The voice in my head, a frantic, guiding whisper, was now a loud command: "The I-TS. Get to the I-TS transport!" I sprinted past the fallen troopers, my heart pounding in my ears. The hangar bay was a massive, echoing space, filled with the hum of idling starships and the constant movement of crew. To my right, nestled between two TIE fighters, was a sleek, silver transport ship. It was smaller and more streamlined than the TIEs, with a rounded cockpit and large engine pods. This was it.
I raced across the deck, the voice in my head a chorus of commands, directing my every step. The shouts of alarm began to echo from the far end of the bay as I reached the ship. A quick scan of the hatch's control panel, and my fingers flew across the keypad, punching in a code I didn't consciously know. The hatch hissed open, and I scrambled inside, pulling the door shut behind me.
The cockpit was a blur of blinking lights and unfamiliar controls. I strapped myself into the pilot's seat, my hands hovering over the control yoke. The voice was calm now, a steady presence guiding me through the pre-flight checks. "Power on. Engine start. Shields up." I followed the instructions, my hands moving with a fluid precision that felt alien to me. The ship shuddered to life, the engines rumbling beneath me.
As I began to lift off, the cockpit speakers crackled with an urgent transmission from the ship's control tower: "you are not authorized for departure. Return to your designated bay immediately!" I ignored the order, pushing the throttle forward. The ship shot out of the bay, my view filled with the massive, star-studded expanse of space.
Behind me, the star cruiser's hangar bay doors slammed shut, and a volley of green laser bolts erupted from its defensive turrets. The bolts streaked past my cockpit, some glancing off my shields with a jarring thud. I weaved the ship through the debris field, the targeting computer on my dash flashing with red warnings. The voice in my head was a low thrum of urgency now, a wordless demand to go faster.
Then, the telltale shriek of TIE fighters filled my comms. I checked my rear-view screen, and my heart sank. Two TIE fighters, their distinct black silhouettes and hexagonal wings unmistakable, peeled off from the cruiser and set a direct course for me. They fired their twin cannons, the green bursts of light closing in fast. I pushed the throttle to its limit, but I knew I couldn't outrun them in a straight line.
"Hyperdrive!" the voice screamed in my head. I looked at the console, a bunch of complex controls I'd never seen before. Panic flared in my chest, but the voice was insistent. "The top lever. Pull it!" My hand shot out, grabbing the lever and yanking it back. A surge of energy coursed through the ship, and the stars ahead began to stretch into long, white streaks. The ship gave a final shudder, and with a brilliant flash of light, everything went silent.
I was alone, hurtling through a tunnel of swirling blue and white light. The TIE fighters were gone, the cruiser a distant memory. I was free. I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding, my body finally unclenching from its state of high alert. I leaned back in the pilot's seat, the silence of the cockpit a welcome relief after the chaos of the last few minutes. I had no idea where I was going, but for the first time in my life, that didn't matter. I was no longer a perfect soldier, no longer a cog in the First Order machine. I was Finn. And I was finally on my own path.