CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Rey heard blaster fire before she could see anything. It propelled her swiftly through the shrubs that invaded the narrow path .
"Poe," she said, her voice cracking.
"From the direction of the shots, he's taking them out, not the other way around," Kylo Ren barred her way with his extended arm. "Wait. Two more strides and we'll break through this undergrowth. You must be immediately prepared to fight when we step onto the beach."
Rey looked up into his face—composed now, impassive as the mask he had once worn. He seemed as distant as a star, all his attention turned inward.
To draw upon the Dark Side of the Force, she thought, just as I must draw upon the Light. She took a deep breath and lifted her light saber, readying herself for action. Focus, focus. Think only of the task. One movement leading to the other, like a dance.
A dance of death.
Rey met Kylo Ren's burning gaze and nodded her head. "Ready," she said.
"We go then. To whatever end," he replied.
"To a new beginning," Rey said, before turning away and stepping onto the beach beside him.
Poe had taken out several of the First Order soldiers, but a quick scan showed that many more remained. Some were using a larger craft as a barrier against Poe's assault, while others had taken cover behind a second, smaller, First Order fighter.
Rey frowned. More than ten. Another ship landed.
I see that, Kylo Ren replied, his silent words ringing clearly in her mind.
Spying Kylo Ren and Rey, several of the soldiers leapt out from behind the larger First Order ship and stormed forward. As they ran, blasters blazing, an explosion rocked the beach behind them.
Rey, dodging blaster fire with a speed and agility only matched by the elegant moves of her partner, used a tiny corner of her mind to process the fact that Poe must have hit the fighter's power core with a well-placed shot. So, a few more soldiers down, and one of their ships gone up in flames.
Good job, Poe, she thought, but then refocused, concentrating on the dangers at hand.
Leap, strike, parry. As one of the soldiers fired directly at her chest, Rey sensed Kylo Ren kneel beside her, hand open. She stepped onto his palm and used the upward swing of his arm to fly up and over the soldier. Swinging around in mid-air, she thrust her light saber through him before she flipped and hit the ground in a crouch.
As the man toppled forward, Kylo Ren somersaulted over his body, landing on his feet in time to strike down another approaching soldier.
Blaster fire from above the beach confirmed that Poe was still in the fray. Rey, wielding her light saber with a terrible grace, struck down another soldier before she spied BB-8 rolling across the beach. Weaving and bobbing to dodge blaster fire, the little droid was headed straight for Poe's ship.
To fire up the engines, she thought. To have it ready for takeoff as soon as Poe reaches the cockpit.
As Kylo Ren swung his light saber to cut away another soldier's blaster, along with the soldier's arm, he spun Rey around with his other hand, pulling her out of range of an oncoming blast.
He shot her a quick glance. Cover the droid, I can handle the rest.
BB-8 had almost reached Poe's ship, but one First Order soldier was hot on his tail, his blaster pointed at the droid. Rey ran, faster than even she'd thought possible, and reached the soldier before he could take proper aim to fire. As her light saber pierced his heart, she heard another explosion and glanced up to see the larger First Order ship also go up in flames.
Score another hit for Poe Dameron.
The soldiers, those that survived, scattered in all directions like insects fleeing a smashed anthill. Several dashed into the grove of frond trees the separated the beach from the rest of the island.
Kylo Ren, who had indeed taken care of the last of the soldiers who'd led the attack against him and Rey, swiftly reached Rey's side. They'll regroup. And two of them carried off some sort of small blast cannon. It's something that takes a little time to set up, but when it is ready to deploy…
It could take out Poe's ship?
Yes, and us. But we have a little time. Dameron needs to get to his ship now, and off the planet. He must send that signal. Kylo Ren's dark eyes locked with hers. Can you reach him? He's not Force-sensitive, but he is connected to you in some way…
I can try. Rey closed her eyes for a moment, relying on Kylo Ren to keep watch on the soldiers scattered in the trees. Poe, she thought, make a run for it now. We'll cover you, if needed.
Kylo Ren grabbed her arm. Now we move back. If Dameron needs help, we can jump in again, but otherwise, conserve your energy.
Rey jogged to keep pace with his longer strides, heading for the edge of the lower path.
As she turned back to the beach, she saw Poe running for his ship. Sporadic blaster fire hit the ground around him. Poe cleverly took advantage of the plumes of sand raised by these blasts, darting in and out of them to hide his progress.
"Seems he can manage on his own." The admiration in Kylo Ren's voice took Rey by surprise.
Meeting his gaze, she couldn't prevent a tiny upward twitch of her lips. "You must admit he is rather clever."
"Rather too much, for my liking," Kylo Ren said, with a question in his dark eyes.
Yes, I care for him, she replied, without speaking. As I do Finn. Deeply. But that should cause you no concern. One can care for many beings in this universe, you know. Hearts aren't limited, Ben. Hearts are like the Force. Infinite."
Are they? I've not experienced that. But I can believe.. I think perhaps yours is. Kylo Ren looked up and over her head. He's reached the ship safely. Now if he can just get away before they get that cannon readied…
BB-8, that clever droid, had started the engines. As soon as the hatch slammed shut, Poe's ship circled the beach. Blaster fire erupted from the trees, but the shots were wild and ricocheted harmlessly off the hull.
The roar of engines filled the air as Poe's ship lifted up and blasted off into the clear sky.
Rey clasped her hands together and pressed them to her breast. "Thank the Force, now he can give the signal and bring the Alliance cruiser with its fighters, to take out those First Order ships circling above."
"Hopefully," said Kylo Ren. "But we must prepare for another fight. Those soldiers in the trees will soon have their cannon, which despite its power, is quite portable. We could flee and try to hide, but they would follow."
"To what end? They've lost their ships. They are trapped here unless their forces prevail, which is not likely, given the skill of the Alliance fighters."
Kylo Ren shook his head. "That won't matter. I know them. I have commanded their kind and understand how they think. They will not hesitate to turn the cannon on us, even if Hux would prefer our capture."
"They'd defy his orders?"
Kylo Ren placed his hand over hers and pressed her clasped hands hard against her breast, forcing her to look at him. "They've lost two ships. They've been bested by three people wielding nothing more than a blaster and two light sabers. When Hux finds out, they are dead already." His dark eyes glinted with a cold fire. "So yes, they will defy him. They are doomed, and they know it. They are going down, one way or the other. And have no doubts, my intrepid little Jedi— they will make certain that we go down with them."