She meditates with Luke the night before the attack. She doesn't know what else to do with herself really, and when he suggests getting herself centered, finding the core of her strength in the Force, she thinks it sounds like a brilliant idea.

"Can you feel him out there? On the currents of the Force?" Luke asks as she shuts her eyes.

She takes a deep breath, finds the tattered cord that connects them. "Yes," she whispers. "I can still feel him."

"Good," Luke says. "There's still enough of Ben in there. Snoke doesn't have him completely."

"Do you…" She takes a deep breath. "Do you think the bond would be shattered if Snoke got to him?"

Luke doesn't say anything for a moment. She can hear him shift a bit and she almost opens her eyes, but she fears if she does, she'll lose the thread.

"I think Snoke needs to break the bond to reclaim Kylo Ren."

"He's doing a good job of it," she mutters, as her hands reach out to touch the tattered remains of their bond. The cord is still there, but dull, lifeless, rips and tears along the entire length. She tries to soothe it with her hands, feeling the vibrations, the hum that tells her Ben is out there somewhere.

He doesn't answer.

He hasn't since the last time she'd broken through.

She doesn't know if it's a good thing or not.

I'm coming for you, Ben. Don't give up.

"Keep fighting for what you love, Rey. You'll bring him home." And in his voice, she hears a world of regret, and she wonders if that bit of hope is as much for him as for her. There's still so much healing to do between them. They've moved forward, certainly, with Luke finally admitting what he'd done and that he was wrong. But it's going to take so much more than that to heal the wounds between them.

She hopes they'll have that chance.

Everyone is assembled and ready to go.

Rey takes a deep breath and looks around the hangar. It's a busy place, with people rushing to their various ships, X-Wings and bombers and various transports to take them to within striking distance of the First Order fleet.

Leia stands to one side of her, Luke to the other. "I'll be monitoring things from here," she says.

"Understood," Rey says.

Leia turns to her brother then and there's a bit of mischief in her gaze. "If I say pull out, do it. I mean it."

Luke grins. "Of course, General."

She suspects the words are as much for her as they are for Luke. Leia knows she'll do anything to get Ben back, but Leia is going to be monitoring the fleet and she'll know if things take a turn for the worse, if they're risking not only their own lives but everyone else's. She hopes she'll have the strength to do as the general commands if the time comes.

"I wish I were going with you," Leia says with a sigh.

"You're needed here," Rey says, reaching out to put a hand on the older woman's arm.

Leia nods.

Rey turns back to watching as everyone continues their preparations. She and Luke will be taking the Falcon right into the belly of the beast, as it were. It's a risky mission and they didn't dare ask anyone else to confront Snoke. That's their responsibility, and they both know it. The rest of the fleet will be there to take the First Order to its knees.

They're there to cut of its head.

Leia seems to acknowledge some sort of tacit signal and turns to them. "It's time," she says.

Rey shares a look with Luke, and then steps forward. Leia embraces her and Rey folds herself into the much smaller woman's hug. When Leia steps back, there's a bit of a sheen to her eyes. "Get my son back."

Rey nods. "I will. I swear."

Leia studies her for another moment, and then nods. "May the Force be with you, Rey."

"Always," Rey responds with.

A look passes between Luke and Leia and then he's turning toward the ship. She watches as he takes a deep breath and then starts up the ramp.

Rey starts to follow, but there's a commotion somewhere near the entrance to the hangar. She turns back to see Han and Chewie pushing their way through the crowd. "Han," Leia says, turning to give him that look. She's seen it before. Leia is a stern general. What she says goes, but Han is the one person who seems to be able to completely get under her skin and who still does whatever he wants.

"Hey Princess," he says, and there's that infamous Han smirk, all the charm the smuggler can toss at her.

Leia crosses her arms over her chest. "What do you need?"

But Rey knows. She watches Han put his hand down over his blaster. "We're going."

Chewie roars his agreement.

"Han, we're too old for this."

He shrugs. "Luke's going," he points out.

"Luke is a Jedi."

"And I'm still a crack shot with a blaster. Chewie can handle himself."

Chewie roars again.

"Han."

"Leia," he echoes in much the same tone. But then he steps closer to her and his voice softens. "He's my son. That bastard almost destroyed him before. I won't let him do it again."

Leia watches him for another moment and then finally sighs. "Just…don't get yourself killed, okay?"

"It'll take more than that bastard Snoke to take me down." Leia shakes her head and Han steps forward, pulling her into his arms. "I promise, sweetheart. I'm coming back. And our son is too."

Leia nods against his chest and then finally pushes back. "Go on then. Time's wasting." Chewie leans down and hugs her too and then with one final look at Leia, at all those gathered in the hangar, Rey rushes up the ramp with Han and Chewie at her heels.

It's not so easy getting in this time. When the fleet drops out of hyperspace, the First Order is ready. She's not sure how. She tries not to even think on it. She can feel Ben out there, somewhere, but there's a darkness there that she hasn't felt since she watched him stand across from his father and make the decision to return with him.

He had teetered on the edge then.

It was so easy for him to fall. And she knows he fears it would be easy for her too. She's filled with a rage that Luke has not been able to quench, that no amount of meditation and This is the Jedi way has been able to put out. It's a fire that rages inside her, just one hair's breadth from sending her over the edge too.

As the Falcon flies closer to the Supremacy, she feels it again, that pull to the darkness. The rage, the fear, the desperation. She has to get Ben back, not only for herself, but for his parents, for his uncle, for all their friends who are counting on them to lead the way.

She's thankful that Han is there. He's able to push the Falcon to her limits without tipping it over the edge, weaving and dodging the shots fired their way. Chewie takes out several TIE fighters as they make their way closer to the First Order's flagship. She's still not entirely sure of Hans's plan to simply fly the thing into the ship. It's not that the Supremacy isn't massive. It's a large city unto itself, housing some two million people and ships. But the plan is crazy.

She really shouldn't expect anything else, if she's going to be honest with herself.

Han Solo lives on the edge, taking risks the likes of which no one else would dare. And this is daring. A full-frontal assault is happening around them, X-Wings weaving and dodging fire and occasionally taking it. With each one who goes down, Rey flinches, watching as Han chases the TIE fighters and Chewie picks them off one at a time. The larger ships of the Chandrillan fleet do their damage from further away, and the Resistance bombers hover nearby, just waiting to dump their explosive cargo on the hull of the First Order ship.

And they will, she's been told.

If they can get to it, they will take it out, whether or not the Falcon has made it off.

It's dangerous.

And Han just grins at her and tells her to not tell him the odds of survival. They'll get out. They got off Starkiller. They've gotten out of tighter spots than this. And don't forget the Kessel Run, as if he'd ever let her (twelve parsecs, not fourteen!).

Han almost…seems like he's having fun. Cocky grin in place, cheering on Chewie as he picks off the TIEs and for every bit of progress they make toward the hangars. They're close now, and Rey sees the X-Wings come up on either side of them.

This is the tricky part.

They need to protect them on all sides as they take out the tech that controls the shields around the hangar. They have only one shot at this. If they miss, it's over for them. They'll never get to Snoke. They'll have to turn back or be beaten down by the canons of the First Order.

Rey holds her breath as they get closer, zeroing in on the target.

Luke stands.

She turns to glance at him. He's almost quivering with some sort of emotion. And then he turns and races off.

A moment later she hears Chewie roar, followed by Luke's shouting. "We don't have time for this. Get out!"

Chewie stomps into the cockpit a moment later and roars.

Han laughs. "I knew that kid would do it."

Chewie roars again.

"What? You know he has all that Force mumbo-jumbo. I'm sure you remember the Death Star…"

Another roar from Chewie and Rey almost laughs at the indignant tone to his voice.

"Just let it go, Chewie. We need to focus!" Chewie roars again. "I said let it go!"

The Falcon jerks and Chewie roars as he throws himself into the co-pilot's seat. It would all be funny if it weren't for the very real possibility of all of them losing their lives in this. And it may not even be the TIE fights or the dreadnaught's canons or the Stormtroopers or Snoke.

It might be their own people. It's terrifying to know they could get so close and lose their lives anyway.

She watches as Han flips the Falcon, dodging some fire and then straightens it out again.

"Now, kid!" he shouts.

"I'm not a kid!" she hears from down below. Lasers shoot out from the Falcon and she watches the surface canon erupt in flames. Han lets out a whoop of joy. Chewie roars.

Luke comes back up and just shakes his head. "Get us in, Han."

With a nod, Han turns back to the controls and guides the Falcon into the hangar.

It's strangely quiet there, deserted save for a couple Stormtroopers left to guard. They're on instant alert as soon as the Falcon makes it's way into the hangar, but Chewie rushes back into the gunwell and easily picks the two off before they're able to sound an alarm.

"That was too easy," Rey mutters.

Luke nods. "He's waiting for us."

He doesn't have to say who he is. She knows. They all know. Even the grin that seems to always be on Hans's face fades away. Chewie lets out a soft whine.

"You need to guard her, Chewie," Han says, his voice soft. He stands, putting his hand on Chewie's furry shoulder. "Get out of here if we're not back before they set the bombers on this thing."

Chewie shakes his head.

"Chewie."

Luke steps over and puts his hand on Chewie's other shoulder. Rey turns away. It's too much, watching these old friends, knowing they might be all going off to their deaths. She's a part of this team, but separate. New. Han, Luke, Chewie, Leia…they've known each other for a lifetime.

"I should go alone," she says.

The others turn to look at her.

"Not on your life, kid," Han says. He reaches out a hand to touch the blaster at his side. "You're not alone." He steps forward and pats her on the shoulder.

"Not anymore," Luke adds.

Chewie grunts his agreement, and Rey feels herself tear up. Whatever happens here, whatever goes down, she knows she's found a family.

Chewie pulls her in for a hug and for a moment she loses herself in his soft fur. And then she hears Han's voice, muffled a bit through the enthusiastic Wookiee. "Alright kids. Let's move out."

The grim note sends a shiver up her spine, and she steps back, hand going automatically to her lightsaber. It's a lifeline, that weapon, a part of her now as much as Ben is. As much as these people are. With one last look at Chewie, she turns and steps down the ramp of the Falcon into the hangar of the Supremacy, Han and Luke right behind her.

This is it, she realizes.

This is their moment of reckoning.

She can't count the number of Stormtroopers she's cut down. If she thought about it, it would probably send her spiraling into a deep depression. Or anger. They shouldn't be here, forced into this life of near-slavery as kids. Every single one of them could have been Finn.

But she has no choice.

So she uses her lightsaber, uses the Force, sends them flying, taking out the ones who get too close. She can feel Luke just to her left side, fighting with a calmness she wishes she could possess.

Han is to her right and she hears his blaster go off, hears the occasional curse, and sees him even throwing punches in there. He may be the oldest of their group, but there's no stopping him. And for that she's thankful. Han is a ferocious fighter when on a rescue mission like this. She wonders what he was like when he was younger, the cocksure smuggler roped into a war he never planned to fight.

And then, just like that, there's no one. They plunge through the last of the Stormtroopers and all is silent.

Silent as the tomb. She always did hate that phrase. And yet here, it seems appropriate.

"Which way?" Luke asks and she disengages her lightsaber, closing her eyes for a moment. The thread between herself and Ben is thin and ragged, but she can follow it, can feel him somewhere on the ship. Stronger now, the pull to what light is left in him tugs at her heart. There's not much, she realizes. He's steeped in darkness, and the feeling sends a cold terror through her heart.

She shudders, opens her eyes and looks around them. "This way," she says, and hopes Luke and Han can't hear the slight tremor to her voice. Her heart is racing, her breathing unsteady.

"You okay, kid?" Han whispers as he leans down near her.

She nods, once, the muscles in her neck tight and strained. "I'm fine." It's not true, of course, If she were fine, she'd be back on Chandrila, curled up in bed with Ben. She'd be off on a hundred different worlds exploring the known and unknown regions, or sparring with the man she loves, learning all he knows about lightsaber training and the Force.

"None of us are fine," Han says, and she's surprised at his perceptiveness. When she glances at him, he offers a shrug and that half-grin she sometimes sees on his son's face.

She nods.

They continue on.

She stops when they reach an elevator. There are any number of ways they could turn here. Continue past it into the bowels of the ship, turn down one of the many corridors that line the center of the ship. But she stares at the elevator, Luke and Han watching her. And then she sighs. "Up," she murmurs. "He's…up there…somewhere." Three sets of eyes follow the path of the elevator shaft to where it disappears into the darkness above them.

"Of course he'd be at the top," Han mutters.

Luke glances at him. "Arrogance," he mutters. "There is no fear there." Fear, she knows, can lead to the dark side. It's how Snoke got Ben, after all, pushing at his fears, dragging them out for all to see, twisting them up until they were all he could think of, all he knew. But here there's no fear.

Not from Snoke.

He fears no man, no woman. He is invincible and he will always triumph.

His arrogance will be his undoing.

She hopes Ben was right. She's pinned everything on Snoke underestimating their trio, on underestimating Ben Solo.

"Well," Han says, interrupting her thoughts. "Up it is I guess."

The elevator noiselessly slides open and the three are left staring at the dark interior. If she takes a step, it's the beginning of whatever end is in store for them. Either they walk out of there with Ben Solo or they don't. Either they all walk out alive, or they don't. There is no in between here.

Without another word, she steps forward. Han and Luke step in and the three turn as one to face the door. The door slides shut, and the three turn as one to face it.

"Do we have a plan?" Luke asks.

"Wing it?" Han suggests.

"That's what you always say."

Han shrugs. "It's gotten me this far in life."

"It's almost cost you your life several times," Luke points out.

"Yeah," Han says with a half-grin. "Those were some good times."

"This isn't a game," Rey interrupts with. She can see the floors increasing on the dash of the elevator. They're nearing the top, and with each bit of motion upward, she feels her stomach clench more and more into a knot.

"Life is a game," Han says. "So we just defeat it, rescue the princess."

"Prince," Rey says.

"Close enough."

For a moment, just one moment, and they all share a small laugh.

And then the elevator slides to a halt.

And the doors slide open.

And they're facing the darkness of what seems like a huge cavern.

Rey steps forward, Han and Luke close at her heels. The elevator closes behind them and they're plunged into darkness. Rey shivers as she tries to focus in the near-complete dark.

"Where are we?" Han asks.

"Shh," Luke responds with.

The lights rise, just a little. Rey can just barely make out the red of the walls, the dais in the middle, the throne upon it. "I know this place," she murmurs. She becomes aware then, of the same cloying darkness that she felt in those nightmares, overpowering, the scent of death and destruction.

As she stares through the gloom, she sees him there, lounging in the throne. As soon as her eyes meet his, his hand moves and a light falls on him.

Snoke.

She doesn't know how she didn't recognize he wasn't really there the last time. He's so present this time, overwhelming as she feels him trying to rip into her mind. "Come closer, child," he murmurs. It's the first time, she realizes, that she's heard his voice in person. It's so much worse than filtered through Ben's mind, Ben's thoughts.

"No," she says. Her hand hovers over her weapon. It's become an extension of herself these last months. Even now, she can feel her strength coursing through it.

Snoke laughs, the wheezing sound piercing and horrible. "So much strength." He leans forward on his throne, one hand reaching out toward her. She's pulled forward. She tries to resist, leans back. Luke's hand grazes her arm briefly as she's pulled across the room toward Snoke. When he releases her, she's left gasping for breath mere feet from the creature.

"But not enough strength to resist. I know what they say of you. The light to counter young Kylo Ren's darkness, the light to bring him home."

She starts at the mention of his name.

"Oh, did you think he could resist? That your Ben Solo would have the strength to resist me?" The last word is almost a roar, and he laughs again.

He gestures, long, almost frail, hand waving out to his left somewhere. Rey's eyes are drawn into the shadows.

For a moment she sees nothing.

And then there's darkness within the shadows. She stares, eyes trained on every movement. She somehow knows what she's going to see before she sees it.

Kylo Ren steps out of the shadows. He stands tall and stiff at Snoke's side, helmet covering his face. He's the fearsome warrior once more, and Rey is drawn back to that moment when he first took off the helmet in that interrogation room, drawn back to watching him face off with his father. His expressive face and eyes are hidden, and the bond is eerily quiet.

She didn't know he was there.

For some reason that bothers her more than anything else. She couldn't sense him.

She goes inward for a moment, trying to grasp at the bond. It's there. She can still see it, can still feel it. But it's gone as cold and dark as Kylo Ren.

"As you can see," Snoke says, his voice a sibilant whisper. "You failed."

"Ben," she whispers.

Snoke laughs. Rey can't take her eyes off Ben, off Kylo Ren. All her nightmares come to fruition, here in the room that she's visited far too often in Ben's dreams.

Snoke gestures and Ben takes another step forward, a dull thud in the silence of the room. "Kill her," Snoke says and as her heart falls into her stomach, she watches as Ben ignites his lightsaber and advances on her.