Approaching Corellia
They drop out of hyperspace smoothly, the sub-lightspeed engines taking over. For a few moments, everything is calm. Then Jeyna hangs on as the Falcon rapidly shifts directions. Ben appears to be maneuvering them through obstacles, though she has no idea what since the main hold lacks any viewports. As much as she hates the dizzying sights outside of the cockpit, Jeyna almost wishes she had it now. Not being able to see what they are evading makes the experience even more disorienting.
The ship shudders with impacts a moment before she hears the vibration of the laser cannon going off below. Chewie must be shooting at something, even as shots continues striking the vessel.
"We're outnumbered, but we just need to get through and let the rest of them handle the fighters," Han tells her. "Hang in there."
Jeyna nods before clamping her eyes shut, fighting nausea as they are spun rapidly without explanation. She reaches out in the force, and knows that they have just narrowly avoided something disastrous. She feels Ben's focus, and realizes she can detect something else.
She knows that they are about to swerve sharply, a moment before they do. Ben's impulses are transmitting across the connection before he acts on them. She focuses more, finding the split second of warning helps to ease the nausea she's experiencing.
The laser cannon continues shooting nearly nonstop below them, as the Falcon's shields soak up enemy fire. One particularly strong impact hits the ship, and there is an echoing crack that seems ominous. Suddenly she feels the engines kick into reverse, rapidly slowing them. "Hang on!" Han shouts.
Jeyna grits her teeth, a moment before it feels like they slam into something beneath them. Ben is trying to get them to come to a stop, but something is wrong with the ship. There's a terrible screeching sound from below as they slide, like metal against metal.
"Is the ship broken?" she shouts.
"It's had better days, that's for damn sure!" Han shouts back over the racket.
They finally grind to a halt, the smell of burning metal filling her nostrils. Her pulse is pounding in her hands as she fumbles to unbuckle the harness. Han's already up, arming himself with a blaster. She reaches for one herself as she stands, but Han seems to hesitate.
"You know how to handle this?" he asks skeptically.
Jeyna gives him a sour look before grabbing for it, relieved when he relents. "I've used one before," she insists.
She hears something, ricocheting off the ship. It sounds like blaster fire, echoing off the metal it can't penetrate. The First Order must already know they've arrived in whichever hangar they've landed. Judging by the commotion, their ship is quickly being surrounded.
Chewie climbs up from the laser cannon, arming himself with a bowcaster as Ben and Revan emerge from the cockpit. Their energies are oddly synced, and strongly focused. It's enough to momentarily stun her, the combined intensity of them in the force.
"I transmitted the hangar codes to the rest of the Republic fleet," Ben explains. "Hopefully we'll get some backup."
"Time to see if Luke's still got it," Han replies humorously. Chewie roars in what Jeyna interprets as agreement.
"Keep her back," Ben tells his father, nodding at Jeyna. "I don't want her anywhere near the fighting."
Han nods, even as Jeyna opens her mouth to argue. Ben seems to sense the argument coming, as he ignites the blue lightsaber at his side. His eyes hold hers, commanding. "I can't focus if I am worrying about you. Stay back," he insists. She nods reluctantly.
Revan approaches the hatch and pauses there. "Soon. Very soon," he says quietly, as though musing to himself. She's taken aback by the unexpected longing in his voice. She wonders, bizarrely, if he is looking forward to his death. Surely that can't be what he means.
Her mouth drops open when he holds out his sabers, one in each hand. They ignite at the same time, and she sees one is indeed a purple beam, as historical records had suggested. But the second surprises her. Rather than the red she'd been expecting, she realizes it is a deep, burning orange. How many times had she imagined this sight as she read about him? The legendary Jedi and Sith Lord Revan, ready for battle?
Han pushes Jeyna back gently, away from the hatch. She can just see when Ben joins Revan, slamming his hand on the panel to open the door. The reaction is immediate, as blaster fire erupts outside. Revan flings an arm out, and she sees a few of the troopers past the doorway flung backwards and out of her line of sight. Then they both depart down the ramp, in a flurry of spinning lightsabers.
"Chewie, let's see if we can give them some cover!" Han shouts. He and the Wookie approach the opening, firing and occasionally ducking back to find cover.
Jeyna stays back as she's been told, cringing every time the large bowcaster goes off. She clenches her jaw in frustration, wishing there were something she could do to help. But as soon as she thinks it, she feels a wave of disapproval from Ben in response. She can't see much anyway, where she is tucked out of the way of danger.
But she can hear plenty, and realizes the sounds of enemy fire are slowing down. She moves, getting closer to the doorway to see what is happening. She can just make out Ben and Revan, nearly clearing the hangar. They move together, back to back, their lightsabers blurring with their rapid motions. From this distance, it is a haze of purple, blue, and reddish orange, a dizzying whirl. The stormtroopers can't land a hit, and they are easily cut down until she loses sight of them.
Gradually, the blaster sounds fade to nothing, as Ben and Revan push ahead. Chewie steps out of the ship, checking around before waving Han forward. She joins him cautiously, trying to see more as the sound of their lightsabers is distant. But Ben and Revan are too far ahead, moving with brutal efficiency together. Jeyna is anxious, relying solely on their connection to feel that Ben is safe.
"Stay behind me," Han requests. "And don't do anything stupid. Please."
She makes a noise of agreement, distracted as she can finally see the rest of the hangar. It's different from the Finalizer, and she realizes they must have landed on the Supremacy. The massive space is nearly empty of TIE fighters, which means most of their ships have joined the battle that is raging above Corellia. There are flashes of it outside, through the magnetic shield that keeps the atmosphere in.
Jeyna tries to avoid looking at the fallen troopers, even as she notices some of them have been flung clear across the hangar. They lay crumpled on the other side, in distorted positions.
"Well, it's not pretty," Han remarks. He is surveying the exterior of the Millennium Falcon. "But it'll get us out of here, at least."
There is heavy scarring from laser fire on the vessel, some of it penetrating deep into the hull. They're lucky none of it broke through entirely. The shields must have absorbed enough energy to protect the integrity of the ship.
There is blaster fire ahead, somewhere deeper in the ship. Jeyna's head whips that way, renewed worry for Ben filling her.
"Look out!" Han calls suddenly, dragging her back towards the Falcon's loading ramp. She is confused until an X-wing comes screaming into the hangar bay from the blackness of space outside. It lands swiftly, joined by two more a moment later.
Luke climbs down from the first X-wing, surveying the place quickly. "I don't know how long we're going to be able to hold them off," he tells Han.
"They're headed towards the bridge," Han replies, a moment before he pulls Jeyna back behind him. She flinches as he fires, his blaster bolt connecting with a stormtrooper that has appeared across the hangar. A squad of them pour into the space from a corridor, and Chewie aims his bowcaster. The troopers are flung up into the air by the blast, dropping like dead weights a moment later.
The Rebels from the other X-wings join them, taking up defensive positions. "I'm going after them. Can you hold down the hangar bay?" Luke asks urgently.
"You got it," Han confirms.
Jeyna freezes as Luke's blue eyes survey her for a moment, gaze analytical. She wonders what the former Jedi is thinking, before he gives a sigh of impatience. "Well come on," he says abruptly. "Let's head out." He gestures in the direction that leads to the control center of the ship.
"She should stay here, it's safer," Han tries to argue.
Luke shakes his head. "I'll watch out for her. She needs to go," he insists. Jeyna furrows her brow in confusion, but can't deny that she wants to go after Ben.
Minutes Later
They race down hallway after hallway, the shiny black floors of the Supremacy littered with the unconscious or dead bodies of stormtroopers. At one point they pass a security droid, exploded into pieces. Luke handles the few personnel they run into with ease, though he relies solely on nonlethal means. Most of their journey to the bridge is surprisingly easy. Ben and Revan appear to make an unstoppable combination, judging by the trail of wreckage left in their wake.
Jeyna senses as they get closer to Ben, even as his energy battles with something darker. She realizes she can feel the Emperor, his cold void of power apparent when he lashes out at Ben. And very distantly, she can detect Revan. Their connection is nothing like hers and Ben's, but enough that she can just feel him in the force.
Are they fighting together? They must have reached the Emperor. Her pace accelerates as she subconsciously drives herself towards them faster, the need to make sure Ben is safe overriding common sense. She's stopped when Luke catches her arm.
She looks back at him. "What are you doing? We need to go!" Jeyna demands irrationally.
"I'm not letting you get yourself killed a second time," Luke explains calmly, holding her from charging ahead. "Wait a moment."
Jeyna struggles with the inability to act, feeling the turbulence in the force so close ahead. She knows logically that Ben would want her to stay safe, but her every instinct wants more. "But they're fighting!" she protests. "What if they need help?"
She stares, agape as Luke deactivates his saber. "No. They're winning," he says plainly. She furrows her brow questioningly. "Focus. Look past your own fear for him. Feel his emotions," Luke suggests.
She tries, reaching out for Ben in the way that is like habit to her now. The energy of the three force users is so chaotic, she has a hard time focusing on him alone. But the longer she tries, the more Ben alone comes into focus. He isn't afraid or desperate, as she's felt before. There is something like calmness in him, a confidence.
"It's almost over," Luke reassures, dropping his hand that had been restraining.
"Then why did I need to come here?" Jeyna asks in confusion. "Why didn't you just leave me in the hangar?"
"Call it a feeling," Luke answers vaguely. She searches his gaze, but finds it completely unreadable. "I think it's about time."
She stares after Luke as he walks forward, still confused, before following. They reach the doorway at the end of the hall, and it slides open to reveal the bridge. It's nearly abandoned, as though the First Order officers had the good sense to flee.
But the view through the transparisteel windows makes up for it, cluttered with activity. The tangled mess of Rebel ships and TIE fighters is visible, battling in the blackness of space. Far out is the Resistance command ship, the one Leia must be on.
Jeyna follows Luke further into the bridge, passed damaged computers and holo screens. Equipment is shattered and sparking, though she can't tell what has caused all the destruction. Her attention is captured when she sees Ben, standing over Revan with his blue lightsaber held at the ready.
Revan is collapsed on the floor, his body spasming. Has he already done it? Is his body once again being shared with the Emperor? He looks to be struggling internally, hands digging like claws against the floor. Luke approaches the pair, his green saber igniting as he joins his nephew above the former Sith lord. They seem to be waiting, letting Revan battle for control but ready to act if he fails.
Jeyna hangs back, uncertainly searching for Hux. What happened to him, if the Emperor is no longer possessing him? When she finally spots him, cold horror washes over her.
Hux is lying, abandoned by a command console. Jeyna creeps nearer as she realizes he is conscious, though he looks to be gasping for breath. His skin is a ghastly gray tone, his hair mussed and drenched with sweat. His face is gaunt, sunken to purple half-moons beneath each eye. Hux's cheeks are hollowed, his whole body shriveled as through something has fed on his energy, ravenously. Is this what the Emperor did to him? Did Vitiate burn him up from the inside, leaving this wrecked body behind?
Jeyna steps closer, hesitant with fear but drawn by the fact that she can feel him. Somehow in the force, she can feel Hux for the very first time. She's never strongly felt another person besides Ben or Revan, and even then, it was their power or minds that she sensed.
It's not like that now. She pushes further within the force, driven by curiosity. Something within the broken general screams to be noticed.
She stops near Hux's trembling body, dropping to her knees at his side. His eyes roll open, focusing on hers, the whites of them a sickly yellow. Tears fill her vision as she realizes what she is feeling is his soul, laid bare before her.
His struggle fills her senses, his pain and terror at facing imminent death overwhelming. Hux is clinging to life with each rattling breath, every moment an agony that drags weak sobs from his lips. His face is quaking, the muscles shaking of their own accord out of exhaustion and pain.
Her anger at the man who has tried to kill her, time and time again, fades until it is nothing. The hatred she's long felt for him falls away with it. She can't hate him, not when she can feel him like this. She truly sees for the first time, peers underneath the ugliness of his actions. Beneath the desperate ambition that drove him, his soul is screaming in need.
Hux's hand reaches out to her, spastically, and on impulse she takes it. She gently holds on, his fingers ice cold in her grasp. His eyes burrow into hers, pleading and wild. He's just a point in the web of life. A node in the connections to everything, a part of a whole. But he doesn't know that. Hux is alone in his last moments, unable to feel the force. He's terrified to die like this, trapped and resisting the unknown.
Jeyna acts on her instinct, letting her empathy guide her in the force. She doesn't know what she is doing, but her intent drives her as she tries to reach out. She wants to comfort him, to bring him awareness.
Jeyna can feel it when she accomplishes the small connection, letting her energy flow into him. His eyes widen in shock, his shaking lips falling open. Hux's hand tightens on hers, and relief floods through his mind. The connection is enough for him to realize he is not alone, as he had always believed.
She focuses on his pain, before faltering with uncertainty. Jeyna looks up, and realizes that though Ben is still focused on Revan, Luke is staring knowingly at her. He nods.
Jeyna closes her eyes, and lets her mind concentrate on the cause of Hux's pain. Her energy flows through his body to soothe what it can. The force works with her, healing what has been broken and torn apart. It's not enough, not nearly enough to stop it entirely. The injury is extensive, a web of destruction that stretches throughout his system.
But she knows when she's managed to fix just enough of the damage done to him. His life force is no longer wavering uncertainly on the brink. She's pulled him back from the edge of death, the energy she's given enough to preserve his life. The force's currents are stronger in him now, and will hold him over until he can get proper medical attention.
When Jeyna opens her eyes again, Hux's face has relaxed. She watches a tear escape, travelling down his pale skin to disappear into his hair. His gaze is startled, confusion and relief mixing there in equal amount. "I would've killed you," Hux breathes, his voice a faint rasp. His hand still squeezes hers, clinging to her.
"I know," Jeyna says softly. But it doesn't matter to her, not anymore. His actions against her, the way he had demeaned her… it means nothing now that she can understand him like this. His motivations were driven by his weaknesses, his faults, his fears. They are only a clutter, an obscuring over what she can detect in him. There is light in his soul, and it only needs to grow.
Hux's eyes search hers, desperate to understand. "I forgive you," Jeyna tells him. His breath leaves his chest in a shaky exhale. More tears overflow from his eyes as her words sink in through the small bond she's managed to form between them. It is not just forgiveness, but an invitation. Jeyna feels the effect of those simple words on his soul, that call to something better resonating.
Something shifts within Hux, something that has been buried deeply for too long. It burns brighter, surging stronger. Her small action has turned the tide within him.
Jeyna looks away when she realizes movement is happening across the bridge. Luke has refocused on Revan as the man shifts, pulling himself up from the floor to kneel. Uncle and nephew raise their lightsabers in unison, waiting to see what Revan does next.