just as he gives this order he sees that the TIEs are breaking off their attack and are circling around the Resistance fleet in a wide arc. Poe shouts that the TIEs are moving to block their escape and that this is a trap. He opens a channel to Finn and tells him to get back to the transports, but there is only static on the other end. The comm’s officer tells him that there is some sort of jamming signal coming from the control tower. At that moment Connix comes on the comm from her ship still on reconnaissance. She says that there’s a massive surge of activity from below the clouds of Arkanis, and Poe sees dozens of squadrons of TIE fighters, bombers, and interceptors emerge from the stormy planet to converge on his location, the full complement of fighters from Thrawn’s entire battle fleet. Poe orders his ships to attack the control tower to provide cover for Finn’s escape, and the fleet fires engines to engage.

The rickety ship continues following Hux’s shuttle towards the destroyers. Ben says that they will need perfect timing if they are to escape into hyperspace without being shot out of the stars, and tells R2 to plot a course to the nearest inhabited planet. R2 beeps tersely and begins his calculations. He signals that the course is laid in, and Ben counts down to hyperspace. As he punches the lever, the ship shudders and whines in protest, then all power fails. Ben shouts that they’re caught in a tractor beam. Rey asks where it could be coming from, and the bridge of a destroyer rises between them and Hux’s departing shuttle, hidden from their viewscreen and blind to them due to their nonresponsive sensors. Ben is frozen, defeated. They are caught.

Suddenly a flash of light leaps across the darkness before them to impact the shield array of the Destroyer. Then the space is filled with missiles striking their targets, mere gnats against the huge vessel but slowly wearing down the shields. A voice crackles on their radio. It’s the mayor of the city, announcing that they are trying to destroy the ship which was stolen from their sacred castle but that they are having difficulty with their targeting computers. Rey manages a pained smile.

Hux marches onto the bridge of his destroyer. One of Thrawn’s commanders asks if they should destroy the small ship which has followed them, but Hux is adamant that the crew be taken alive. He wants to be sure of what he saw on the tower. He does authorize use of force against the missile batteries assailing them, however.
The fleet opens fire on the planet below. The missile barrage ceases with only minimal damage to the destroyer.

The rickety ship is still being dragged towards the First Order vessel. Suddenly a growl explodes on the comm, and missiles from the Falcon impact on the bridge of the destroyer. Rey shouts ‘Chewie!’ as the Falcon flies past. The fleet redirects its fire to focus on the small freighter, and they land hit after expert hit. Ben tells Chewie to get out of there, life debt or not. Chewie roars a negative and continues his beeline to the bridge, blasting away with all he’s got.

Thrawn surveys Poe’s advancing fleet and says that this is a curious move. He has studied Poe’s military history and would have expected him to cut his losses in this situation. He looks to Finn, re-evaluating his importance.

Poe encounters the first wave of Thrawn’s ace pilots. The Interceptors engage Red and Black squadrons, breaking their formations and detonating ship after ship. Poe sees red marks splash across the viewscreen and clenches his fist. He orders the squadrons to pin the Interceptors between their capital ships in order to even the terms, but even as he orders it the battle changes as the basic TIEs enter the fray.

Thrawn shakes his head. He concedes that he expected better from Poe Dameron, but says that perhaps he makes a better pilot than a commander. He gives the comm to Finn, suggesting that perhaps he can get Poe to surrender before the entire Resistance fleet is gone. Finn takes it and opens the channel. He says that he is captured by Thrawn and the Grand Admiral wishes them to surrender. Poe shouts a negative, continuing his advance even as the TIE bombers begin their assault and begin to detonate the Resistance support ships.

The bridge crew looks to the captain as the Falcon approaches. They report shields are failing and say that the Falcon looks to be preparing to ram them. The captain orders an evacuation of the bridge.

Ben and Rey plead with Chewie to turn back, that their lives are not worth his sacrifice. But it is too late. The Falcon smashes into the bridge, blasting a gout of flame and debris out the back. The small ship breaks free of the tractor beam as the destroyer lists in a shattered pirouette. Through her tears, Rey sees the destruction. Twisted bits of metal, a quad-laser battery, the broken canopy of the Falcon cockpit floating in the burning space. Nothing could have survived. Ben fights the controls, bringing the ship into a space between two rapidly approaching destroyers, and slams the hyperdrive lever. The stars turn to starlines.

Finn stares helplessly as the Resistance fleet is ravaged by wave after wave of fighters. Poe recalls what’s left of his squadrons in preparation for surrender. Unnoticed by Thrawn or the troopers, Xindo works a slicer key into his cuffs and they click open. He slides a hidden blaster into his hand from his sleeve. Finn and Rose, standing on either side of Xindo, notice. Rose nods at Finn. Finn speaks quickly into the comm, relaying a series of coordinates to Poe. Poe sees that at these coordinates a hole has formed in the enemy formation, and orders the ship to jump to hyperspace through this gap.

Thrawn surveys the scene of devastation before him. Few of his ships are gone, while space is littered with the flaming hulks of the Resistance fleet. Thrawn turns to Finn. He commends Finn for his quick thinking and taking the best of a bad option. He says that in another life perhaps Finn could have risen far in the First Order, and it is a shame that it has to end this way. Finn says that it’s not over, and leaps away from Thrawn to make way for Xindo. The Master Codebreaker brings his weapon up in a blur of motion but Thrawn is quicker. His blaster cuts a smoking hole directly through the red Plom bloom before Xindo can open fire, and the man falls dead at the Grand Admiral’s feet.

Troopers come and take the body away. The woman approaches Finn and Rose, disgust on her face. She blames them for killing her son, and turning to leave, gives Rose an evil look. An officer reports to Thrawn that the devices he requested have been installed on all of Kylo’s ships, and hands him a small datapad. Thrawn considers this. He asks how many crews are in danger of a Code Thirteen, and the officer reports that none have yet cleared that benchmark. Thrawn nods as if expecting this, and says that the officer may commence the operation. Across the great arc of the shipyards, Kylo’s destroyers come to life. Engines fire in succession, and the ships loose their moorings. Thrawn views the operation, datapad in hand, as the ships go to hyperspace one by one, each in a different direction.

He tells Finn and Rose that they are lucky, as they will be alive to witness the final victory of the First Order and the end of the mystical Force. Finn and Rose stare at this pronouncement as Thrawn walks calmly to the turbolifts and the doors close behind him.