*author's note: thank you so much for all the love on this story! This might be my favorite one I'm writing so it's so cool that you guys like it too!*
*ps: I had to create a lot a planets and systems in this chapter, so none of these places are canon. I needed to make places with the terrain I wanted.*
"Writing in blood on my walls
'Cause the ink in my pen don't work in my notepad
Don't ask if I'm happy, you know that I'm not
But at best, I can say I'm not sad
'Cause hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have
Hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have"
-"hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have-but I have it" by Lana Del Rey
Empress Rey Palpatine's Command Shuttle:
Rey Palpatine's Courters:
Rey was unusually calm given the circumstances. Her arch nemesis, Ben Solo, had just barely escaped her grasp more than a month ago and they hadn't seen him or the Resistance since. General Hux was, as per usual, overly anxious that they hadn't made any progress in destroying the rebel fleet. He wouldn't say it, but Rey could sense that he blamed her for their lack of leads. Even though Rey's worst enemy was Ben, Hux believed his was Rey. She knew this, but Hux's temperament was the last thing on her mind.
"How do you expect us to move on from here, Supreme Leader?" Hux spat.
"I'm working on it, General." Rey replied.
Hux huffed and stepped towards Rey. She glared at him from the satin arm chair she was sitting on. She hated that he now felt the need to intrude the serenity in her personal shuttle. He brought an aura of anxiety -and annoyance- wherever he went.
"Empress, you know as well as I do that our allies are beginning to lose faith in you! Ever since you took the throne from Snoke and claimed your grandfather's name, you earned a reputation that you must live up to! And you are failing." Hux's voice was slowly raising into a yell.
"How many times must I remind your small brain that I am working on it." Rey managed to stay calm and unbothered by his attitude.
"Really? I didn't know 'working on it' meant losing a fight where you started with the upper hand then losing to your opponent when he sped away in one of our own ships because you couldn't operate a door!" Hux boomed as his face turned cherry red.
Rey pushed herself from her chair and raised her arm. Hux didn't have a chance to properly breathe before he was being thrust into the metal wall. His head hit the side with a bang. His limbs crumbled to the ground after. When Rey saw him laying on the tile, pathetic and moaning in pain, she walked over and stood directly above his limp body.
"I could kill you if I wanted to. I could smash your windpipe between my index fingers before you had the chance to blink." Rey hissed.
She herself linger above him while her blood-thirsty eyes stared at him suffer. Having the high ground never gets old.
You would think that by now Hux would be use to getting Force neaten-up, but he always seems so surprised.
"I am Empress Rey Palpatine, Supreme Leader of the First Order and a known Jedi-Killer. I have more power in my fingernail that you have in your entire pathetic frame. I suggest that from now on," she kneeled down to look directly in his eyes, "you stop taunting me about things that I have under control."
Hux moved over to avoid her eye-contact. Rey, obviously fed up with his painful whining, stepped away from him and to the door leading outside her chambers. She motioned for the stormtrooper stationed by the entrance to come inside.
"Please take General Hux off of my Command Shuttle...maybe get him some medical attention I suppose."
Resistance Base in the Massian System:
Ben Solo's Courters:
Poe was studying a large map of the Massian and Cramber Systems in front of his face. Beside him, Ben was meticulously writing graphs and points down in a journal.
"So let me get this straight: you are going to lure Empress Rey to the Cramber System by telling her to have a sword fight?" Poe laughed under his breath in confusion.
"It's called a Lightsaber duel, Poe." Ben cheekily replied.
"Right, right. But how do you know that Rey alone will meet you? What if she brings her entire fleet and kills you in a fire of blaster shots on the spot?" Poe placed the map back on Ben's desk.
Ben stepped away from the cushy arm chair he was writing in and walked over to Poe. He grabbed his shoulders and held his hands there.
"Because that's not the Jedi way." Ben said plainly.
"Of course, because the girl known as a 'Jedi-Killer' cares about what is or isn't in the Jedi code." Poe said sarcastically.
Ben laughed to himself and walked passed Poe to the shelf where his lightsaber hilt was hung. He fiddled with the object in his hands. It looked like he was practicing combat techniques in the air.
"She won't care, but she wants to beat me. I sensed it in her. Rey wants to not only kill me, but conquer me. She can't do that if I'm grossly outnumbered. Trust me, Rey will come alone so she can face me with dignity."
Ben continued to fiddle with the hilt as Poe walked around to face him.
"Okay so she meets you alone... then what? You're just gonna use your fighty fun tricks to chop her up into pieces?" Poe joked.
Ben playfully rolled his eyes and set the saber back on the shelf. Poe sighed and lifted his hand so it rested above his head on the wall next to him. Ben crossed his arms over his chest.
"Listen, I don't know if I'll win. We are an equal match in skill and will. And even if I do win, I don't know if I could kill her."
"Even after all the lives she has taken? All the innocent people she has mercilessly killed every single day?"
"Poe, that's not her making those decisions. That's the darkness in her."
Poe rolled his eyes out of annoyance. He pushed himself away from the wall and walked toward the window at the edge of the room.
"I don't believe that. I think we all have some control."
"Yes, we do..."
As Ben walked over to stand next to Poe, he grabbed a small red box sitting on his desk.
"I hear the darkness in me every time I breathe. It's tempting to follow it. Rey was a good person once, but life broke her and the darkness made itself into a family for her... Poe can I tell you something?"
Poe looked over to meet Ben's eyes.
"Anything, pal." Poe whispered.
"During our battle a month ago, I had the chance to kill her. I was above her with my lightsaber poised to slice into her chest. Then, I heard this deep, menacing voice in my head. It was like it was cheering me on. Later I realized that that was the darkness calling me. And now I can't shake the feeling that if I kill her, I will turn the dark side and become the next Supreme Leader."
Poe stepped back stunned. He knew that all this Jedi and Sith stuff was out of his realm of capabilities but he desperately wanted to understand so he could help his friend.
"You wouldn't do that. You'd never be like her."
"Maybe, but I could be. When I read her mind, I saw Rey as a child. She was innocent and lonely. I bet that small kid was never expecting to be the Rey we know."
"So your saying that if you kill her, someone who has murdered entire systems and tried to kill you multiple times, then you'll be the bad guy?"
Ben's eyes moved toward the window. Staring out at all the trillions of little stars, he couldn't help but feel small in comparison. Although, his problems felt massive.
"If I kill Rey, then I'll be the bad guy. But... if I kill the Empress then I will have saved her."
"That sentence made so sense." Poe couldn't help but laugh.
"I need to give Rey an chance to be good. She needs to know that the darkness chose her, but she doesn't have to choose them."
Poe tilted his body so he was staring out the window with Ben. The red box still hung from Ben's calloused dinged tips.
"How can I help?" Poe asked.
Ben grinned and lifted the box up. He held it out in front of Poe and pulled out a small orange pin. It was small and scuffed up from battle but still legible.
"I saved your pilot's pin from when you quit."
A throaty laugh escaped Poe's lips and he immediately grabbed the pin from Ben's hands. His fingers touched the nooks and crannies of each ridge in the symbol.
"I thought I threw this thing out the dock when I left!" Poe mumbled excitedly.
"I caught it. I knew you would need it again someday." Ben smiled.
Poe stopped admiring the pin when he realized what his job was.
"You want me to be a pilot for you while you escape to meet Rey." Poe gasped.
"I want you to be a pilot for me while I escape to meet Rey." Ben replied.
Starkiller Base:
Rey bounded into the command center with an intimidating demeanor. Cowering behind her was General Hux. Despite only being called to the command center a moment ago, Rey was in her complete uniform. In fact, her massive cloak was flowing directly into Hux's path so he almost tripped multiple times. If she was asked if she almost tripped Hux on purpose, she would say no...but we all know that's not true.
"Who has requested a connection?" Rey's voice boomed across the walls.
A single operative stood up from her screen and walked over to Rey. She bowed in front of her and tightly clasped her hands behind her back.
"Someone from the Resistance, Empress Palpatine." The girl stated.
Rey glanced across the room to the screen.
"Can we trace where they are contacting us from?" Rey asked the girl.
"No. They are using a magnetic cloaking device that our systems cannot infiltrate without revealing our own location."
"Alright, we shall speak to them."
Rey attempted to slide passed the girl but she shyly moved into Rey's path to block her from the computer.
"They-they have re-requested that you talk with them...alone, Supreme Leader." The girl stumbled across her words.
Rey's eyes narrowed. Everyone in the room was expecting the girl's brain to be scattered on the wall at any moment.
"Why are we obeying their rules?" Rey snipped.
She towered over the operative and the girl cowered in fear.
"Be-because they said that they wouldn't tell y-you what you wanted if you d-didn't." The girl choked out.
Rey stepped back on her heels and thought for a moment. The girl sighed in relief. Without warning, Rey whipped around to look at General Hux. He immediately straightened his back, ready to take orders.
"Remove everyone from the command center...now."
Hux modded and yelled for everyone to vacate. Rey walked through the crowd as they exited so she could look out the window. The galaxy felt so large and so small to her at the same time when she looked at the stars. It made her feel insignificant, yet so at peace. She used the stars to calm her senses and channel the Force. With her fingertips resting on the glass as the last of the poeple left the room, she sensed someone looking for her. Then, she knew exactly who was going to be on the other end of the call.
Without turning around, Rey pushed the red button to accept the call. The hologram whirred to life next to her.
"So nice to see you again...Ben." Rey spoke out to the window.
"I would say the same, but I can't see you." Ben's voice spoke through the machine.
Rey smiled coyly and turned around to face him. He was dressed in a black over shirt and tight pants accompanied by a blaster holster. She had to admit that her usual attire was a little much compared to his.
"Are you alone?" Rey asked.
"Yes...are you?" Ben replied.
"Yes...why have you called me here? Not that I'm complaining. I must say, I missed your cheeky little comments about how my tragic past haunts me while you're gone." Rey teased.
Ben's illuminated figure laughed to feign politeness. Beneath their cold exteriors, they both burned with hatred and envy of the other. They both wanted so badly to conquer the other, even though they didn't know what that would mean.
"I have a proposition for you." Ben's deep voice found it's way through the air.
With a lifted eyebrow in curiosity, Rey moved closer to the hologram.
"What do you mean, Solo?"
"The planet Rema in the Cramber System. Let's settle this once and for all."
"Why would I do that when this back and forth thing we've got going on is so fun?" Rey chuckled.
"Because you want to defeat me. You want to clear your name and establish your reign as the next great Palpatine by killing a Skywalker Jedi." Ben egged her on.
Her interest was peaked, but Ben wondered how he would truly know if she planned to follow his rules. Rey wondered the same thing about him.
"Let me get this right, you want to meet me in a planet in the middle of nowhere, alone, and have a lightsaber duel to establish who will be the next great Force leader in the galaxy."
"That's exactly what I want, Rey."
She smiled and moved in towards his outline. They both artificially stared at each to see if the other was lying. Neither could tell if they other was bluffing, this evened the playing field.
"Alright. I will meet you, alone, on the planet Rema in the Cramber system tomorrow as the light disappears...for our second battle." Rey agreed.
"Our second battle will be our last, Empress Palpatine."
"I'm looking forward to it, Commander Solo."
With a click, the call disconnected.
Resistance Base in the Massian System:
"So you're telling me that my son is so ill with the...?" General Leia Organa trailed off.
"Poi Poi fever, yes." Poe finished her thought.
"Right, the Poi Poi Fever. He's so sick that he cannot work for the next three days so you have to take over his position?" Leia questioned.
"That is correct, General." Poe responded.
Leia rose from the chair behind her desk in the command center. She uncrossed her arms locked at her chest as she sauntered over to Poe. She was trying her best to detect if he was lying for some reason.
"Why are you so insistent on returning to your pilot position now? It's not like I've begged you to for months or something." Leia raised an eyebrow in suspicion.
"Because my friend asked me to." Poe said, referring to Ben.
Poe was too good of a liar to admit. Especially when lives were on the line, he could convince himself to say anything he wanted.
"Let's go talk to Ben, shall we?"
With a sigh, Leia pushed passed Poe with a knock to his shoulder. Poe quickly shifted and moved in front of Leia's direction.
"You can't do that, General."
"Why not?" Leia's voice rose out of aggrevation.
"Poi Poi fever is very contagious! I've had it before so I'm immune, you haven't been exposed to it. If you talk to Ben now... you might die." Poe exaggerated for effect.
Leia stepped back and walked away from Poe and his lies.
"I caught you lying for my son once before. It wouldn't be wise to to do again, Dameron." Leia threatened.
Han hadn't been around the command center all day. Leia assumed he was tending to business with Chewbacca or simply taking the day off. That didn't stop her from missing him, and missing his judgement. She wasn't sure if Poe was telling the truth, but she knew that if he was lying it was for the good of her son and the Resistance.
Poe refused to falter and stared back at Leia with innocent eyes.
"Okay... I trust you, Dameron." She gave in.
An exasperated breath escaped Poe's mouth and he finally relaxed. Leia turned around and walked back to her desk to take a seat once again. Poe's eyes delicately followed her all the way back to her chair.
"You will restart your position as Head Pilot immediately." Leia offered.
A large grin crossed Poe's face. He truly hadn't realized how much he missed his old job until that moment.
"Thank you, General Organa! I won't let you down!" Poe exclaimed.
With a certain bounce in his step, Poe started towards the door.
"Don't let me down, Poe. I'm putting a lot of trust in you, I just hope I'm lucky." Leia called after him.
"We need more than luck, remember?" Poe laughed.
The door to the hallway slid open and Poe retreated. Leia slumped back in her chair and her hand found its way to her cheek as she contemplated her decisions.
"I've got a bad feeling about this." Leia whispered to herself.
Even though Leia had a bad feeling in her chest, Poe had a good one. The second he was put back in his old position, he felt like he had a purpose again. Poe felt like he was not only helping Ben, but helping himself. Ben knew that that would happen when he came up with his plan. And so far, Ben's plan was running smoothly.
The Planet Rema in the Cramber System:
A day later...
It took Ben a few minutes and some light-speed hopping to make it to Rema. He purposefully chose a planet far enough away so that if Rey defeated him, she wouldn't easily find the Resistance base.
For practical and emotional reasons, Ben arrived on the sandy terrain well before he expected Rey to show up. He wanted the chance to investigate his surroundings and find a moment alone. Their Force strengths were so equal to one another that Ben needed to harness all of his power through the planet's pull just to be slightly ahead.
Ben removed his helmet and stepped out of his X-wing. He was dressed in a pair of form-fitting combat pants and an oversized black shirt. His brown boots were pulled up to his knees. He abandoned the blaster holder in favor of simply holding onto his light saber.
The sand on Rema was finely sparsed and colored bright red. Across the horizon line were tall red mountains and cliffs towering above. There was not a single tree or patch of green in sight. Ben looked upward to the sky and saw blue above him. He couldn't see clouds anywhere but if he squinted his eyes he could just barely peek at the stars passed the planet's atmosphere.
Taking a clump of sand in his hand, Ben breathed the air into his lungs and let the wind take the grains from his palm. The wind wasn't too strong, but it was blowing his raven curls out of his face.
"Be with me." Ben mumbled to himself.
Ben needed the forces of light to be with him. He could already feel the voices of the dark calling him to follow his desire to end her. To combat them, Ben needed the light side to be stronger than ever with him. He needed his grandfather, Anakin Skywalker, to call out and keep him from going the way he did. Ben had been so close to following his grandfather's footsteps when his uncle, Luke Skywalker, attempted to kill him at the Jedi temple on Ahch-To. He felt the pull to the dark less then than standing on the red sand, but now he was more determined to follow his good heart.
•••••
Until the very last moment he could, Ben sat with his legs crossed on the sand trying to channel all the light Force energy he could hold. He closed his eyes and placed his palms on the ground and asked the spirits to guide him, but more so to guide Rey. He knew he needed not to kill her, but to turn her. Hopefully, he could teach her as well. He dreamed of the pair they could be. They could be the galaxy's next powerful Jedi generation. She just needed to trust in him.
After an eternity of prayer, the light finally began to fall out of the sky. A sudden mechanic grumble echoed in the sky. Ben's eyes jolted open and he rose to his feet. Up above, Rey's TIE fighter ran a line across the sky. Its nose tilted and began to head towards the sandy plain where Ben stood. Not knowing if this breath would be his last, Ben inhaled intensely and struck a stance of protection. He stood there and watched the ship finally land on the sand. Red sand flew into the air underneath the ship as the engines shut off. Through the smoke and debris, Ben saw the door to the cockpit open and the unmistakable three-bun hair-do pop out.
"I promised I'd come alone." Rey called to Ben.
"I remember." He responded.
The Empress gently stepped out of the TIE fighter and landed on the ground. As the smoke cleared, Ben got a clear view of her. She was wearing a tight, black, corset-fitting tunic that stopped mid thigh. Her pants appeared to be leather extending to her short boots. Every time Ben saw her he remembered how scared and intrigued she made him feel. Little did he know, Rey felt the same thing.
"I must say...I'm surprised at your choice of planet. This place has been abandoned since the time of our grandfather's." Rey said while looking around.
"I couldn't resist the dramatic appeal." Ben replied.
Slowly, they both began to close the 20-foot space in between them.
"I would ask you about your family or the weather, but..." Rey taunted.
"Weather is average in space and my family is as dysfunctional as ever." Ben cut her off.
Neither were drawing their weapons out of fear. They didn't want to give the other person the edge.
"Nice to hear. I've always liked your family. Even though they are rather...what's the word? Oh right... rather frustrating." Rey inched closer.
"Are we going to spend all night discussing the intricate annoyances of my family, or are we going to complete our mission?"
A small smirk crossed Rey's lips. Her hand extended below her waist to reveal the double sided hilt of her saber. She still felt resistant to ignite it until Ben lit his. Maybe Ben heard her mind say this because not a moment later his hand extended and with the press of a single button blue light whirred to life. Rey menacingly smiled as her red saber cast a shadow on her skin.
"I thought you'd never ask." Rey whispered.
Without needing a moment to think, they charged at each other. Ben ran towards her with his saber poised to collide with her's. Rey's double saber caught the blue lid in mid-air and pushed him back. Their feet dug into the ground as each of their strength pushed the other back. Ben smiled like he enjoyed this.
"I always forget how strong you are." Ben said to Rey as they pushed each other back.
"How silly of you."
Rey grunted and let go of her push. She leaped into the air and flipped to land away from touching distance. Ben jumped in the air and followed her.
Quickly, Rey tried to capture Ben off balance and under cut his feet. He sensed this and jumped. Her light saber cut into the sand. Ben tried to do the same move to her, but Rey jumped up and landed upon a rocky ledge on the mountains above them. She began to scale the side of the mountain without turning off her saber. Knowing she was much more agile than him, Ben realized he didn't stand a chance at climbing the rocks below her. He quickly examined the horizon and found a hill leading up
to the top of the cliff. His feet turned and began to run up the side of the hill.
After only a few seconds, Rey and Ben had both made it to the top of the cliff. Before they had the chance to make proper eye contact, their sabers were intertwined again. As soon as the contact broke, they would spin the weapons around to gather momentum and crash again. At this point, neither held the upper hand and both of them were constantly besting the other.
Ben's saber crushed down onto Rey's with a powerful push. Blue light was fast across her face. In the heat of the fight, Ben forgot once again that he didn't want to kill her.
"You need a teacher. I can teach you the ways of the light." Ben attempted to speak tenderly.
In a moment of contemplation, Rey closed her eyes and channeled her energies.
"I don't need a teacher!" Rey forcefully pushed back on Ben's saber.
He was sent flying backwards onto the rocks. He only had a second to regain his footing before Rey was towering over him on the ground. The double-edged weapon peered at Ben. It gave his face a red glow and illuminated the sweat trickling down his brow.
"You don't need one...but you might want one."
Ben's life was now in her hands. She could kill him if she wanted to, and Rey wanted to. She raised her saber towards the sky and began to charge down on him. In a last attempt to save his life, Ben closed his eyes and tried to infiltrate her mind. Luckily, her guard was down. Immediately he sunk into the depths of her unconscious and Rey fell to the ground.
Ben awoke in a small dark room. It was lined with mirrors. He shifted his weight to the balls of his feet to regain his footing. Looking to the side he saw a reflection, but it wasn't his own. The mirror reflected Rey but not the Empress he knew. She was clothed in tan rags and held a golden saber ignited her hand. Her face wasn't confused, it was calm and content.
"Ben?" The reflection smiled.
Out of confusion, Ben smiled back. He never thought he'd see any version of Rey appear happy, nevertheless happy to see him. Rey's eyes darted across the room to the other side of mirrors. Standing at the other end was a completely different reflection. Ben stepped back in horror when he realized he was looking at a reflection of himself, but this reflection was very different. He was clothed in black robes and a cloak. In one hand he was holding some sort of metallic helmet. In the other hand he was holding the hilt of a saber.
"The scavenger." Alter Ben echoed.
Ben recognized the voice as his, but something about it felt so wrong and sinister. Not the mention, he had no clue what he meant by scavenger.
The alter Ben looked at his reflection for a moment and then back to Rey standing across from him. He placed the helmet in his hands on his head and every trace of humanity left his face. He kicked his foot to the side and threw the hilt out with it. The sound of embers in a fire filled the room and the red saber rose to life. To Ben's surprise, two other sides of the saber lit up to form a T-shape.
"Ben, it's not too late. You'll turn, I saw it." Rey said to the sinister reflection.
"It's Kylo Ren! Now get out of my head!" It yelled at both Ben and Rey.
Ben stepped away in horror. He had no clue what a 'Kylo Ren' was, and he didn't want to find out.
"I saw something too. You'll turn. You'll rule the Sith beside me." Alter Ben said.
An expression of horror came across Ben's face. Why was Ben on the throne of the Sith? Then it clicked:
These weren't Rey's thoughts at all. This was the darkness showing Ben what his life would be like if he turned to the dark side long ago.
A terrible scream ripped from the vision and Alter Ben lunged through the mirror at Rey. Ben ducked to avoid the red lightsaber. As he lept to the ground, the vision around him suddenly dissolved into vapor. Ben was ripped from the room and thrown into the sand below his feet.
Ben's eyes sprung open and looked at Rey beside him. She was just as terrified as him. Her limbs were shaking and beads of sweat fell from her forehead.
"What was that?" Rey asked at Ben.
"The darkness. It was showing us who we'd be if the roles were reversed." Ben coughed.
Ben pushed himself up from the ground. He looked around his surroundings to make sure he was exactly where he thought he was and not in another vision. He glanced at Rey who was still sitting scared on the ground. In a moment of compassion, Ben bent down and extended his hand to her. She reluctantly took it and he pulled her from the ground.
"I was right." Rey said with their hands still clasped.
"I told you that there was a good person in you." Ben smiled.
"No, I was right about how strong you would be if you turned to the dark side!" Rey exclaimed.
Ben stepped back in horror. In that moment, he didn't know if it would ever be possible to change her. He wanted the lighter, kinder Rey that he saw in the vision to come true. While Rey wanted the Alter Ben, known as 'Kylo Ren', to fight with her.
The wind was starting to pick up. Ben heard a rustle through the air and red sand started to crowd the space around them. They looked at each other in a stand still. Neither had the urge to start the fight because they no longer wanted to kill each other. Both Rey and Ben wanted the other, but not as they were. They wanted one another as what they could be.
In the middle of their standstill, the ground began to shake. The cliff they were standing on was wide but chunks of rock were starting to fall off the side, making the edge narrow and narrower. Rey and Ben managed to spread their stance to the ground to maintain their footing.
"Ben..." Rey looked over at him.
Ben looked back at Rey and saw she was just as confused as he was. Just as he was about to make his last galant effort to protect her, a loud screeching noise echoed inside his skull. Rey heard the same agonizing tone. Two painful screams rippled from their bodies as the ground continued to further disorient them.
"You cannot have both!"
The voice screamed into the depths of their brains.
"What is happening?" Rey yelled at her subconscious.
The ground was showing no signs of calming. This was not a naturally occurring disturbance. Ben and Rey knew that an outside force was putting them through this pain.
"You must choose! Dark side or light side?!"
They were both grasping at their temples in pain. Rocks continued to crash to the ground below them.
"I don't understand!" Ben called out to the invisible voice.
"You are a diad in the Force. Together your power will be unmatched!"
Rey looked over at Ben through the chaos. He was looking for her as well. As much as they despised each other, they realized that they didn't want their enemy dead. Especially not after a mysterious voice was telling them that they need to work together.
Suddenly, Rey got an idea. She held her hand out towards Ben. The wind was attempting to pull him away from her, but she knew he could still sense her movements. Ben looked at her hand reached out towards him. Immediately he knew what her idea was. His arms aligned with her hand. Silently, they each began to slowly count down from three.
3...2...1
The air became dense with the powers of the Force. Passing through their veins were the energies coursing through the other. Weighed down with energy, the air grew still. The red sand fell to their feet. The screeching inside Ben's head ceased. Soon after, Rey felt the same peace.
Invisibly and tangibly, the Force energies leaving Ben and Rey's finger tips intertwined. Ben's breathing increased from exertion as Rey let out a tense sigh.
The ground beneath them finally stopped shaking. Rey looked down and noticed the change but stayed fixed on Ben. He followed her moves of tension.
"Rey, there's good in you! I can feel it!" Ben shouted across the Force.
Rey screamed in retaliation.
The density between them was growing with every breath. Both were so determined to change the other one that they forgot all else.
Rey's hand started to shake. Sweat fell from her creased forehead. Ben looked towards her with concern. He could feel the Force in her hands crawling towards him. With a single push in Ben's direction, Rey exerted all the power she had. To their surprise, blue lightning (similar to that of her grandfather) exploded from her hand. Ben instantly let go of his hold on her and was thrown backwards. Luckily, he didn't fall off the edge of the cliff.
Looking down at her hands in pure terror, Rey didn't understand what happened nor did she want to. Before she could dwell on the events of their second battle, Rey sped down the cliff to her TIE fighter. She locked herself in the cockpit and carried herself away with all her worries.
Hazily, Ben watched from the ground as she sped away. His eyes began to droop and he was completely unable to keep them open for any longer. The impact of the ground on his head proved to be too much and Ben collapsed down again.
Neither of them completed their mission, and the second battle wouldn't be their last.