by Cavan Scott
THE END
CAN YOU GO BACK AND MAKE BETTER DECISIONS?
THE COMM BUZZED as Finn and Poe approached, a First Order petty officer asking for their authorization codes.
“What if they’ve found the pilot? Should we try to just land in those grasslands and sneak into the plant?” Finn asked as BB-8 transmitted the codes he’d discovered in the shuttle’s main computer.
“We’re a long way from the station,” Poe replied, maintaining their flight path. “I doubt they’ve alerted bases all the way out here.”
Sure enough, the ident codes were accepted and Poe was instructed to bring the shuttle down on a nearby landing pad.
“Follow my lead,” Poe said once they’d touched down. He pulled his medical coat tight as he marched down the landing ramp. They were greeted by a sour-faced officer wearing a teal uniform. The major was flanked not only by a pair of stormtroopers but by a multilimbed seeker droid that hovered near him like an obedient pet.
“Lieutenant,” the officer said, spying the insignia on Poe’s sleeve. “This is an unexpected pleasure.”
Poe frowned, feigning surprise. “You weren’t told to expect us?”
The officer shook his head, peering at them down his long, haughty nose. “No, I’m afraid not. Tell me, why are you here?”
WHAT DO THEY SAY?
“WE ARE HERE TO INSPECT THE PLANT.” TURN TO PAGE 59.
“WE’RE HERE TO PICK UP BACTA FOR A
MEDICAL EMERGENCY.” GO TO PAGE 46.
“SHOULD WE land at the plant itself?” Finn asked, but Poe shook his head, eyeing the heavily armored First Order walker standing guard.
“Let’s not announce our presence just yet.”
He brought the shuttle down in the high grass that Finn assumed was used in the production of the bacta. They disembarked, still wearing the long coats, and the crop was as tall as they were.
Suddenly, they heard a growl behind them.
“What’s that?” Finn asked, spinning around.
Poe drew his blaster. “Not sure. Keep your eyes open.”
“Thanks. I hadn’t thought of that.”
Something rustled through the grass—something big, moving fast.
Finn instantly regretted leaving the shuttle.
“Should we go back?”
WHERE SHOULD THEY GO?
BACK TO THE SHIP—GO TO PAGE 56.
HEAD TO THE PLANT—TURN TO PAGE 38.
“OKAY,” FINN SAID, peering over Poe’s shoulder as the pilot closed the hatch in the belly of the ship behind them. “Any ideas?”
“Sure. We steal a ship.”
Finn rolled his eyes. “Oh, because that went so well last time.”
The pair had met running from the First Order in a stolen TIE fighter. They’d escaped a Star Destroyer only to be shot down over Jakku.
“We got away, didn’t we?” Poe said before bolting across the deck.
“Got away?” Finn and BB-8 followed the pilot, ducking behind a weapons rack. “We nearly died!”
WHICH SHIP SHOULD THEY STEAL?
A TIE FIGHTER—GO TO PAGE 34.
A MED SHUTTLE—TURN TO PAGE 32.
POE PULLED HIS BLASTER, stunning the officer with a single shot, but the lieutenant’s stunted cry was enough to bring stormtroopers running.
DO FINN AND POE FIGHT BACK OR TRY TO ESCAPE?
FIGHT BACK—GO TO PAGE 15.
TRY TO ESCAPE—TURN TO PAGE 28.
“WE NEED TO ABANDON SHIP!” Finn yelled, all but dragging Poe from the pilot’s chair.
For a moment, he worried that his friend was going to stay where he was, trying to find a way, however improbable, to turn the tables on the First Order. Thankfully, even Poe Dameron knew when to bail out of a fight.
They ran to the escape pod, BB-8 rolling at their heels. After they’d all squeezed into the cramped capsule, Poe released the clamps. The pod spun out into space before the ship erupted in flames.
“What if they scan for life signs?” Finn asked.
Poe reminded him about Maz’s scramblers. “They’ll think it’s a faulty pod…probably.”
Finn rested his head on his knees. He knew the drill. They would float until they’d reached a safe distance and then transmit a distress signal. The mission had failed before it had even truly begun.
THE END
CAN YOU GO BACK AND MAKE BETTER DECISIONS?
“OVER TO YOU, BUDDY,” Poe said, standing aside so BB-8 could access the computer.
Finn checked a screen as BB-8 connected himself. “There are more than just senators here. The First Order has everyone from pirates to smugglers locked in those cells.…There’s even a bounty hunter!”
WHICH PRISONERS SHOULD THEY RELEASE?
JUST THE SENATORS—TURN TO PAGE 31.
ALL OF THEM—GO TO PAGE 24.
THERE WAS THE GROWL AGAIN, nearer than before.
BB-8 was already rolling back the way they’d come.
“I think he’s got the right idea,” Finn said, racing after the droid only to see the astromech be attacked by a large cat with tusks. BB-8 squealed as the beast bit down on his head, pulling it from his helplessly spinning body.
“Hey, that’s my droid!” Poe yelled, drawing his blaster. The cat whirled around, both of its tails whipping through the air as it pounced toward him.
After making sure his blaster was on stun, Poe emptied his power pack into the beast, but the shots seemed to have no effect. The striped monster finally collapsed with the last shot, snoring as if it was taking a catnap in the sun. Poe was in a bad state, though, the animal’s claws having raked through his clothes.
BB-8 had survived the attack and clamped his head back onto his dented body.
“Get us out of here!” Finn yelled as he laid Poe on the floor of the shuttle and went to rifle through the medical supplies.
He attended Poe’s wounds as BB-8 piloted the shuttle away from Tevel.
“We need to go back,” Poe moaned, but Finn shook his head.
“No, we need to get you back to base.”
“But the bacta…”
“Leia will understand, Poe. You’re more important than any mission.”
THE END
CAN YOU GO BACK AND MAKE BETTER DECISIONS?
“SORRY,” POE SAID, drawing his blaster and stunning Varak. “We can’t let you do that.”
As BB-8 sent the door slamming down, Finn stunned the support officers to the sound of stormtroopers trying to override the lock.
“How are we gonna deal with them?” Finn asked, glancing back at the door.
Poe’s eyes narrowed as he stared through the viewport. “One problem at a time.”
The TIE fighter pilots were scrambling to the other side of the bacta plant.
WHAT DO THEY DO?
FIRE ON THE TIES—HEAD TO PAGE 73.
TRY TO GET BACK TO THE SHUTTLE—TURN TO PAGE 68.
POE RAISED HIS CHIN to match the officer’s disdainful expression. “We are here to inspect the plant, Major…”
“Varak,” the officer provided, hands clasped behind his narrow back. “Kander Varak. An inspection, you say. Under whose authority?”
“Kylo Ren’s, of course,” Finn chimed in, drawing a glare from Poe. His mouth went dry. Had name-dropping their old enemy been too much?
A muscle tensed in Varak’s jaw. “The Supreme Leader? I must check with high command at once.”
WHAT DOES POE SAY?
“THE SUPREME LEADER WILL BE
DISPLEASED.” TURN TO PAGE 61.
“AN EXCELLENT IDEA. WE’LL COME
WITH YOU.” GO TO PAGE 97.
“WHAT ARE you talking about?” Poe said, trying to look as official as possible. “Your list must be wrong.”
But the droid was staring at his boots. “Those aren’t regulation.”
“No,” Poe agreed, drawing his blaster. “And neither is this.”
The med droid let out a mechanical squeal as Poe fried its processor. Either the n
oise of the blaster or the cry of the robot brought stormtroopers running.
Finn and Poe didn’t stand a chance. The shuttle was filled with stun beams, and both rebels had hit the deck within seconds.
THE END
CAN YOU GO BACK AND MAKE BETTER DECISIONS?
POE SNORTED. “You can, of course, but I must warn you that the Supreme Leader will be displeased. He doesn’t like his orders being questioned.”
“Yeah,” Finn agreed, not registering the look of annoyance that flashed across Poe’s face. “You should see the last guy who checked in with high command.”
“What happened?” Varak asked, doubt creeping into his nasal voice.
“I don’t think we need to get into that,” Poe said, but Finn didn’t take the hint.
“We were examining a field hospital on the Perlemian Reach,” Finn said, starting to enjoy the subterfuge. “The surgeon general questioned our orders, so Supreme Leader Ren demoted her on the spot.”
“Now she’s mopping up bathrooms on the Harbinger,” Poe interrupted, taking control of the conversation again. “Do you know how many bathrooms are on a Star Destroyer, Major?”
“No.” Varak had visibly paled.
“One thousand eight hundred twenty-two,” Finn told him, forcing Poe to stifle a smile.
“But by all means,” he continued, “contact high command. Perhaps you should ask to talk to the Supreme Leader personally? I’m sure General Hux won’t mind putting you through.”
Varak flashed a nervous smile. “I-I’m sure that won’t be necessary. Where would you like to start?”
Finn grinned as Poe walked briskly toward the nearest tank, BB-8 rolling at his heels. “You can begin by giving us a tour of the facility. The Supreme Leader wishes for us to construct a holomap for him to review at his leisure.”
Poe was certainly throwing himself into the part.
“Of c-course,” Varak stammered. “Perhaps my seeker droid could assist.”
Poe shook his head. “That won’t be necessary. My BB unit is more than capable of creating a simple graphic.”
The major regarded BB-8 with an expression that bordered on suspicion. “I hope you don’t mind me saying, Lieutenant, but your astromech is certainly…unique.”
Poe turned to peer at BB-8, who booped as if insulted.
“And what’s wrong with it?”
Varak swallowed. “The colors, for one thing. I—”
“Have you ever dealt with the medical corps, Major?” Poe cut in. “Do you know the regulation color scheme for a droid of this class?”
“No,” Varak admitted, looking as though he wished he had kept his mouth shut. “No, I don’t.”
“And yet you were put in charge of a bacta plant.” Poe tutted, marching on regardless. Finn fell in behind, although he couldn’t shake the feeling that Varak’s seeker was studying him. He glanced at the droid, and its glowing receptor snapped back to face Varak as the major began the tour. He showed them all ten storage tanks, pointing out the metal lattice that supported the glass, before explaining the roles of each and every factory building in exhaustive detail. Poe managed to feign interest as the major pointed out refineries and tech bays.
As Varak droned on about the production process, Finn noticed a huddle of Tevellans beside a storage hut. All three had long twitching ears and striped fur. The female of the group boasted a graceful tail that was lined with metal rings, while her male compatriots had long sweeping whiskers. The larger of the two wore an eye patch. But it was the older one who made Finn look again as he recognized the striking white stripe across his nose from Threepio’s briefing. It was Karkan, the Tevellan who had first made contact with Leia.
Poe continued the pretense, asking questions about bacta quotas and delivery times. Had he noticed Karkan, as well? Finn was wondering if he should find a way to interrupt when Poe coughed, clearing his throat as if he was in distress.
“Are you okay, Lieutenant?” Varak asked.
“It must be the seeds from all that grass,” Poe croaked, waving at the crops beyond the plant boundaries. “They are interfering with my allergies.” He turned to Finn. “I need my medicine.”
Finn screwed up his face, not taking the hint. “Your medicine?”
“Back on the shuttle,” Poe prompted, nodding back the way they’d come, not just at the shuttle but at Karkan. So he had recognized the Tevellan.
“Of course, sir,” Finn said, taking the opportunity to peel off from the tour. “I’ll fetch it at once.”
“See that you do,” Poe called after him before turning back and resuming his conversation with Varak.
Finn hurried toward the hut, but the Tevellans had vanished, Karkan included. He stopped, looking around, and spotted a flash of orange fur darting behind tank seven. Glancing back to make sure Varak wasn’t looking, Finn crept around the container to see Karkan and the others rising to the top of the tank on a hover platform. Perhaps that’s where they wanted to meet him. Although, if that was the case, why would they have used the only platform? The only other way to get to the top was to climb the frame itself.
DOES FINN CLIMB UP AFTER THEM?
YES—TURN TO PAGE 71.
NO—GO TO PAGE 86.
“IT WAS NICE WHILE IT LASTED,” Poe said, raising his hands in surrender as they were surrounded by stormtroopers. He nodded at Kylo Ren’s intimidating holoform. “I guess we’ll be seeing you soon. Can’t wait.”
Ren chuckled. “Let’s see if you’re so eager after you’ve spent time with our latest interrogator units.” The Supreme Leader’s malevolent gaze dropped to BB-8. “Speaking of droids, if Dameron and Eff-Enn-Two-One-Eight-Seven won’t reveal the location of the Resistance base, then I’m sure the BB unit will oblige. Have its memory core sent to me. You can scrap the rest.”
THE END
CAN YOU GO BACK AND MAKE BETTER DECISIONS?
“LET ME GUESS,” Finn said as the walker lumbered forward. “You’ve always wanted to pilot one of these things.”
“It’s trickier than it looks,” Poe admitted as he steered the behemoth toward the med shuttle.
“You’re not kidding,” Finn said, holding on as the walker tripped over its own feet, crashing down to land on top of the med shuttle.
When the smoke cleared, the stormtroopers had broken into the control deck. Finn raised his hands in surrender, kicking Poe until he did the same. This time there was no way out.
THE END
CAN YOU GO BACK AND MAKE BETTER DECISIONS?
“IT WAS NICE while it lasted,” Poe said, drawing his blaster and stunning Varak. As Kylo Ren ranted, Finn took down the support officers and BB-8 locked the door to seal them in.
“You won’t get away with this,” Ren snapped as Poe slipped behind the controls.
“Yeah, because we always listen to what you say,” he replied, killing the connection to Ren’s command ship.
Outside, stormtroopers were trying to override BB-8’s lock.
“How are we gonna deal with them?” Finn asked.
“One problem at a time,” Poe said, looking ahead through the viewport.
The TIE fighter pilots were scrambling to the other side of the bacta plant.
WHAT DO THEY DO?
FIRE ON THE TIES—HEAD TO PAGE 73.
TRY TO GET BACK TO THE SHUTTLE—TURN TO PAGE 68.
“JUST THE ONE?” Poe said, punching Varak in the jaw.
He yelled for Finn to run, and they raced in the direction of the med shuttle only to find a platoon of stormtroopers waiting for them.
They were surrounded in seconds, forced to raise their hands in surrender.
Varak stalked over to them, rubbing his inflamed jaw. “You’re going to regret that.”
“Nah,” Poe said as he was led away. “I’d do it again if I had the chance.…”
THE END
CAN YOU GO BACK AND MAKE BETTER DECISIONS?
HE CRANED HIS NECK, looking up at the tank. How difficult could the climb be? And beside
s, it wasn’t like he was scared of heights or anything.
By the time he was halfway up, Finn had decided that fear of heights was actually quite sensible. The steel frame was surprisingly rickety, and the duracrete ground below him looked all too solid.
But he knew that Poe wouldn’t think twice about scaling the tank, and Rey…well, Rey would have probably done something awesome using the Force. He wasn’t about to let down the Resistance, even if that meant his arms were aching and he was struggling to breathe by the time he reached the top.
Karkan and the other Tevellans were on the other side of the roof, clustered around some kind of hatch.
WHAT SHOULD FINN DO?
CALL OUT TO THEM—TURN TO PAGE 74.
CREEP OVER TO THEM—GO TO PAGE 76.
BRACING HIMSELF, Finn clambered onto the frame, his arms already aching from his earlier climb.
It was a big mistake. When he was only halfway down, the steel lattice started to buckle, coming away from the tank. He tried to swing onto another section, but his tired muscles were in a worse state than the frame. Finn slipped, his fingers losing their grip, and fell onto the duracrete ground. Now Finn was the one who needed bacta!
THE END
CAN YOU GO BACK AND MAKE BETTER DECISIONS?
“CAN YOU FIRE ONE of these things?” Poe asked.
Finn dropped into the gunner seat, trying to remember what little he’d learned about walkers during his training on the Finalizer. “I’ll try.”
He targeted the nearest TIE fighter and pressed the control, and…nothing happened.
“There must be a failsafe,” Finn said. “They can’t fire on their own.”