Thank you all who have followed, faved, or reviewed the story! I always love to hear from you guys! Garden Guru- I am so glad you enjoy reading from multiple characters points of view. I really want to show whats going on with other characters that aren't Rey and Kylo. Even though this is a Reylo fanfic, I want it to feel like Star Wars at the same time. But don't worry, there will still be plenty of Reylo stuff since their story is the main plot. Anyway, hope you all enjoy the chapter!
I do not own Star Wars
Chapter Thirteen
The good news: no one seemed to have noticed the three of them standing at the cliff edge.
The bad news: they quickly realized they were on the wrong side of the battlefield.
The First Order stood between them and the Resistance, but getting to the Resistance was on the bottom of Ren's to do list. Avoiding the Resistance, however, was very close to the top.
The trio knelt behind a group of jutting rocks, taking a reprieve from the biting wind and from being seen by a random trooper. No one spoke, which was irksome given the gravity of the situation. Since Rey seemed to really trust this pilot, Kylo had been waiting for him to voice some type of plan... or a suggestion... or even a thought. They didn't have the luxury of time, so if the man didn't offer up some sort of strategy in the next sixty seconds, Ren would forcibly take the lead.
Stars, what was he thinking? He preferred being in control at a time like this.
But he wanted to focus on keeping Rey alive.
Ren needed the pilot to come through.
From untrained eyes, there seemed to be no method to the madness, but Ren knew that the unorganized ships and troops were just back up for the main fight ahead. First Order transporters were sporadically placed over the terrain while storm and flametroopers pushed ahead, ducking between rock walls and boulders for cover as they neared heavy fire. The island was small, the land uneven from the sharp stone barriers and deep valleys, which put everyone at a disadvantage when it came to gaining vantage points.
Glancing to the left, a steep rocky hill blocked him from seeing a full view of the battle.
Ren was really starting to hate the island.
"We should move along the outside of the transports while searching for BB-8," the pilot suggested. "And keep you ears open for any high pitched binary."
Ren listened as Poe voiced his strategy, if you could call it that. Basically they were going to walk around and hope to the fates they didn't get caught... or killed. And they were doing all this for a worthless droid? Ren could understand if it was for an actual living person, but no, this was all for a BB unit that was more than expendable. Hell, he'd give Rey the credits to purchase a similar one so they could get out of here.
But something about Rey's darting eyes and thin lips told him that the search wasn't over the inflating costs of droids, but because she genuinely cared about the astromech.
Sentiment was an unwise emotion during–
Rey's palm came upon his shoulder, reminding him that he was already caught in the thick feeling of compassion he held for her. With every passing moment, the emotion became more entangled with his small sense of morality.
Shifting his eyes away, Ren could feel as her stare bore into his face. In that moment, he was sharply aware how extremely exposed he was without his tunics and helmet. He missed the layers immensely – not just for the cover they provided, but for the status they exuded. If only he still had them, he could casually walk through the ranks of stormtroopers and look for the damn droid, making this whole situation infinitely simpler.
And quicker.
"How do you now the droid didn't end up in the water?" Ren asked as they surveyed the bustling troops below.
Poe took offense to the more than logical question and snapped at him. "I just know. I would have felt something if he wasn't alright."
The pilot was not Force sensitive, so his reply came off as ridiculous and laughable. There was also the fact that droids were not technically alive, so even if Poe had the Force, he wouldn't be able to sense the well being of a bunch of electrical parts. Ren was about to give the guy a much needed lesson when Rey suddenly spoke up.
"We should start moving then," she said. "The faster we find BB-8, the sooner we can get far away from this place."
Ren sensed that the other two were purposefully not paying credence to the obvious concern of the situation: What if they didn't find the droid? Do they leave or die on this island looking for something insignificant? Well, insignificant to only him, apparently. Seriously, Ren was surprised there was anyone left in the Resistance since they all seemed to be far too heroic to realize what did and didn't matter in a life and death situation.
But, he'll admit, there'd been times when he irrationally let his emotions get the best of him and had rushed head on into a battle.
So in the end, he'd been just as foolish in the past as the Resistance members seemed to be presently.
The thought did not sit well with him as he already experienced enough epiphanies today to give him a migraine.
They kept themselves low as they circled near the edge of the island, Rey ghosting close to his side, her hand still on his bare shoulder. The wind seemed to be dying down as the turbulence subsided, relieving his face from the constant sting of the frigid downpour. Each step suctioned his boots further into the mud, almost causing him to lose balance over the terse movement it required not to get stuck.
The pilot and Rey weren't experiencing the same problem, and he deduced it was due to his bigger mass and heavier weight.
However, Rey was having trouble bending over due to the lighsaber burn to her abdomen, causing her hands to catch herself before falling completely into the gritty sludge below. Grabbing her muddied hand, Ren roped her arm around the back of his neck while clutching her waist to offer extra support. Poe, leading the small group, glanced back and crinkled his forehead upon seeing Rey rely on him.
The guy would have to get used to it, because Ren was not letting go.
Sloppy footsteps came from up ahead, abruptly forcing them to hide behind an empty transporter ship. Rey grunted as he flattened their backs against the durasteel exterior, reminding him that he needed to be more gentle with her.
They were at the back of the transport as Ren peeked around the rear, watching as a few stormtroopers rifled through the ship. They were gathering T-7 ion disruptor rifles, which made Ren glad he was on the other side of this metal wall. Being shot with one of those didn't just kill you, it obliterated your flesh and bones into tiny increments, making it impossible for your remains to be identified without the help of your DNA.
Poe came up beside him, curious as to what was making the noise inside the transporter. "Ion disruptor rifles?" he muttered. "Those are supposed to be illegal!" Ren shot the pilot a contentious glare, but the guy kept his eyes on the weaponry as he cursed under his breath.
Ren pivoted back, leaning his body against the ship. He glanced at Rey as she released the hold on him and wrapped her arms around her middle, her face falling into a pallor hue that wasn't healthy. An idea trickled into his mind. He was clueless to know if it would work, but he didn't see any other option that would allow Rey to feel rejuvenated.
Concentrating on her huddled form, he lent her his arsenal of strength, gladly parting with it while trying to envision the transfer of power going across the bond that connected them. Color instantly returned to her cheeks and lips as she jolted upright, looking surprised at the unexpected boost to her weak body.
"We need to stop them from using those rifles," Poe harshly whispered. Ren snapped his attention to the pilot, deciding he'd have to explain to Rey later as to what just happened between them.
"We're here to find the droid, nothing more," Ren scolded, his lips curling down in disapproval. His veins scalded from the boiling frustration that pumped through his body, burning his skin to give him a false sense of warmth.
"Those rifles," Poe hotly pointed behind him, "are illegal for a reason. They make organic material explode. I can't let them be used on the Resistance." Ren opened his mouth to argue, but Poe was already up and moving to the open part of the ship.
Ren stood there, shocked, not moving. If he wants to get himself killed, fine with me, he told himself inwardly. One less Resistance member was a very acceptable outcome.
But then Rey suddenly stood and darted after the pilot, immediately changing his plans of staying incognito and pulling him towards the terrible urge to protect her.
Ren heard the blaster fire before rounding on the fight, taking a fraction of a second to survey the scene. What they thought were only three stormtroopers on the ship turned out to be roughly a dozen. Where the rest had been hiding, Ren did not know and he didn't have time to find out.
His lightsaber twirled in front of him and Rey, blocking the steady stream of fire. The crates on the ship provided them minimal cover as the troopers pressed forward. Poe was off to the left, exchanging fire with three of the advancing soldiers. The rest were focused on him and Rey hiding behind the platocrete crates.
He looked down at Rey, seeing only one side of her saber ignited. Her eyes were focused and her body was ready for a fight. "Stay here," he ordered. "I'm going to take out the stormtroopers."
"I'm coming with you!" she countered.
"Do you know how to repel or freeze blaster fire?"
Frustration pulled at her features. She didn't speak. The silence was all Ren needed for her to admit that she still had much to learn.
Before they had a chance to get in a verbal altercation, Ren jumped from his defensive position and took the offensive approach toward the stormtroopers. The unstable red blade blocked each bolt that fired his way as he came upon the first trooper. Violently, he sliced the armored soldier in half and then shoved his free hand forward to push three more into the air. He slid to the side, lancing a trooper right through the heart.
Ren was in his element and it felt so comforting to have that rush of power flowing through him again. The Force was his to command, and right now, he wanted it to help fill his wanton needs.
He froze a blaster bolt mere inches from his face, languidly turning to view the last remaining trooper who had pulled the trigger.
The soldier shook with visible fear. Ren drank in the familiar sight, breathed in that sweet scent that ignited his brain. The trooper tossed the blaster rifle to the ground and held his hands up to surrender, but Ren couldn't stop himself now.
Without the use of his hands, he constricted the troopers windpipe, commanding the Force to apply more pressure. The soldier gurgled for air as he clawed at his throat, trying to free himself from Ren's control. It was futile.
He granted the trooper his freedom when he decisively snapped the man's neck, letting him crumble to the rain soaked ground.
()()()()()
Grave.
And not as in serious. As in dead bodies laying about in their final resting place; as in fate had just paid the fallen a visit in the form of death... in the form of the bastard called Kylo Ren.
Well, maybe as in serious, too.
Poe had killed the three stormtroopers he'd been fighting and was now standing off to the side of the monstrous man that somehow looked even more domineering without a shirt on. The guy had been a one person army, cutting through a group of troopers with malicious accuracy and not even breathing heavily during the process. Like it had all been an exercise his muscles had memorized from years of practice. His movements had been mesmerizingly fluid, but powerful and ruthless, a perfect mixture for making one man look like a battalion. Kylo really was extremely talented with that saber of his; the rumors sure hadn't lied.
Though, the performance did make Poe wonder if he was next to be cut through the midsection.
As Poe watched the man square off against the last trooper, he went cold, his eyes unable to shift away from the disturbing show ahead. The soldier had been surrendering when he suddenly started to choke and grab at his neck, scratching at his windpipe to find some reprieve. Poe glanced at Ren and knew from the dark void in those eyes that he was the one causing it to happen... wanting it to happen. The gurgling, the gasps, the scraping of armor was going on far longer than Poe could tolerate. He couldn't stand to watch even the enemy be tortured in that way. He was just about to yell out when he was stopped by the brutal snap of the troopers neck. The stomach contents rose in his throat upon hearing the sickening crack, burning the soft tissue along the journey, but thankfully, he held it down.
The trooper fell to the ground, splashing into the mud before going still.
Poe had witnessed Kylo Ren's brutality before, when he and his troops had attacked the peaceful people of Tuanul on Jakku. Poe watched him murder Lorr San Tekka and listened, helpless, as the vile man gave the order to have the village slaughtered. Hearing the villagers screams and pleas for mercy as they died had almost caused Poe to black out on the transport ship.
Gods, he could hear them even now, just like how he heard them in his dreams.
Blinking to clear that harrowing memory, he watched as Ren slipped into the visage of a starving beast, looking at the newly dead like it was a feast for his empty stomach. To have the man maskless... was disturbing. Poe could dehumanize the demon that was Kylo Ren quite easily, since he'd never seen his face. But seeing the glint of satisfaction the man had received as he tortured that trooper made Poe sick. Witnessing how demented the bastard actually was kinda made one want to go invisible and get your memory wiped.
How can a human being enjoy doing something like that? More importantly, how can this person be General Organa's son?
Rey stepped away from the crate, holding her fully ignited saber while staring holes into Ren's back.
She. Was. Livid.
Kylo turned to face her, his sadistic face melting into something that looked like… shame? He lowered his head, looking down at the space between him and Rey. She limped forward, looking like she was about to yell at him, but didn't. Taking it all in, Poe got an eyeball full of the pair, watching as Ren raised his line of sight and just stared down at the girl. It was like they were having some covert conversation with there eyes that only they knew the language to.
Poe was growing more and more confused.
Kylo Ren turning away from the First Order? Saving Rey? Protecting her? It all seemed completely out of the realm of reality, but Poe couldn't deny what he was seeing with his own eyes: something was going on between the two of them. Something that felt… intimate.
Intimate? That couldn't be right. It sounded too dirty. Too sexual.
From taking one look at Rey, it was clear those two had dueled and that she'd been the one losing. Kylo barely had a scratch on him, while Rey... well, Poe had never seen a woman look so beaten. By how spent her strength seemed to be, she'd put up a fight. But if Kylo had been winning, why didn't he finish her? Something else must have happened, something significant enough to cause Rey to suddenly trust the man who'd been trying to kill her.
A flash of red light shot into the air, originating from somewhere over the hill and forming a crimson dome around part of the island. It landed just outside of where they stood, enclosing them inside. It was an energy shield, and it was now blocking canon fire from the Resistance.
Poe stepped off the transporter and walked over to the pair as they studied the red stream of energy feeding the shield.
"We should try to destroy the shield generator while we're here. Doesn't look too far away." Their attention turned to Poe, looking surprised, as if they'd completely forgotten his existence. "Yeah. I'm still here, by the way."
()()()()()
Rey's anger was getting worse.
After watching what Ben had done to the surrendering trooper and feeling the waves of darkness emanating from him, she couldn't help but realize that Ben and Kylo Ren were probably a package deal. They were so entwined together that she knew it would be difficult to tear the beast away from the man. But still, she would try.
She could still sense his booming pleasure over what he'd done and it made her want to slap him. The shameful expression he sported wasn't over the killing; it was for getting caught. Stars, for someone who felt disgusted upon seeing how much she'd feared him on the beach, he sure did love witnessing it in other people. The only thing that stopped her from reprimanding him was that she was at a loss for words... and she didn't feel like getting in an argument. Not right now.
"We need to stay with the plan of finding the droid," Ben reminded everyone. "We don't have time to disable the shield generator."
His statement was logical in that they should keep with finding BB-8, but Rey could feel his refusal to aid the Resistance behind his words.
And it irritated her.
"We can look for BB-8 on the way over. I'm not letting the opportunity to deactivate the shield pass us by," Poe argued, taking a step into Ben's personal space. Ben eyed the man up and down in a threatening way.
As if Rey was done listening to the two men counter one another, she turned away and walked straight for the rocky hill. The pain she'd been experiencing earlier was now masked by the strength she'd somehow obtained, but she knew it was only artificial. Her injuries were still there, waiting to cause her more suffering.
"Rey, you can't–"
"I'm helping the Resistance!" she yelled over her shoulder, cutting Ben off before he tried to order her around.
Poe ran after her. For the first time since the beach, Ben kept his distance. She was sure he could feel her irritation toward him through whatever this emotional connection was that they shared, and Rey actually felt grateful to have it at the moment. Shooting her emotions at him was way easier than verbalizing at the moment.
Rey lowered her stomach onto the ground once she got closer to the hill's peak, crawling the remainder of the way. Just because she could walk without feeling faint didn't mean all the pain was gone, though: her body jerked slightly from a series of spasms, reminding her that she had a nasty burn below Ben's undershirt. With the grace of rag doll, she made her way to the top while the two men followed suit. Poe took up the space between her and Ben as they peered over, their eyes roaming the scene before them.
Transports lined the bottom of the hill and stretched off to the right, lining the curve of the small valley. Among the transporters were blaster cannons, but they were unable to fire because of the shield. If Resistance fire couldn't get in, First Order blasts couldn't get out.
To the left were what appeared to be the front lines of the battle. Some Resistance fighters had pressed through the shield and were now engaging First Order troops within the red barrier, going in the direction of the generator. With it disabled, they would be able to unleash a tirade of fire upon the enemy from afar, which would aid in keeping their number of casualties low.
The shield generator was placed right in the middle of the transporters, far off from the ongoing battle. Thirty, maybe fifty stormtroopers guarded the area and, readying themselves in case of a fight. It was going to take the Resistance quite a bit of time before they could make it over there.
Feeling the brush of the chilly, damp air across her skin, Rey voiced what the two men beside her were not. "There's no way we can get to that generator. And Poe," she craned her head toward the pilot. "Finding BB-8 down there would be next to impossible."
Poe's hard stare didn't leave the scene below as he reluctantly agreed with her. "Maybe the Resistance has him. You never know," Rey added, trying to console him, but finding she was not really good at it. No surprise there, given how she'd lived a lonely existence most of her life.
"We should get to Ben's ship and get out of here," she stated as the new plan. It was hard for her to admit it, but after witnessing just how vast the battle was, she knew that if they went down there it would mean death. And Rey very much felt like living.
She caught Ben's gaze as he looked over at Poe's tense, yet sorrowful expression. If thoughts could be written across someone's eyes, Ben's would read "I told you so". Yes, they had wasted time going after BB-8, but if they hadn't tried, Rey would have regretted it for the rest of her life.
Hopefully, the rest of her life didn't stop on this island.
"What do you wanna bet those are missile launchers in that crate by that transport?" Poe pointed down the hill, ideas spinning in his brain. Rey followed his hard gaze down the hill, her sight landing on an opened crate full of what appeared to be rocket launchers.
"You'd be betting your life if you went down there to grab one," Ben grumbled as he twisted to go back down the slope. But Poe didn't heed Ben's warning. Instead, he bolted down the hill as Ben and Rey looked at the pilot, wide eyed and stunned at the unanticipated production.
()()()()()
Poe ran down the steep hill like gravity had been kicked up a notch, eyeing the area around the crates for any troopers.
None were around. They all seemed to be too engaged with the battle to have bothered leaving someone behind to guard the weaponry.
Sweet.
Momentum going too fast to stop on his own, his body slammed into the wide crate, rattling his senses. No time to bitch and complain about the impact; he had to get moving. He dipped his hand inside and pulled out a PLX-1 portable missile launcher.
Dammit, he thought as he opened the back. Empty. He peered back into the box, but there were only the launchers inside.
"Looking for these?" Poe turned to the left, seeing Ren holding a missile out in front of him. "There's another crate on the opposite side of the transport." Poe ran up to the guy and grabbed the missile from his hands. Loading the ammo inside, he noticed there was room for one more. Ren saw inside as well, and pointed Poe in the direction of where he could find more.
Poe couldn't dwell on the fact that Kylo Ren was helping him or else it might make him question whether or not this was reality, and such wasted time could get him killed.
Rey was kneeling behind the ship, keeping an eye out for any incoming troopers. After loading the second missile, Poe climbed on top of the transporter to get a better shot at the shield generator. The launcher was considerably heavy and awkward to climb up with, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. With the launcher placed on his shoulder, he looked through the scope lens and searched for the target. He needed to be quick and precise with his first shot before he was noticed.
Luckily, the rain had stopped and the wind had deteriorated down to a soft breeze, making it easier to handle the powerful weaponry.
The generator came into view and he took a deep breath before his finger pulled the trigger. His body jerked back at the sudden expulsion of the rocket, but he was able to regain his balance quickly. He watched as the trajectory veered too far to the right, exploding among a group of stormtroopers, missing the generator.
Poe was stunned by the sudden deviation since he had aimed right at the generator. Admittedly, he didn't have much experience with high tech missile launchers, which he should have realized before taking the shot. He lifted the launcher to fire off the second round, but had to dive onto his stomach as incoming blaster fire zoomed past him.
Every stormtrooper in the area had been clued in on his whereabouts, thanks to his failed attempt at blowing something up.
Yay.
A heavy thud sounded off from Poe's left and he lifted his eyes to see black, solid boots close to his face. His Adam's apple jutted out as his head craned upward, seeing Ren blocking blaster fire with his lightsaber.
"The launcher has a Gravity Activated Mode to lock onto targets!" Kylo yelled. "The switch should be to the right!" Poe's fingers frantically crawled over the launcher barrel and found the switch Ren had described. He scrambled onto one knee, looking through the scope, and saw how the launcher would lock onto certain targets in its line of view. The fire was starting to become heavy as more and more stormtroopers became aware of their presence on the transporter, but Ren just kept on hindering the onslaught, never blinking and never wavering.
Poe locked the GAM program onto the generator, knowing this was their last chance, and pulled the trigger.
Poe's body jerked from the kick back, but he kept his eyes on the missile, following it as it zipped through the air. A short breath later, he watched the big hunk of hardware explode, tossing a wide radius of troopers into the air like confetti. The red shield zapped off, revealing the dogfights that were now happening right above the island.
Fire suddenly erupted before him and he felt a huge wave of heat hit his body, tossing him back onto the steep hill behind. He landed hard, his head hitting something sharp before the darkness of uncertainty enveloped him.
()()()()()
Ren jumped onto the transport, landing right next to Poe's head. The pilot had missed the first shot and now had the attention of numerous squadrons. Damn pilot couldn't do it right the first time, he grumbled to himself.
He had planned on ripping the launcher away from the man the moment he arrived, but was forced to go on the defensive instead. It didn't take a genius to ascribe that the missile had come from the idiot atop a transporter... that looked like a Resistance pilot... and was holding the only weapon powerful enough to have caused such an explosion.
Ren quickly explained the mechanics of the weaponry, hoping the guy understood his fast spoken instructions. From his periphery, he saw the pilot find the switch and start to rise onto his knee. Between keeping Poe and himself alive, Ren spotted the missile flying through the air, traveling in the opposite direction of the blaster fire.
"Ben!" A man yelled in a voice he immediately recognized. His heart skipped a beat upon hearing his birth name, falling into a rhythm of sporadic palpitations that might end up stopping his heart.
The generator exploded, shooting fire, metal, and white bodies into the air as the shield evaporated. Blaster fire slowed significantly as the stormtroopers turned toward the loud noise.
Ren took this as his chance to search for the man who had shouted his name.
Resistance fighters and First Order soldiers were now mixing into a massive picture of wrangling bodies. Both sides were starting to fuse together as they pressed into one another, which would have made finding one person among them impossible. But, the green lightsaber gave the man away.
Ren locked eyes with Skywalker, watching the old man pushing his way to him.
He didn't have time to process seeing the Jedi Master as he sensed cannon fire headed straight for the transporter. He immediately launched himself into the air, tearing his eyes from the bearded Jedi and trying to fling Poe off of the transport. He wasn't quick enough, and the explosion violently pushed Poe straight back onto the hillside. When he landed right next to the crate of missiles, Rey was already sprinting after Poe.
Ren followed her.
The pilot was unconscious, blood seeping into the grass below his head. Explosions were littering the island and Ren could feel shock-wave after shock-wave hit his body, vibrating his ribcage.
"We need to get out of here!" Rey yelled over the noise, cradling Poe's head. Without thinking the decision over, Ren knelt down and flung the pilot over his shoulder. So much adrenaline was pumping through his veins that the man didn't seem to weigh much at all.
"Run ahead! I'll cover your back!" They both dashed up the hill, Ren turning every now and then to block the random fire with his lightsaber. As he made it to the peak, a sharp pressure formed in his head, almost making him lose his footing. He pivoted back toward the scene of slaughter, knowing exactly who was behind the bombarding trickery.
Skywalker was battling a group of soldiers and blocking their fire, but he kept glancing right at Ren between lightsaber swings. The Jedi was trying to Force Stun him. Ren countered him successfully. The pressure in his mind receded and he continued over the top and disappeared down the hill. He thought he could hear Skywalker faintly screaming his name in the distance, but he kept propelling his body forward.
Ren was in no way interested in having a family reunion.
"Where's your ship?" Rey shouted over her shoulder as she ran to the cliff.
"Go to the right and run along the overhang. It's on the beach, further down from here." She did as he said and he ran close behind. His legs were on fire as he finally felt the extra weight of the pilot, the used up adrenaline leaving him feeling feeble and tired.
The ship came into view along the beach, but as before, there was no path leading down to it.
They would have to jump.
Both him and Rey came to a stop, eyeing the distance down to the sand.
"I can go first and then have you follow. I'll help–" But Rey was already running and launching herself off the edge.
"Rey!" Flashes of how she fell into the ocean waves crashed through his mind, spiraling him into a panic. Before he could latch onto her through the Force, the girl had already started to slow her descent. Ren watched, amazed as she placed her feet gently on the ground, adjusting his undershirt so it was back to falling at her knees.
She was safe, having done it all on her own after only seeing an example of it once. It was astonishing, and a testament to her power and agility.
Still, he felt like he was going to have a heart attack. With his eyes still glued on her form, his mind was drawing a blank from witnessing her do something she shouldn't have been able to do. It had taken him months to figure out how to apply the right amount of power to slow a fall, and many attempts had ended with him being shot straight up into the sky.
His sight was drinking her in, being captivated–
Forget about his heart; he was worried about his short-circuited brain. Ren never got this awestruck over anything; especially a woman.
Far off sounds of cannon fire reminded him that he needed to get down to the beach. He jumped from the ledge, holding onto the pilot tightly. Rey aided him in slowly touching the rocky shore.
The pilot groaned against Ren's back, the descent probably helping in getting him back to consciousness.
Rey worriedly went for Poe, but Ren stopped her. "We can look him over once we're on the ship." She agreed, and they jogged the rest of the distance to the light freighter. Ren mentally lowered the ramp and they both entered the cargo bay, his spine suddenly shivering as he shot out his hand, freezing a blaster bolt mere feet from Rey's chest.
She dove for cover behind a landspeeder.
Ren dropped Poe onto the metal floor like a sack of fern potatoes, hearing a grunt come from the now lucid pilot. Just above them, on one of the cargo bay overhangs, was one of his knights. The knight attempted another shot at the girl, but Ren froze the man in place, flinging him across the room. The tall knight crashed onto the floor, seeming to be dazed.
Rey stayed kneeling from her position, her hand flying to her chest as if just realizing how close she came to taking a bolt to the heart.
Ren kept his main focus on the body teetering on the floor. He Force slammed the knights into the wall and locked him there. With one small gesture of his hand, the mask came off, showing the pale face underneath.
"Nymeer." Ren stalked forward, eyes narrowed. "You controlled your emotions well. I didn't even sense you were on the ship."
From behind, Poe went to stand next to Rey, whisper something indecipherable.
Nymeer bled from his busted lip as he started to laugh at his master. Ren's jaw tightened out of annoyance. "I knew you couldn't kill this desert bitch," he spat his words at Rey. "Even the Supreme Leader suspected as much. You've been unraveling, Master, long before you even killed your father. Or met this whore." Ren's fist shot out, making contact with Nymeer's nose, the cartilage crunching under the impact. The knight's head snapped back, hitting the metal wall as blood poured from his nostrils.
But Nymeer stayed conscious and aware.
"You're… weak," the knight rasped, then winced as Ren picked apart Nymeer's thoughts, helping him to piece together what's been going on over the past few days.
"Hux ordered you to kill the girl if I couldn't," Ren stated, not expecting such a betrayal.
Nymeer sneered at his master, the dark shadows under his steely eyes becoming more pronounced.
"Of course he did. Leader Snoke made it clear to Hux that if you failed to kill her, she would need to be exterminated by other means." A sudden coldness hit at Ren's core. "Did you really think the Supreme Leader would let you go off into the galaxy on your own? Without us tracking you?" Nymeer spat out a wad of blood, dragging air into his mouth. "Now you're a fucking traitor. How ironic."
Ren grabbed the knight's collar and got right into the man's face. "What else does the Supreme Leader know about the girl?" His question was venomous, and the knight stared directly into his threatening eyes.
"Oh, Ben." Nymeer's lips curled into a menacing smile as he said his forbidden name. "He knows everything. He knows how much you care for the girl; he knows she calls you to the light. He knows that if she were to die, it would ruin you in the best way possible... But that's the point, now isn't it. Such power you could have possessed, but you gave it up. Sentiment was your downfall, just like your grandfather."
Ren's neck corded tight, his grip on Nymeer's collar starting to shake. How dare the man compare his grandfather's failure to–
He felt a hand on his arm, and his eyes met Rey's deep stare. Her hazel gaze implored him to back away, to seek another way of working out his anger.
Reluctantly, he took a step back, releasing the hold on the knight. Nymeer fell upon his knees, keeping his head down as blood dripped onto the grated floor. Ren's hands racked through his wavy hair as he realized he couldn't leave the man alive, no matter how much he thought Rey protested against that conclusion.
An idea came to mind, one that was beyond perfect and straight into poetic territory that Ren couldn't help but smile.
Bending over, Ren palmed the blaster pistol off the floor and grabbed Nymeer' neck, dragging the dazed man to the cargo ramp. With a single precise push, the knight shot out into the night air, hitting his back against the rock wall. Nymeer tried to regain his composure so he could flee, but Ren didn't allow him to do so.
The knight froze in place as Ren raised the pistol, aiming directly at the man's chest.
"You should've heeded my warning about those grenades, Nymeer." The knight's eyes widened in terror as Ren fired a blaster bolt at the one remaining pyro grenade strapped to his chest. The heat resonated throughout the area, enveloping Ren's body as he watched the man be blown apart, the bone and meaty flesh splattering throughout the blast radius.
The air smelled of copper and smoke.
Taking satisfaction from the cruelty, Ren lowered the weapon, thinking how he'd wanted to kill that particular knight since their first meeting. In the end, Ren always figured out how to get his way. Besides, when the darkness called, he answered.
Ren was polite like that.
()()()()()
"Well, that's one way to kill the guy," Poe murmured next to Rey as she watched Ben stride over in their direction. While she did agree that the man had to die, actually watching it happen had been... difficult. The knight had tried to kill her and would keep attempting to do so if he were left alive. The way Ben had killed him, though, was overly excessive.
Ben's face tensed, his eyes blank as he stared directly at Rey. "I know what you want to discuss, but we'll have to talk later. We need to get to the cockpit."
Another thing to add to the list of discussion topics….
Rey and Poe followed him up the two pairs of ladders that ascended into the main level. They walked down a narrow hallway straight for the door ahead. It slid open, revealing the tight cockpit. The communications corner was to her right, and in front of her were four seats bolted to the metal floor.
For a person who had so much control over the First Order, he sure did fly a relic of a ship.
Odd.
Ben went for the pilot's chair, starting to ignite the engines. "Poe." Poe snapped his attention away from inspecting the small area and turned to Ben. Rey registered the surprise on his face, probably from hearing his name come out of Ben's mouth. "If you walk back through the hallway, there's a ladder leading up to a dorsal laser cannon turret. I need you to man it."
"Uhhhh, I'd rather be the one flying," Poe started to argue. Ben strapped himself in, tightening the harness before lifting the ship off the beach. Rey grabbed onto the wall, balancing herself from the sudden jerk of motion.
"With the multiple head wounds you have, the only thing you're going to operate is the turret. Rey, you're the co-pilot." Her eyebrows shot up, and she exchanged a worried look with Poe. Honestly, she would feel more comfortable with an experienced pilot behind the controls, but Ben did have a point about Poe's head wound.
Ben glanced at Rey over his shoulder, giving her a serious stare. "I am an experienced pilot."
Rey glared at him, feeling annoyed that he seemed to be reading her thoughts easily.
Poe exhaled dramatically. "If we die, I'm blaming you," he pointed to Ben's back before turning and walking out of the cockpit. Rey had no choice but to sit in the chair next to the pilot, buckling and tightening herself in for a bumpy flight. With her communications headset firmly attached on her head, Ben shot across the turbulent sea below, trying to conceal their departure from the aerial fight above.
"Tie Fighter's coming up from behind." Poe's voice came through the headset.
Rey's hands scrambled over the controls, bringing the shields to full power.
Ben sharply pulled then up into the air, making Rey hold on to the side of the chair. The ship shuddered as the shields deflected the incoming laser fire. Hearing Poe firing back, she prayed that he would be able to take out at least one of the Ties.
The freighter arched backwards in the sky, trying to get behind the enemy ships, but the Tie's just followed their trajectory. Rey's stomach knotted and lurched as she could feel the planets gravity trying to toss her around, but thankfully, the harness made her stay put.
Ben dove the ship for the ocean, pulling up right before hitting the water. Rey switched to clutching the control panel in front of her, trying to stifle the scream that begged to be released.
Ben's style of flying was similar to his fighting: aggressive, calculating, and merciless, but somehow effective and in control.
Gods, she prayed to the Force he was in control.
Her body thrashed under the harnesses as the ship's belly skidded along the black water. The freighter tipped to the side, making a sharp turn to the right, tossing up the ocean water in its wake. She heard an explosion go off somewhere outside as Poe yelled into the comm set, making her cringe from the pressure on her eardrums.
Shifting her eyes to the sensory monitor, only one Tie fighter was now visible.
"I got 'em!" Poe yelled out. "Son of a bitch didn't stand a chance!"
Glancing over at Ben, every muscle in his upper body strained against the pilot controls, his focus on keeping them alive evident in his strained features. It was ridiculous to roam over Ben's body at a time like this, but she couldn't stop her eyes from drinking him in. Rey had never met a man as broad and tall as Ben, but then again, she hadn't met a lot of people in the first place. Most the people she knew were humanoids, and when she said "knew", what she meant was "had seen." She never had any friends, never had an opportunity to ogle at a man's body like she was presently doing.
Telling herself to look away, she lost all sense of propriety and didn't. Eyes wondering over his milky skin, she thought back to how smooth he'd felt against her hands when she–
Rey's head suddenly snapped against her right shoulder as the left side of her midsection rammed into the side of her harness. A sharp pain took her breath away, and she found herself seeing pockets of black dance along her vision.
Ben struggled to control the ship. "We've lost the shields!"
She registered his yelling, but the noise seemed to be far way... too far away for being right next to him.
"You need to get out of the planet's atmosphere so we can jump into hyperspace," Poe commanded. Rey's back pressed into the spine of the chair as the ship shot straight up, which made her assume that Ben was actually following what Poe had suggested. She kept her vision on the blinking lights on the control panel, willing herself not to pass out.
Alarms started to go off and she heard Ben curse beside her. "The fuel line must've taken a hit."
"Rey, punch in these coordinates so you can activate the hyperdrive right when we clear the planet." She heard Poe read off a bunch of numbers, but she couldn't think clearly enough to actually process what he was telling her. Blood was pulling from her face and going to her heart in an attempt to keep her alive. Something was vibrating... was it her body?
"We wont have enough fuel to make it to that star system!" Ben countered as he activated all the forward thrusters, and Rey knew she was in trouble when she didn't register the heightened speed. Rey weakly lifted her head and saw that they were about to exit the planet's atmosphere. It was becoming increasingly more difficult to breath and her hands fell away from the control panel, no longer having the strength to hold on.
"Rey!" Ben's voice echoed in her ears.
She couldn't turn her head to look at him, couldn't form a word, couldn't take a deep breath... but she could feel how scared Ben suddenly became. Buttons were starting to distantly be pressed, and she heard Poe and Ben arguing at each other, but couldn't make sense of the frantic conversation. She tried to take deep breaths, but it was like her body was incapable of absorbing the oxygen. She was somehow drowning all over again, even though this time, she was in her element.
Mind falling into a panic, Rey couldn't register anything around her. She thought for the second time that day, that she was going to die.
()()()()()
As Ren listened to Poe name off the coordinates, he immediately knew that the gradual loss of fuel wouldn't allow them to make it that far across the galaxy. Plus, he was absolutely positive the pilot just named off the coordinates to the Resistance base, and Ren was not interested in going there. "We won't have enough fuel to make it to that star system!"
He initiated the remaining thrusters, picking up more speed to hurl the ship out of the atmosphere.
Suddenly, his breathing became shallow and he saw Rey's hands let go of the panel. Looking over, her face had become ashen and she was wheezing frantically. "Rey!" He was tempted to go to her, but if he didn't get them into hyperspace, they were all going to die.
"What's happening? What's going on?" Poe inquired anxiously.
Ren ignored the question as he quickly punched in a path to get them to the next closest star system he could think of. It took the ships computer a few moments to calculate a safe route, but the course wasn't the only problem. Hopefully, the fuel would last long enough to get them there. If not, well...
"Rey! What's happening?" Poe yelled.
"She can't breathe. She's starting to black out." Ren's voice was panicked and he didn't care if the pilot heard his worry over the comms set. Finally, like it had taken a century, they cleared the atmosphere and Ben launched them into hyperspace, leaving the Tie fighter behind.
Unlatching the harness and throwing the head set to the ground, Ren darted over to Rey, his hands unbuckling the straps and then ripping her out of the seat. He ran through the hallway with her in his arms, passing Poe climbing down the ladder, not even giving the guy a glance.
Lying Rey down onto the lounge floor, Ren noticed that she was barley lucid, her breaths coming on sharp and quick as she tried to force air into her lungs.
"There's a med kit in the storage closet." Ren pointed ahead to the corner. "Grab it and bring it to me." Poe sprinted without hesitation, rummaging through the closet and then hurrying back to Ren, placing the long med bag next to Rey as the pilot knelt down by her head. Ren fought back his nerves, knowing that it wouldn't do Rey any good for him to fall apart right now. But if Rey died on this floor?
The pilot was going to have a huge fucking problem on his hands.
Poe helped him take off the black undershirt so he could have access to the injury more easily. He ripped her tunic the remaining way up, showing her full chest wrap as both men took in a sharp breath upon seeing the huge black and blue bruise covering the left side of her ribcage.
"That's not good," Poe muttered.
Ren felt along the bruise, sensing that she did, in fact, have two broken ribs. How she managed to even stay upright after sustaining the injury astounded him. In his youth, he'd broken a rib during a training demonstration with Skywalker. He was barely able to walk around the week that followed.
"Is there a syringe in the kit?" Ren asked the pilot anxiously.
Poe dug through the duffle and shoved a syringe into Ren's hand. Carefully, he felt for the space between Rey's second and third rib, right below her collarbone and next to her shoulder. Before he left for Skywalker's academy, he'd been studying chemistry and medicine in hopes of one day becoming a doctor. Even after he "chose" to be a Jedi, he never stopped being fascinated by human and humanoid anatomy. Even though it had been years since Ren actually read up on any medical techniques, he found the knowledge coming back to him quickly.
Which was surprising, given how he'd been killing people the last six years.
"Do you know what you're doing?" Poe asked nervously. In truth, Ben was doubting himself as well, but he tried to hide it.
"Her lung has collapsed from the oxygen spilling into her chest cavity," he explained, more for his benefit than the pilot's. "We need to relieve that pressure in order for her to breath."
He pushed the needle into her chest, making sure to not go too far. Slowly, he started to pull the air into the syringe, feeling relieved when he didn't see any blood. He had to repeat the process three more times before Rey was able to breath normally again, but her complexion was still pale, which didn't fit her at all. That skin of hers was meant to look sun-kissed, not look like she'd kept to the shadows all her life... like him.
Rey's eyes darted everywhere as she took in one deep breath after another. "You're okay. Just take deep breaths," Poe said, trying to coax Rey into staying calm while stroking her hair, giving Ren time to inspect her rib-cage. Her fifth and sixth rib were fractured, and he didn't know the extent of the puncture wound to her lung. Maybe he could heal it, but he never before tried to heal an injury he could not physically see or feel. And honestly, he felt like he could sleep for a week straight; that's how exhausted he was.
Ren might not have the energy to heal her – which made him feel guilty, since he was the one responsible for her injuries in the first place.
He addressed Poe. "Carry the med bag and follow me to the crew quarters. I'm going to lay her down in a bed so she's more comfortable." Ren took the needle out of Rey's chest and handed it to the pilot. Poe flung the med bag over his shoulder and together, they carefully made their way to a spare cabin, placing Rey on the bottom bunk.
Rey still hadn't said a word since her breathing stabilized, and that was starting to make Ren feel uneasy. Her stare was distant, looking beyond the metal walls of the ship and somewhere that mirrored the reality of almost dying twice in one day.
Ren pulled at the med bag and brought out some bacta patches. Kneeling down next to Rey, he peeled off the jell pads and placed them fluidly over the saber burn across her midsection. She winced, keeping her stare on the bunk above her, never turning or looking down to watch the process.
"Where are we headed?" Poe asked, leaning up against the wall, watching Ren as he applied the medicine.
"Spira."
"Spira? Isn't that a core world? The First Order probably has spies there."
"There are spies everywhere, and that was the closest planet I could think of under the stressful circumstance." Ren applied the last patch and closed the front of her tunic to allow her more modesty. He messaged his neck as he sat back onto the floor, glancing at the pilot above. "Also, we still have the fuel problem."
Poe nodded his head in agreement. "We'll have to wait till we land to assess the damage. I was thinking… while we're in hyperspace, I was going to look for those tracking devices. I remember that warrior guy saying they put some on your ship." Ren had completely forgot about that. Even if they make it to Spira on the limited amount of fuel left, the First Order would be close behind.
The tracking devices needed to be located and destroyed.
Ren let out a tired breath. "Yeah, those need to be found or we're as good as dead." Sensing some turbulence in the room, he glanced at Rey, watching as her brows tightened and her lip quaked. Some sort of emotional tension was building within her, and soon, she was going to burst.
Hesitantly, Poe left the room, leaving him and Rey alone together.
The soft hum of the engines was the only noise to fill the tight quarters. Noticing her inhales to be labored, he went through the motions of helping her to breath and then, he took a quiet moment to just stare at her. Her hair was matted and dark with dried dirt, her clothes were in need of being deeply laundered, and her boots had mud caked all over them. Bruises on her face were starting to show, and he was sure she had plenty more over the rest of her body.
Ren trembled.
He didn't hold back when they'd been dueling earlier. On Starkiller, he had been, since he hadn't wanted to kill the girl... and couldn't stop the compassion he'd felt for her from influencing his actions. Even after killing Han and being on the brink of insanity, he still had enough clarity to not be too overpowering towards Rey. In hindsight, being injured had weakened him enough to where he wasn't in the best shape to fight. Still, at the start of that duel, he had a few openings where he could have ended the girl's life.
But he didn't take them, because he wanted her to join him... so he wouldn't be alone anymore.
A sudden cry came escaped Rey's swollen lips, and Ren's eyes moved away from her boots to her distraught and crumpled face. Her small frame started to shake as she tried to keep in her emotions. Ren cautiously stroked her cheek and told her to let it out. She turned her head into his bare shoulder and proceeded to wail. He rubbed her back, trying to console her as he patiently waited for her to be done. So much had happened over the small span of a few hours that even he couldn't process it all.
Where they thought their lives were going had now completely changed.
Never in his life had Ren comforted another, but doing so with her was as natural as blinking. He found he didn't want to let her go.
"Rey," he whispered next to her ear when her crying started to subside. "I'm going to try to heal some of your injuries so you can breathe. May I?" He didn't now if he had the strength or concentration to do it, but he had to try.
She nodded, and he closed his eyes to center himself. He let her pain become his, feeling every bruise, broken bone, and scrape on her body. She was in such agony that he couldn't stop his eyes from scrunching and tearing up.
Narrowing in on her lungs, he willed the Force to mend the small puncture wound. He wanted to bind her ribs back together, but he felt like he was going to pass out from the amount of strength he'd already given her.
Her shoulders slackened and she let out a deep, hot breath against his bare chest. "Do you want me to help you sleep?" he asked.
"Please," her gravely voice croaked.
His hand combed through her hair as he gently went into her mind, nudging her softly into her dreams. Her muscles instantly lost all their strain, and he heard her quietly breathing onto his skin. Time didn't compute as he held her against him. He loved feeling her flesh against his and thought to himself that he could get used to that sensation. But, after a while, holding her without permission seemed wrong. So he placed her back onto the bed, took off her boots, and covered her with the spare blanket from the top bunk.
Her features looked startlingly young as she slept peacefully.
She could pass for a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl, he thought, and then paused. How old is she exactly?
That would have to be one of the first things he asked her when she woke. He found himself hoping that she would be close to his age, for anything less would be... weird. Especially given how much he wanted to stay with her for, like, the rest of his existence.
What if she doesn't feel the same way?
But Ren knew she did. It was growing increasingly easier to use their connection to read the girl's thoughts and feel her emotions. She felt just as drawn to him as he did to her, and yet, he barely knew a thing about her. Sure, he knew of certain events in her life and how strong she was with the Force, but would their personalities clash as they moved forward? She wanted Ben, but he didn't feel like that person anymore. Nor did he feel completely like Kylo Ren.
He didn't know who he was.
Ren heard some noise coming from the lounge and was reminded about how he needed to help the pilot find those tracking devices. It would take half a day to arrive at Spira and he would sleep better knowing the First Order couldn't find him.
Reluctantly, he left Rey's room and walked toward the one person on the ship who absolutely despised him.
Things are definitely starting to slow down for our characters, but now that they have a moment to breath, they can ponder over the choices they have made. So, expect the next few chapters to have a lot of talking and inner dialogue. Thanks so much for reading and may the Force be with you!