Within the Falcon, Finn sat with Rose staring down at their entwined hands. They'd talked for a while of their allocated tasks, but now they had to say goodbye, and though both hoped it wasn't for the last time it might well be. Rose had lost so many that she loved, some whom she'd been able to say farewell to but at the time she hadn't known it was the final farewell. Others she'd never gotten the chance. Finn, on the other hand, had never cared enough for anyone until recently to try to encompass his thoughts and feelings into a coherent last goodbye. Rose Tico had looked at him like a hero, then electrocuted him for being a coward. She finished his sentences; she told him when he was being an idiot or as she liked to put it a dummy, and that was frequently. Rose's faith in him and belief had nurtured him from a stormtrooper following orders to a Captain within the Resistance. Rose had made him want to remain, to want to be a part of something great; a member of the Resistance.

"Rose," Finn started, but he had no idea what he wanted to say, and he knew she could tell.

"I know," she leaned forward and kissed him sweetly, "be careful and come home."

He nodded at her, "I will."

He watched her depart as Jannah entered, followed by her father both in their trademark capes and smiled glad he would have their company on this mission. Chewie was already in the cockpit checking flight and takeoff procedures in his usual co-pilot seat.

"Ready to go?" Lando asked with that charismatic smile of his. The odds of this particular mission going as planned weren't high, but as Lando was a betting man, these odds were worth betting on, betting his life and that of his daughter. Risks were a tricky thing to predict, but when the stakes were this high, almost every risk was worth taking. The chance to finally end the war that spanned more than his lifetime, that had taken so much from him; that chance he'd risk everything for.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Finn responded, and Lando put a reassuring fatherly hand upon his shoulder before turning to the cockpit. It was a small gesture but one that steadied Finn's pounding heart and calmed his nerves.

"Chewie, have you got my ship ready?" Lando asked as he settled himself into the pilot's chair. A mixture of grief and joy flowed through him. Han, his oldest friend, one of his only real friends, Han's chair, his ship, their memories all rushed upon him in a wave. Chewie's yips and howls that they were good to go brought Lando back to the present; yes he would risk everything to help end this conflict.

"Let's punch it."

The Falcon hovered above the ground of Yavin Four before turning and jumping to lightspeed followed by a Mon Calamari MC80 star cruiser and the pilots of Bronze squadron X-Wings. The small detachment came out of hyperspace directly by the fiery red planet. Inside his X-Wing, Snap Wexley was leading Bronze Squadron.

"Well, this planet looks unhospitable," Snap's voice filled the static.

"Copy that Bronze Leader," Bronze Four responded sardonically.

Admiral Statura and Bronze Squadron stayed in position circling the planet. The star cruisers cloaking mechanism on waiting for the inevitable arrival of friendly First Order and enemy First Order ships.

Within the cockpit of the Falcon Lando, Chewie, Jannah and Finn peered out at the fiery red planet. It was like it was burning from the inside, it's surface cracked with veins of fire.

"I think we've landed on worse places right Chewie?" Lando commented peering down at Mustafar and giving Chewie a sidelong look.

Chewie grunted. He could recall multiple tricky spots and landings he'd been in over his lifetime, but nothing about landing on this planet looked welcoming, and they all knew it.

"Well let's do this," Landon replied as he steered the Falcon into the planet's atmosphere. The steam of heat and firey grey smoke rising from the lava rivers running through Mustafar billowed past the freighter's canopy as the cargo ship headed to their designated landing spot. The Falcon shook as the storms buffeted it, and within the seating area, Jannah and Finn had to strap in. Finn's hands clenched on his seat as the ship dived and shook unpredictably. Despite the turbulence, shaking and vibrations, Lando and Chewie landed the Falcon reasonably smoothly within sight of the towering black castle.

"I think that could've been worse, I've definitely had worse landings," Lando hollered from the cockpit. Finn and Jannah both gave a sigh of relief and unclipping their safety straps, gathering their weapons and the satchel containing the Holocron they went to watch the hatch open and gangplank lower. All four stood at the hatchway looking at the dead red planet, watching as the heat and vapour drifted towards them. Chewie howled quietly, Lando embraced his daughter before she and Finn eyed each other apprehensively and departed the ship. Their feet crunched on the dry, cracked earth as they walked heading towards the monstrous dark tower with a fountain of lava flowing down it. The air was breathable but not pleasant. The wind was hot as it filled Finn's nostrils and smelled of ash and sulphur. He was finding it difficult not to cough with every breath he took. At his side, Jannah covered her streaming eyes with her goggles and covered her face with her cloak. Good idea Finn thought as he pulled his neckerchief up around his mouth. It didn't stop the choking feeling, but it was undoubtedly better.

-X-

In the space outside Mustafar, Kylo Ren's Star Destroyer the Finalizer jumped out of hyperspace, and Admiral Statura watched several transport shuttles and a squadron of Tie fighters launch from multiple hangars. Snap Wexley sat looking out of his canopy, at these allied Ties, and his squad of X-Wings. All they could do now was wait.

Ben's Upsilon Command shuttle landed, and a squadron of stormtroopers exited into a red world of fire. The dried carcasses of trees desperately clinging to life stood around them and in the distance rivers of lava flowed. Speaking to the commanding officer to stay put and be on guard, Ben headed toward his grandfather's sanctum and the temple beneath, his long cape billowing behind him. The castle was foreboding and sinister, higher than he could have imagined a towering spike of black stone. Ben could feel the locus of dark energy centred around it, but nothing else. No spidery fingers, no ominous presence and no familial tie. This place, this fortress had nothing to do with his grandfather Anakin Skywalker; this was Darth Vader's domain. Beneath the fortress, Ben entered the Sith cave, the deeper he delved, the darker it became, but an even darker shadow of obsidian stood before him. The temples surface glimmered in what little light dared enter; it's blackness sharp and perfect. Immense steps were carved into the front, leading to the temple's entrance from which Ben could vaguely see a dim light. As Ben mounted those hard stone steps, he could hear familiar voices within. He paced purposefully into the chamber to where Finn and Jannah stood by the central obelisk, fear and anxiety etched upon their faces. Ben shared that fear, but unlike them, his outward demeanour did not show it. He struck his hand out towards Finn palm-held upwards.

"Holocron," he stated.

Finn fumbled about within the bag he'd brought a little longer than seemed reasonably necessary to the point where Ben began to lower his arm and look at him visibly confounded. Had he forgotten it? Or worse lost it? Ben began to trace his teeth angrily until Finn eventually retrieved it and handed it to him with a smile, like a pup wanting praise for finally handing over its mauled toy. Ben sighed frustrated before turning his attention to the task at hand. Ben reached within the Force, and the Holocron within his hand glowed and pulsed filling the cave with a minuscule red glow of light. He took a hesitant step forward and placed the Holocron on top of the stone structure. As he took a step back, a voice spoke. The voice was not sinister, but it also wasn't tranquil, neither male nor female a voice that was everything and nothing, all darkness and all light.

"You have awoken an ancient power. The power to destroy all life or create it. Will you use it? "

Ben didn't speak but turned to Finn and gestured to the ex-stormtrooper with a brief nod of his head.

"We wish to destroy our enemy's fleet," Finn responded nervously.

"That is all you desire; once this power is awoken and utilised, it cannot be used again."

"Yes, we wish to destroy our enemy's fleet and the key, this Holocron, so it may never be used again," Finn replied.

"Foolish child, this key will be but a shell once the weapon is used. There will be nothing to destroy. Do you wish to proceed?"

Finn turned to Ben for confirmation, and somberly Ben nodded, he hoped this worked.

"Yes," Finn confirmed.

"Then it is done," the voice replied. The Holocron glowed, and the interior of the chamber shone with an eerie red light and a humming that crescendoed to a mighty roar. The temple seemed to vibrate with energy, dust from the temple walls fell with the reverberations. Abruptly it stopped, and the Holocron fell to the floor, the light within having died. Cautiously Ben picked it up he felt nothing; he sensed nothing. Whatever had been within the Holocron was gone.

"Solo, was that it? Solo?"

It took Ben a moment to realise Finn was talking to him.

"Head to Endor, now. I'll meet you there. They're coming."

-X-

Admiral Statura's gaze was focused on the multitude of Imperial Star Destroyers leaping out of hyperspace before him, so numerous he'd already lost count. His face attempted to remain stoic at the sight of so many ships, but also at the strange blue nebula engulfing the enemy before him. Lightning in space. Not unheard of but rare, this, however, was not a natural phenomenon. Something was causing it.

"Cloaking device is on Captain?" Statura knew it was, but confirming it gave a mild sense of relief, one he currently needed.

"Yes, Admiral."

"Good. Order Bronze Squadron into the hangar."

The pilots of Bronze Squadron did not need to hear that command relayed more than once. The storm within the atmosphere around Mustafar was unnerving. Every pilot was happier sat in the cockpit of their X-wing from the comparative safety of the MC80 Cruiser's hangar than out there with the blue fire engulfing the enemy ships.

Finn and Jannah were running across the crusted earth as best they could back, through the blinding sulphurous fumes back towards the Falcon when the dark grey smoke-filled sky above was broken by blue flashes of light and the outlines of Imperial Star Destroyers.

"Quickly," Jannah hollered speeding past Finn. "Dad, we gotta go," she shouted as she and Finn ran up the gangplank of the Falcon.

"Is that the fleet this weapon was supposed to destroy, doesn't look very destroyed," Finn shouted from behind her.

"Dad, Chewie, come on we gotta go," Jannah reasoned again as shuttles began breaking through the atmosphere landing amongst the trees where Ben could be seen heading with his troops. As the Falcon rose steadily exiting the planetary atmosphere, Chewie could see a stream of red troopers exiting the transports and leading them were a group of black-clad figures, they could only be one thing- the Knights of Ren. The freighter rose out of the black and red atmosphere of Mustafar; the space beyond the planet was cracked with blue light. The scene before them was unbelievable and as they cruised into the direction of Admiral Statura's Cruiser, Finn, Jannah, Lando and Chewie stared aghast and in horror out the freighter's cockpit at the legion of Imperial Star Destroyers that surrounded Mustafar.

"Stars, have you ever seen anything like this?" Lando said more to himself than the others.

Chewie gave a low moan in reply. None of them had ever seen anything like this; there were so many Destroyers; beyond counting Ben Solo hadn't lied. This was a fleet created for the sole purpose of death and destruction. As they watched the bursts of blue light blazed amongst the large ships, a fire that jumped and seemed alive. A fiery blue monster leaping from ship to ship destroying everything it touched. The blaze mushroomed, engulfing each Destroyer. The ships appeared to combust from within splintering and shattering into white stardust, glittering the surrounding space with their debris.

"Are you seeing this?" Finn questioned the other members of the cockpit.

"I think it's working," Jannah replied as she watched the sky become a flame of blue fire and jagged blue light that spread and flared interlaced with the remnants of the ships.

"We should go before we get caught in the crossfire."

As Jannah advised the next course of action, several Dreadnoughts appeared out of light speed into the sector.

"General Calrissian, I advise we head to Endor, now!" Admiral Statura's clipped voice broke across the awed silence.

"Right behind you Admiral," Lando replied as he deftly flicked some controls before heading into hyperspace leaving the bizarre blue fire and red planet behind them.