Planet Naboo:
"Hold on behind!" Rey exclaimed just before Ben turned sharply to the left to avoid the laser beams from cannons on the ground.
"I hate space travel!" C-3PO repeated for at least the thousandth time since he set foot on the Corellian freighter.
R2-D2 replied that he had only to go and shut himself up in the captain's cabin and turn off his photoreceptors.
The tanks of the First Order, ready to leave Naboo, had finally been redeployed to defend the spaceport, but the objective of the Millennium Falcon was quite different: the ship had to reach the royal hangar.
Ben and Rey had already done a quick overview of the city to find that there were very few enemy soldiers left occupying the streets. Some had even been targeted by Naboo citizens who had not yet fled the capital.
If the Falcon managed to land on the outskirts close to Theed, the two young people could reach the Queen's residence without much difficulty. But before that, Ben wanted to have confirmation that Elias and Sylla had indeed taken refuge between those walls.
They dodged other shots before making their first passage in front of the hangar door. Ben's old shuttle was there, and the white shapes of a dozen stormtroopers were running in all directions, trying to reactivate the protection shield. He and Rey had to hurry.
"Rey, go back down to the ventral turret. I'm going to turn around."
The young woman nodded and rushed downstairs, settling into the seat and priming the laser cannon.
The Falcon did a big loop and started to weave once again between the green and blue beams of the First Order's artillery. Ben positioned the ship in front of the gigantic door and Rey pressed the fire button. The burst of lasers hit the command shuttle with full force, and the white-hot blast of the explosion ravaged a good part of the installations.
OooooO
"Lord Ren, a rebel ship has fired on the hangar! Your shuttle has been destroyed!"
Elias and Sylla suddenly turned towards the stormtrooper that had just burst into the throne room. A hubbub was heard from the hall. The squadron leader was barking orders for his men to get into position.
The tall blond clenched his teeth and tried to keep a straight face. He nodded to the infantryman to tell him to join his unit.
"Elias, they're here," Sylla whispered.
The knight held Sylla's dark gaze. She was right. Kylo and the girl were approaching, and Elias knew that the few stormtroopers outside would not be able to stop them.
The confrontation was inevitable. However, if he and Sylla managed to get out alive, they no longer had a ship to leave Naboo and the First Order would then take over. They had nothing left to lose now.
Elias took the holocron out of his inside coat pocket, and when he looked up at the young woman, he saw that a fierce gleam was now shining in her black irises. Sylla was giving him her agreement.
"Let's do it," she decreed.
OooooO
The adrenaline was rushing through her veins. Blaster in hand, Leia fired continuously on the soldiers blocking their way. She then saw Finn signaling to his comrades to cover him, and when the rebels began to spray the enemy lines with heavy fire, he left his corner of the wall to take refuge behind the gigantic stone statue installed in the center of the square. He pulled the pin out of the grenade he held in his hand and threw it in the direction of the firing stormtroopers. The ensuing explosion decimated the line of shooters.
The way was cleared, and the small group of rebels advanced towards the palace.
OoooO
The Millennium Falcon had landed in a small vacant lot near an equipment factory. While C-3PO was given the task of guarding the ship, R2-D2 had accompanied Ben and Rey aboard a landspeeder found on the spot, and they'd crossed the city limits together to reach the East tower of the palace. The droid was then sent towards the entrance to case the place. It was risky, but there was little chance that the troops of the First Order would pay attention to a small astromech wandering in the streets of Naboo. Using his internal comlink, he had informed Rey and Ben that the forecourt was guarded by twenty soldiers. They didn't want to waste time neutralizing them, so the two young people had decided to go through a service gate leading into the small inner courtyard below the main building. The tower was huge, but a small window, five to six meters above their heads, would allow them to enter the gallery.
Rey quickly wiped the sweat from her forehead. Ben stopped for a few seconds, noticing that she was suddenly very pale.
"Rey, are you OK?"
"Yes, I ... I'm fine. We've got to keep going," she replied, looking up at the window to estimate the height.
Ben grabbed her arm, forcing her to turn to him.
"I feel it too…" he announced, staring at her. "The emanation from the Dark Side which radiates from inside this building. And that has nothing to do with Sylla or Elias."
So it was not only her panicky fear of coming upon the Knights of Ren that was putting her in that state. There was something else, something at the very heart of the Force. An echo, both distant and close. Dark and captivating. A whisper, pleasant and bewitching, which was calling her. And that call was so familiar… Rey struggled to swallow, but her mouth suddenly became as dry as the Jakku desert.
"You seem ... affected," Ben added, visibly worried.
"It's nothing. How are we going to reach the window?" she asked, turning her attention to the opening. They didn't have time to dither or ask themselves existential questions about this strange dark force disturbing her. "It's way too high. And we have no rope or grapple," she sighed.
The sound of cannons and laser rifles was heard behind the walls separating them from the main square. A Resistance starfighter had been shot down. There were three left, still circling above the palace, targeting the ground troops. Ben in turn glanced at the small window and took a few seconds to think. He still wondered what Elias could do here and why he had so few men with him. If it was just a matter of dropping the bomb in the palace, any stormtrooper could have done it for him. Sylla and Elias were there for a very specific reason and they had to be stopped.
Ben pulled away from the stone wall and, under the dumbfounded gaze of Rey, he gained momentum, ran and soared into the air. He grabbed the window sill with both hands and hoisted himself inside with disconcerting agility. At the bottom of the wall, Rey stared at him in blissful admiration.
So she took a moment to react when she saw Ben's arm reached out to her from the window, hand open, to encourage her to jump too.
"Rey, your turn. Use the Force!"
Lifting stones, attracting objects, opening doors... She still couldn't believe she was able to do all that.
She stepped back and concentrated as best she could, trying to convince herself that gravity no longer existed. When she took off from the ground, for a fraction of a second, she believed that she would not succeed, but Ben's fingers gripped her wrist and she was pulled up to finally land on the gallery's beige marble floor.
Once inside, the feeling of discomfort redoubled. The weight on her chest grew heavier and the whispers in her head louder. An icy breath slid down her skin. She could almost smell once again the iodized scent and the humid atmosphere that reigned in the depths of the cave on Ahch-To. A deep voice was murmuring barely audible words in a hypnotic tone, speaking of darkness, strength and power...
She had to get a hold of herself, stay focused on their goal.
Ben and she were about to face two of the Knights of Ren, and she couldn't let herself be overwhelmed by this ... thing that was trying to make its way into her subconscious. Ben approached her and gently caressed her cheek.
"Rey, we have to watch out for Sylla. She will try to control us. Barricade your mind, like I showed you, okay?"
The young woman's hand covered Ben's. Her lips met her lover's mouth and, for a few seconds, his warmth gave her all the courage she needed. Her love for him was so strong. Through the bond, he then repeated what he had already confessed to her before they landed here: that she was his universe and that he would stay at her side until death, whatever happened.
"Don't worry... Let's go," the young woman murmured, clenching her teeth and grabbing Anakin's lightsaber hanging from her belt.
OooooO
"Two other TIEs are headed your way!" Poe yelled.
The rebel freighters had contacted the Holdo, announcing that they were preparing to jump to light speed in order to flee the combat zone. Alas, enemy ships had spotted them. Resistance transports had therefore been added to the First Order armada's target list. The shields were holding for now, but Dameron and Admiral Dupp Zar knew very well that the fight was already lost. There weren't enough allied starfighters left.
Lando's voice then echoed in the comlink.
"Copy that! Can someone get rid of them to give us a little more time?"
The bombers were cornered, the Wings completely overwhelmed, and the other ships resisted as best they could ... What could Poe say except that the situation was desperate, that they were all going to die and that the First Order would finally eradicate the Resistance?
Dameron could easily imagine the satisfied face of Hux and he suddenly wanted to vomit.
It was not fair. The First Order could not win. Not after all that the Rebellion had endured, sacrificed ...
"We'll do our best, Lando …" was all that the pilot found to answer before lowering his head and placing his clenched fists on the console in front of him.
BB-8, at his feet, was weirdly silent. The little droid understood, just like him, that the moment was critical.
"Shields at 15%."
Kaydel dropped the information from the lower deck. They were 30% a minute earlier.
"Red Leader, go help Calrissian's freighter!" Admiral Dupp Zar ordered Snap Wexley.
Then he addressed the rest of his crew on the bridge.
"Recharge the gun batteries, and bring us closer to the Finalizer! I want all our firepower directed against this destroyer!"
The rebel officer finally turned his head towards Dameron, and the two men exchanged a knowing look. If they were to die today, it might as well be done with panache.
But suddenly, something in the middle of the battlefield caught the pilot's attention. An unidentified starfighter had just appeared in the fray and started shooting one of the First Order TIEs which was harassing their MC80 cruiser.
Poe almost went to stick his nose against the Holdo observation bay to be sure that his eyes did not betray him.
"Look!" he exclaimed.
The vessel was now making a perfect U-turn to return to the charge on one of the enemy battleships. The threadlike craft with the silver cabin sported an emblem in the shape of a blue fan on a yellow background on one of its two forward-facing wings.
Poe thought he must be dreaming.
It was impossible.
"It's a Miy'til starfighter," he stammered, while the members of the Starfortress crew stared incredulously at the spectacle taking place before them.
Thirty identical ships emerged in turn from hyperspace in close formation, followed by three Nova Class cruisers and a dozen heavy bombers, all stamped with the same logo.
Suddenly, a strong, clear male voice echoed across the bridge of the Holdo, through the internal communications channel.
"This is Jagged Fel, commander of the Hapan fleet. We come to lend a hand to the Resistance in the name of Queen Tenel Ka Chume Ta' Djo."
Poe's heart started to race. Dupp Zar had come to join him in front of the panoramic bay and also struggled to believe what was happening. Other ships arrived: MC-40 cruisers, Colonna frigates ...
"This is Captain Puggem, leader of the armed forces of the Juvex sector."
A squadron of warrior-class gunboats then appeared on the starboard side of the Holdo.
"Commander Bilek, representative of the Sullust system."
The messages came one after another, and Poe Dameron shivered. The people of the galaxy had heard his call. It was extraordinary, a miracle. The spark was still there. And the little flame of hope was about to turn into a blaze.
OooooO
Armitage Hux had definitely lost his smile. It was actually the first time he was part of a battle of such magnitude. The war machine that was the First Order had always crushed its opponents in a radical way thanks to the incredible firepower at its disposal.
The situation had just changed. Whole squadrons of ships appearing seemingly from nowhere had suddenly joined the rebels, thereby restoring the balance of power involved.
The redhead felt that all eyes were on him now. Everyone was waiting for orders. He absolutely had to react by showing them that he was worthy of being the new Supreme Leader.
"Contact our destroyers deployed in other systems. They must come back here without delay!" he barked without really succeeding in hiding his nervousness. "And I want our entire fleet of TIEs in the combat zone."
The crew immediately got busy while Colonel Palkott remained puzzled alongside his superior.
"The Hapan fleet… It's a joke! I thought that the Consortium never took part in the affairs of the galaxy. Even the First Order has never been able to …"
"Enough Palkott!" Hux slammed his fist on the communications console. The operator, who had just missed getting his fingers crushed, jumped. "And you! How much longer will I have to wait before I have Captain Peavey online?"
OoooooO
Ben and Rey strode along the hall lined with alcoves and columns. The royal office was at the end of the gallery, and they saw in the distance that the door was ajar.
Suddenly, from the side bays, a dozen hidden stormtroopers began to shoot at them.
Ben twirled his saber to deflect the fire from their blaster rifles while Rey took cover behind a pillar. She glanced cautiously at the soldiers and, with a wave of her hand, she sent the man who seemed to be at the head of the squad flying into his comrades behind. Then, when the way was clear, she went out with Ben to charge the remaining infantrymen, who were no match for the two Force users. Their adversaries all over the ground, they were finally able to reach the door.
Ben violently pushed open the gigantic double doors and, with Rey on his heels, walked cautiously to the middle of the room, his crackling lightsaber in hand.
Elias and Sylla were standing in front of the magnificent white marble desk with their backs turned to them. Their hands were stretched out towards a small pyramidal object placed on the surface in front of them.
Ben's features darkened. Where had this Sith holocron come from? How did Elias get it? Was it Snoke who gave it to him?
A scarlet glow was escaping from the four sides of the artifact, which were all open. The object then began to levitate in the air before coming to rest on top of a cylinder with glass sides about fifty centimeters high. In its center was a strange red compound veined with black. A series of symbols started to flash on the tube - a countdown of some sort had begun.
Ben had seen enough. He raised his hand, palm open in the direction of his former disciples. But Elias turned suddenly and did the same, and the two waves of energy collided. Seeing this, Sylla took a small metallic disc out of one of her pockets and pressed it. She threw it in the direction of the bomb and quickly pulled away.
An immense spherical protective field was deployed, encompassing the office and the throne. The two men then put an end to their Force duel, and everyone stared at each other without moving.
The time had come to settle accounts.
Sylla could not take her eyes off the one she had dreamed of facing for months: the famous Rey. So this was she who had defeated four Praetorian guards, and whom Kylo had become infatuated with?
The lady knight was rather disappointed. This girl was obviously dying of fear. Her face was so pale, she was sweating and breathing hard.
Pathetic.
The bitterness in Sylla's heart turned to disgust.
She would be so happy to make this stuck-up bitch suffer before killing her…
OooooO
Sheltered by the large sculptures of Naboo philosophers framing the central alley, the rebels continued to unload their weapons on the stormtroopers preventing them from reaching the door. One of Ferr Coxx's Gungan soldiers had been fatally injured, and Leia was concentrating all her energy on aiming at her targets while avoiding the deadly fire that grazed the top of her head. An infantryman in white armor fell, then a second. As the Resistance fighters pressed their advantage and began to advance, the troopers were forced to retreat, their squad leader yelling at them to fall back into the palace. Just before the doors closed, Chewie sent a crossbow shot flying through the gap. An explosion sounded, and thick smoke soon escaped from the opening.
"Forward!" Leia cried, rushing down the stairs with her blaster in hand.
OoooooO
"You've lost your mind, Elias," Ben spat.
But against all odds, the tall blond knight began to smile.
"Kylo, Kylo, Kylo… You are definitely full of surprises. I never thought I would find you alongside the Resistance!" His tone was cynical and full of venom. "You've been with them all this time? Unbelievable! So your precious Mother agreed to take you back despite everything you did to her?"
Elias was provoking him intentionally. He wanted to gain time to prevent them from reaching the bomb.
Ben tightened his grip on the hilt of his weapon. He shouldn't play into his game. He needed information about this device in order to know if there was a way to stop it.
"Is it true? Are you planning to blow up the whole Chommel system?" he asked.
"Indeed."
"So what are you still doing here?"
Elias' smile faded a little.
"Well you see, I must admit that, just like you, I underestimated Armitage Hux. He played the game well and managed to take over as head of the First Order."
"What?" Ben couldn't hide his surprise.
"And you were right. Yehnu definitely did not like learning that I killed Jor."
The nervous tic under Ben's left eye reappeared.
"You eliminated him too," he breathed. "I felt his aura merge with the Force."
"He fought valiantly. But he had no chance against me."
"But then you had to flee, just like I did. I bet Hux was quick to proclaim himself Supreme Leader in your place."
"He will pay. You're all going to pay," Elias retorted.
"So you want to take revenge by blowing everything up? And you, are you ready to die with him?" Ben asked, this time to Sylla. He had his answer when the Amazon glared back at him with pure hate. "You don't have to do this. Stop the bomb," he continued, turning his attention back to the tall blond.
Cold determination was written all over Elias's face, and Ben understood that his words were useless.
Rey has remained silent during the exchange. Ben felt that something was definitely wrong. Her eyes were focused on the bomb, and more specifically on the holocron. She seemed deeply disturbed, as if hypnotized by the object.
"Both of you can try to stop everything. But you will not succeed. This force field is impenetrable. Everything will be finished in twenty minutes, while the holocron charges and activates the bomb."
Ben glanced at the cylinder. "There's a red crystal inside, like those in my saber."
The Sith then grabbed his own weapon from his belt and ignited it. When the scarlet blade appeared, Ben's reaction was the same as Yehnu's a few hours earlier on board the Finalizer: a mixture of surprise and fascination.
"These famous red crystals, Kylo, it was me who went to look for them on Malachor. Me!" he yelled, now unable to quell his resentment anymore. "And that old fool of Snoke just offered you the part to build that!" With a disdainful gesture of the chin, the knight pointed to Ben's blade. "But as you can see, I was able to recover a few pieces," he added, leveling his own lightsaber. "And the rest was used to make what will end your miserable little lives. The alloy we have successfully created will produce the most devastating explosion the galaxy has ever known. You know, like I do, the history of the temple of Malachor. Well then, this will be worse …"
"Where did this holocron come from?"
"It was the one which controlled the super-weapon that ravaged the planet in ancient times. Snoke had it, and I took it when he died. How ironic is that? When we know that before it belonged to our mentor, this object slept safe and sound in one of the secret hideouts of the great Dark Sidious…"
Ben couldn't help but turn his head towards Rey. An expression of panic had just passed over the young woman's face. He had noticed it, but Elias, who continued to do his little number, had not.
"Only two followers of the Dark Side have the power to switch it off," Elias continued. "And unless Luke's protege here decides to join the Dark Side, our destiny is sealed."
"You will not win."
Rey had finally decided to speak. Her voice was firm, determined. The air in the room began to vibrate and the bond opened. Ben suddenly felt a burst of raw anger fill the space around him, anger which had driven the panic away. When he looked into her eyes, he found that intense, deep glow that had destabilized him on Takodana and then on Starkiller, the echo of an untamed and incredible power which brooded under her beautiful and youthful features. Exceptional power, perhaps even surpassing his own.
Ben nodded.
Both were ready.
Rey's words echoed in his mind.
"May the force be with you."
Her lightsaber raised, she charged towards the female Knight while he, in turn, rushed towards the black figure of Elias.
OoooooO
The rebels had reached the gallery. Just five or six stormtroopers remained near the door to the throne room. One of them was tampering with the control panel, presumably to lock access. But suddenly, footsteps clattering on the marble floor were heard behind them.
Kriff ... Obviously, the enemy had called for reinforcements.
Another squad had emerged at the end of the gallery and the rebels found themselves surrounded. The Gungans deployed their portable shields to protect everyone. Rose had stayed behind one of the columns. One of the Naboo Resistance fighters collapsed at her feet, hit by a blaster shot. She herself seemed to have a problem with her weapon, and a pair of troopers, seeing that she was no longer firing, had targeted her. Stone shards flew all around her and Finn quickly realized that she was in trouble.
"I have to get over there!" he yelled at Ferr Cox, grabbing one of the blue bracelets hanging from his belt.
The young man wrapped it around his wrist and a disk of energy materialized in front of him.
"Finn, no!" Leia shouted, but her voice was covered up by the noise of the lasers.
The young man did not listen to her. Shooting with the blaster in his right hand and holding his shield with the left, he rushed forward. The soldiers of the First Order hastened to target him. The impacts were violent, but the Gungan protection system held firm.
Finn had covered almost half the distance to Rose when a hand grabbed his leg. He looked down to see one of the enemy soldiers who had fallen a few minutes earlier trying to stop him. Surprised, he shifted his shield slightly, and that was all it took for one of the stormtrooper's shots to hit him hard in the chest.
The young man collapsed full length in the middle of the gallery while Rose uttered a cry of horror.
OoooooO
Rey was fighting against Sylla.
Ben was facing Elias.
The two pairs of combatants were exchanging attacks on both sides of the room.
The scavenger was doing her best to ward off the blows from the Amazon. Ben hadn't lied, his former disciple was really strong. Yet Rey did not hold back.
She threw herself forward, but Sylla countered her without difficulty. Their blades crossed right in front of their faces, and the female Knight's dark eyes bore mercilessly into Rey's.
"You're just a vermin. You are too weak."
Then the Sith warrior then unleashed a flurry of forehand blows, which Rey dodged as best she could. Sylla struck hard but also tried to get inside her head, and the scavenger had to make a colossal effort to keep her mind impenetrable.
Strike to kill. Have no mercy.
The voice whispered again in her ear.
Release your power, release the Darkness sleeping inside you.
Rey felt like her brain was about to explode. Everything was confused. She was panting. Her arms and legs were on fire. Adrenaline mixed with fatigue made little white dots flutter before her eyes, and she felt that she was losing ground. She then understood that if Ben had truly wanted to kill her on Starkiller, he would have done it. Sylla was right. She couldn't compete with the years of training that the Knights of Ren had received under the aegis of Luke, then Snoke.
Suddenly Sylla extended her hand in her direction and she flew back, landing on her back on the floor. At the last second, she managed to roll sideways when the yellow blade of the Amazon hit the ground.
Get up. Tap into the power of the Dark Side.
She was up again in a fraction of a second and regained her position.
"You really thought you could measure up to us? You are nothing …"
Rey's fingers then tightened on the hilt of her lightsaber. She tried to clear her mind and chase Sylla's words away.
It was not true. She was someone. She had friends, she loved Ben and was loved in return. And although she was still struggling to accept it, she was the descendant of one of the greatest Force users the galaxy had ever known. The Force had chosen her too, and she intended to do everything in her power to escape this evil legacy and make the Light triumph.
In the back of the room, the twin blades also collided relentlessly with incredible violence.
"Snoke always considered you the strongest. We will see today if he was right," Elias hissed.
Ben did not answer as he rushed at him again. His saber came down in a large arc which passed a few millimeters from the blond giant's face. The latter replied with a great blow on the right, but Ben dodged in turn by leaping back. The two were combining their mastery of the combat techniques they had been taught with the use of the Force. Their agility and power were equivalent. But the darkness emanating from Elias overrode everything else. Years of frustration, resentment, and jealousy were pouring out now, like an irrepressible flood, in each of his attacks. He managed to land a blow to Ben's thigh, and Ben responded with a stifled groan. He reeled back a few steps, staggering a little, his sword raised in front of him. But Elias redoubled his effort, and their buzzing blades crossed once more. Ben diverted his opponent's weapon from a two-handed parade and took the opportunity to kick him violently right in the nose. Elias was thrown back under the impact. Blood spilled from his nostrils and he had to retreat for a moment to regain consciousness.
Ben brought his hand to his wound to find that the gash, while painful, was superficial. At the other end of the room, the two women were still fighting, and Ben moved his feet to balance his weight on his valid leg. He had to finish this quickly so he could go help Rey.
Elias wiped the red trail over his mouth with his sleeve. The Sith did not intend to let him win so easily. Ben realized that if he wanted to beat his former disciple, he would have to call on the full might of the Dark Side, but also perhaps on the part of Light buried deep inside him.
OooooO
They had finally succeeded in getting rid of all the soldiers who separated them from the door to the royal office. But the enemy had succeeded in jamming the opening mechanism, and stormtroopers were continuing to fire from the entrance to the palace. Chewie had brought Finn back near the columns, and Leia was crouching beside him, checking to see whether he still had a pulse. His breathing was weak, but he was still alive. On the other side of the gallery, Rose, her face bathed in tears, was using a blaster rifle that the Wookiee had tossed over to her to pour out her rage on the last remaining soldiers.
The general stood up, her face serious and determined. She had to do something. She had to enter the throne room.
But while the rebels were still fighting back in front of her, she didn't see the stormtrooper who had crawled behind them and grabbed a blaster.
When she turned around, moved by one of those warning signals that only the Force was able to send her, she had just enough time to see the man raise his arm and point his gun at her.
OoooooO
Rey was struggling to breathe. The strands of hair that had escaped from her bun stuck to her cheeks, and the salt from her perspiration stung her lips. Just as she did on Starkiller and the Supremacy, she was compensating for her inexperience by throwing herself headlong into the battle and trying to feel the perpetual flow of Force all around her.
Sylla retreated for a moment to catch her breath too, and Rey risked another look in the direction of the two men fighting further up the big platform. She saw Ben wrap his crackling blade around Elias's with a clever gesture of the wrist and cut sharply into his shoulder. The Sith let out a howl of rage.
At the same time, Sylla grabbed Rey's forearm and hit her with an uppercut to the jaw. The young woman felt her bones creak. The Amazon immediately followed with a violent kick in the abdomen, and she was propelled back several meters. The pain in her ribs took her breath away and she fell to her knees on the floor.
OooooO
Against all expectations, an arc of blue lightning flashed from behind the infantryman, making him waver and then collapse face down on the ground. The metal body of R2-D2 was then revealed, his electric prod deployed above his head.
"R2! By the Creator, you're here!" Leia exclaimed.
"Bipdupdbipdupdup!"
The general had lost count of the number of times the little robot had saved them. In any case, satisfied with having been able to intervene in time, he urged Leia to follow him now to the door.
The rebels and Chewie's crossbow shots had mostly hit their marks, and there were only a few attackers left.
Leia tore off the cover of the control box and the droid unfolded his retractable arm to thrust it into the heart of the opening circuit.
OooooO
Her lightsaber had been switched off, and Sylla was striding towards her. If she didn't react, she was dead. So Rey threw her weapon to the left, like a boomerang.
Sylla did not understand the maneuver. She sneered, believing that the scavenger had simply given up.
But Rey closed her eyes. She had to trust the Force, to accept that she was its instrument.
The foreign voice in her head had momentarily shut up. The Light only was now shining behind her eyelids. She extended her senses and came into contact with the energy of the crystals nestled in the heart of Luke's lightsaber. In the air, it ignited again.
Sylla crossed the last few meters that separated her from Rey and raised her weapon, screaming.
"You are dead!"
But when the yellow blade lowered to lacerate the scavenger's shoulder and collarbone, Luke's saber came back from behind and its blue beam pierced right through the thorax of the female Knight.
OoooooO
Leia was waiting impatiently for the little droid to finish hacking the control panel. His articulated arm was gyrating left and right and he was punctuating its movements with electronic noises. Suddenly a whole line of lights turned green, signaling that the door was unlocked. Leia immediately smashed her hand down upon the button to open the door.
OooooO
On the other side of the room, Ben felt a thread of fire shear his chest. When he looked up, the vision of Rey collapsing on the floor paralyzed him completely.
Elias took advantage of it.
He waved his hand, and Ben crashed back against one of the pillars behind him. The impact took his breath away, causing him to almost pass out.
At the same time, the door of the room opened wide and a small woman in a brown cardigan armed with a blaster tumbled inside. Unfortunately she did not have time to realize what was going on. Elias turned to her and sent Leia's blaster flying into the air. Then the general's body rose and flew into a stone wall before falling, still and silent, onto the icy ground.
"No!" Ben let out a heartbreaking cry.
Time had just stopped. His heart froze. His worst fears were coming to life.
Rey ... His mother ...
Elias came back and punched him, making his cheekbone explode in pain. The taste of blood invaded his mouth and he went down to one knee. He tried to get up straight away, but was struck by a vicious kick. He then ended up face down on the ground with Elias' blade a few centimeters from his swollen face.
Blaster shots and shouts echoed from the gallery and Ben suddenly felt like he was breathing glass dust. The Force seemed to have abandoned him.
The Sith glanced quickly over his shoulder. Sylla was dead. The scavenger was lying, unconscious, on the floor and the bomb's countdown had not stopped decreasing.
"If I remember correctly, we've already found ourselves in this situation, not so long ago," Elias laughed, checking once again the state of his nose. "In ten minutes, we're all going to be blown up. I would have continued to make you suffer, but I think I prefer to kill you now and prove that Snoke was wrong, that you were not the stronger one. I am ready to die. And you, are you?"
Elias' blade slid only a few millimeters from Ben's neck.
But suddenly a clear, stern voice rose behind the Knight:
"Elias Ren!"
The Sith turned and his massive figure was shaken with a jolt.
From the ground, Ben looked up at him and didn't understand right away. Then he saw the blond giant's head slowly detach from his shoulders and fall to the side.
When his body collapsed too, Ben discovered who had just saved his life.
Leia was standing in front of him.
A streak of blood was smearing her forehead. She had trembling lips, eyes shining with tears, and her face illuminated by the azure light of her father Anakin Skywalker's sword.
OoooooO