Though he had been on the receiving end of the girl’s staff, as far as he was concerned, it qualified as a localcuriosity and not a proper weapon.
Behind them, BB-8 was quivering slightly. Both antennae were fully extended and inclined slightly eastward. Rey frowned at the droid. “Are you okay?”
While Finn’s sensory equipment was less sensitive than the droid’s, it was no less sophisticated. Man and machine were both listening to something that escaped the girl. Puzzled, she shifted her attentionfrom one to the other.
“What is it? What’s going on? I don’t hear anyth—”
Finn shushed her with a gesture, listening intently. She started to object, thought better of it and went quiet. Behind him, BB-8 was growing increasingly agitated. Without a word, the droid spun and raced toward the rear of the storage area. Finn responded almost as quickly, grabbing Rey’s hand and pulling her afterhim. As before, when she tried to pull away, he maintained his grip.
“Hey! Not again!
Stop taking my hand!
”
The explosion ripped up the storage area, its contents, and the ground just behind the fleeing trio as one of the two diving TIE fighters BB-8 and Finn had heard coming in unleashed its weaponry in a low pass over the town. The concussion threw Rey hard to the ground. She came upfearful and spitting out grit. The desert was full of dangers, and scavenging had its own risks, but she was used to those. An occasional encounter with thieves was an occupational hazard. So was dealing on a recurring basis with the hostile and hungry creatures of the wastelands. The realization that First Order TIE fighters might be sent to locate and eradicate a single Resistance fighter suggestedthat she was well and truly out of her depth. This Finn must be more important than he seemed, she decided.
Where was Finn, anyway?
She found him nearby, unconscious. Getting a grip on his jacket,she rolled him over. The spherical white and orange droid joined her a moment later.
Should she shake him? Use her emergency bio-injector? She was no physician: Her medical training was restrictedto what she had learned during a life of having to take care of herself. The wrong application, she knew, could leave him worse off than he was now.
She was saved from having to make a decision as he came to, blinking at his surroundings before his attention settled on her. Swallowing, he managed to gasp out, “Are you okay?”
It struck her that in her entire short life, this was the firsttime anyone had asked that question. “Yeah,” she murmured. Her attention flicked between the fallen figure beside her and the blue sky that had turned abruptly deadly. “I’m okay. You?”
He peered down at himself as he sat up. Everything of consequence appeared to be intact and in place. “Think so. Too close.”
She stood and extended a hand. He glanced at it, his dark gaze rising to her face,then gratefully accepted her offer of assistance.
“Follow me,” Rey said. She turned and broke into a run, the grateful Finn allowing himself to be guided.
Around them, Niima Outpost was in complete disarray. Explosions had torn tents and other buildings apart, scattering merchants, traders, scavengers, maintenance workers, and every other innocent bystander in a panicky search for cover.Staff strapped to her back now, Rey led her companions onto the sand-scoured clearing that served as the town’s port. Looking back, Finn saw the pair of TIE fighters bank and turn. He had no doubt what they were looking for.
“Isn’t there any shelter around here?”
As she continued to lead him on, Rey shook her head and yelled, “Nothing strong enough to withstand TIE fighter weapons!”
“We can’t outrun them!”
That’s right
, he told himself
. Boost her confidence in you by stating the obvious.
She pointed to the four-engined craft toward which they were running. “We might in that quadjumper!”
Finn shook his head. “I’m a gunner. We need a
Behind them, BB-8 was quivering slightly. Both antennae were fully extended and inclined slightly eastward. Rey frowned at the droid. “Are you okay?”
While Finn’s sensory equipment was less sensitive than the droid’s, it was no less sophisticated. Man and machine were both listening to something that escaped the girl. Puzzled, she shifted her attentionfrom one to the other.
“What is it? What’s going on? I don’t hear anyth—”
Finn shushed her with a gesture, listening intently. She started to object, thought better of it and went quiet. Behind him, BB-8 was growing increasingly agitated. Without a word, the droid spun and raced toward the rear of the storage area. Finn responded almost as quickly, grabbing Rey’s hand and pulling her afterhim. As before, when she tried to pull away, he maintained his grip.
“Hey! Not again!
Stop taking my hand!
”
The explosion ripped up the storage area, its contents, and the ground just behind the fleeing trio as one of the two diving TIE fighters BB-8 and Finn had heard coming in unleashed its weaponry in a low pass over the town. The concussion threw Rey hard to the ground. She came upfearful and spitting out grit. The desert was full of dangers, and scavenging had its own risks, but she was used to those. An occasional encounter with thieves was an occupational hazard. So was dealing on a recurring basis with the hostile and hungry creatures of the wastelands. The realization that First Order TIE fighters might be sent to locate and eradicate a single Resistance fighter suggestedthat she was well and truly out of her depth. This Finn must be more important than he seemed, she decided.
Where was Finn, anyway?
She found him nearby, unconscious. Getting a grip on his jacket,she rolled him over. The spherical white and orange droid joined her a moment later.
Should she shake him? Use her emergency bio-injector? She was no physician: Her medical training was restrictedto what she had learned during a life of having to take care of herself. The wrong application, she knew, could leave him worse off than he was now.
She was saved from having to make a decision as he came to, blinking at his surroundings before his attention settled on her. Swallowing, he managed to gasp out, “Are you okay?”
It struck her that in her entire short life, this was the firsttime anyone had asked that question. “Yeah,” she murmured. Her attention flicked between the fallen figure beside her and the blue sky that had turned abruptly deadly. “I’m okay. You?”
He peered down at himself as he sat up. Everything of consequence appeared to be intact and in place. “Think so. Too close.”
She stood and extended a hand. He glanced at it, his dark gaze rising to her face,then gratefully accepted her offer of assistance.
“Follow me,” Rey said. She turned and broke into a run, the grateful Finn allowing himself to be guided.
Around them, Niima Outpost was in complete disarray. Explosions had torn tents and other buildings apart, scattering merchants, traders, scavengers, maintenance workers, and every other innocent bystander in a panicky search for cover.Staff strapped to her back now, Rey led her companions onto the sand-scoured clearing that served as the town’s port. Looking back, Finn saw the pair of TIE fighters bank and turn. He had no doubt what they were looking for.
“Isn’t there any shelter around here?”
As she continued to lead him on, Rey shook her head and yelled, “Nothing strong enough to withstand TIE fighter weapons!”
“We can’t outrun them!”
That’s right
, he told himself
. Boost her confidence in you by stating the obvious.
She pointed to the four-engined craft toward which they were running. “We might in that quadjumper!”
Finn shook his head. “I’m a gunner. We need a
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