Between it All

Departure

Rey let out a cry as she and Ben scrambled to their feet. The impact of the bolt sent a hot flash of green light flooding into the base, whose alarms began to sound. A TIE fighter sped past overhead, revealing the cause of the attack. Far beyond the single fighter lay the shadowed figure of the First Order Annihilator.

Rey grabbed Ben's now-sweaty hand and pulled him.

"Ben!"

He diverted his eyes from the sky with a whip of his head and quickly followed Rey into the safety of the corridor, where the heat of the fire was less intense. Together they ran towards the hangar. Rey was immediately thankful that she wore clothes that allowed her to move with ease. Her long brown tunic and grey leggings, paired with her tall boots and arm wraps had thankfully become her favorite outfit while on Latuul.

As the couple neared the hangar, the hallways became more and more crowded. Resistance fighters ran back and forth, their shouts barely audible above the sound of blasters and ships firing upon the base. Leia stood at the back of the hangar, yelling a few last commands to passing soldiers. Rey and Ben took this moment to approach her. Leia took the initiative in the conversation.

"There's a light cargo ship in hangar 2," she shouted above the noise.

"What about the Falcon?" Rey asked.

"No, they're going to be looking for that ship, it's too risky," Ben replied for Leia with a stern voice.

"No, hang on," Leia wagged her finger at her son. "The Falcon's fast. No matter what ship you take, if they see you flying straight towards another planet, they're gonna notice."

Rey sent a glance over to Ben, nodding her eyebrow in the visual representation of the word, "ha."

"Oh, before you go," Leia leaned over to the table that sat beside her, picking up two blasters and handing them to Rey and Ben. "Be careful out there."

Rey gave her a slight grin of thanks before tucking the blaster into her belt.

"Thank you."

Rey was surprised to heard the words come from the lips beside her and not her own. She turned her head to see Ben holding the blaster in his hands, looking his mother in the eye. Leia reached out, rubbing and then tapping his arm, then dropping her hand back to her side with a loving smile. Her head followed the couple even after they left towards the forest.

_______________

By some stroke of luck, the pathway to the clearing in the rainforest where the Falcon lay was clear of smoke and flames. The sounds of ships roaring overhead followed by red and green bursts of light seemed to track them through the forest. By the time they reached the freighter, the bottom of both Ben and Rey's boots were caked with a muddy mix of sticks and leaves. They quickly scraped them against the entrance ramp in a futile attempt to clean them before boarding.

Rey slammed the button that shut the door with a sharp hiss behind them. She followed Ben Solo's rushed footsteps into the cockpit, where he immediately took the pilot's seat and started to fire up the ship. Rey was amazed for a moment before remembering that this ship once belonged to Han Solo.

Han meant for Ben to inherit his ship.

Rey sat down in the co-pilot's seat, looking at Ben to her left with an open-mouthed smile. He obviously sensed her emotions, for at this action he spoke.

"Pay attention, daydreamer."

Rey snapped her head back to the controls. The ship was ready to take off. With a hissing roar, the ship lifted from the ground, turning towards the sky. With a burst of acceleration the Millennium Falcon shot into the sky, passing by a flurry of fighter ships with agile maneuvering. Ahead they could see more fighting past the atmosphere, making Rey nervous.

"When I break through the atmosphere, go to the ventral cannon. We're going to need it up ahead and I'm not getting in that thing. I'll do what I can from up here, but I might need you to take out a few stray fighters."

Ben prepared the ship for exiting the planet.

She gazed out the window, seeing the clouds sinking below her. Craning her neck forwards, she saw the ever-growing emptiness of space beyond the atmosphere.

"Be ready..."

Rey prepared to move.

With a lurch, the ship jolted out of Latuul's misty atmosphere and plunged into vast starry blackness. The ship slowed as Ben found the direction of the planet Axelrae and accelerated towards it. In order to fly directly towards the planet, and not circle around Latuul, the Falcon had to pass through a cloud of dueling TIE fighters and X-wing ships.

"...Ok now!"

Rey quickly ran to the ladder as the ship lurched out of its ascent. She climbed down the first few rings before letting go and dropping down, climbing into the wobbly chair. She clicked on her communication headset and took up the triggers. The chair swiveled out of control before she got the hang of the sensitivity, focusing on the ships passing by her viewfinder.

"Ok," she breathed, centering herself for any moment to strike.

A voice buzzed to life in her ear.

"Alright, we technically don't have to use these, but if it makes you feel more professional, then I guess it's fine. Just listen for my command."

Oh.

Rey had forgotten about their mental connection in all the excitement. Too busy to bother taking off the headset, she only continued to figure out the controls, bracing herself for the fight.

"Get ready," buzzed the voice in Rey's ear.
"Do not engage the fighters. But if they follow us— knock 'em out."

Rey couldn't help but give a slight grin.

"Yes, sir!"

She could hear a little chuckle in her ear.

Suddenly, flashes of colored light began to bounce through the inside of the ship. Ships darted in-and-out of her peripheral view, sending sparks as they fired or were destroyed. Rey couldn't help but flinch every time glimpsed a Resistance ship plummeting towards the green planet below.

Something else caught the corner of her vision, but too late. A bright green bolt slammed into the side of the ship, causing the old freighter to shake. Rey let loose a cry of surprise.

"Get it, Rey!"

Ben pushed the ship as fast as it could go, speeding towards the ever-enlarging ashen planet ahead.

Rey swiveled to face the TIE fighter following the Falcon, finding the ship in her scanner. She hovered over the ship several times before finding a solid view of it, at which her scanner began beeping frantically. She slammed her fingers on the triggers, firing red bolts at the fighter. One struck its wing and the ship spun out of control, exploding after a few seconds.

"Got it, got it," informed Rey. She relaxed her hands on the controls.

Rey had to dispatch several more fighters before reaching Axelrae. Luckily it didn't take them long to arrive at the planet, given the Falcon's maneuvering and speed.

Not to mention Ben was an excellent pilot.