The sheer power of the explosion lifted Rey off her feet, sending her skidding across the shiny metal floor of the hanger. Another explosion and Rey instinctively hunched her shoulders and ducked her head.
Shouts made her look up and she saw the stormtroopers scattering, Pryde on their heels, barking out orders.
Ben. Where was Ben? Rey's eyes roamed wildly around, searching for him in the commotion. A streak of red light and Rey saw him. He was surrounded by the Knights of Ren again but this time he held his saber. From where Rey sat she watched in awe as he swung out at them, one at a time, dropping them easily, never halting until all of them lay motionless at his feet.
Rey pushed herself up, "Ben!" She cried, running for him.
He turned, his hair messy, his eyes wild, "Rey. Thank god".
They embraced briefly, separating as an x-wing dipped down low over what was left of the hanger. "We need to find Lando!" Rey cried.
Ben nodded, "This way".
They ran, deflecting shots from stormtroopers and cutting down those they could. Finally they reached a set of metal doors. Ben keyed in a code on the panel next to the door. Nothing happened.
He grunted in frustration, "He's changed the code. Pryde's changed the code". Gunfire close behind and the drone of x-wings and screams of ties were all around them now and Rey had to lean in close to hear him.
"Hey hold it, stop right there!" A voice behind them.
Ben inhaled deeply and turned, as did Rey. Two stormtroopers were stood, blasters raised.
"I've got this" Rey said quietly and then in an instant she'd pulled her saber from her belt and cut them both down.
Ben raised his brows at her, clearly impressed. It warmed her chest, just knowing that.
Ben grabbed the edge of the metal door and began to pull, grunting as he did so, his feet slipping. Rey stepped forwards, coming closer to him so that she could talk over the noise of the battle which was now all around them,
"So you're just going to rip this down! How about using our powers, our...." Rey said.
Ben just carried on pulling, grunting loudly before stopping briefly, "There's no time. Two troopers came, you dispatched them. But next four will come, and six and... well you see what I mean. We will be drowned, we won't stand a chance. We need to get Lando out now, right now, when everyone's busy"
Rey didn't argue, Ben was right. She dug her fingers into the edge of the door and pulled with him. The door gave a little and then with one last collective pull, the door slid back, revealing Lando, strapped to an interrogation chair much like the one Rey had been in all that time ago on Starkiller Base.
"Lando! Are you alright?" Rey asked, rushing forwards and releasing the cuffs that held his hands and feet. He tumbled forwards and Ben caught him.
Lando straightened then and nodded once at Ben and then he looked at Rey, "I'm fine. I tell you the bad guys weapons get more impressive, but their hospitality never changes".
Rey smiled, "Come on, we have to get out of here"
Ben leant out of the open door, his hand on his saber, "Clear. Come on!"
They hurried down the corridors, the sound of gunfire was in their ears and yet the corridors were silent and empty. Finally they turned a corner and then they were out and in the blinding daylight.
Outside was a different story.
Bodies, both resistance and First Order lay on the scorched earth. Above their heads Ty's screamed by, x-wings hot on their heels, and distant roars of a Wookie army in full attack mode could be heard.
Ben looked around, pausing momentarily and then he looked at Rey, "We have to find my General, General Pryde. If we don't then he'll come for me......and for you"
Rey nodded, shouting above the noise, "Where do you think he'll be?"
A noise behind them and then a stern, measured voice, "I'm right here".
The three of them spun but they weren't quick enough, Pryde swung at Ben, hitting him in the face with a metal pole. Rey screamed out, watching Ben crumple to the ground. Pryde raised the pole again as Ben began to scramble to his feet, blood at the corner of his left eye, hitting his arm this time as he reached for his saber, making him grunt with pain and crumple to the floor again. Panicked now, Rey took a step towards Pryde but Landos hand shot out to grab her arm. She looked at Lando, her eyes wild, feeling Bens pain, sensing his shock. Rey tried to pull her arm away but Landos hand tightened and she looked into his eyes.
His eyes moved sideways and Rey followed his gaze. Heading towards them silently, surprisingly light on their feet were a group of Wookies, led by Chewbacca and Tarrful, and they were heavily armed.
"You're pathetic Ren, did you really think that you could walk away from this? That you and your scavenger whore could escape me, could steal the mighty Lando Calrissian, our bargaining chip out from under my nose!" Pryde screamed, his usual calm demeanour starting to slip.
Ben pushed himself up again, his hair hanging over his eyes, breathing hard. Rey closed her eyes, concentrated on him, on their connection.
"Behind you" she whispered through their bond.
Bens head lifted slightly and his eyes moved slowly so that he would just about be able to see the silent army creeping towards them without alerting Pryde.
"What do you have to say for yourself Ren?" Pryde said haughtily as he stepped closer to Ben.
Rey felt Bens relief and something else, an almost ecstatic feeling of freedom.....freedom from his chains, from the First Order, from being a monster.
Slowly Ben lifted his head.
"Well?" Pryde snapped,
"You've gotta love Wookies!" Ben said, unable to hide his delight as Prydes brow creased. Prydes eyes flew to Rey's and she nodded her head in the direction of the advancing army.
Pryde didn't have time to react. Chewbacca got to him first, knocking the pole from his hand with one blow of his mighty paw and then he was buried, screaming and thrashing under a pile of limbs and fur.
Ben watched for a minute and then they left, the screams stopping before they'd even reached the trees.
