Hi everybody ! Thank you for reading !
Base Haven-Planet Arbra- Outer Rim:
All the main officers of the Resistance were gathered in the command room. Chewie was standing at the back and sulking in silence. He still hadn't processed the fact that Rey had left the base aboard the Millennium Falcon without him. Leia had admitted to him that she'd sent the young woman on a mission with R2-D2 and C-3PO. Annoyed to learn that his faithful friend had preferred the two droids over him, the Wookie let out an irritated groan.
But for the moment, the general had other preoccupations than the moodiness of the furry giant. Communication with Derra had just been established and Maz's wrinkled face appeared in three dimensions above the holocom. Leia turned her head towards the entrance just as Poe entered the room to blend into the dim light. He also really had not appreciated Leia's secretiveness, so he was scowling just like Chewie.
"Hello to everyone, wherever you are!" the little orange-skinned woman exclaimed with a cheerful tone.
"Hello Maz, it's good to hear your voice," Leia replied. "I suppose you already know about the annexation of Naboo by the First Order, and that's why you're contacting us?"
"Indeed, I have some news. Leman Drill managed to escape the Hux's troops with some members of the royal council. He took with him all the files and data that could compromise the caches and identities of the Resistance allies. We received his distress message an hour ago. He is waiting for us at our checkpoint on M'haeli."
A sigh of collective relief ran through the audience.
"Very good Maz! Can you go find them as quickly as possible and bring them back to your base? I'll send someone to you on Derra to escort everyone here. Maybe Leman will be able to tell us more about what happened on Naboo?"
The humanoid creature's tiny nostrils twitched.
"No problem, Leia ... Oh, and if that 'someone' could be my dear and tender Chewie, that would be a great pleasure," she added wickedly.
The general and everyone around the table smiled at that as the communication was cut off, and the older woman glanced sideways at the Wookiee, who was still grumbling against the pillar. Poe, arms crossed over his chest and face closed, was about to leave the assembly when Leia hailed him.
"Captain Dameron, a word please!"
The general passed in front of him and the pilot followed her unenthusiastically to one of the next rooms. He closed the door behind them and forced himself to lift his head, unable to further hide his annoyance.
"Yes, General?"
"Glacial" was really the proper adjective to qualify the pilot's tone.
"Please, Dameron, how long are you going to sulk for?" Leia was livid.
"Oh, so you care about my opinion now?"
"You are a great pilot, Poe, but you can be so childish sometimes!"
"Me? I'm childish?"
"Yes you are ! I have already told you a hundred times that Rey's departure was necessary and I will explain everything in due time. But for now, you have to trust me, and trust Rey!"
"It's about Kylo Ren, isn't it?"
The question took Leia off guard, and for a brief moment she struggled to hold the captain's penetrating glare. She was searching for an answer when he immediately continued:
"I was sure of it. So, let me guess ... He appeared in one of their little private connections and assured her that it was not really him on the videos, so she rushed headlong into this fool's errand to find him and convince him to join the nice rebels? And you, of course, you gave your approval and organized the whole escapade!"
Poe certainly had a lot of flaws, but being a fool was not one of them. His assumptions were of course accurate and Leia looked down, resigned.
"Dameron …" she sighed.
"I see you're not denying it. Perfect. Are any other members of the staff aware of these arrangements?"
The general remained silent and Poe had his answer. Then, no longer holding back, he exploded.
"Damn it! It's insane! Do you realize what you've done?"
"Dameron, you're going beyond the limits!" Leia retorted, raising her head sharply.
Poe understood a little late that he had gone too far. He then ran a hand over his face to try to calm down.
"Pardon me, general."
Leia could see that he was very affected by the situation. And besides, how could she blame him? He was right. Nobody was aware of the initiative taken by the two women, and she did not intend to inform others before having heard from Rey and deciding what to do with Kylo Ren. Poe had to hold his tongue for now. Leia decided it was time to defuse the conflict and took a step towards the pilot to gently put her hand on his forearm.
"Poe, please. You know that the only thing that matters to me is the safety of everyone here. You also know that I have a lot of esteem and affection for you. So yes, Kylo Ren is my son. Yes, he is our enemy. Yes, Rey and I made a plan together and did not tell anyone. I'm so sorry. But imagine that she is right about him and that he is now in the crosshairs of the First Order. Imagine that she's getting information from him that could help us fight them, information about the new weapons they're building, or that she…"
"Or that she gets killed?" Dameron let out, holding the general's gaze.
The rebel leader replied with a sad smile.
"She is stronger than you think and maybe she can …"
"Leia." The pilot interrupted her again. His voice was a whisper, as if speaking lower would help to soften the harshness of the words he was about to pronounce. "Your son isn't coming back."
The general squeezed her fingers around Poe's arm a little harder.
"I know…" She was struggling against the tears trapped at the corners of her eyelashes. "But something good can come out of all this mess and all this suffering, something that will fuel the hope that one day the Resistance will prevail."
The pilot felt Leia's hand tremble and he capitulated. He hugged the older woman and put his chin on the top of her head.
"Okay, let's trust Rey," he conceded. "And I'm going to take Chewie with me to get the Naboo delegation on Derra. Leman Drill will be delighted to see a familiar face, and Maz will be happy to be reunited with her favorite Wookiee."
"Thank you, Poe," Leia said, wiping away the tear that had just slid down her cheek.
OoooooO
Somewhere on Berith- Outer Rim :
Rey was sweating and writhing as best she could to reach the damaged valve in the cooling module. She had nearly burned her calf twice against the big overheated pipe issuing a small jet of steam on her left, , which did not bode well. She stretched out her arm as much as she could and bit her bottom lip.
Another effort ... Phew! Done!
Her pants were stained with engine grease and her hair stuck to her forehead in sweaty locks by the time Rey was able to give a final turn of the wrench to this damn bolt, sealing the leak. She took a deep breath, wiped the hair off her face, and began to gather her tools one by one from the outside edge of the hatch through which she had come. Then she laid both hands flat on the edge and began to boost herself up. As she emerged, she saw Ben leaning against one of the walls of the room, staring at her.
The effect was the same each time he looked at her: something in her was vibrating and her heart was quickening.
Seeing that Rey had finally noticed him, he left his observation post to come to extend a hand to her. When she raised her own hand, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her out of the hole. Carried away by her momentum, she found herself pressed against him and her hand clung instinctively to his shoulder to find balance.
Oh Maker, how could his eyes devour her that way, while she was sweaty, dressed like a scarecrow, and had grease on her face?
She felt herself blush – but maybe he would think she was just hot – when, with a slow gesture, he picked up the last wild locks of hair stuck to her cheek and slid them behind her ear. She could not help but close her eyes at his touch on her heated skin. She wanted to kiss him, as she had earlier ... And she felt that he wanted it too. But C-3PO and R2-D2 were checking the circuits in the nearby hold and could reappear at any time. She didn't want to explain to the droids why she was hanging on the lips of the so-called Supreme Leader of the First Order.
Ben kept her pressed against him. She took a deep breath and felt drunk on his deliciously masculine scent.
"Thanks," she murmured, shaking her head. "I've just finished with the cooling system module. I took care of the leak but I don't know if it will hold."
"I just checked the inertial compensator. The auxiliary circuit of the motivator is dead," Ben announced. "Now according to the scan of the planet, there is absolutely nothing here apart from old craters, some streams, insects, and rodents."
Berith was a viable planet, but not really very hospitable. They had landed on a barren moor, where the low vegetation, composed of shrubs with silvery foliage, was covering a bed of red slag and volcanic gravel. The monumental silhouette of a dormant volcano rose in front of them until it touched the sky, the summit disappearing in the clouds.
"Our stock of rations will allow us to hold out for a few days, but without spare parts we'll be stuck here for a while. I'm going to try to contact the Resistance to tell them where we are. If I'm successful, they'll send us help, and especially the parts we need to fix the Falcon."
Rey did not have time to finish her sentence before Ben stood up brusquely and turned to leave the common room.
"Ben, wait!"
He ignored her and walked towards the ramp. Rey managed to catch him as he exited the ship.
"You know that we have no choice!" she darted behind him.
"And what do you think your rebel friends will say when they come here and find me by your side? I won't let them take me prisoner without a fight!" he threatened.
Rey swallowed hard.
"I know …" was all she found to answer.
She had no idea what had happened on Haven after she left and how Leia had handled the situation. Had the general kept the secret? Or had she been forced to tell the truth to the other rebels, to Poe, Finn and Rose, about her trip to Tatooine in order to find Ben? And if so, how did they react? Leia was unquestionably their leader, but the members of the Resistance might not continue to follow her, knowing that she had endorsed Rey's plan to "negotiate" with the infamous Kylo Ren.
Anyway, Ben and she had their backs to the wall. The Falcon was unable to fly and it was not possible to wait for a hypothetical ship to land on Berith to help them.
Ben's gaze softened when he saw the young woman sigh helplessly. A little hesitant at first, she finally approached him and put her hand over his heart and her forehead in the hollow of his neck. He breathed in the subtle scent of Naboo's flowers in her hair and wrapped his arms around her.
"If they try anything, I'll defend myself, Rey."
"I know ..." she repeated, closing her eyes.
OoooooO
Base Haven-Planet Arbra- Outer Rim:
Berith, in the Lannik system at the heart of the Mid Rim.
Rey had just contacted her from this planet. The transmission had been very bad but Leia had understood the point. The Falcon needed repairs (apparently a motivator problem), Rey was fine and Ben was with her. They had escaped the First Order on Tatooine, which confirmed the young woman's theory: her son had been stripped of his status as Supreme Leader because Hux and his knights had turned against him. Leia did not know if she should laugh or cry. Her mother's heart had wanted to exult, but reason advised her to be careful and not to forget that as long as Kylo Ren lived, Ben Solo could never find the path to the Light.
As expected, Poe had gone to Derra with Chewie. The pilot had kept his word and said nothing to the others, but he had made Leia promise to reveal everything after returning to the base with Leman Drill.
But for now, Leia needed to send someone to Berith to help Rey and Ben.
OooooO
Somewhere on Berith-Planet of the Outer Rim:
The soft heat inside the cabin was soothing. The bunk was not large, but it was comfortable enough to recover from the fatigue accumulated during the last hours. And Rey needed a little sleep. She pulled off her shoes and stained pants, leaving only her underwear and top. She felt that she was slowly falling into dreamland when something soft came into contact with her thigh. Fingers were caressing her skin. She jumped slightly and was about to open her eyes when a deep, familiar voice stopped her.
"No. Keep them closed."
A massive body stretched out against her and she shifted a little to make room for him. The bold hand slid a little higher. Her breathing quickened and she shivered.
"Shhhh ..." She heard whispering against her ear.
Ben. It was Ben. By all the suns of the galaxy ...
He was touching her. He slowly went up between her legs and she was suddenly unable to think properly.
Was he really going to ...
She opened her mouth to form a silent "oh" when he reached her core and his thumb began to follow the lines of her lower lips through the fabric of her underwear. Then he went up again and his fingers slid under the hem of her underwear to continue their teasing back-and-forth movement against her folds.
Kriff ...
She had pleasured herself hundreds of times alone in her room on Haven or in her AT-AT on Jakku. But there, with him, it was so much better. She began to gasp. Her damp little bundle of nerves was pulsing like a heart under the caress of his index finger. The pleasure was shaking her body in waves, stronger and stronger. At the edge of ecstasy, she grabbed the hand that caressed her lower abdomen and ...
The temperature dropped suddenly. She opened her eyes sharply and struggled to understand what was happening. She was standing in the middle of a dark corridor, completely dressed, cheeks hot and sex still throbbing.
No ... no ... no ... what the ... ?
On both sides, there were metal doors with small round portholes. She stayed a moment without moving, still stunned by what was happening. It was not reality. Ben's caresses were not real either. It was a vision, or a dream.
Damn it! Why did the Force have to do that to her?
She finally decided to approach one of the doors and look through the glass: it was a space of just a few square meters, inside which she saw someone sleeping on a bunk against a wall. These rooms were cells ... She wanted to hit the glass to wake the prisoner when sudden footsteps sounded down the hall. A silhouette stopped in a circle of light spilling down from an opening in the ceiling. It was a magnificent woman in a long purple dress with delicate embroidery. Her abundant black hair had been meticulously worked to form an elaborate hairstyle on the top of her head and she was wearing a strange, crescent-shaped diadem. Rey could not clearly distinguish her face because of the backlight. She just noticed the strange way that her mouth was made up: her upper lip was tinged with red, and her lower lip was covered with white, with a scarlet vertical line drawn down the center of it. It was the traditional makeup of the Naboo queens. The figure reached for her and whispered softly, "My child."
Rey took a step in her direction. But all of a sudden, the light from the ceiling disappeared and the silhouette changed. In the shadows, instead of the queen, there now stood a figure dressed entirely in black and wearing the same kind of mask as Ben's.
A Knight of Ren ...
Rey jumped back. She was not armed and she was alone. She had to escape, and quickly! But when she turned to go back from where she came, she found only a gigantic wall that was blocking her way. Rey swiveled back and watched the individual slowly remove his metal helmet. A thin face was revealed with cold, piercing onyx eyes. The Knight was a woman and Rey quickly realized who she was dealing with: Sylla Ren. The amazon took a step forward, grabbed the saber attached to her belt and activated it.
"Kylo is mine ..." she hissed, glaring at Rey.
The scavenger raised an arm in front of her, hand extended.
The Force was going to help her ... It had to.
She tried to concentrate but nothing happened. She felt the air all around her warming up once again, the scenery changed, and Sylla was not there anymore.
Rey was now in a kind of bubble-like space beside an old woman who was staring at her with bewilderment. This woman was wearing a simple beige dress, and a long braid of white hair was hanging down her shoulder. On the outside, everything was dark, except for very distant lights that sparkled like the flames of candles.
"Who are you?" Rey asked, more and more destabilized by all these encounters.
Instead of answering her question, the old woman stared at the scavenger's chest, on which the Nabooan brooch was fixed in plain view.
"Oh Maker, it's you ..." she murmured before her big, clear eyes caught on Rey's again.
Then the young rebel opened her eyes, out of breath. She was now sitting on her bunk and back aboard the Millennium Falcon.
For a few seconds she felt that something was throbbing against her chest, over her own heart. Her fingers dipped under the first layer of her tunic and met only the cold and inert metal of the brooch. She took a minute to recover her emotions, then she got up painfully and went to the small wash basin attached to the adjacent wall. The splash of fresh, cold water on her face made her feel much better.
A dream ... it was just a dream ... Very nice at first and then ...
Ben's caresses were a fantasy she often thought of. But Sylla, staking her claim on him and threatening her, was an unexpected discovery.
And the Naboo queen, the old woman ... What did that mean? All these people had seemed to know her, and she had no idea why.
Get a grip, it's nothing…
She took a deep breath, pulled on clean pants and her shoes, and left the cabin.
Her mind still misty and more disturbed than ever, she tumbled into the common room. She saw Ben sitting behind the dejarik console, inspecting his lightsaber, his briefcase wide open on the bench to his left. It still contained a lot of galactic credits, but also one of his black outfits. On the game board in front of him was a pair of small rectangular devices. When Ben looked up at her, his face darkened.
"Are you okay?" he asked, a little worried.
The young woman nodded. She thought of Ben's fingers between her thighs and her cheeks blushed.
"I just slept for a few minutes and I had a very strange dream …"
Leia's son winced.
"A dream… I see. You must have already realized that 'dreams' can be very special for Force users. Do you want to talk about it?"
Rey had the feeling that she had to keep all this to herself, and try to understand alone what all these images meant.
"Not really. Where are C-3PO and Artoo?" she eluded.
"They're finishing up the shield repairs."
"Very well," the young woman smiled and joined Ben on the bench.
She grabbed one of the two small boxes for a closer look.
"What is it?" She turned the object around and scowled as Ben was slow to answer.
He still did not trust her, she thought, but then he finally decided to explain:
"It's a cloaking device. The two you see here" – he pointed to each cube – "are the only prototypes made by the First Order. I borrowed them from one of Hux's labs on the Finalizer."
"A cloaking device, all right... And how does it work?"
"It allows a medium-sized ship to be undetectable by any sensor over a limited period of time."
"Are you kidding me?" she erupted. "How long?"
"It depends on the size of the ship. An hour, a day ... Hux did not see fit to launch its production on a large scale, because the First Order always attacks in a direct way, with great reinforcements of destroyers. Stealth missions have always been considered a waste of time."
"You mean that with this, on Tatooine, the Falcon could have been invisible, and we could've escaped the First Order fighters and their cruiser without them noticing us? And it didn't occur to you to use your little gadget instead of letting them chase us and shoot at us?"
"They are for single use only. I took them in case of a really desperate situation."
Rey shifted the device a little too sharply on the table while glaring at him. At this precise moment, Ben smiled. The young woman could not believe her eyes, and her desire to grumble at him evaporated. He had a beautiful smile, and she realized it was the first time she had seen him lower his guard enough to express his contentment. Then Ben's eyes slid to her cleavage, where he had discerned the outlines of the brooch through the material of her tunic.
"You wear it now?" he asked.
So Rey detached the object from her top and gave it to him.
"Earlier, when I checked in my bag, I couldn't find it. It had slipped into the lining and I thought for a moment I'd lost it. I prefer to keep it on me from now on."
"Whatever was written on the back has been erased."
The young woman nodded.
"Have you ever seen a piece of jewelry like this before? Maybe when you were a child? During a visit to Naboo?"
"In fact, when I was a kid I spent a lot of time on Naboo waiting for Leia. I've seen many people wearing this kind of brooch, including the queen. But as you can imagine, I had other concerns at that time than the latest trends in royal wardrobe. Besides, what makes you think that this object really belonged to your father?"
"I don't know ... I have this strange feeling that it was his. Either someone gave it to him, or he stole it, or he inherited it from someone, because obviously he was never part of any royal council himself!"
"So are you the descendant of Naboo royalty, Rey from Jakku?" Ben quipped.
Slowly, he slid along on the bench to get closer to her and give her the brooch back. She took the jewel from his fingers, and Ben tilted his head to brush her earlobe. Then he hesitated a moment before laying a kiss against her temple.
They were once again alone in the world. Ben's warm breath against her cheek made her shudder. The tip of his nose caressed her cheekbone and he slid his hand over her knee.
Rey wanted him to continue – she wanted it badly. Like in her dream. But the harsh and threatening words of Sylla resounded again in her head.
"Tell me about Sylla," she asked abruptly.
Ben reacted as if she had just hit him in the face. He drew back sharply, looking a little panicked. For a brief moment, he tried to answer but failed to do it. So she decided to help him.
"Were you…together?"
She saw him hesitate and lower his eyes to his lightsaber resting on the table.
"If by 'together' you mean physical relations, then the answer is yes."
He stared at his weapon for several seconds before raising his head to fix his dark eyes on hers.
Did he expect her to explode? To make him a scene? Why would she do that? Damn it! Why had she asked the question? Of course he had known other women before meeting her! Sylla was a gorgeous woman, and the two of them had known each other since childhood. They'd spent several years training together, and had joined Snoke together. They had both given everything to the Dark Side ...
"Physical relationships do not necessarily imply feelings …" Ben hastened to add.
Each word had been chosen with the utmost care to try to minimize the pain he was inflicting on her. But a sharp point was now sinking deeply into her heart.
Silence settled, a little too long.
"If you say so," she retorted finally, before biting her upper lip and leaving the bench.
"Rey …" Ben called out as she walked away.
The scavenger's eyes began to burn and she tried to hide her emotions, but she wasn't very good at it. She rushed to get her bag out from under the bunk on the other side of the room. She came back with it, put it on the bench, and pulled out the two pieces of Luke's saber.
"Why can't I fix it?"
A little taken aback, but relieved that Rey didn't want to dwell more on the issue with Sylla, Ben ran his hand through his hair and looked at the fragments of the broken weapon.
"I think it's because of the shock wave we experienced in the throne room. One or more kyber crystals inside have been destroyed. You need new ones and …"
"I've got them," she cut him off, putting the halves of the lightsaber on the table and rummaging around in her bag once again before pulling out a trio of blue and white crystals. She cast them down on the tray in front of him with a gesture a little too abrupt.
"I read the instructions provided by the Jedi texts. I followed each of them to the letter and nothing happened. I can't connect to the crystals to activate them."
Her voice was shaking slightly now. Ben was not stupid. He would inevitably guess that her roiling emotions had nothing to do with her inability to repair Luke's sword.
He stared at her again and she could not help but swallow hard as she knew he had always deciphered all the signs.
"Rey ... About Sylla, I …"
"Why can't I activate them?" she insisted by foiling his attempt.
Ben finally surrendered and sighed before answering, "To activate the crystals and make the saber fully operational, a Jedi or Sith must be at peace with himself and with the Light or Dark Side that inhabits him. He must have no doubt, no fear …"
"So how did you manage to build yours?"
OK. She had touched a sore spot and she knew it. Ben flashed a wry smile at her this time.
"You notice that the flow of my saber is unstable. I cheated."
"What? I don't understand."
"I used all my power to bend the crystals to my will. One of them cracked and that's why the blade crackles so much."
"And that's also why your beam is red? Because a crystal is cracked?"
"No. It's just because the crystals in my saber were part of a larger block found on Malachor. A very special giant crystal. It was Snoke who gave the fragments to me when I became his apprentice."
"But I thought you already had a saber when you were Luke's padawan."
"Just a training saber. I didn't take it with me when I left."
The atmosphere suddenly became heavier.
"Maybe I can try to do the same? Force the crystals to bend, I mean …"
Ben let out a nervous laugh.
"Take my advice, and don't do that."
The young woman's jaw tightened, and Ben realized that he had once again made a mistake. So he decided to calm things down by explaining further.
"Every time I fight an opponent, I fight not only against him but also against the crystals inside my own weapon. When a Sith knight or a Jedi has managed to merge his energy with his saber's, he establishes a very special and unique link between them."
"You're speaking of these weapons as if they have a will of their own."
"That's just it. If a lightsaber accepts being led by the person who handles it, then it becomes one with its owner – it becomes an integral part of his body, like an extension of his arm. This is a considerable advantage during a fight."
"But how do I do that?"
"You must be in perfect harmony with yourself, with your beliefs and with the path that you have chosen to follow."
"So you're telling me that if I can't connect to these crystals it's because I'm not 'in harmony' with my Light Side?"
Rey's features hardened and Ben got up to face her.
"Or your Dark Side …" he added.
"Ben, stop …" The scavenger was staring at her boots now.
"I'm not trying to convert you to anything anymore, but I want to remind you that you asked for my opinion, and I'm giving it to you. I think you still feel incomplete, that you're still missing something …"
"I have discovered the truth about my parents and …"
"You don't know everything yet. There are still too many gray areas in your past and that's why you cannot find peace."
Rey looked up at him and Ben hesitated a second. She was so beautiful and sad.
"And about Sylla …"
"It's OK, Ben, I understand."
"No, listen, I'm so sorry because I can't erase what happened between her and me."
He was standing in front of her without moving, his dark irises burning. Every time he looked at her like this, she felt like he was the only person who could fully understand her. The knot in her throat loosened, and her muscles finally relaxed.
Without warning, she pulled herself up on tiptoe, wrapped her arms around his neck and captured his upper lip between hers. She felt him shiver against her and saw him close his eyes, as if he wanted to engrave in his memory this new moment of intimacy. He moaned softly against her mouth and his hand moved from between her shoulder blades to gently go up to the back of her neck.
But suddenly, the whirring of a ship's reactors came to disrupt their embrace. They stared at each other for a moment with a surprised look before heading to the cockpit. Through the window, they witnessed the landing of a shuttle just in front of the Millennium Falcon. As soon as the ship touched the ground, Ben rushed into the corridor. Rey recognized one of the Resistance transports, and she did not know if she should jump out of joy or fear for Ben's life.
OoooooO
"Finn …"
"What!"
"Stop making that face, please," Rose muttered.
"What face?"
Their shuttle had just come out of hyper-space and the little volcanic planet appeared behind the cockpit window. Rose switched on the atmospheric input controls, and then turned to face the former stormtrooper.
"I hope you're not going to do something stupid …"
"Like what? Blast him in the head?" the young man retorted.
The little brunette rolled her eyes.
"Listen, just like you, I want to see him pay for everything he did …"
Finn's jaw was tight and Rose could feel her companion's hatred radiating throughout the cabin.
"... but for now, we just have to think about Rey. We've got to rescue her from this bad situation and bring her back to the base! And then there's nothing preventing us from letting Kylo Ren languish on this planet for the rest of his life."
Soon, they had the Millennium Falcon in their sights, and Finn pushed a couple of controls to start their descent. When the landing gear came into contact with the stony ground of the moor, he grabbed the blaster near his seat and stood up suddenly to exit the cockpit.
"Finn!" Rose yelled and jumped out of her own chair to follow him.
OoooooO
"Rey!" Finn was sprinting towards the Corellian freighter, calling for his friend
He stopped when he saw Kylo Ren slowly descend from the Falcon ramp, his saber crackling in his hand and an expression of dull anger on his face. A little caught off guard, Finn raised his blaster and fired at Leia's son. Rose came running, armed with a laser rifle, and screamed at the ex-stormtrooper.
"Finn! Wait!"
Ben used his lightsaber to deflect the bolts, then reached out to sweep the two rebels off their feet and throw them ten yards back. The situation would certainly have continued to escalate if Rey had not stepped in without hesitation to intervene between her friends and Ben. As Finn and Rose got up painfully, and Finn was about to shoot again, the scavenger yelled:
"No! Please! All of you stop now!"
"Get out of there Rey!" Finn yelled.
But the young woman did not move. She had her arms spread out in front of Kylo Ren, as if protecting him of all people! Finn had promised Leia that he wouldn't do anything stupid, but he had lied. It was out of the question to miss the opportunity to finally rid the Resistance of their worst enemy. He stared open-mouthed at Rey, an expression of deep incomprehension on his face. Suddenly Rose came to grab his arm and he startled a bit in shock.
"Finn, stop …" she repeated.
But the young man obviously did not want to listen at all. Not to mention the fact that his irrepressible fury was also echoed in Ben's dark eyes.
"Go ahead, FN-2187, do me a favor and shoot!" Ben openly challenged him.
"No problem, Monster!"
Finn pointed his blaster at him again and suddenly Rey exploded.
"That's enough!" she exclaimed.
Finn's blaster and Ben's lightsaber slipped out of their fingers to land in Rey's. The young woman was out of breath as the two men looked with amazement at their now-empty hands. Rey re-engaged the security of Finn's weapon and extinguished the saber.
A flurry of wind lifted the brown dust from the ground as everyone waited to see who would react first. Rey took a deep breath before beginning.
"I have a lot of explaining to do," she said to Finn and Rose. "And I also owe you an apology."
Rose lowered her rifle and grumbled. "We're getting used to it ..."
Rey accepted the remark without flinching and continued: "And I'd like to do it before you kill each other, if that's possible?"
Finn's fiery gaze caught Ben's eye again.
"Very well," the young rebel gasped. "Tell us everything."
OoooooO