Two Sides

Down Below

I'm exhausted, and we haven't done any real work yet. My relationship with the Force has changed since we arrived. In the past, I fed it a steady stream of rage, and it was always available when needed. I can't find anything to be angry about here, let alone annoyed. This is the most peaceful I've been in decades, and I don't want to leave. Even if that's why we're out here on this lake. 

The power I do have is fed by something completely new and much more dangerous. The desire I have for this woman is drowning me. I cannot get enough of her. Even now, as we hover over the wreckage of a First Order ship sunk to the bottom and slowly shifting into the silt, a likely impossible task before us, all I can think about is her hands running over my arms and back. 

I'm resting against the side of the raft, using the lust-driven power coursing through me to steady it and not pitch her into the water. If Rey wasn't so anxious and pale, I'd take her out here in the middle of nowhere. She wouldn't be amused. Right now, she needs her fear to get the rest of the dark power out of her. That, or I'm going to have to figure out how to royally piss her off. I'll take my chances with fear. What we are attempting is going to be unpredictable, and she might have a little more control this time if the motivation is fear. I hope so, anyway. Her anger was glorious, but I don't ever want to be on the receiving end of it again. 

She traces her fingers along two sets of claw marks on both sides of my back. "Do these hurt?" 

"Not much." I push myself up, using the Force to hold the raft absolutely still, and kiss her. "I enjoyed acquiring them. Are you ready?" 

She shrugs. "I guess. What do I do?" 

"Release the snake. Let's see how much power you've got in there." 

I drop back off of the raft and swim away from her. It's not a confidence booster, but then again, adding to her fear isn't the worst idea. Her eyes widen, and then she clamps them shut. I can't tell if she's doing anything at all. I float and wait. 

"Ben?" 

"Walls are down. Good. Get rid of that energy." 

I missed her presence in my mind, her quiet voice only I can hear. Not that it matters in this desolate place. But if we ever make it off this rock, I want to be able to talk to her any time. I want her all to myself, and this is something only we share. 

The water around me bubbles and then begins to churn and rotate, a spiraling current moving beneath me. Alarmed, I shift out of my floating position and begin to tread water. 

"Rey? Are you trying to lift the ship?" 

"It's too big! I can feel it, but I can't move it."

I move toward her in a few long pulls. "You're moving the water on top of it. That's a lot heavier than the ship." 

I grip the raft, concerned that I might drown for the first time in my life. Rey shudders and slumps over, her face resting against the rough wooden boards. The water slows to its former calm. I wait.

"Well, I didn't get the ship up," she says, reaching for me. "But I got rid of all that darkness." 

"When Luke was training me to be a Jedi, he told me a story about lifting his submerged ship out of a swamp. He didn't think he could do it, but the little green alien taught him that it didn't matter how big something is. So I'll pass the lesson on to you. Grab at your good girl lightside Force and pull it up. If Luke could do it, it shouldn't be too hard." 

"Are you going to help?" 

"Not to pull it up. I'm going inside to activate the emergency beacon and hopefully grab whatever else I can. I can't do both. Would you rather swim inside?" 

Her face answers for her. She stares into the water. I watch her face scrunch in concentration, her lips working as she tries to channel the Force into obeying her. It's a relief that the darkness is out of her. I touch her mind, ever so slightly, just to make sure. She gives me a mental shove, and I remove myself. Clever. She's a quick learner. 

A school of ugly brown fish swim by, fleeing in a blind panic. And then, looming in the murky green and brown, the command shuttle slowly lifts out of the depths. Rey brings it right to the surface, but cannot lift it further. 

"Hurry up," she grits out between closed teeth. "This isn't easy. I can't get it out of the water. But I can float it here." 

I take a few seconds to orient myself, inhale a deep breath, and dive down under, looking for a way in. The damage is much more extensive than I anticipated. The entire back of the ship is gone, and the metal is jagged and twisted. I resurface, take another big breath, and swim deep inside, headed for the controls. It takes me three more attempts to locate the control panel, and funneling every bit of Force I've got into the ship, I manage to reset the emergency power stores. My vision is beginning to blacken around the edges, my lungs screaming for air. I move toward the front of the ship, grope around for the emergency beacon, and activate it. My entire body tingles, and I allow myself to float up toward the sunny surface. 

"Ben? Do you see that?" 

I hear her, and I can feel her panic, but all I can focus on now is reaching the surface. Air. I need air. 

Something slippery and cold as ice winds itself around my chest and I'm no longer moving upward, but being tugged down into the depths. I yell out in rage, releasing the last precious air bubbles, and my vision goes black.