When Light Meets Dark - A Reylo Romance

The Battle of Chandrila

"Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it."

~Terry Pratchett, Reaper Man

Kylo

I stumbled through the crowds, trying to find my way to my assigned ship. The docking bay of the cruiser was swarming with people, most dressed in the distinctive grey uniform while others had heavy looking suits on. The air was filled with low chatter and the occasional yell could be heard as people called out last-minute commands in preparation for departure.

Earlier that morning, while the sun had not yet risen, I went out into a clearing to meditate. I was trying to see what the outcome of the battle would be, but my visions were cloudy and blurred. Nervous didn't quite describe how I felt, it was more like gnawing anxiety that had worked it's way deep into my chest. It was unlike me to feel this way before a battle, but it seemed that so much rested on our victory or defeat.

A small droid whizzed past, brushing against my trouser leg. I watched it swerve in and out of the crowd and then disappear. Then I noticed my ship, with the code CR-4 marked on one side. It was a small ship, not much larger than an escape pod, but came equipped with powerful blasters. Turns out my mother decided to put me on the air team. When I found out I wasn't sure whether to be relieved or offended. Rey was on the air team as well. 

I approached my ship and placed a hand against it's metal body. It'd been ages since I'd flown one of those. Then I looked up and scanned the crowd, a few people were already in their ships, while others roamed around the bay. There would be three cruisers taking off from Umbara that morning, with lots of smaller ships waiting to be launched from the bays once we made the jump to hyperspace. It's a good formation, I thought to myself. Then, some distance away, I saw Rey. She had her back to me and seemed to be speaking to some incredibly shiny golden droid. It was the first time I was seeing her in her Resistance uniform, and the grey was a sharp contrast from her usual sandy coloured clothes. Her hair was braided back and she looked relaxed.

Then suddenly, as if she sensed me looking at her, she turned around. Instantly our eyes met and we just stared at each other for a long time. Then, slowly, she began to make her way through the crowd towards me. When she was about a foot away from me she stopped. I stared down into her hazel eyes, not really knowing what to say. We hadn't spoken for almost two days and this sudden proximity felt, strange.

"Hey." she said softly.

"Hey." I replied. There was a long pause.

"So it looks like we're both in the same squadron."

"Hm?" I said, lost for a moment. She nodded at the number on my ship. "Oh." I replied, "I guess we are."

"Kylo I don't want to fight with you."

"Neither do I." I answered, taking a step closer to her. A male voice called out over the chatter that we would be leaving in five minutes.

"Make sure you fly safely, don't go crashing into anyone." she said jokingly.

I smiled, "We both know I'm the better pilot." I said. Then she reached out and slipped her hand into mine. I gave it a reassuring squeeze. 

"Rey, please don't die." I said. She let out a small laugh. "No that wasn't really the plan." she replied.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, feeling slightly more relaxed.

"I should probably go." she said, "Hopefully this will all be over quickly." I nodded and she turned to leave. Then impulsively I grabbed her hand again and she turned back to face me.