Paralyzed
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A/N-thank you very much to everyone who kindly reviewed the last chapter. I am sorry I can't reply to your reviews personally this time. Once again this site isn't showing them, although I can still read them in my emails.
Chapter Forty-Pledge
Ben felt a painful throbbing behind his eyes. He hastily put down the package of medical supplies he was helping Poe load onto their ship. He immediately sensed something was wrong with Rey. He felt the insistent pumping of his heart against his chest. His fingers curled into a fist, nails digging into his palm. He tried to slow his rapid breathing as he concentrated on reaching out to Rey telepathically.
"Sweetheart, what's wrong?"
He was hit with wave upon wave of silent panic coming from Rey, as well as a host of blurry images. Ben focused on those images, the throbbing behind his eyes intensifying as he attempted to obtain a clearer visual definition. Slowly the images became sharper, more defined and distinct, almost like putting on a pair of glasses, the specialised lenses enhancing his surroundings. Fear engulfed his conscience, knocking all other thoughts aside at he saw the Knights of Ren surrounding Rey in a threatening circle. His fear tortured his gut, churning into tense cramps.
Poe was unaware of his silent agony as he joined Ben on the ramp. "You feeling alright, Solo? You don't look well."
The paralyzing fear for Rey's safety spread through Ben's body like icy, liquid metal. He was helpless, too far away to help her. He should never have left her unprotected. He had failed her in the worst way. Despair robbed him of all control as he reached out and gripped Poe's shoulders. "The base has been breached. The Knights of Ren found a way in."
The blood drained from Poe's face and he suddenly looked as sickly as Ben. "How do you know that? How?"
"The bond." Ben spat as he let go of Poe and bit down hard on his bottom lip. Salty blood filled his mouth as he tried to concentrate. Slowly, the cogs in his brain began to turn as he tried to work out a quick solution to his dilemma. He was too far away physically to help Rey in her battle, but he could reach her another way. He turned back to Poe and looked at him steadily, his resolution pushing through the veil of his fear. "You remember what Skywalker did on Crait?" He said hoarsely.
Poe's frazzled mind took a moment to catch up. "He fought you, but…." He stopped speaking, his eyes widening slightly. "You can't be serious!"
"It's the only way I can get to her." Ben was barely holding it together. "Skywalker fooled me with his Force projection, I can fool the Knights."
"But the effort killed him." Poe reminded Ben forcefully. "What good will you be to Rey dead?"
"I'm younger than Skywalker and stronger. It will take a lot of energy but it won't kill me." Ben's brown eyes were alight with fervour as he stared at Dameron. "It's the only way."
Poe knew Ben well enough to know there was no changing his mind. "What do you want me to do, Solo?" He asked.
"Contact the base and send a warning."
"That goes without saying."
"And get us back there as fast as you can."
"I can do that." Poe watched the zeal die in Ben's eyes slightly as he swallowed thickly. "And what else?" He coaxed gently.
"Dameron, I know it's a small chance…. but if something does happen to me…." Ben left the rest unsaid.
"She'll be looked after, Solo." Poe vowed as he met Ben's anxious gaze. "I promise."
Ben was too choked with emotion to respond verbally so he just nodded. He wondered when he and Dameron had moved from reluctant allies to actual friends, because that's what they were now, he was sure of it. Until Rey, Ben had been a loner most of his life. He didn't trust easily, too many in his life had let him down, or used him for their own selfish purposes. Snoke and Palpatine had twisted and warped his perception of other people so badly that he struggled to read their intentions, always jumping to the worst conclusion possible, believing no one could actually like him just for himself. How wrong he had been, about everything.
Rey had used the time talking to Vicrul trying to assess her opponent's weaknesses. The Knights of Ren were neither Jedi nor Sith, but members of a new generation of Force-sensitive adepts that emerged to fill the void left by the demise of the last Sith Lords. The Knights' connection to the Force was muted by a lack of formal training. The dark side surged through the Knights during combat, but Rey remembered Ben telling her once that they used the dark side like a hammer, whereas a fully trained Jedi knight wielded the light side as a blade.
While responding to Vicrul's continued taunts, Rey noticed out of the corner of her eye that Rose had reached for the blaster that was lying on the card table and hidden it behind her back. The girl had gumption. The odds were against them, but when their backs were against the wall, Rose Tico wasn't one to go down without a fight. Rey felt a familiar prickling at the back of her mind and knew instantly it was Ben trying to contact her, she didn't have time to answer him directly but instead sent him a confusing jumble of images, her panic rising slightly at the knowledge that he might do something stupid knowing that her life was in imminent danger.
"We're still waiting for an answer, Rey Palpatine. Who will you sacrifice?" Vicrul sneered.
Rey called upon the Force to steady her nerves as she faced down Vicrul with an imperious smile, imbuing her with a confidence she didn't really feel. "You are giving me the freedom to choose?" She asked disdainfully.
Vicrul laughed, the cruel sound coming out muffled from under his intimidating mask. "There is no need to choose. We have a perfect candidate right here." He declared, brandishing his weapon toward Rose. "Take her." He ordered the others.
Rey felt a cold shiver ripple down her spine at the quiet gasp that Rose elicited. She stepped in front of her, shielding Rose from the Knights view. "Since when did Vicrul become your leader?" She demanded icily. She got the reaction she wanted out of them when she heard their rumblings of discontent.
"She's right. We don't take orders from you, Vicrul." Trudgen shoved Vicrul aside roughly and took his place. "But what he said still stands. Make the sacrifice, Scavenger. We are fast losing patience."
This was it. She had run out of time to stall. Rey glanced behind her at Rose, warning her to be ready. Rose looked back at her steadily, the forefinger of her right hand slipping the safety catch off the blaster as she prepared to defend herself. Resolved, Rey glared at the Knights disdainfully. "You want a sacrifice. I'll…"
Rey's answer was cut off when the doors to her quarters slid open revealing Ben on the other side. But he wasn't wearing the clothes he had left in, but was in full Kylo Ren battle garb. His black cloak swirled behind him as he marched into the room, his solid presence and steely gaze causing the Knights to naturally part and clear a path for him. When he reached Rey, he looked deeply into her shocked eyes, conveying with his own for her to just follow along and trust him.
"Ben, what have you done?" She moaned in fear when it dawned on her the risk he was taking.
Ben didn't respond as he reluctantly broke their intense gaze and turned to face the confused Knights. They couldn't work out how he had managed to conceal his presence from them. They reached out clumsily to the Force, searching for his unique Force signature, but other than an underlying hum, they couldn't detect him.
"Is this some new trick you've learned, Kylo?" Vicrul snarled impatiently as he pushed past Trudgen and resumed his role as spokesman.
Ben ignored Vicrul's blustering and scowled darkly. "What exactly are you all doing here?" He demanded.
"Following your last orders." Kuruk piped up. "Hunting the scavenger."
"But while we were on the hunt, we learned a few interesting facts." Cardo added. "We heard rumours that our esteemed leader had switched sides."
"We refused to believe them at first." Kuruk continued ruthlessly. "So, we decided to do some digging ourselves."
"And lo and behold they turned out to be true." Ap'lek finished for them.
Ben's eyes narrowed as he strode forward, his intimidating presence sending Ap'lek, the smaller knight, scuttling backwards. "You forget that you serve me and me alone." He roared as he ignited his cross guarded saber. The red plasma blade shot out, crackling like an angry dragon's flame as he swept it before him, driving the Knights further backwards as they tried to avoid its stinging bite.
But the Knights soon rallied, drawing together in a well-honed group with Vicrul at their head. "We serve a master, but it was never you, Kylo." He jeered.
This shocking revelation caused Ben to falter. He lost concentration and the image he was projecting to the knights began to flicker. He tried to summon more energy to strengthen it, but his slip up had cost him dearly. With a loud war cry Trudgen leapt forward and struck at him, only to find his weapon going right through Ben.
"What in hell?" Trudgen cussed as he jabbed at Ben again, only to find the same thing happening.
"It is a trick!" Vicrul laughed in triumph as he approached Ben's wavering image. "You'll live to rue this day, Kylo." He threatened as he levelled his scythe in Rey's direction.
Ben felt himself weakening. He cast a desperate glance in Rey's direction as his vision began to fade. She met his fearful gaze with equal desperation. Ben knew he was going to pass out at any moment as he lost the strength to maintain the Force projection. "Rey!" He cried her name into the empty void as he sank into unconsciousness.
Rey's breathing became erratic, deep, then shallow. She tried to fight it as well as fighting the rising fear inside her. Each time this happened part of her became stronger, learning how to cope, part of her weakened. To recover, she gave this new version of fear a name and she crowned it fear of failure. Against it she pit the fear of never trying, of failing through cowardice. This is how she always managed to keep moving forward, why others mistakenly thought she was brave. She wasn't. A lifetime of harsh living had taught her how to push through fear better than other people.
"I love you, Ben." She reached out to him telepathically even though she could feel him sinking into oblivion.
"Well, Rey Palpatine, we're right back where we started." Vicrul taunted her. "It's time to make the sacrifice or die."
"If you are so insistent that I make a sacrifice, then I choose you!" Rey cried; she summoned the Force to aid her as she launched her attack on Vicrul.
Behind her she heard a blaster go off as Rose backed her up, already scoring a hit on Trudgen who roared his defiance as the blaster bolt found its target. Rey battled Vicrul furiously, easily deflecting his weapon as he tried to use his greater height and strength to wear her down. Ap'lek came up on her other side and her free hand shot out as she swept him aside with the Force, slamming him into the opposite wall. Rose was using the back of the sofa to shield herself as she kept firing her blaster at the frustrated knights.
Rey sent another one of the knights flying as he came up behind her, froze another one in mid-air as he tried to back up Vicrul. But the effort was taking its toll. There were just too many of them and she wasn't strong enough alone to maintain the momentum she needed to defeat them. Vicrul managed to get in a cruel strike, if it wasn't for Rose's expert marksmanship, she could have lost her hand as the blaster bolt hit Vicrul in his shoulder, forcing him to drop his weapon before it reached her wrist. It gave Rey the chance to sink her saber into his chest, wounding him fatally. He slumped to the ground, his death rattle sounding loud to her ears.
There was a sudden deathly silence. Rey, breathing hard, stared as the other knights drew back together into a tight knit unit with Trudgen taking Vicrul's place at their head. As one they knelt down on one knee in front of her, bowing their heads respectfully.
"You completed the sacrifice as promised, Rey Palpatine." Trudgen's voice came out low and husky from underneath his helmet. "You have earned your place amongst us and we pledge ourselves to you as the granddaughter of the one true Emperor."
Rey had no chance to respond as the Resistance fighters chose that moment to storm her quarters with Hux among them.
A/N-thanks for reading. Please review if you have the time.