War Heroes

They may have been evil, but they were very, very good. Finn studied all the historic battles over and over again as part of his training, told about the Empire’s mistakes and how the First Order would avoid them.

He studied the Rebels’ infiltration of the imperial records depository at Scarif, how a team led by the traitors Bodhi Rook and Jyn Erso, the ruthless assassin and spymaster Cassian Andor, and the cult-bred killers Chirrut Imwe and Baze Malbus infiltrated the installation and destroyed the planet in a deadly suicide mission.

He learned about the Battle of Yavin, where Princess Leia Organa–after all these years still a menace to peace and order–lured the Death Star to the Rebels’ base and an ambush, where Luke Skywalker destroyed the station with one well-placed shot, snuffing out the thousands of lives within.

He read about the Battle of Hoth where the Rebels eluded the Empire’s pursuit yet again, about the Battle of Endor where the Rebellion moved together like the parts of a symphony. Finn found himself glued to the screen as he learned, through reports and surviving archival footage, how the smuggler Han Solo led a ground assault to  disable the Second Death Star’s shields while Admiral Gial Ackbar, at large and a threat like Organa, joined battle in space. All this was only a cover, however, for Luke Skywalker to board the battle station and murder Darth Vader and the helpless Emperor. Criminal kingpin Lando Calrissian finished the job in another act of wanton destruction, an assault so reckless, so foolhardy it should have failed by all rights but somehow succeeded brilliantly.

Finn used his own time to delve deeper into these battles, reading past lights-out until he was caught and got in trouble. He told himself as he dug out a drainage ditch as punishment that he wasn’t getting too deep into the history of the Rebellion, he just wanted to know the enemy so he could beat them this time around.

But by Space, those Rebels were good. It was no wonder a terrorist group had toppled the mighty Empire. If the First Order learned more from their enemies’ tactics it would be unstoppable, and unlike the Rebellion whose puppet government was already crumbling, the Order’s victory would be a lasting one based on justice and the rule of the Supreme Leader.

Nevertheless, the sense of awe at the sheer skill of these terrorists stayed with Finn. That was why, when faced with one of those legends, the smuggler, criminal, the terrorist Han Solo in the flesh, the words burst out as though they had been caught in his throat the entire time:

“Wasn’t he a war hero?!”

OH MY GOD, END ME NOW, I LOVE THIS!!!! Finn as the scholar, drawing from the heroes of the past, (and also not having time for Han’s bullshit) BRILLIANT CONCEPT, 13/10, the bit about the Rogue One being lead by traitors, I”M SCREAMING IN THE CLUB

What do you want to bet the OT trio and the Rogue One crew (’CAUSE THEY’RE NOT DEAD, LINDA) get Finn to tell them how the FO curriculum describes them and compete to see which is the best? “’Traitor?’ Not bad, but needs more spice. I did a lot more than that!” “Assassin and spymaster! Accurate, yet badass.” “Who did you pay to get them to call you ‘criminal kingpin,’ you scoundrel? I was there, you were small-time.” “Oh please, like anyone can beat cult killers?”

HEADCANON ACCEPTED (Bodhi wins. Everyone else has to chip in to buy him lunch, which they would totally do anyway, but this way they get to all kvetch a bit. )