Awakening

It's been painfully quiet except for orders being given to the fighters. We're waiting until the shields on the base go down and it's agonisingly slow. I'm a fighter and I'm sitting here listening to officers give out orders so that they know I'm not running off to join in the fight. I surrendered myself to judgement and if this is it then so be it, as much as I dislike it.

I feel myself drifting away as I sit there in the command centre, all I can really think about right now is Rey, I can't help but think they're torturing her to get information. I can almost see her in my mind strapped to an interrogation chair in pain as they're trying to get information out of her.
I feel weightless, I blink and look around and realise I'm no longer in the command centre my mind is elsewhere watching Rey seeing nothing but the bright white room she is in and I hear a voice talking to her but I can not see a face I blink and all of a sudden I'm sitting in the chair looking at a silhouetted figure with his hand raised up to my face. I feel pain as if someone is in my head trying to claw into my mind, the pain isn't physical, it's mental, but it feels as though my skull is being crushed.

"Get out of my head" I say, but my voice isn't my own, it's Rey's

"I know you've seen the map. It's in there... And now, you'll give it to me. Don't be afraid. I feel it too" is the voice's response.

"I'm not giving you anything" she replies

"We'll see" he says confidently

He pushes trying to get into my mind and I push him back. I find myself holding my breath slightly as I push resist. We wrestle against each others minds until suddenly I feel fear, a fear that I will never be a strong as Darth Vader, but it's not my fear, it's his. I'm inside his head.

"You... You're afraid... That you will never be as strong as Darth Vader" as I say this his mind retreats before I can find anything else.

The shadowed figure retrieves something just outside my field of vision and leaves the room, telling a passing trooper to stand guard. I find myself trying to pull myself out of my restrains before hearing the troopers radio go off and wondering: If I could get inside his mind could I get into the mind of a stormtrooper? I concentrate and think about the trooper finding it difficult.

"You will remove these restraints And leave this cell, with the door open." I say, still with Rey's voice

"What did you say?" The trooper asks

I feel my heartbeat rising worried.

"You will remove these restraints And leave this cell, with the door open." I repeat

The storm trooper starts to move and stands on my right looking right at me as I stare at him.

"I'll tighten those restraints, scavenger scum!" He says staring back at me.

I calm myself and look intently at him, almost staring into him as I feel for his mind.
"You will remove these restraints And leave this cell, with the door open." I again repeat. This time he stands up straight and seems to stare into the distance.
"I will remove these restraints. And leave this cell, with the door open." He says before pressing a button on the control panel and starting to head for the door. Feeling my hold breaking I quickly add
"And you will drop your weapon."

"And I'll drop my weapon." he says dropping it with a clatter

I blink and look around, I watch several people scurry around wonderring what just happened. Did I just fall asleep in my chair and have some kind of strange dream? I wonder to myself.

"General, their shields are down!" An officer calls, taking me away from my thoughts

"Thank the Maker!" C-3PO says relieved, as simulated joy goes that protocol droid could almost pass for human. If covered in artificial flesh he would be a perfectly convincing android.

"Han did it! Send them in!" Leia says to Admiral Satura to send the fighters in

"Give Poe full authorization to attack." Statura says to one of the officers on coms

"Black Leader, go to sub-lights. On your call."

"Roger, base red squad, blue squad, take my lead." Poe says
We hear other fighters acknowledge and they drop out of light speed.

"Be careful, Poe" I whisper to myself

"Almost in range!"
As I listen I can almost see them flying in formation towards the oscillator
"Hit the target dead centre, as many runs as we can get!" Poe orders
"Let's light it up!"

"Direct hit!" Comes a thrilled response from one pilot but it's short lived because another pilot points out
"But no damage!"

"Yeah, we gotta keep hitting it! Another bombing run! Remember, when that sun is gone, that weapon will be ready to fire! But as long as there's light, we got a chance." Poe explians "Guys, we got a lot of company!" Poe warns the other
fighters "TIE fighters incoming"

I stand up, concerned, hearing that they're under attack, it's expected, but it doesn't make standing around doing nothing any easier.

There's barely any com chatter and a lot of the fighters are going down. I beg the general to let me go but she stays adamant in her decision until.
"Two more X-wings down. That's half our fleet destroyed."

"General please..." I beg again. I'm a fighter, standing around getting stressed out over something I can not do when I would rather be out there helping.

She nods

I quickly start to head towards the exit, tying my hair back as I leave the room and head to the hangar. No time to suit up so I'll go as I am. I quickly do the pre-flight checks before being cleared for takeoff. And jumping into light speed, hoping I can get there before it's too late. I spend several long minutes watching the stars fly past my cockpit before I exit light speed just before hitting the atmosphere of the planet base and taking a quick decent to the fighting below,

"Got a fighter on my six" I hear Wexley say over the coms.
"I'm on it" I say coming in fast from above the fighter and shooting it before anyone can really register what's gone on. Taking out another two TIE's as I loop-de-loop. Feeling more focused than I have in a long time.

"Amara?" I hear Poe's surprised voice
I dodge a couple of anti air missiles having to fly much lower than I would have liked. I see an x wing get taken out and shoot the TIE fighter that caused it.
"The General thought you could use my help" Yes I'm only one person but it stops me nagging her to get out here. I keep flying around defending the bombers from TIE attacks as they make their bombing run.

I brace myself as I fly through the debris of two TIEs that just collided with each other and after I come out of the explosion I get shot at from behind. I try to shake him as a couple of shots hit me. I curse as some warning lights pop up, I press some buttons and the lights fade away, thankfully.
"Fighter on my tail. I can't shake him" I say trying every manoeuvre I can to no avail.
"I've got your back" Poe says flying directly towards me. I know what he's doing and wait for his order "Bank Right!" he says before starting to shoot. I do as he says as a blast from the TIE hits me, Poe flies past my ships underbelly and destroys the fighter.

I look at my consoles as more warning lights come on. I try to get them to switch back on but it's no use, I'm descending towards the ground.
"Amara pull up" I hear Poe order.
I keep trying to get my engines to start back up but still nothing.
"You hear me Amara? Pull up damn it"
"I've lost power to my engines" I say finally. "Going to be a bumpy landing" I say pulling up slightly so my decent can be drawn out and less dangerous so I can hopefully survive the impact. In the snow ahead of me I notice three shapes speeding in my direction, two of them shooting at one in front.

I don't know how I know from this distance but it's Finn and Rey, I can almost feel it. I carefully glide my none powered x wing towards the speeders that are approaching fast, one gets taken out by Finn and if I time it just right I can take out the second. I focus slowly before firing, shooting the speeder chasing them before the belly of my ship starts skimming the ground towards them. I curse as we're heading straight towards each other. I pull up causing my ship to bounce over the top of
them making a heavy landing against some rocks.

Better landing than my last one at least. I open the cockpit and stand up just as Finn and Rey climb up the wing.
"Amara." Finn says realising it's me "Are you alright" Rey asks
"I was about to ask you the same question" I say getting out and making sure she's unharmed. I hug her happy to see her and then hug Finn.
"What's the plan?" I ask them wondering why they're heading towards the oscillator.
"Han and Chewie have taken some explosives to the interior of the oscillator to try and damage it to help the pilots, we're on our way there to meet them before heading back to the Falcon" Finn explains

"Then let's get going" I say before slipping on the wing and falling onto my back and sliding onto the snow.
"Careful that's slippery" I say as I get up.
Rey and Finn try not to laugh at me as we make our way to the two person speeder, I perch myself on the back between the two headrests keeping an eye out for trouble.

We stop at the base of the oscillator and Finn takes his jacket off to give it to a cold looking Rey. "This way" he says running to a ladder leading all the way up. It takes us quite a while to climb all the steps but eventually we get to a door and enter the dark building lit in red lights to see Han walking towards a masked man on an un-railed walkway. I recognise him, from the nightmare.

"Take off that mask. You don't need it." Han says, his voice echoing

"What do you think you'll see if I do?" The man asks in response, his voice also echoes.

"The face of my son." Han says simply.
His son? Ben? No... I remember Ben, we used to be friends before I never saw him again. As I got older I always wondered what happened to him. He just seemed to vanish.

After a short moment he takes his mask off and looks directly at Han with unfeeling eyes.

"Your son is gone. He was weak and foolish, like his father. So I destroyed him." Ben replies

"That's what Snoke wants you to believe but it's not true. My son is alive." Han says stepping closer

"No. The Supreme Leader is wise."

I look around noticing some storm troopers all pointing their weapons at Han, but not firing.

"Snoke is using you for your power. When he gets what he wants, he'll crush you. You know it's true."

Ben looks conflicted, as though he knows.

"It's too late." he replies

"No it's not. Leave here with me. Come home. We miss you." Han says, now directly in front of his son.

This dark figure doesn't seem to know how to take Han's confession. There's a long pause before he speaks again.

"I'm being torn apart." He says, his voice having more emotion than I can see on his face "I want to be free of this pain. I know what I have to do, but I don't know if I have the strength to do it. Will you help me?" Ben asks, his voice trembling.

"Yes. Anything." he says standing inches apart.

Ben drops his mask with a heavy metallic thunk as it falls to the walkway.

I shake my head as a feeling of distrust floods through me. I've never really trusted people, but this is more that just my lack of trust. He seems to take something off his belt and Han reaches for it. I wonder what it is as I hold onto the rail tightly.
I would feel better if I had a blaster in hand but I have nothing. I look back as the last of the sunlight fade as the planet sized weapon is almost fully charged. We need to hurry.

I turn back to Han just as a red blade pierces through Han's chest causing all of us to gasp and jump surprised. Chewie lets out a loud wail in anguish and Rey screams as we realise what has just happened.
"NO!" I shout looking around for something, anything that can help.
Ben removes the blade from Han, holding it by his side still ignited.
Han touches his son's face before his knees give out on him and he falls into the depths below.

"No..." I can't believe it, Han Solo, a man who was like a second father to me has just been murdered right in front of me and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I stare at a man who used to be my friend, who has just killed his own father.
I hear a stormtrooper come up behind us and I turn and grab his blaster before he can fire it and I throw him over the railing

After Chewie's agonising scream he shoots Ben causing him to fall to his knees and lean forward holding his abdomen. Also causing the stormtroopers to start shooting at us. Finn and Rey start backing up as we all start shooting. A large explosion followed by five others go off all the way up the side of the oscillator shaking the entire room. The stormtroopers seem to either get caught in the explosion or start to run because of it. I stare at Ben full of hatred. He looks up at us as he gets up and makes his way back across the walkway with large strides. I don't turn and run like Rey and Finn do, I stand there glaring at him almost wanting him to come to me, The First Order are taking everything from me, no more.

"Amara!" I hear Rey shouting before being grabbed and turned around by Finn
"Come on we've got to get out of here"
I reluctantly follow and we head back down the way we came, it's a long descent down the ladders but once at the bottom we jump in the speeder heading for the trees.

Unable to move the speeder through the trees we get out and follow Finn. We make our way up, into the forest having to climb some parts of the ground "The Falcon is this way" Finn says leading the way.
I look back at the blazing oscillator that has a large fracture up it's side. I stare at it for a long moment before again being called for and running after Finn and Rey through the snow covered forest with barely enough light to see by.

The sound of a Saber being ignited stops us in our tracks as a dark figure stands amidst the inky backdrop, his red blade glowing on the glistening white snow.. Ben. Blocking our path.
"We're not done yet." He says simply

"You're a monster!" comes Rey's angry response.
"It's just us now. Han Solo can't save you."
He hits himself in the side where Chewie had shot him. I look to the snow as red drops catch my eye. His blood drips to the ground as he opens the wound that had cauterized on impact.

Rey raises her blaster to shoot him but shes thrown backwards into a tree, hard, she falls to the ground limp.

"Rey!" Finn shouts worried about the woman he had become quite fond of over the short amount of time they had known each other. He tosses his blaster aside and runs to check that she's okay.

"Rey! Rey! Rey... Rey... Oh no. Oh no no no... Rey" Finn says holding her in his arms.

I stand there between Ben and Rey blaster raised. He looks at me curiously.
Despite what happened to Rey I shoot at him, he dodges it easily so I shoot again, he deflects it with his lightsaber directing it at me, I roll out of the way before feeling myself leave the floor and thrown backwards also hitting a tree. I fall into a pile of branches, cushioning my fall slightly. I look over at him as he walks towards Finn and Rey and I try to get up out of the flimsy branches as I watch him.

"TRAITOR!" he shouts moving closer to Finn and waving his saber around.
Finn stands up as he turns and as he does he ignites a blue lightsaber. I pause as I look at it, is that the one Maz had? I wonder.

"That lightsaber. It belongs to me!" Ben says pointing with his red blade.

"Come get it." Finn says before taking a breath and charging and Ben. A fight ensues as Finn swings at Ben. I spot my blaster ahead and rush to get out from the tangle of branches. Rolling over I drop out of the branches and onto a log. I curse and look at Finn as Ben has him pinned against a tree, sabers locked. Finn cries out in pain but I cannot see why, I only hear the lightsaber sizzling with contact with pulls away to make a killing blow but Finn dodges causing Ben to cut a tree. I get off the log and scurry towards my blaster which is broken. I look back to Finn who's weapon has just gone flying into the snow. Ben punches Finn causing the defenceless man to turn away from him only to get cut up the back and fall in the snow limp.

Ben deactivates his lightsaber and reaches for the one Finn had been using.
I hear Maz voice in my head as I remember her telling em to take the saber. But there's no way I could get to it without being attacked by Ben, he's in the middle of the lightsaber and I. After being thrown backwards into a tree I start to remember my mothers stories about the Jedi and the Sith. I thought they were just myths that parents tell their children. But they're not.

So I do the unthinkable. I believe, I hope.

I reach my hand out towards it focussing my mind on it, I don't really know what I'm doing but I can feel something. The saber teeters as if touched by an invisible entity, it bursts out of the snow and heads straight towards Ben who has to move quickly as it rockets past his head and lands in my hand. Surprise fills me as I look at it, the same surprise on Ben's face.

"You" He says as if he knows something about me that I do not.

I hold the lightsaber in both hands and ignite the blade. Fear fils me as I realise what I'm about to do. I'm about to fight a trained killer who can use the force at will and has no doubt had more hand to hand combat experience than I ever have. But I have to protect my friends. I wont let him kill them, not while I'm still breathing.

He looks back at me and ignites his lightsaber. He can no doubt sense my fears but despite the almost overwhelming sensation I charge at him. He deflects my blow with ease as he backs up dodging another swipe and blocking another. I swing heavily at him and he rushes to the side out of the way causing me to hit a tree which sparks on contact, and falls to the floor.
He moves back towards me swiping downwards, I block high and again from below. I jab at him as he leaves himself wide open but he swings his saber and deflects it using the motion to swing his blade around his head and swing at me. I duck and rush away from him causing him to cut down a tree. As I turn we both swing at each other but miss being too far apart.
He closes the gap quickly with fast powerful strikes which I just manage to block.

There's a large boom nearby and the ground shakes a little but we continue fighting. He keeps his powerful strikes coming causing me to back up through a narrow rock formation. He unbalances himself with a powerful strike that I do not block. I turn around and rush up onto higher ground. I jump over the gap avoiding his swings and pass under a fallen tree. I turn and cut through the tree as Ben is right behind me causing him to pause as I turn and run again. I look back and face him, starting to tire out but not about to quit. For the looks of things he is tiresome too. I go for an over head attack which he blocks and pushes me away as I back up. I block a powerful overhead swing from him causing me to almost loose my footing getting up just in time to block another attack. I turn as I hear the ground breaking up behind me and look back to Ben. As I keep walking backwards quickly, blocking several more strikes. I feel the ground behind me fall again and I stop as I block an attack. I lean backwards as he applies a lot of pressure on the blades but I push back the blades sparking at the slightest movement. I look down into the large cliff what was moments ago flat ground.

"You need a teacher!" He says matter of factly. I look at him wondering what he's talking about.

"I can show you the ways of the Force!" He adds.

"The Force..." I say realising. I remember what Maz said. I close my eyes and search for it, I feel it, the light calling to me, I feel it calm my senses making them more attuned to everything. I open my eyes to see Ben awaiting an answer.
He killed his own father, there's nothing he could teach me, I need to find Luke. Realising this I move to the side and behind Ben. He turns swiping at me but I knew what he was going to do before he did it. I move forward with powerful swings, he moves to the side, this time he is the one who is backing up while I swing powerful attacks. He blocks them with fast reflexes but then he gets unbalanced and so is unable to block my attack which hits his leg causing him to fall to his knees. I stop and ook at him, he stands up and swings wildly which I dodge easily and jab at him, contacting his shoulder. He stumbles backwards several steps in the snow and I walk towards him. I swing a powerful overhead attack which he barely blocks staggering him. I bring my leg up and kick him in the chest, his lack of balance makes him fall into the snow. I circle around him as he gets back up and attacks, I block it and grab his arm but he also grabs mine in a firm grip. As he tries to move his wrist to attack me I realise he's not going to stop so I force his arm away and down into the snow causing it to erupt on contact as I try to free my wrist from his grip. I manage to get my arm free and in one swift motion
I break his saber and in my adrenaline fuelled state I swipe up at him, cutting his shoulder and face with the blue blade.

I step forward, but I pause and take a breath. I could kill him but I'm better than that, I'm not a murderer who kills an unarmed man. I hear something in the back of my head which I can't quite make out. I want to kill him but I shake my head. It may come back to haunt me but I step back away from him. The planet shakes and where my foot was a moment earlier the ground begins to split, I move backwards away from the growing chasm.
I deactivate the lightsaber and put it in my pocket before turning and running towards Finn who is being watched over by a now conscious Rey who is crying in worry for her friend.
I race to their side, falling to my knees and check for a pulse. Finn, lies, near death, his wound cauterized but serious.
"Is he okay?" she asks
"We've got to get him out of here. He's got a pulse, but barely" I explain looking around not sure where the Millenium Falcon would be, Finn said it was this way, but where, if it's not been swallowed by the crumbling planet. Trees fall as the lanet continues to implode. I stand up looking around for any sign of it starting to worry about my friends lives, and my own, even more now the matter is no longer in my hands, if we do not get off this planet, we're dead. But then, just as all hope seems lost lights shine through the trees, I look to the source The Falcon. Chewie at the controls.

The Wookie lands the ship comes over to up picking Finn up and rushing him aboard. I make sure they got on first and I take one last look around before boarding and head to the cockpit, Rey is looking after Finn and I copilot for Chewie. We take off just as the ground below us falls away and we head away from the planet.

X wings join us in our flight back to base I look out the window to see Poe's black fighter and the remaining pilots glad to see someone has made it out of this in one piece.

Once we're almost back to base I put on a headset and contact them.
"Reading you Falcon" an officer replies.
"Get a medical team ready, we've got a severely injured passenger"
"Roger Falcon, we'll have a team meet you when you land"

We drop out of light speed and Chewie puts us on approach before he moans to me to take the controls as he gets up to go and see to Finn. I gently take us in for a landing among the remaining resistance ships dropping the ramp and switching thrusters off as I do. I get up as Chewie carries the unconscious Finn down the ramp.

Medical Personnel meet them and Chewie gently puts Finn on the medical vehicle.
"Easy, easy."
"We've got a heartbeat" I hear a medic say as I stand at the top of the ramp staying inside the ship. I close my eyes and sigh I hope he'll pull through.

I walk back into the cockpit and look at Han's chair as I remember what happened. I blink and see the memory etched into my eyes.

"Amara" I hear a soft, caring voice from behind. I turn to see Leia.
I look at her apologetically. She wears a knowing expression as she walks towards me.
"General... Han..." I start...
"I know" she says quietly
"...I'm sorry..." I say feeling my regret eating away at me, wishing there was something I could have done to save him. She hugs me tightly and I hug back sharing each other's pain. I've lost a mother and two fathers in one day.