Rey always hated it when Ben chocked people with the force.
She could sense their fear, their helplessness.
It made her sick.
Portraying the strong, fearsome leader she could never show it, of course.
Her angry screams at him when they were alone in their chambers were all the more louder.
"HOW CAN YOU DO THAT! IT´S AGAINST EVERYTHING WE TRY TO FIGHT! YOU AREN´T BETTER THAN SNOKE WHEN YOU DO IT!"
Ben didn't lie, again.
When he told her "I need to do it. Just think about it. We are surrounded by highly trained fighters handling the deadliest weapons in the universe. On top of that the structure they built their hopes for order and peace on is in disarray." she knew he believed it.
She did.
Yet there something else.
Ben remembered those moments why they were talking.
And Rey felt enjoyment.
But over what?
Holding his troops together or letting his anger win, feeling good by lashing out, letting go of any control?
That day she did it Rey knew.
It was both.
The officer was from a unit that fought on a distant planet, for months then.
Rey had never seen him before.
But she sensed that something was off when he entered the room.
Ben did too.
But both couldn't focus on the source. Didn't know who it was.
Afterwards they found out that the assassin was force sensitive, shielded himself.
He used all the people in the room, around 20, to his advantage too.
Hide between their thoughts and feelings also.
They could have cleared the room and question everyone but who knew how many were involved, what else could start if they ticked him off.
But Rey was on edge, like Ben.
Even then the assassin still nearly got them.
He had a plan.
An explosion went off in the hangar.
Some of the officers jumped up.
Ben and Rey didn't. The assassin didn't.
Another explosion and gun shots down the hall way.
Fear started to rule the room.
"WE HAVE TO GO!"
"A COUP ON THE LEADERS SHIP!"
"BRING THE SUPREME LEADERS TO SAFETY!"
Rey yelled at everyone.
"WE ARENT LEAVING. ALARM ALL TROOPS! SEARCH THE INTRUDERS! PROTECT THE REACTOR ROOM! NOW!"
Some saluted and ran out of the room. Some checked on Ben who smiled and nodded.
Then those were off too.
The 2 had no guards, Ben always said that those would scream "weakness".
So they were alone.
If there was an assassin in the room he was gone.
*Why would he….." Rey couldn't finish her thought.
Ben used his force powers to throw her out of the room.
Then he jumped.
Too late.
A bomb went off.
Everything went black.
Seconds later Rey woke up to a high pitched sound in her head.
She didn't know where she was, when.
Then one thought pulled her back to then and there.
One name.
"BEN!
She forced her eyes to open up.
Just in time.
The assassin stood over Ben´s body who was clearly unconscious.
A blaster aimed at his head.
"NOOOO!"
There was no Rey.
No thought.
No plan.
Just pure rage.
She pushed her right hand up.
The attacker flew against the wall behind him.
One could hear break bones.
See cracks in the wall.
But Rey didn't look. Didn't care…..
She jumped up and used force super speed to be beside Ben in the blink of an eye.
Checking his head, feeling his pulse.
Pulling him close.
A sigh of relief.
A "thank the force".
For a moment all rage and pain had left her, there was peace, peace in all the chaos.
In the echoes of blaster shots and screams.
Then another sound.
A moan of pain.
The attacker was trying to get up.
Rey felt it.
Again.
It felt so…..natural. So good.
Her rage, her hatred.
As if it was reaching deep into her soul, her heart.
Feeding of things long unsealed.
She didn't care in that moment.
She had one goal. To stop the attack, obtain information.
Her sharp mind and the months of training with the First Order kicked in.
And the wish to take revenge.
Before the man knew what happened she was up and pushed him against the wall.
With her force power.
Days later she would fearful asks herself how it could have been so easy to just do it but then she just started:
she chocked him.
One question followed.
Her voice as cold as her eyes were burning.
"Who are you? Who is attacking us?"
The man tried to resist.
He believed that Kylo Ren and Rey were a threat to his unit, his men and women, his commanders.
The assassin gave it his all.
She broke his mind in seconds.
Used his fear, his fear to die in her air sucking grip to break into his weakened soul.
When she had what she needed Rey let him fall on the floor and without any more thought wasted on him she called Hux to inform him about the strength of the intruders and their plan, which places they wanted to sabotage.
With her information Hux and his storm troopers got the situation under control.
Rey waited on Ben´s side till a medical team arrived.
"Protect him with your lives and bring him back or I will make you pay!"
What Rey didn't see but those men and women will never forget was that her eyes turned red,
just for a moment, when she said that.
Then she was off fighting and protecting her soldiers.
Ben recovered quickly that day and the morning after.
But he slept.
And Rey was alone with herself.
Being afraid of what had happened.
She even tried to talk with the attacker, to calm her mind…..to prove to him…..or herself that
her actions weren't misguided.
That it had to be done.
All she found was a man fearing for his life.
Crying the moment he saw her.
She turned around in his cell and left.
That night she was alone in their bed.
So alone.
Tears.