Author's Note: Again, I'm so sorry for not updating earlier. But life is crazy and work especially right now. I was also down with a nasty cold and couldn't stand looking at a screen, so there's that. Thank you again for your support and kind words. I had lots of fun writing this chapter, so I hope you enjoy reading it just as much. As always, reviewes are very welcome.
Chapter Eight
And if it is faith that decides
I'm not gonna fear for my life
I won't give up dying
I'm trying to fight
Conviction, Amber Pacific
There was no time to think, there was only reaction. Scanning the situation, she knew immediately they were heavily outnumbered. Even with hers and Ben's combined strength they would never win in a fight. She hadn't seen that many Stormtroopers in a while. She glanced at the ship, they could try to make a fly for it but knowing the First Order there was probably a Star Destroyer just waiting for them to do something like that.
In the corner of her eye she saw Finn slowly getting up. She reached for the lightsaber and sliced through their attacker.
Then everything happened so fast, she could barely follow it.
They were being shot at. She reacted as fast as possible, pushing people away with the Force, using her lightsaber to redirect laser shots, kicking and punching and trying to survive. Next to her Finn was shooting with his blaster, she could feel his fear.
Ben eventually joined the fight, which at least seemed to have distracted some Stormtroopers for a moment.
They were fighting back to back, reminiscent of their battle with Snoke's guards back in that red throne room.
TIE Fighters joined the battle. She was out of breath.
"RUN!" She yelled desperately. She turned around, locking eyes with Ben. "I'll try to shake them off. Take Finn and find a hiding place." He was clearly irritated, but she stopped him before he had any chance to argue with her. "I know this Island, they don't!"
He answered her with a nod, signaling Finn to follow him and they split away from her. She hoped she wasn't overconfident. Yes, she knew the island but oh there were so many of them.
Hux had a hard time trying not to laugh. He wasn't sure what exactly happened. Maybe some of the traitor's precious new allies activated the tracker on their ship, maybe it was a stupid mistake, whatever it was, he was thankful for it. He didn't expect to find him that easily, but now he did, and it was only a matter of time before the mighty Kylo Ren would fall and no one would doubt his position as the rightful new Supreme Leader of the First Order anymore.
The girl was with him. Of course, she was. Wasn't she the whole reason he betrayed Snoke? Hux still didn't fully understand what happened. Was it his Jedi hubris? Did he think he could overthrow Snoke, take control and rule the Galaxy with the girl by his side? Maybe he even intended to bring back the Jedi after all, ruling with them over people who had no connection the Force. How much he hated him for that. Deep down he was aware of his own jealousy. The moment Kylo Ren joined Snoke he had become his first priority and no matter how hard anyone else worked, it wasn't as appreciated as his prodigy apprentice.
Hux shook his head and finally broke down to laugh at the irony.
Who was the prodigy now?
Rey ran as fast her legs allowed her to, dodging shots in-between. Her plan seemed to have worked, most of the Stormtroopers they encountered were running after her, probably because she was alone and some of them still feared Ben from experiences.
She hoped Ben and Finn would be fine. She also hoped that the lanais and porgs and Thala-sirens would not be caught in the crossfire. She could smell smoke from gun fire and hear TIE fighters hovering everywhere. She blamed herself for this. Ahch-To was such a peaceful planet and she brought the disruption with her.
"I'm sorry, Luke." She whispered, hoping he could hear her wherever he might be. It was the only safe place she could think of and now she trapped them there.
She dodged another laser and quickly turned around. She kicked one Stormtrooper in the stomach, pushing him against another. She unleashed her lightsaber once more and fought off four at the same time while trying to push another away with the Force.
A shot suddenly hit her arm, causing her to scream out in pain. For a moment everything went black. She sank down to her knees.
"We got her." She heard a voice saying.
"Just kill her. The Supreme Leader just wants Kylo Ren alive." Another voice answered.
Rey inhaled sharply. She was not going to die on this planet. Her eyes flung open. She pushed one Stormtrooper away and sliced through the other one with the bright purple lightsaber before she made a run for it again.
Her arm was burning up, but she didn't have the luxury to make a stop and tend to the wound. She was pretty sure that by now General Hux was aware that Ben was indeed on this planet and would send as many reinforcements as possible, so she had to come up with something very quickly.
She looked ahead. Cliffs and even more cliffs. She sprinted up to the top of the largest hill she could find, hoping not another Stormtrooper would hit her. She felt terribly exposed out in the open.
"Freeze!" One of them suddenly appeared in front of her. "Don't even think about using your weapon, rebel."
She raised her hands behind her back. They were surrounding her from every side. "Please." She whispered into the wind and closed her eyes. She could feel the Force around her, everything was breathing, everything was alive. She tried to envision the hills around her. Once she got a clear image inside of her mind, she went a step further. She imagined them shaking and crumbling and falling down on the Stormtroopers.
She breathed heavily, trying not to focus on the pain in her right arm. She had become better in using the Force, was more in control now than ever, still moving so many objects at the same time was draining her, she still had a lot to learn.
The Stormtroopers started to scream and run. She opened her eyes, realizing rocks were smashing down on them from all over the place. She smiled briefly before she made for her escape.
Leia sat in the Resistance commando room, surrounded by her fellow admirals and generals. How much she wished Ackbar and Amylin were still alive and with her, she missed them as friends and needed them as allies.
"General Leia." General Ematt addressed her rather gently. "You know we would never question your decisions."
And yet you're doing it, she added to herself in thoughts, but decided to remain silent. She crossed her arms and forced a smile.
"But recently, you have us concerned."
Leia grunted. "Is that so?" She asked in a dangerously low voice.
"Look Prince – eh General" Admiral Statura jumped into the conversation, more eager and youthful than good old Ematt, "You have suffered through a lot lately. The deaths of Han Solo, Luke Skywalker and Admiral Holdo –"
"You don't have to remind me of the losses I have suffered, Admiral." She interrupted sharply, "I am very well aware of them. Just cut the sugar-coating and get to the point of this sweet little intervention."
Statura gulped and took a step backwards. Leia smiled, pleased with herself. She still got it. She expected Ematt to take the word again, but much to her surprise it was the fourth person in the room, Major Brance who held the lowest position of them, stood up.
"To be frank, General, we are afraid your feelings cloud your judgement." He spoke hastily. Ematt gasped and shot him a warning look, but Brance took all his courage and continued. "Rey and Finn left without a word. At the same time, Kylo Ren disappears from the First Order." He carefully stated the facts, "Now you've sent Dameron and Tico on a wild goose chase through the Galaxy, which costs us two more valuable members of the resistance…" he paused, "and for what? Maybe we should consider the possibility that Rey and Finn left to conspire with Kylo Ren. He was a Stormtrooper before joining us and we don't know anything about her. Dameron and Tico could be walking into a trap right now."
"Hm." Leia leaned back in her chair. She wasn't used to anyone questioning her authority, but even if it angered her, she knew she had to consider all the possibilities. She didn't believe Rey or Finn to be traitors, the Force had shown her their hearts, revealed goodness and sincerity, but she could see why others would doubt them. And there was still the trouble her son was causing. "You all think that?" She asked.
Statura and Ematt didn't answer, instead they stared down at their own feet. Leia sighed, it was all the confirmation she needed.
"Very well, Gentlemen." She got up. "I will take your opinions into consideration." She left the room and three stunned men behind.
"Why did you let her leave like this?" Finn yelled at Ben behind him. They were running in the opposite direction from Rey, less Troopers behind them.
Finn was running ahead, with Ben covering them both by redirecting as many shots as possible.
"She can take care of herself." He said with confidence. "I'd fear more for the Stormtroopers than for her." His voice was swelled with a kind of pride that wasn't unnoticed by Finn. Once again Ben surprised him. His faith in Rey and her abilities was astonishing.
Ben suddenly stopped running. He drew his lightsaber. "This is pointless." He muttered. "Go ahead!" He shouted at Finn. "I'll take care of them."
Finn didn't feel comfortable leaving him alone, but he knew it was pointless to argue. Over his shoulder he caught a glimpse of Ben attacking two Stormtroopers with his lightsaber, before he was out of sight.
He hated that damn island more with every passing minute. One second, he was running down a hill and suddenly he was going upwards again. Like right now. He could already see the edge of the island before him, he was trapped.
Suddenly a shot barely missed him. He turned around, staring at a Stormtrooper that must have gotten past Ben.
"Die, traitor!" The Stormtrooper yelled and took another shot.
Finn jumped away, grabbing his blaster, firing at the enemy. The shot directed at him missed him only by an inch or two, but his own one hit the Stormtrooper right into the chest.
Finn laughed out loud, proud at his magnificent shot, but his happiness was very short lived. He realized he was falling.
"No!" He managed to scream out. He jumped too far when trying to dodge the laser, directly over the cliff. He was almost hyperventilating. So, that's it? He asked himself. Seconds became an eternity to him. When he decided to stay with the Resistance, he always figured it would eventually end in death. But at least he envisioned to go out like a hero, saving someone's life, fighting some important villain, dying for a bigger cause, not like that. It was a cruel irony. He wouldn't even die because a Stormtrooper shot him, instead he would be impaled by rocks or drown in the wild ocean of that forsaken planet in the middle of nowhere. He thought about Rey and how much she meant to him, how thankful he was to have met her. He thought about Poe and Rose and all those words unspoken.
Then he hit the ground. To his surprise it wasn't sharp or wet. It was soft and smelled like grass. He slowly opened his eyes. His nose was indeed pressed into grass.
"What the…?" He sat up and looked around. "I'm not dead." He stated. Then he realized Ben in front of him, arms still up in the air. Finn blinked confused, before he realized what had happened. Ben had pulled him up, saved him from the fall to certain death.
"You are such a nuisance, Stormtrooper." He said, rolling his eyes.
Finn got up and brushed the dirt off his pants. "Really? I think you're getting used to me."
A howl got their attention. Another Stormtrooper approached them. He ran towards them, firing like a maniac.
"Oh, get lost!" Ben said annoyed. He waved his hand and the Stormtrooper flew over the edge, crashing into the waves like Finn almost did before him.
Finn looked over the cliff, seeing the white figure slowly disappearing into the deep nothing. Then he looked back and Ben and started to laugh. He laughed like he hadn't in a long time.
Ben raised an eyebrow. "Are you in shock?" He asked irritated.
Finn shook his head. His eyes were teary and his stomach was hurting. "Get lost!" He tried to imitate Ben's voice, "You said…to him…it's just so funny…and I almost fell and then didn't, but he did and…"
"I don't understand why you are laughing. We are not out of danger yet, so will you get a hold of yourself." He said seriously.
Without realizing what he was doing, Finn gently clapped Ben's back. "Man, situational comedy. You need to loosen up." Finn took a deep breath and collected himself then he reached out his hand. "Hey Ben, thanks for saving my life."
Ben wasn't used to friendly claps on the back or someone reaching out his hand to him. Nor was he used to hearing his real name spoken like that. It was fine when Rey did it, but hearing it come out of Finn's mouth was something entirely unexpected, a feeling he couldn't interpret because he had never felt it before. He was aware the former Stormtrooper hadn't called him by any name up until now, carefully avoiding awkwardness and confusion and suddenly it just rolled off his lips so easily. He continued to stare at the hand before eventually deciding to shake it. His natural instinct was to pull away, but for some reason he didn't.
"You're welcome…Finn."
Finn smiled. He almost expected Ben to add something along the line of 'I just did it for Rey' but it never happened.
"I know where to hide." He tilted his head and Finn immediately followed him, until he realized where Ben was going.
They sprinted down the cave Ben and Rey had disappeared into shortly before and it looked just as unsettling as it had during that night.
"I'm not going down there." Finn protested. "What if the cave messes with us again?"
"You are not Force-sensitive. You'll be fine." Ben explained.
Finn carefully looked down into that dark hole again. Force-sensitive or not, even he could feel the dark energy coming from within. "Fine. What if it messes you up again?" He wasn't ready to deal with another emotional outburst in hurricane form again.
"It won't." Ben said with calm certainty in his voice. "The Force is with us."
Finn didn't feel very assured. "Oh yeah? Did it call you to tell you that?" He snapped. Normally he would be afraid to sass at Ben like that, but he was cold and scared and his nerves were on the edge.
"That is not how the Force works." Ben hissed and Finn suddenly had an odd case of déjà vu. For the first time since he met Ben Solo, he could see the resemblance between him and his father. The annoyed eye-roll, the edginess, the sarcasm, but also the heart and courage. "I can sense it." He said briefly before grabbing Finn and jumping down with him.
Leia was walking up and down her room like a caged tiger. She was feeling anxious, nervous out of her mind. She was afraid that soon her hand would be forced into some kind of action she might regret later on, but she was running out of ideas.
She understood that the Resistance was getting restless. That her leadership was being questioned. If she had been in the position of Ematt, Statura or Brance she would have questioned herself.
Self-doubt started to overcome her. Was she being reasonable or emotional?
A knock on the door interrupted her train of thoughts. C-3PO walked in, followed by a worried looking Chewbacca.
"Close the door." She said to the Wookie, feeling paranoid and on the edge.
"You need to do something for me." She said to the droid. "And it has to stay between the three of us."
The Wookie howled, signaling his full support for Leia. C-3PO seemed slightly confused as always. "All those secrets, General. I really don't think –"
"3PO, please." She massaged her temples. Terrible headaches started to haunt her. "Just this once, don't argue."
Even if he wasn't known for his sensitive and talked too much, even C-3PO somehow sensed the seriousness of the situation. "Of course, General."
She briefly touched his new, red arm. "I need you to locate someone for me, without anyone noticing." She turned to Chewie, "And if you can find him, I need you to get a message to him."
Chewie howled again, questioning whom Leia was talking about. "Well," she smirked, "our old friend Lando Calrissian, of course."
Ben tapped his feet nervously on the ground. He was sure Rey would find them in the cave, that she would get to the same conclusion about a safe place, what he didn't know was what took her so long.
Finn got over Ben dragging him down that hole pretty fast, once he realized to him it was really just a cave.
"And you feel not funny or anything?" He asked Ben every once in a while.
"No. I just feel the Force down here. It's strong. Now stop asking." He was running out of patience. He knew Rey was capable and strong, still what if he underestimated the First Order?
A noise suddenly got their attention. "Someone's coming." Finn held is blaster in position, but Ben immediately pulled it down. Rey appeared in front of them, out of breath but smiling.
Ben immediately wrapped his arms around her, pressing her close to his body, kissing her hair. "I was getting worried."
"I'm fine." She said against his chest. "You?"
"Also, fine." He pulled away, his eyes immediately focusing on her bloody arm. "Who –"
"Nothing to worry about anymore." She said quickly, before sinking down to her knees. "It's just a graze shot."
She tried to sound brave, but Ben could almost physically feel her pain. He ripped some fabric from his shirt and wrapped hit around her wound. "We need to put pressure on it, you lost a lot of blood."
She leaned against him, relaxing in his arms. "I'll be fine."
"You need to rest." He said. He then turned around and looked at Finn. "Try to get some sleep as well, I'll stand guard. I don't sense anyone coming closer."
Finn gave him a thankful nod. He was incredibly tired.
Rey's breath calmed down. "I'm sorry." She murmured. "Coming here was my idea, now we are trapped."
Ben pulled her even closer, trying to keep her warm. "It's not your fault, it's mine." He knew how they found them. The storm caused the rock to land on the ship, the switches were turned on and even if it was for a short moment the tracker was activated.
Rey closed her eyes. She felt safe in his arms, secure. "Let's agree we both messed up." She chuckled before she fell asleep.
In her dream she sat on a beach. The air smelled clear, the sky was blue and small waves were gently stroking the water. Next to her sat a teenage girl, not older than sixteen.
"I love it here!" the girl said, smiling. She stretched her arms, her long brown hair was waving in the wind.
"Me too." Rey answered. Her own voice sounded unfamiliar. She recognized it, yet she felt like she was trapped in a different body. If that was a dream, it was a weird one. She looked closer at the girl. Her smile was so familiar, her brown eyes so deep and intelligent. A jolt of panic ran through her. This didn't feel like a dream to her. She had realistic dreams before, but none that felt as vivid as this one. What was she doing there? Was the cave messing with her head while she slept?
"Are you alright?" The girl asked.
Rey nodded. "Just tired."
"This is why vacation was a good idea." She stretched out her legs, her bare feet were half-buried in the sand. "Though, I hope you don't mind we tagged along. I know it's your anniversary and Dad wanted to surprise you. We didn't want to be tactless." She grinned apologetically.
Rey's whole body froze. What was going on? Anniversary? Dad? Whatever trick the Force was playing on her she wanted to wake up.
The girl grabbed her hand. "Mom, seriously –" she stopped herself. "You are not you." The girl suddenly said.
Rey bit her lip. "I'm just in a dream." Her voice was trembling.
The girl sighed. "The Force brought you here."
"How do you know that?" Rey asked. There was so much about the Force she still did not understand, so much Luke never got to teach her.
"I know" the girl leaned closer, "Because you taught me all about it."
Rey's hand started to shake. "Who are you?" Deep down she knew the answer, she just couldn't believe it. The hair had her color, her nose the same shape and her smile was like looking into a mirror, but those eyes, the eyes were all him.
"The Force can show you the past and the future." The girl explained. "Though be careful with the future, it is always changing, always in motion."
Rey reached out her hand, it was like her body was moving automatically. She gently touched the girl's cheek. Her skin was so soft and warm, it felt so real.
"You are my future?" Rey asked.
The girl shrugged. "For now, I am. But who can tell? I hope I will still be in your future tomorrow."
Rey felt a tear running down her cheek. She had spent her life alone, without the love of a family and now she was sitting next to a daughter she could possibly have. Never in a million lightyears did she even toy with the potential of having a family of her own one day, even when she fell for Ben that thought never truly crossed her mind given their situation. But now the living proof was sitting right next to her, smiling at her.
"What's your…" she wanted to ask her so many questions, but her world slowly started to spin out of control. The image of the girl became fainter. "No, not now." Rey said desperately. The girl was still talking to her, but she couldn't hear her. Behind her two figures appeared, but their faces seemed too far away. Both were dark haired males, she thought they were smiling. As she felt like she was being pulled away, the last thing she saw was both men sitting down next to them, laughing.
Rey sat up straight, panting like she had been running a marathon. "No!" she yelled out.
"Rey!" Ben cupped her cheeks with his hands and focused her face on his. In the background she could hear noises indicating Finn was slowly waking up. "What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"
His voice was so full of concern and love. She studied his eyes. Deep, intelligent eyes. She had his eyes. "The men…" she whispered to herself, understanding that one of them must have been him. "I hope you don't mind we tagged along." She repeated the girl's words. There was clearly another child. What she saw when she was waking up were Ben and a son. Their son. Their potential future. One reason more to fight, one reason more to survive.
"Rey." He said her name again. "You're burning up." He checked the wound on her arm. "Finn! Get up!"
"What?" Finn sounded still sleepy but stumbled over to them immediately, "What's going on?"
Ben loosened the bandage. "I think it's infected." The wound was deeper than they initially thought. It wasn't bleeding anymore, but hot and purulent. His mind was working fast. She didn't have time to clean the wound, she continued fighting and used a lot of energy, how did he not see this coming? "Get me some water." He ripped another part of his clothes off and handed it to Finn. Thankfully there was water all around them.
Rey was sinking down in his arms, sweating and shivering at the same time. He gently touched her cheek. "Rey, love, you need to stay awake."
"The Force showed me….showed me future….beautiful…" she stuttered before closing her eyes.
"Rey…come on, Rey." Ben felt like he was losing his mind. He wouldn't lose her, he wouldn't let her die, not after everything they had been through.
"Here!" Finn handed him the cloth and kneed down next to Rey, gently taking her hand.
Ben started to clean the wound, though he knew that it would be for nothing without getting her some real medicine.
"Freeze!" A Stormtrooper appeared out of nothing, Ben didn't feel him coming, he was too occupied with Rey. He quickly turned around, raising his lightsaber when the Stormtrooper suddenly jumped backwards.
"Sir..Sir…stop…please…." he dropped his blaster and put his helmet down, revealing blond hair and a freckled face. "It's me Sir, KN-3045."
Ben put his weapon away. He looked between Finn who cradled an unconscious Rey and the young Stormtrooper in front of him. Maybe they were lucky, maybe there was chance to make it out after all. To save her.
