Chapter VI.

Outrunning the shadow.

Synopsis: the small alliance is intercepted by the First Order. Rey and Kylo engage in a battle.

Rey and Satine have truly found their own common language. Rey made mistakes which Satine corrected, laughing, showing the set of her sharp, brilliant teeth; Rey was fascinated with everything from her helmet, her weapon to her language, interviewed Satine on the meaning of her tattoos, and urged Satine to talk about her home planet, which she gladly did.

Only a small shadow of sadness passed Satine's face – she was in a sort of political exile, an orphaned child of Nite Owl warriors, both her parents killed in First Order's raid. She was adopted by her buir, the legendary leader of the Nite Owls, Bo Katan, only to be again orphaned by sectarian conflict in which her mother lost her life to First Order vassals, the Saxon auturii. Satine pronounced this word with disgust and a small curse.

Rey developed an immediate sympathy for Satine. She was an orphan, much like Satine, and was plunged into this war not of her choosing. They were of similar age, Rey could tell. And since she was so long confined to Jakku with this burning desire to travel and learn about different, strange cultures, she seized the first opportunity to talk to Satine. Rey also listened ardently to Satine talking about the memory of the famous Jedi master, Obi Van. Of course, her stories were partial, but nevertheless, Rey relished in them. It was her own master's tutor, a great and powerful figure from past.

Rey could tell that she, the jetii, was almost as exotic to Satine as Satine was to her.

Satine was keen to see the jetii blade in action and prompted Rey to use it. Rey complied and activated her saber. Satine and her squadron were awe-struck by the two-sided blade. Although Mandalore didn't comply completely with Jedi traditions, they followed set of ancient rules derived from the Jedi religion and respected the Force wielders, although they often resented the fact the Jedi were too modern or too decadent for Mandalorian taste. This mistrust especially resurfaced after the almost incessant array of wars that set Mandalore at least one century back in time.

Satine hoped that she would restore free and independent government to Mandalore, which was her adoptive mother's dying wish. She hated the First Order zealously and laughed at how her squadron ambushed Hux, slaughtering some 200 Stormtroopers in the process either by bombs or in hand-to-hand combat.

Rey didn't like Satine's blood-thirsty ways as she foresaw that this brutality can bring more harm than good, but she knew this was the Mandalorian way and kept mum, at least for now.

And as they were approaching Dagobah, Rey felt the old uneasiness, a silent alarm at the back of her head. She ascended to her feet and rushed forward to the control consoles.

She contacted Poe, who was navigating the First Order's stolen craft.

"Poe, there is a Procurator class II ship coming your way", she uttered, "They've been following us with drones since Ahch-to sector. I sense they failed to detect the planet, but they are on our trail now. Avoid them, lure them off. They didn't plan this but Ren is in haste. He wants this crew alive for interrogation and torture".

"Are you sure, Rey? Our scanners detect nothing", the troubled voice said.

Rey looked like a lioness ready to jump in the defense of her pride. Distance means nothing in the perspective of the Force. She sensed him, and she knew he sensed her too.

"Poe, I don't want any rescue missions", she replied, "Evade them as soon as you can and evacuate Dagobah. Tell them to scatter wherever they can. We'll meet again later".

"Roger that, Rey", Poe sighed. "Take care".

He, of course, had no intention of obeying. But he instructed Kay to dispatch an urgent signal for evacuation to Dagobah.

Meanwhile, Rey turned to Finn's troubled face.

"Finn", she said in a low voice, "When they pull us to their ship, leave Ren to me. Lead the troopers away from the door. Distract them. Try to get to their ship. There are only 200 people onboard that ship. He scraped up the squadrons he thought were loyal to him enough. And whatever happens, do not engage with Ren. If he comes your way, you run. Is that clear?"

Finn nodded, gathering all his resolve.

"Satine, here's your fight", she said to Satine, who was already standing at her side, "tell your freighters to keep distance. We'll need them later".

Satine's face tensed, and then she grinned at Rey.

"My men do not keep distance", she said in a low roar permeating from her translation device, "When we fight, we fight".

Rey anticipated this disobedient Mandalorian fervor.

"Very well", she said, "But you leave the darjetii to me. He is mine. Ibac'ner. Do you understand?"

Satine nodded.

And as soon as they armored themselves with all that they brought onboard, the alarms roared.

"Damn it", Poe cursed, "How much time?"

"Three minutes at best until full contact", Nunb responded.

"Let's roll, people", Poe yelled.

Their vessel shook violently as it was pulled to the "Conquistador" ship with tractor beam. Finn couldn't tell what was worse, the fact they weren't simply blown away from the sky or that they were intended for capture and torture again.

Rey gathered her allies in a small phalange in the entrance corridor, with a blaster gun hanging from her shoulder and her blade in her hands.

"They intended to follow us to Degobah with their drones", she said, "But then I sensed them. Ren is growing impatient. He makes mistakes. He knew we'd disappear before they'd discover the base".

They were only one hyper-jump away from Degobah. Finn thought about the base and injured Rose in it and shuddered.

"My friends", she said, licking her dry lips, "There are only 200 onboard that ship. Claim it and run away from Degobah. I'll keep Ren busy".

"We won't leave you, Rey", Finn whispered.

"You'll do exactly as I told you", Rey made a low roar as the light around them was extinguished, turning into the power saving mode's red hue, "Now hold your ground".

She activated her saber, its brilliance radiating a phantom blue shadow on her miniature alliance.

The door has opened with a metallic moan.

And in came a squadron of 20 Stormtroopers led by their own Supreme Leader. The Stormtroopers made a living wall of bodies in front of their Leader, who came in with his saber battle-ready.

Finn flinched, but quickly regained his position. Half a dozen Resistance fighters onboard removed the safety from their guns. Satine and the small group of her comrades she took with her were already holding the corridor in close range.

Rey looked swiftly at Ren through the phantom dimmed lights. His gaze was dead as he walked in. She sensed how terribly conflicted he was even before he entered that small space. And there was something else that persecuted him apart from his troubled thoughts - she sensed the air of danger and mutiny behind him.

"Ren", Rey exclaimed, her voice clear and deep, "This war is between you and me. Let my men go".

He didn't answer. His thoughts were in a violent disarray. And then, his eyes fixed on the blade. She could feel the tremendous insurgence of blind rage and hatred directed her way.

And in that very moment, Rey realized the Stormtroopers were shooting at them, under his order.

Rey felt the time stopped. She reached with her hand and felt the heat of the shots on the surface of her palm and the frequency of his hatred screaming in her ears like a tornado.

She stopped 20 shots midair, blocking at least as many coming again her way. Rey howled, feeling the strength was sipping from her like sand. It wasn't just the guns: it was him. He was pushing all that destructive force her way, with fanatical desire to destroy her. The air became thick and vibrant with violent energy, and she felt the sheer power of that attack made her slide backwards as if she was caught in the middle of a hurricane.

But then, suddenly, the deadly magic broke. Ren made a short painful sound as he recoiled back. The blasts flew backwards in a ricochet, hitting Stormtroopers, dispersing in the air like fireworks. The blasts she stopped within the guns made at least half of them to implode, wounding or killing almost whole squadron. Rey turned to Satine – her blaster gun was hot. She managed to wound Ren, hitting him on the shoulder. Satine was not human, and the advantage of her race allowed her to resist the deadly grip of the Force to the extent that she could aim and shoot the rage blinded darjetii.

Following her lead, the Mandalorians and the Resistance shoot unanimously, storming the corridor. Ren deflected the shots and before he had the chance to wound someone from the alliance, Rey clashed against him violently. His sword-hand was weaker, but she knew him. She could sense the injury was only a temporary distraction and his strength was quickly re-focusing in him.

The remaining troopers backed down, leaving their Leader exposed. But the new troops were mere feet behind them – surprise and shock were only allies of the Resistance on that ship.

Rey waited for all of her combatants to storm the Gate 1. Only when the very last of them disappeared from her sight, she pulled his blade down to the floor, meeting Kylo Ren's bloodied gaze for a moment. He grabbed the other side of her hilt with his hand and pushed her back. It felt so personal – too personal. Rage overcame her for that moment they stood there, entangled. And like a scavenger that she was, she kicked him violently in the abdomen. It sent him into a downward frenzy of pain and revenge.

"Good", she thought to herself, as she ran down the corridor to the control room, "This ends now".

Hlersi'avaom'irmitth was standing on the main bridge as his sensors detected intrusion at Gate 1. He frowned even more. There were at least 100 men guarding Gate 1 where the Supreme Leader has gone to capture the Jedi he so fanatically pursued – there was no way to cramp more men in that narrow passage, and Iavaomir didn't need any prior knowledge to know that this is something the Resistance will readily exploit. But Iavaomir didn't try to contradict his new leader – he was deeply discontented with him for some time now. He resented his unsteady nature, his moodiness and his incontrollable rage. And he knew the new Supreme Leader de-throned the old one. No doubt about that. Although that was a course of action Iavaomir didn't approve or disapprove according to Chiss traditional and war-oriented world-view some considered to be immoral, it was the impulsive youth of the new Leader that he resented. Kylo Ren scraped up this powerful and quick ship in outmost hurry with the crew he deemed most loyal to him – and most brutal, in case of Iavaomir – but this hastiness and unruliness on his part annoyed Iavaomir to no end.

He also resented the fact that he was left out of combat, and in charge of the command bridge. He had no intention of becoming another version of Hux, whom he abhorred in another way, the way one abhors a lizard or a cockroach. The only virtue Iavaomit saw in the new Leader was the endless war he brought with him. And now, even that opportunity was quickly dissipating.

Frowningly, Iavaomir followed his Leader's signal as he was heading to the control room of the Guavian ship.

"He is persecuting the Jedi girl", he thought to himself, "The damn fool".

"Captain", he ordered his human subordinate, "Send another 20 men to Guavian ship. Supreme Leader is alone in sector B".

"But, Sir", Captain replied with some anxiety, "The Supreme Leader has forbidden us any interference".

"Supreme Leader will know I stand behind this order", Iavaomir replied coldly, "And he'll maybe appreciate the help since 3 Mandalorian vessels are coming his way".

Captain rushed on his feet while the consoles around them sounded the alarm.

"Reckless fool", he murmured.

Rey fled into the Control Room. She wanted to lure him away from the ship. She glanced to the console – all the Mandalorian ships were intact and were trying to destroy the outer cannons of the Procurator class II ship, thinning out the defenses of TIE fighters that could otherwise attack Poe and his squadron.

For the moment, she was thankful that Satine disobeyed her.

"Rey, Darkness chases after Light. Light pursues Darkness. But at some point, they must meet".

She anticipated him – he didn't rush. Perhaps he was taking his time to heal and to absorb the energy with which he was hit. She clearly heard him coming her way.

So this is where they meet – it seemed awfully convenient. She told him she knew how to wait. That's one of the many skills she learned on Jakku.

He appeared at the door, with his saber again in his sword-hand, almost completely unaffected by the blow he received to the shoulder.

She felt a strange sort of relief overcoming her when she saw him. It will end soon, one way or another. She used the Force to bolt the door behind him, the metal moaning and crushing against metal.

He didn't seem perplexed at all. The room was familiar to him – he saw it already before she reached Ahch-to.

They circled slowly around each other for some time, observing each other like two beasts caught in the fight for the same territory. He swung his blade against her, slashing through the pilot's chair. She deflected the blow with her saber and pointed it at him again. He attacked again with a sort of a test blow – she came back at him with the same degree of force. He took his time.

He directed another hit which she avoided this time by spinning mid-air. She could feel the scorching heat of his blade mere inches from her face.

An alarm faintly bleeped behind her and with the peripheral vision she saw that one Mandalorian ship has been hit directly by two TIE fighters.

Her heart flinched as she tried to find out what happened to Finn and Poe. She could sense the imminent danger, but they were still alive – for now. Cold sweat came running down her back. She had to hurry. She attacked him this time, and managed to graze his sword-hand. She felt the blade cutting through his flesh.

But he barely flinched. He didn't even try to return the blow; as if he was almost amused by how quickly she exhausted herself. She had the elegance of a hammer.

Her heart was racing.

"Enough", she said and attacked again, with their blades again clashing, crackling and howling. She flipped the other side of the blade against him – he deflected it in a semi-rotation, bruising her shoulder in the process. The sharp hot pain went down her arm. She staggered, but soon regained her steadiness.

He went few steps from her, brushing away the blood that sprinkled his face – this time, it was her blood.

Another bleep – another ship down, she felt. She felt 2 Resistance fighters falling in the main corridor leading to the control room as well.

"You sent them directly to their deaths", he responded to her fears coldly.

"These men are loyal", she replied, "They don't fear death".

"Do they, now?" he said, pointing his saber in her direction, as if he was calculating their distance and her strength, "Observe more closely".

"It is enough just for one of them to surrender, as it is already being proposed to them", he said, "Mandalorian scum probably won't budge, but I don't deal with menial things. How many are there: a dozen, 2 dozens? Doesn't matter – can't you feel one of those men faltering? He has something to lose – something close to his heart. His squadron is ambushed, outnumbered. Iavaomir offers them surrender as we speak".

"Satine is fierce and loyal", she growled back, "And every single one of those officers".

She couldn't tell – it was semi-dark, but she could feel something akin to grin forming on his face.

"Satine lost 4 of her mighty Mandalorians by now. The ship you stole has 3 TIE fighters on its tail, navigated by my best pilots", he replied, "And your humans… you don't know them. Any of them – think who's contemplating betraying you".

Her heart stopped and ached. Finn – the good, kind Finn, the improbable rebel, the man she trusted the most was thinking about Rose and the destruction of the Resistance base the moment the First Order finds out its exact location. They were ambushed, cramped in small space between the control room and Gate 1. He was desperate as he observed visibly frightened Resistance fighters around him. If he doesn't surrender, somebody else will.

"You fiend", she howled at him and attacked bitterly. But again, he felt strangely content.

"Good", he replied, "That was very good. That bastardized weapon you have is serving you well".

She spun quickly as he deflected yet another blow.

"It doesn't matter if we all die today", she howled, "I'll take you down with me".

Iavaomir was in his own way impressed by the daring guerilla tactic these Resistance fighters showed. And although they were outnumbered by at least 1:10, they still resisted after 1 hour the bitter attacks of his men. They were united under the same cause, and shared the same beating heart. And with Mandalorians on their side, Iavaomir felt Supreme Leader underestimated their zeal. He was blinded with his idiotic obsession to destroy the last remaining Jedi who was by all reports not even a fully fledged Jedi at all.

"Sir", his Captain has come to his side, "My men can't get to the Supreme Leader. He has barricaded himself in the Guavian ship control room and refuses to let the men in. If we try to destroy the door, we risk injuring or killing Lord Ren".

Iavaomir nodded, disgruntled.

"Very well, O'Connor", he answered, "I'll break to him and try to reason with him. The Supremacy class ship won't come in 30 minutes. I can't risk more damage to this ship and its crew. Supreme Leader needs to give us new orders".

And as he reached for his blaster gun, his communication officer exclaimed.

"Sir, we have an incoming message".

Iavaomir caught her utterly shocked stare.

"What is wrong, officer? Who is it?"

"It is late Supreme Leader's code-protected personal communication channel", she uttered.

"What?" Iavaomir hissed and rushed to the communication console, "Transfer the line now, officer".

The signal flickered and crackled for a brief minute. Iavaomir couldn't be intimidated. In fact, he was fierce and cold-blooded even by Chiss standards. He wasn't very prone to fatalism, either, and valued his common sense above everything else. He was almost certain that this was some kind of hoax – perhaps by the Resistance, or more likely, by the disgruntled fractions he knew existed within the First Order.

However, Supreme Leader's personal code was extremely difficult if not impossible to come by. Only Kylo Ren knew of it, and even he changed the frequency and his personal code for his own use.

So Iavaomir felt a pang of uneasiness and a dash of anxiety that made him even more disgruntled.

"This is General Hlersi'avaom'irmitth of the First Order Procurator class II ship "The Conquistador", "he addressed the static from the other side, not wanting to wait for some traitor or buffoon to address him first, "Whoever you are, we will find you, and destroy you. Using First Order's classified channels is punishable by the court Marshall Law, section 5, subsection 4".

"General Iavaomir", a familiar voice echoed, "Always feisty: you would make your compatriot admiral Thrawn proud".

Iavaomir was perhaps twice caught off guard in his life. First time, there were no survivors to testify of it. This time, he was surrounded by his officers who were virtually petrified.

"Supreme Leader", Iavaomir uttered, "How is this possible?"

The creature laughed from a considerable distance, his voice distorted and broken.

"Not now, General", he said, "I shall join you in this glorious war we started very soon. But now, General, I have a task for you".

"Whatever you order, Supreme Leader", Iavaomir exclaimed.

"Aim the Guavian Ship. Destroy the usurper and the Jedi traitor", Snoke's voice became a low growl, "Do it, General, and I will exalt you more than any Chiss could ever dream of".

Iavaomir pondered for only a brief second. It wasn't the way of his people to kill a man who can't defend himself. On the other hand, it wasn't his way to contradict his true leader.

He ordered O'Connor to initiate the priming sequence.

"But, Sir", the man answered, "It might damage our ventral engines. The Guavian Ship is too near".

"There is no time to plant bombs on that ship", Iavaomir said. "Aim the control room directly and unlock the ship as soon you have a confirmative hit".

"Kill the remaining Resistance", he ordered, removing the safety pin from his blaster gun, "It is high time for this foolishness to end".

The count-down started.

Poe clicked on the surface of his control panel.

"Kay", he yelled, "Why are they charging their auxiliary cannon? What are they aiming at?"

Kay's eyes widened in terror as she exclaimed:

"It's the Guavian ship!"

"What?!" Poe screamed at the top of his lungs. He managed to crash one TIE fighter and to lose 2 – he took one of their laterals and half of their dorsal cannons off. He was good at that – that daring maneuver came naturally to him, like breathing. But the auxiliary guns he didn't cover since they were too close to the surface of the ship. If he had his X wing, it won't be a difficult task. But he was flying mid-size craft that didn't have the versatility of an X-wing.

"The remaining time until impact?" he yelled.

"15 seconds at this rate", Kay answered.

Poe turned and rotated the craft multiple times, crashing directly against one of the TIE fighters that still pursued them. The craft shook violently and grazed the surface of the "Conquistador", but his pilot pulled the craft back up.

He had one single thought – he went for the auxiliary cannon. He will either crash land the whole vessel or shoot the cannons down, or both.

Rey could distinctly feel there was something disturbing in the air. It was a new sort of danger, not coming from the troopers, or Ren, or the First Order. It froze her in her spot. She sensed Kylo Ren caught this scent of danger too, and tensed like a wounded animal.

But they were too obsessed with finishing the task ahead: they were too dead-bent of not letting the other one leave that ship alive.

Rey pushed away the warning sign – I have no time, I have no time, she kept repeating that to herself feverishly.

A killer instinct went through her like an electrical current. She saw the window of opportunity opening as he was distracted by the strange cold aura that they detected. She charged at him, this time aiming for his neck, him barely avoiding the fierce blow that could burst open his carotids. But as she pushed him back, feeling that he was this time truly caught in the moment of weakness, the hilt in her hands clicked, shuddered – and the blade went inactive. She practically stumbled over him, with his saber grazing her other arm. Rey yelled in pain and ended on her knee.

The blood gushed over her arm and stained the hilt. She tried to re-activate it frantically, but the hilt was dead.

He turned to her with that undecipherable expression on his face, his position now defensive – but as he saw her predicament, he flexed and stood straight up, towering over her. He examined her for a split second, his expression transforming from feral rage and hatred into dissatisfaction and - sadness.

She still fought to re-activate the hilt as the Guavian ship received a powerful hit. The air around them howled as it was sucked into the vacuum of the space. The last remaining image she had before falling into blackness was Kylo Ren, torn from the ship into the debris out of the damaged vessel. She managed to grab hold of the broken chair and thus prevent herself from being torn into the open space with him.

At least, she thought, in the end I am no murderer.