by Cavan Scott
Poe marshaled them, convincing scoundrels and rogues to help the very senators who had once passed laws against them. Everyone was united against a common enemy, although Finn did have to stop the bounty hunter from blasting the unconscious security guard out of pure spite.
“We don’t want to attract attention to ourselves, okay?”
But there was no escaping the alarms that soon wailed through the base. The freed prisoners ran, the able helping the weak, while Poe and Finn took care of any stormtroopers who stood in their way. The smugglers and pirates happily scooped up the discarded weapons.
Not everyone made it back to the hangar. The bounty hunter had even sacrificed herself so Finn and Poe could bundle the survivors on board a nearby med shuttle.
Dropping into the pilot seat, Poe gunned the engine, and the shuttle streamed from the station before the First Order could lock on with its tractor beam. TIE fighters were already in pursuit when Poe made the jump to hyperspace, heading not for Tevel but back to the Resistance. They may not have secured any bacta, but the rescue of the senators would please Leia. Any victory against the First Order was a cause for celebration.
YOU’VE DONE WELL, BUT AN EVEN
GREATER DESTINY AWAITS YOU.
WHY NOT GO BACK AND TRY A DIFFERENT PATH?
“WE CAN TAKE OUT the tractor beam,” Poe said, activating the targeting computer.
“What?” Finn spluttered. “How?”
“By destroying the emitter. Beebee-Ate, scan the station for the focusing array.”
“Surely this can’t work,” Finn said as BB-8 provided the target.
“Sure, it will,” Poe said, mashing the triggers.
The Rover unloaded its laser cannons into the station, but the tractor beam still held.
“Then again…”
Finn threw up a hand to protect his eyes as the First Order returned fire, the sudden glare of turbolaser blasts blinding them as the ship shook under the barrage.
GO TO PAGE 54.
FINN SHOOK HIS HEAD. “It’s too risky. Getting off this station will be hard enough. It would be better to complete our mission and then come back with the support of the fleet. The prisoners aren’t exactly going anywhere.”
Poe sighed. “You’re right. One thing at a time. We steal a ship, head to Tevel, and tell Leia about the senators once we get back to the Resistance.”
Finn laughed. “You make it sound so easy. Remember the last time we stole a ship?”
“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.
“WE NEED TO GET OUT of here,” Poe said, dragging Finn after him before the troopers could arrive.
“But what about the prisoners?”
“We’ll come back for them,” Poe promised, “and we’ll bring reinforcements. In the meantime, we need to get off this station. Maybe we can still complete our mission and get to Tevel.”
“How?” Finn asked as they ran to the hangar bay.
“Easy. We steal a ship.”
Finn laughed, remembering how the two of them had first met, trying to escape the First Order’s Finalizer in a stolen TIE fighter.
“Because that went so well the last time.”
“We got away, didn’t we?” Poe said before bolting across the bay.
“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.
THE LIEUTENANT moaned as Poe tried to open the cells.
“They’re protected by a code.”
Finn glanced down at the stunned man. “He’s not about to tell us what it is.”
Poe started typing random numbers, the computer beeping with every keystroke.
“You can’t guess,” Finn told him. “There must be a thousand different combinations.”
“But only one alarm,” Poe groaned as a warning rang out on his third attempt.
“Drop your weapons,” the stormtroopers barked as they ran into the detention cells.
Finn threw his mop to the floor, followed by his blaster.
Soon they’d be in cells of their own.
THE END
CAN YOU GO BACK AND MAKE BETTER DECISIONS?
“LET’S DO IT,” Finn said, trying to appear more confident than he felt as BB-8 searched for the prisoners’ location.
Soon they were peering around a corner deep in the heart of the space station, looking through a set of glass doors at the detention block’s security guard.
HOW DO THEY GET PAST THE GUARD?
BLAST THEIR WAY IN—HEAD TO PAGE 53.
TRICK THEIR WAY IN—TURN TO PAGE 12.
“WE ONLY NEED THE SENATORS,” Finn said. “Better to cause as small a scene as possible.”
Seconds later, Finn, Poe, and BB-8 were trying to usher the former officials out of the cells. The only problem was that most of the senators were barely strong enough to walk, let alone run to the hangar bay.
“We need to move quicker,” Finn said, forced to carry a particularly fragile Tarsunt.
“You’re telling me,” Poe agreed as they stumbled out of the detention block.
No one noticed the security officer groggily hitting a panic switch, but there was no missing the alarm that blared through the corridors.
Hampered by the senator, Finn tried to grab his blaster but couldn’t draw it in time to stop the stormtroopers that streamed into the block.
Perhaps they should have freed everyone, after all.
THE END
CAN YOU GO BACK AND MAKE BETTER DECISIONS?
“SO THIS TIME we’ll take something better than a TIE fighter,” Poe whispered, peeking around the weapons rack.
“Like what?”
“Like that.” Poe nodded toward a blocky ship docked on the other side of the hangar. Personnel wearing long white coats were loading crates into the stout craft’s cargo bay.
“A med shuttle?”
Poe shrugged. “We are going to a bacta plant. It’s the perfect cover.”
That made sense, but how were they going to get on board?
HOW DO THEY GET ON BOARD THE SHUTTLE?
BLAST THEIR WAY IN—GO TO PAGE 43.
PRETEND TO BE MEDICAL STAFF—TURN TO PAGE 35.
POE WAS ALREADY RUNNING for a TIE interceptor. Finn helped BB-8 into the cockpit while alarms blared across the hangar bay. Poe fired up the ion engines, and the starfighter screamed off into the safety of hyperspace.
“We did it!” Finn whooped. “We actually did it!”
“We absolutely did,” Poe agreed, “although there’s one small problem. We don’t have enough fuel to get to Tevel.”
Finn couldn’t believe it. After all that, they’d have to head back to the Resistance empty-handed?
“Hey, keep your spirits up,” Poe said. “At least we can learn the capabilities of this fighter. That’s a good thing, right?”
Poe was right. Any victory against the First Order was a cause for celebration, but that didn’t mean Finn was looking forward to telling Leia what had happened.…
THE END
CAN YOU GO BACK AND MAKE BETTER DECISIONS?
“WHERE CAN WE GET some of those coats?” Poe asked.
“There,” Finn said, pointing at a storage room near the shuttle. “But we’re bound to be spotted.”
With a defiant bleep, BB-8 broke cover, trundling across the hangar as if he was in command.
“That’s my droid!” Poe laughed as they ran after him. “Man, has he got guts.”
“Or a death wish!”
They darted from one hiding place to another, crouching behind a fleet transport before sprinting for the thick legs
of a scout walker. Soon they were only meters from the storage room, a sloping TIE fighter ramp providing cover. They waited for the last of the med crew to leave before scooting inside.
“My mom always wanted me to be a doctor,” Poe said wistfully, slipping on the pristine white coat he’d just taken from a peg.
“I think you should stick to flying,” Finn replied, grabbing a coat of his own. “But what’re we going to do with Beebee-Ate?”
Poe nodded toward an open equipment crate. “Simple. We put him in one of those!”
The astromech wasted no time telling Poe what he thought of that plan.
“Come on, buddy,” Poe said, dropping onto a knee beside the droid. “It’s not like you’re claustrophobic. It won’t be long, I promise.”
Still grumbling, BB-8 allowed them to lift him into the crate.
“Now keep quiet,” Poe said, closing the lid. Activating the crate’s repulsorlifts, Poe and Finn pushed BB-8 out of the storage room, trying their hardest not to look suspicious. As they approached the shuttle, Finn glanced back at the StarRover. The troopers were reporting to their captain. Had they found the secret exit? He increased his pace, nearly slamming BB-8’s crate into the back of a muscle-bound medic who looked more likely to break bones than fix them.
“Hey, watch it, will ya.”
“Yeah, look where you’re going!” Poe snapped at Finn before their cover could be blown. He shook his head, playing the despairing superior. “Sorry, big guy. I don’t know what they teach at the academy these days.”
Still scowling, the disgruntled medic limped back to the storeroom.
“Thanks,” Finn whispered as they pushed the crate up the shuttle’s ramp. “I owe you.”
“Don’t mention it,” Poe replied as they were met by an MD-series medical droid with a datapad in its pincers.
“What is that?” the robot said, peering at their container before checking its list. “According to the manifest, everything has already been loaded. You’ll have to take it back.”
WHAT DO THEY SAY?
“I DON’T KNOW WHAT IT IS. HANG ON, I’LL
JUST TAKE A LOOK.” TURN TO PAGE 40.
“WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? YOUR LIST
MUST BE WRONG.” GO TO PAGE 60.
“HEAD FOR THE PLANT,” Poe said, breaking into a run to put as much distance as possible between them and whatever lurked in the grass.
“Won’t they wonder why we’re here?” Finn asked, matching Poe step for step.
Poe slipped his blaster beneath his white coat. “We’re medical personnel, remember? Just follow my lead.”
Sure enough, the major in charge of the base looked surprised to see two medics and an orange-and-white astromech racing out of the grass.
“Who are you?” he asked, a silver seeker droid bobbing in the air behind him.
Poe gasped, trying to catch his breath. “Our shuttle came down in the field. Didn’t you see?”
The stern-faced officer shook his head. “No, I’m afraid I didn’t. Tell me, why are you here?”
WHAT DO THEY SAY?
“WE’RE HERE TO INSPECT THE PLANT.” TURN TO PAGE 59.
“WE’RE HERE TO PICK UP BACTA FOR A
MEDICAL EMERGENCY.” GO TO PAGE 46.
MINUTES LATER, Finn and Poe were staring at the flickering hologram of a very familiar face.
“Fool,” Kylo Ren bellowed at the major. “These are Resistance agents. Arrest them at once.”
Varak fumbled for his blaster, all too aware that he was being watched by the Supreme Leader.
DO THEY FIGHT BACK?
YES—GO TO PAGE 69.
NO—TURN TO PAGE 66.
POE SHRUGGED. “I don’t know what it is.” He went to open the lid. “Hang on, I’ll just take a look.”
“No, no, no,” the medical droid said, shooing him away. “Let me. You organics can’t be trusted.”
“Charming,” Poe said, winking at Finn as the droid flicked open the lid to reveal BB-8.
“What are you doing in there?” the med droid asked before BB-8 replied by thrusting an electro-shock prod into the MD’s extended pincers. The droid’s datapad clattered to the deck as its circuits fried. Finn caught the droid before it could topple over, then bundled it into the crate, which BB-8 had happily vacated. The astromech made straight for an access point and closed the cargo bay’s door.
“Do you think there’s anyone else on board?” Finn asked.
“Let’s find out,” Poe said, opening another crate to find a supply of hydrospray.
Keeping quiet, they crept to the cockpit and spotted the pilot preparing for takeoff.
“We ready to roll, Emdee?” the pilot asked, mistaking Poe’s footsteps for the medical droid’s.
“Yeah, but you’re not coming,” Poe said, spraying the pilot’s face with the sedative. The pilot slumped forward and was snoring peacefully by the time they laid him in another crate next to the med droid.
“What’re we going to do with them?” Finn asked as he closed the lid, leaving enough of a gap that air could get through to the snoozing pilot.
“Leave them behind,” Poe replied, opening the hatch so they could push the container outside.
With their unwanted cargo unloaded, Finn and Poe rushed back to the cockpit, where BB-8 was already priming the engines. Poe took his place behind the flight controls and requested permission to depart.
Soon they were slipping through the hangar doors and out into open space.
“That wasn’t too difficult, was it?” Poe asked as a voice crackled over the shuttle’s comm.
“Med Shuttle Two-Seven-Oh-Five, please respond.”
Poe ignored the command, activating the hyperdrive instead. “Beebee-Ate, set course for Tevel.”
The droid plugged a connector into the navicomputer as the station master attempted to contact them again.
“You have left cargo in the hangar, Two-Seven-Oh-Five. Please respond immediately.”
“How long before they look inside?” Finn asked. “You know they’ll blame the pilot.”
Poe grinned, reaching for the hyperjump lever. “Serves him right for sleeping on the job.”
He pulled back hard, sending the shuttle shooting into hyperspace.
GO TO PAGE 44.
“LET’s GO!” Poe said, drawing his blaster. They ran up the ramp, and Poe stunned a startled medical officer before heading for the cockpit. “You seal the hatch, and I’ll get us out of here.”
Finn rushed to the controls but was cut off by stormtrooper blasts from outside. He ducked behind the crates and returned fire, not noticing the medical droid shuffling up behind him.
His first—and last—clue was the hiss of the sedative as an injector was pressed up against his neck. His eyes rolled back in their sockets, and he slumped to the floor.
THE END
CAN YOU GO BACK AND MAKE BETTER DECISIONS?
IT WASN’T LONG before they were dropping into the atmosphere of Tevel, a small planet on the very edge of First Order space.
According to the briefing C-3PO had given them before they left the Resistance base, Tevel was sparsely populated, with most Tevellans living on the nearby moon.
The planet itself was largely agricultural, the land given over to the crops required to produce bacta. The primary production facility was located in the northern hemisphere.
It wasn’t hard to spot against the gently swaying grasslands: rows of gigantic cylindrical tanks, each containing liters of bacta ready to be shipped across the galaxy, arranged around a central courtyard.
There were a number of prefabricated buildings among the tanks, which Finn assumed held refineries, as well as facilities for the staff—although even from that distance the plant looked deserted, no one bustling from building to building or going about their work.
Finn assumed that had something to do with the towering AT-AT walker that stood at the center of the complex, or the row of TIE fighters docked at the very edge of the plant.
WHEN THEY ARRIVE ON TEVEL?
AT THE BACTA PLANT—TURN TO PAGE 48.
IN THE SURROUNDING GRASSLANDS—GO TO PAGE 51.
“WE’RE HERE TO PICK UP BACTA for a medical emergency in the Mid Rim,” Poe said, thinking on his feet.
They’ll never buy that, Finn thought, and then he had to try to hide his surprise when the officer said, “Of course.”
Before long, stormtroopers were loading barrels of fresh bacta onto the shuttle. Poe offered to help, but the plant’s commander wouldn’t hear of it.
“You have a long journey ahead of you. Where is the emergency?”
Finn jumped in, saying the first name he could think of. “Um…Nordis Prime.”
“A terrible tragedy,” the major said, as if he knew what Finn was talking about. He must have gotten lucky and named the location of a real disaster.
Finn still couldn’t believe it as Poe piloted the shuttle back to the Resistance. “That was too easy.”
“No one ever said the First Order was intelligent.”
“But that’s just it, Poe. They are—ruthlessly intelligent. I don’t like this.”
Poe signaled the Resistance base as they drew nearer so they wouldn’t be shot down. “Look, we’ve been through a lot recently. It’s about time something went our way.”
But the pilot’s good humor floundered as they opened the barrels after landing.
“They’re empty,” Finn said, but Poe shook his head.
“No, they’re not. There are weights inside, so they felt like they were full of bacta.”
“And that’s not all,” said General Organa, marching up to them. “We’ve picked up a homing signal coming from the base.”
“Whose base?” Finn asked. “Our base?”
Leia reached inside the nearest barrel to pull out a tiny beacon. “This is enough to bring the entire First Order to our door. We need to abandon the base and start again.” She threw the beacon back into the container in frustration. “They knew who you were, Poe. This will set us back months.”
