****I don't have much practice with writing fight scenes, so I hope this makes sense. Sorry this chapter is a little late***
Ben made the first move, saber spinning as he came at Voe. She parried his first volley easily, almost casually shrugging him off, "You've grown weak Solo."
She swung high and he went low, ducking under her slash, seeing an opening. He stabbed forward and for the briefest moment he thought he had her, but suddenly she ignited a second saber and pushed his away.
Now it was Voe's turn to see an opening, bringing down Ben's old blade upon him. This time it was Rey that stopped the blow with the force. She stood grimacing as she threw her will against Voe's, holding one of her blades fast, while Ben came at their foe from her other side.
Voe managed to shrug them both off, stumbling back with a snarl, flipping both of her sabers at her side while she considered her next move.
It was then the children on the floor began to stir. Voe laughed, "Good timing my little friends…"
'I'll take Voe, I'll lead her away,' Ben thought to Rey.
'What about the younglings?' She thought, struggling to keep her panic at bay, 'I don't want to hurt them!'
'You might have to, we have no choice,' Ben said to her as he force leapt up and over their adversaries, landing behind Voe. He tried to force pull her back onto his blade but she was too fast. Voe spun to face him and pushed back, causing his feet to slide back upon the floor.
"You'd abandon your little whore?" Voe said with a crazed smirk upon her face, "My children will tear her apart."
"You underestimate her, and me. You should have left when I gave you the chance Voe." He spun his saber at his side, slowly backing out of the hallway, and Voe stalked after him, just as he'd hoped she would.
Rey gestured for the cowering children behind her to back up, raising her saber defensively as the blank faced younglings advanced.
"Please," she begged, "Please stop… We don't need to fight, we are here to help you." She pushed the force towards them, trying to use the same mind trick she had used earlier. Her efforts were met by silence and the hum of lightsabers. They were immune and she couldn't back up further without risking the other children getting caught up in the fight.
Voe's blades spun furiously, she jumped towards Ben and he deflected both blades with a grunt. With her wielding two blades he had to counter twice as fast, it took all of his concentration to hold her at bay while also looking for an opening. Voe had never been the strongest in the force, she'd been middling at best, how had she become so powerful?
One of the children suddenly darted forward, his saber spinning. Rey reacted on instinct with a parry and a slash. Her heart hit the floor at the same time as the child's head. "No!" she screamed in horror.
Rey's scream broke through his battle meditation and he stumbled. Voe pressed her attack, taking advantage of his stumble, Ben barely managed to dodge a savage slice to his side, rolling out of the way. His gaze shifted to Rey for but a second as he felt her panic, her distress at what she'd done, and then there was pain, blinding pain in his left shoulder.
The other children did not wait for Rey to recover her composure, they all moved on her together without emotion and she barely held them off. She pushed and two of the children went flying, while the others held firm and continued to attack her. She didn't want to hurt them, it kept Rey from using her full abilities. She held back. They did not. Her saber sliced through the air, ringing with desperation as she blocked hit after hit until one got through and burned a glancing path down along her left shoulder. A piercing scream of pain escaped her and she staggered back. The boy they'd saved earlier caught her and lifted his hand towards the saber wielding younglings; somehow he held them fast with the force, a look of anger and determination upon his young face.
Without missing a beat Voe took advantage of Ben's distraction and twisted her saber down and around. At first he felt nothing, stumbling back from the hit, disoriented. Voe's face was a mask of sickening delight and distantly he heard his saber rattle to the ground next to him. He looked down numbly... What had happened? 'Oh, that's not good' his brain sputtered out. His left hand was gone, his right had a ragged slash near his thumb. Searing pain rushed up his arms, forcing him to his knees.
Rey sucked in a ragged breath, letting her force join the boy's and together they threw the remaining attackers against the side of the hallway, knocking them out once more. The boy was breathing hard next to her, his eyes wide, full of terror and relief. She looked to him to say something when, suddenly, she felt as if her left hand was thrust into hot lava, pulling another scream from her lips as she dropped to the floor, hands cradled to her chest.
Ben let out a guttural scream of defiance as Voe lifted his old saber up for a final strike. He pushed against her with the force, holding her fast, she snarled and pressed back, the blade slowly descending down upon him. Was this how it would end? Was this it? All they'd been through… To die here. To die again... At least Rey was alive. He closed his eyes and prepared himself, it had been amazing while it had lasted; But it wasn't long enough, it'd never be long enough. 'Stay strong my love, I'll find you again, I swear it…' he thought to Rey as he awaited his fate.
"Ben!" Rey yelled through her pain as she reached for him, about to yank the sabers from Voe's hands, when the main door to the corridor exploded open and resistance fighters flooded in, blasters blazing. A shot took Voe in the arm, sending Ben's old saber clattering across the floor. Another shot took her in the hip and she backed up with a growl of frustration before making her escape down another hallway.
Ben collapsed back onto the floor, blinking back tears as he did his best to remain conscious through the pain. He didn't have the strength to stop Voe's escape.
Rey scrambled over to Ben's side, ignoring her own injury and pain, tears pouring down her face. Her hands fumbled with his sweater, as she looked down at him helplessly, so panicked she'd forgotten that she could heal him.
Ben grimaced as her movements jostled his arms, "I'm fine, Just breathe..." his words crackled with pain but he managed a broken smile, reminding her, "We're a Dyad…"
Oh… OH! Rey remembered in a rush. It took her a moment to find her center and she held her hands out over Ben. He closed his eyes as well and concentrated with her. Together they felt for their injuries and encouraged them to heal, starting with Rey's shoulder, then Ben's right hand, and finally they concentrated on Ben's missing left hand. It took all of their energies combined but slowly his hand regenerated, just as Palpatine had using their power; and then darkness swallowed them once more.
Rey awoke with a start, bolting straight up from her bed. "Ben!" she called out.
"Whoa, take it easy," Finn said soothingly, "Everything is okay. You're okay. He's okay."
"Where is he?" she demanded, moving to sit on the edge of the bed she was on, the room spinning with the effort.
Finn caught her by the shoulder, steadying her, "He's in the room next door… You were both unconscious when Rose found you. The children you saved explained everything. The ones that attacked you are in Bacta tank suspension."
She blinked a few times, finally looking around the room. It was white and sterile in appearance, in one corner a medical droid hovered, "Where are we?"
"In orbit over Bracca, a Mon Calamari medical vessel." Finn said, gesturing behind her to a window that looked out upon the stars.
"The planetary shield? Parnadee?"
Finn gave her shoulder a squeeze, "We have secured the mid-rim but Parnadee and half her fleet escaped. We think she's withdrawn to the unknown regions."
Rey nodded, "Take me to Ben. I need to see him." she could sense him nearby, it felt like he was still sleeping, but she had to touch him, had to confirm this feeling with her eyes.
"Rey you can barely sit, you need rest," Finn protested.
"Take. Me. To. Him." she repeated firmly, "Now."
Finn heaved a sigh and shouldered her weight, letting her lean on him heavily as he helped her to the room next door.
Ben was laid out on a bed just as she had been, a medical droid bobbing nearby.
"Ben.." she whispered as she reached his side, her hand moving to grasp his now healed hand, lifting it to her lips to brush a kiss across it, "I'm here."
Finn grimaced, "You okay to stand on your own for a minute?"
Rey nodded, her eyes never leaving Ben's face.
Finn stepped away to grab a chair for her, pushing it behind her so she could sit.
"I'll go let everyone know you're awake," Finn said quietly as he left the room.
Rey sat and leaned over to lay her head on Ben's chest, still holding his left hand tight. She closed her eyes and listened to his heart beat beneath her ear, listened to the sound of air filling his lungs. When her mind brushed up against his it felt peaceful, soft, warm. Slowly she sensed him rising to consciousness. He sucked in a sharp breath and his eyes fluttered open.
"Rey?" he asked softly, feeling her near, taking a moment to realise the pressure on his chest was her head. He squeezed her hand tight and lifted his other hand to run his fingers over her hair.
She looked up at him, a soft smile tugging at the corners of her lips, "Hey," she said.
He slowly pushed himself up from the bed, sitting up, "Where are we?" he asked in a mirror of her own earlier question.
Rey told him everything Finn had told her and Ben nodded, "They didn't catch Voe?"
Rey shook her head, "Finn didn't say anything about her but then I didn't ask."
"Who was she Ben? What was she talking about?"
He heaved a heavy sigh, running a hand back through his hair, "She was one of Luke's Jedi students at the same time I was. We were close... When Luke tried to kill me… A lot happened. Voe and a few others found me. They didn't believe me when I told them what happened. They nearly attacked me. In the end though they let me go."
Ben looked away, towards the wall behind her, "I had heard they were all killed, that none of Luke's students survived after that. That Snoke had them all hunted down and killed before I even truly became Kylo Ren. I didn't even know she was alive… I have no idea what happened to her… But that wasn't the girl I knew..."
Rey lifted a hand to his cheek, turning his troubled gaze back to meet hers, "You didn't do this to her Ben, whatever happened wasn't your fault."
"You don't know that," he said sadly.
"Do we know how she controlled those children?" he asked, quickly changing the subject.
"I don't know," she answered honestly, "I'd go ask but I barely made it to this room to find you."
"Well," he said holding up his left hand, "we managed to break my family curse," it was a joke and his lips curled into a smile as he wiggled his fingers.
Rey held back a laugh, giving his chest a weak shove, "Don't even, that's not funny! I was terrified!"
He lifted an eyebrow at her, "Worried about my hand? Are you particularly attached to it?" he leaned forward, smile still playing upon his lips.
"I rather enjoy some of the things you've done with it, yes.." her expression mirrored his and she closed the distance to kiss him.
They were alive, they were whole, he should be happy; But deep down he knew the worst was yet to come.