Author's Note: I think I promised someone Chapter 10 would be exciting, but I ended up splitting it. So this is the exciting chapter I was talking about. I've seen this in my head for a long time, and I'm so happy to finally get it finished and posted.
Rey was antsy. After a briefing, double-time preparations and a long, jittery hyperspace flight (punctuated by the occasional comm with an update on the space battle in the target system) Rey, Finn - now a Lieutenant - and a contingent of Resistance ground troops landed on the largely uninhabited planet that housed an important First Order supply depot. They caught the small garrison off-guard and quickly overran the outpost. Then they were able to land their own transports inside the blast-resistant perimeter fence.
Unfortunately, the supply depot featured several massive warehouses, and it wasn't like there was a giant glowing sign pointing out the antivirals. This is where Finn's experience came in handy; he at least had some knowledge of First Order shipping codes, out-of-date though it was. He scanned the inventory documents while medical technicians and intelligence operatives combed the warehouses.
Meanwhile, Rey paced around the perimeter. She passed several teams assembling blaster canons. She knew there were sniper/spotter pairs setting up in the taller buildings and the guard towers. The goal was to leave before the enemy could mount a counterattack, but at this point, the odds weren't looking good and it was best to be prepared.
As if on cue, her comm crackled and she heard Poe's voice, "This is Black Leader. You have incoming enemy -" the comm crackled with static, "AALs - made it past - command shuttle," Rey heard through the white noise.
Rey commed Major Aldharr, the Samuac male who was assigned command the operation on the ground. "Did you hear that?"
"Yes. Did you manage to make out how many AALs incoming?"
"No. That much static, someone must be jamming his comm."
"Agreed. Well we know they're landing troops soon," he observed, "I'll have my communications officer keep trying Commander Dameron - we'll see if we can get an estimate on numbers. In the mean time, stay out of sight until we know what we're up against. You're our Ace of Sabers."
Rey smiled at the Sabacc reference and then followed orders; seeking out a viewscreen on the perimeter fence near the front gate.
A few minutes later, she could feel numerous presences approaching. "I think they're coming," she said on her comm-link, on the channel that broadcast to all Resistance personnel on the ground, "approaching the front entrance."
"I don't see a thing," remarked a spotter in the highest building.
With the rough, rocky terrain in the area it took the enemy awhile to arrive, but a few minutes later, Rey's feeling was confirmed by the spotter, who chuckled into the comm, "Guess the Jedi's not so crazy. Incoming Stormtroopers, headed for the front gate."
"All gunners, as soon as you've got a clear visual, open fire," Major Aldharr ordered.
Then Finn exclaimed over the comm, "We found it!"
"Excellent," declared Major Aldharr. "Get it loaded as fast as you can. We should be able to hold them off until then."
As the enemy troops came over the ridge, the blaster cannon teams opened fire, but the red beams halted in mid-air. A figure in black crested the ridge.
"Rey, this is why we brought you along." Major Aldharr remarked.
"Understood. I'm headed out to meet them."
The major ordered, "All teams hold your fire."
Rey took a running leap and flipped over the four-meter-high perimeter fence. She immediately had to deflect blaster fire from the approaching Stormtroopers. Kylo Ren held up a fist in a ceasefire gesture and stepped forward to meet Rey halfway between his troops and the fence.
"Rey," he said in a tone that could have been gentle without the mask, "I had hoped you wouldn't be here." Then he raised his lightsaber and attacked. Rey parried the blow and countered with one of her own. Something felt... off about him today. He was more aggressive than he had been last time. Pain flashed in her right arm. He'd grazed it with his saber.
He stepped back, startled and Rey realized she had screamed when he hurt her arm. "I'm sorry," Kylo Ren said, "But I'm not- I can't fail today."
"Neither can I." Rey snarled. She shifted her saber to her left hand and attacked again. With Rey's injury, Kylo Ren quickly gained the advantage.
"Please, Kylo," Rey pleaded, "You don't have to stand for this. The people of Mygeeto -"
"I know. But I have no choice," he said bleakly.
"There is always a choice." Rey tried a disarming move she'd been practicing with Master Luke, but he easily blocked her. Still, his aggression had gone down a notch. If anything, now he seemed pensive - as pensive as one can be while trading blows with a skilled opponent wielding a laser sword.
The fight continued until Kylo Ren broke the silence. "You should kill me," he remarked, calmly.
"What!?" Rey all but screamed.
Kylo Ren deactivated his saber, "Like you said, there is always a choice." He clipped the weapon to his belt. "I can't let you win and I can't bring myse- just kill me. I can't go through with this."
Rey raised her lightsaber, but then she deactivated it and said gently, "Take- please take off your mask first. I want to say goodbye."
He obliged, hands shaking. Rey kissed him, standing on her toes to reach his lips. He closed his eyes, but she kept hers open. As he gently caressed her face, she let her lightsaber slip from her fingers. She grabbed her blaster - Han's old blaster - from her belt. Then she broke the kiss and took a step back.
Taking a deep breath to steel herself, she asked, "Are you sure?"
He nodded. The look in his eyes was so haunting she had to look away. As she pulled the trigger, she focused on the blue dot on the back of the blaster that indicated she had set it for stun. His eyes went wide then he crumpled into a heap. She bent to check his pulse - still alive.
The Stormtroopers opened fire on her. Here, the reflexes built through hours of training kicked in as she summoned her lightsaber without really thinking and blocked the shots.
A voice came over her comm, "Rey, it's time to retreat. We've got what we came for. All teams, give her some cover fire!"
"Copy," she replied automatically, but didn't have a free hand press the talk button on her comm. She had shifted the lightsaber back to her right hand - doing the best she could to ignore the pain and deflect the blasts. Meanwhile, she used her left hand to drag Kylo Ren's unconscious body toward the gate. She cried out as a shot grazed her leg, but she limped onward, clearly focused on that gate. It didn't seem like the enemy was following her, so at least the cover fire was doing its job.
"Rey!" someone shouted - Rey wondered why the voice sounded so close - it was Finn and he was right next to her.
"We got what we came for," Finn was saying, "Now come on."
"I can't leave him," Rey insisted.
"O-kay. Let go of him."
"I'm not going without - "
"I know - I'll carry him. Just go behind us and keep blocking the blaster fire. Can you do that?"
"Yes."
Finn hefted the dead weight of the unconscious Kylo Ren over his shoulder in a fireman carry and started for the compound. Once they passed through the gate the blaster fire was gone. Rey kept her lightsaber at the ready, walking in a defensive position until Finn looked back and said, "Rey, we're inside now. Turn off your lightsaber." Then, to a nearby soldier, "Daisho, I think she's in shock. Could you carry her to the ship?"
"Yes, sir," came the reply, and Rey felt strong arms lift her up. The next thing she knew, she was back in the Resistance personnel transport, which jerked abruptly from the jump into hyperspace.
Author's Note: Leave it to Kylo Ren to think of the most dramatic solution possible and Rey to find a way around it.
Thank you all so much for the reviews. I apologize if I haven't replied to you. Believe me, I am incredibly grateful for the feedback. I'm having a lot of fun writing this story and it's lovely to know there are people who enjoy reading it too.
PS I would love some advice on what works and what doesn't with my writing style. I think I err on the side of not telling enough detail because I personally don't like reading long descriptions. So what do you think? Are you getting a clear picture of what's going on in the scene or do I need to be more descriptive? Or something else entirely to improve clarity? Thanks again, you guys are the best!