Dawn of a new Force

Chapter 43 - The price.

She waited for them to leave, hoping they had not noticed her recovery. When the sound of the speeder was far away, she straightened up on one elbow, and dared to look at her wound. It was severely slashed above the hip, but the burn of the blade had partially cauterized the wound.

With difficulty, she managed to sit down, moaning in pain and clenching her teeth. Tears flowed from her face without her being able to hold them back. She watched her position, her loneliness, with the echo of her tears that the rock wall was sending back to her. She felt lonelier than ever, without Ben, without a friend. It was getting cold, night was falling, it was getting darker and darker. And she could not get up without screaming in pain.

She had lost her fight. The reality of her defeat jumped at her face like a lightning bolt in a dark night. And Rey was not used to defeats. She had always won, she was a gifted survivor. She was scared for Ben, when she could not help him.

She thought back to everything she had learned and bit her lip, then began to try to get up again. She finally gets there. She tore off one of her flax strips and made a bandage of fortune. Raising her head, determined, she began to go out of the mountain. She had to go and rescue Ben.

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In the now empty rock room plunged into the twilight of the night, Obi-Wan Kenobi watched in silence. A thin smile appeared on his lips. Yoda appeared at his side.

- So proud of your descendants, you can be.

- She will be able to restore the balance, if she knows how to stay on this way without rocking.

- A new Force, yes, she will found.

- Were we all in error, in the separation of complementary, master?

- Always learn, we must. Take advantage of the experiences you need. The Jedi, a failure were. Today, believe in a measured and balanced strength, we can.

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On board the speeder, Ben was thinking. He knew he was being led to Hux, who would execute him without flinching. Here on Jakku, or worse, aboard the Fluency, from where he could still escape. He knew that Rey was not dead and showed all her fighting spirit. He had to act himself too. There was no question of falling back to Hux's hands.

He stared at the four knights. They reminded them so much of him weeks ago. He had always hoped, from the moment he had decided to change the mode of government of the First Order, to be able to count on this armed arm. But there was no time to do it.

"You are weak because of this girl," he heard inside himself. "You are only the shadow of yourself". He had to become what he had forgotten. The dark side had always given him an unimaginable strength. The bright side would wait. He thought about Rey crying and falling under Brehan, he feeds on it. He accepted that she was his weakness. He had to go help her, that was his priority. Whatever the price of this attachment.

He felt his blood boiling again, anger seeping into every pore of his skin. He drove away the sadness and let in hatred. The hatred of those who dared to touch her.

- Peace is a lie, there is only passion. By passion, I have the power. By power, I have the victory. By victory, I break my chains. The Force will release me, he said to himself, closed his eyes.

- What are you saying? Elaya asked.

Ben looked up at her.

- I say you're going to die, he said louder.

At these words, he held out his hands to Elaya and Vindo, watched them struggle against him, and could not shake off the Force's grip like their throat. He stared at them dying, those students he had trained himself. He could not meet their eyes under their masks, but he imagined them. And suddenly, he closed both fists. He saw their disarticulated bodies collapse as the sound of their crushed neck caught the attention of Brehan and Tay.

- Continue Tay, I'll take care of him, said Brehan.

- You'll let me go, or you'll suffer the same fate, Ben threatened.

- They were too weak, but I will not be fooled by your Force turns. I was the best, Kylo. I still am.

They settled for a brief moment. In the smallness of the speeder, lighting the lightsaber was difficult. Ben Solo then discreetly positioned his hand to surround Brehan with Force. Brehan closed but Ben Solo was stronger. At the moment he closed his fist to lure Brehan against him, he felt him resist. The men were face to face, almost trampling on the bodies of Elaya and Vindo. At a distance of five feet, they attracted each other, sweating in a mute struggle. Everyone knew that if he gave in he was dead. And suddenly, Brehan let go.

He landed in the arms of Ben, who grabbed his lightsaber and immediately snapped it into Brehan's torso. Ben felt his body convulsing, he was not dead yet. Blood spilled over him, he felt the speeder stop. Tay got up from his pilot seat and saw the scene. He did not dare to advance. Ben removed Brehan's helmet to see his best friend. He suddenly found the features of this man who had been one of the few to believe what Luke had done, and later to have supported his name change and his new allegiance.

He was heartbroken to see the suffering of this man. But he did what he had to do. And finally, he had to shorten his suffering. He deactivated his sword, supported Brehan who collapsed, then reactivated the sword to finish it off. As it was planned to do in their order, he knelt down with Brehan who looked at him, knowing what was going to happen. He nodded, and Ben lifted up the sword, and slaughtered him. He decapitated it dryly.

Then, out of breath, returned by what he had done, he looked up at the survivor. Tay stared at him without saying anything.

- Leave, bury them. Send this message to Hux. I would come for him soon.

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Exhausted by her effort, cold transient, Rey collapsed on the sand. She walked for several miles, but did not know where to go.

"Do not close your eyes," she repeated to herself. But the fatigue became unbearable, the throbbing pain blocked all her thoughts. She lay on her back, staring at the stars. She felt her eyes slowly close when a bright flash in the distance drew her. Turning her head, she saw and heard a speeder arrive. She tried to get up but did not succeed.

Luckily, the speeder stopped by her side. And Ben went down. Covered with blood, the air dark and exhausted him too. He leaned over and grabbed her like a child.

- Ben, what did you ...

- I did what it took to save us.

- Are you hurt?

- No ... he whispered.

He pulled her up into the speeder and closed the door. He put her gently on a bench and went back to the pilot seat. Rey watched the floor, horrified, and realized that even the walls were stained with blood.

He felt her thoughts.

- I did the right thing, Rey. Whatever the price. I never want to talk about it.

He re-started the speeder towards their shuttle. Rey does not say a word during the trip. Today she had learned her filiation and the price of attachment. Luke was not wrong, but she was not ready to give up on love. Whatever the price.