They were all sitting in the forest they knew fondly when they got the news. Finn was gently weaving lilies into Rey's hair, Poe was weaving daisies into Ben's.
"What are you doing?" asked Ben.
"Making you look pretty," replied Poe.
"Well stop it," said Ben angrily, shaking the flowers out of his dark hair.
The atmosphere had no tension whatsoever. Cloud watching, breathing in the subtle scent of honeysuckle somewhere distant, it was a summer's day that could not possibly get any better.
Until it got worse.
The siren went off. Rey, Poe, Finn, and Ben all jumped. They ran back to the base.
'Are you ready?' thought Rey.
'More than I'll ever be,' replied Ben.
Poe ran to the cockpit, Finn ran to get a gun, and Ben and Rey went to go get their lightsabers. Ben had constructed a new one. It was violet with a silver hilt.
After Poe and BB-8 had taken command of an X-wing, Finn loaded his gun, and Ben and Rey reached out with the Force.
There were unfamiliar presences. Hundreds, thousands, and they were drawing rapidly closer. Ben and Rey scrambled frantically to identify a mind, and Ben could vaguely recall some of the minds-but where had he felt them last, so different, yet remarkably similar?
"Stormtroopers," breathed Ben; Rey was visibly panic stricken, Finn looked even worse.
"I'm so scared," choked Ben.
"You're not the only one," said Rey.
She gave him a hug to calm him.
"You need to face your demons, just not alone."
And they were off. They went to meet up with Leia, who was just outside. Poe took off in his X-wing.
'Go get them,' thought Rey.
"Are you guys ready?" asked Leia.
"Yes!" chorused the three voices.
Suddenly, they heard a loud whirring. Everyone hid-they wanted to seem like they weren't expecting anyone.
The ships landed.
The flying squad immediately started to fire at the tie fighters. The stormtroopers started to come off ships.
The Resistance firing squad was ready. Ben bumped into two familiar minds. They were here.
This was war.
The high tensions rising, the bullets firing; all of this seemed to come to a pause as a walkway descended from the First Order ship, and down came two distinct figures. Shiny chrome and platinum armor with a flowing black cape striped with red. A stiff-backed ginger with an air of command.
They were definitely coming for him.
Ben rounded the corner, Finn and Rey slightly behind him on both sides, ready to hop into action if necessary. The trio looked around, trying to catch a glimpse of why the firing had stopped.
Phasma had a firing squad member trapped, her gun drawn. Any wrong moves would mean certain doom for him, and almost positive death for many others. Ben knew what she was doing- a tactic he had used many times. Singling out one fighter would mean he was easier to crack.
"I believe you know what we want. Where is Kylo Ren?" Hux was demanding.
"I... I have no idea what you mean," came the small voice, and Ben almost didn't recognize it when it was devoid of all the bravado and false strength that usually occupied it.
"You know exactly what we mean," was the reply, and only Phasma could master a voice that was simultaneously soft, pleasant, and filled with an eager murderous rage.
"Oh, no," muttered Rey.
"No way," whispered Finn.
Ben sighed.
"Out of all the firing squad they could have picked for me to have to go save, they had to choose Thanner."
The air of eerie and false calm which did nothing to calm their nerves had not subsided from the battlefield.
Ben sifted through his options, while Thanner (still scared out of his wits) somehow continued defying important First Order officials.
Ben came to his decision.
"I'm going over there."
"Ben, no!"
"You said, I have to face my demons. It's not like I'm doing it alone."
Hux's face twisted into a menacing grin.
"I had hoped, you know, that we wouldn't find you here. All evidence was contradictory, but I had still hoped.
"Of course, that was before I remembered that hope is for fools and weaklings, nothing more.
"Hope is for folks such as yourself, who believe you may have a future past tomorrow when the Supreme Leader has set quite a bounty on your head. Yes, Kylo Ren, you cannot escape the power of the First Order."
"Don't call me Kylo!" Ben demanded, filled with a sudden rage, and Leia stopped to think about how far he had come.
Hux laughed in his face.
Ben grimaced but stood firm. Finn and Rey stood behind him, prepared to do anything it took to protect their family.
Poe, in his X-wing, and Leia, armed with a long-distance blaster, both watched from a distance. They were both just as ready as Finn and Rey.
"Let him go. Fear tactics have no place in a good clean fight," said Finn, and Ben screamed internally.
"I agree," said Ben, rapidly trying to get the focus back on him.
"No, no, I'd like to hear what the stormtrooper-oh, wait, I mean filthy traitor- has to say."
Thanner was still being held at gunpoint. Ben was sure he and Finn wanted the same thing-but how to achieve their goal?
Okay. Force. Ben could use the Force and put thoughts in people's heads. Rey could read his mind. Hux and Phasma could not.
Finn was defiant.
"I'm not scared of you."
"Pity, I thought you possessed more common sense," smirked Hux.
"You took everything from me. Everything. My family, my life, my own thoughts. You had all of me."
Ben willed Finn to stop. Finn was ignoring him.
"And now you're back, and I'm not letting it happen again. I've found a family, I'm over your brainwashing, and I've got your best officer as my friend and family because I showed him human decency."
"He was a replaceable asset."
"He's one of the only Force users you have."
Hux was growing more agitated. Ben took this as an opportunity to shove his plan hastily in Finn and Rey's minds.
They looked at each other and imperceptibly agreed. Ben counted off on his fingers. Hux was too annoyed to notice. Phasma was not.
One, two, three.
Ben directed Phasma's gun to his hand, and tossed it to Finn.
Phasma registered what had happened, and reached for Thanner. Rey and Ben, working as one, roughly shoved Thanner back out of harm's way and bowled over Hux. Hux, immediately on his feet, picked up a blaster, took aim, and fired.
It grazed Ben's leg, and a coarse wave of pain washed over him. The shock and adrenaline, however, accounted for most of it, and he continued focusing.
The first shot had been made.
Chaos erupted.
Rey tried to land a punch on his face, and almost succeeded before Finn grabbed her arm and pulled her away to take down a rapidly approaching squadron of stormtroopers.
Luke was with Leia and they were also assisting the efforts. Poe and BB-8 flew around the battle, picking off stormtroopers left and right.
Ben switched to the next phase of his plan.
Focusing all of his energy, he put up a slightly glowing ball of pale and trembling energy. It deflected bullets and sent them back to enemies, it warded off the advancing stormtroopers.
Luke, realizing his plan, tried to help him; however, Rey was distracted and Leia, while being Force Sensitive, was always better at battles and tactical matters and Luke was just too far away and too rusty in the practice of making forcefields.
Ben was growing tired- he simply had no energy. Nightmares had kept him awake, he had figured he would grab a bite to eat later in the day, and his leg was still bleeding freely.
Before he knew it, the forcefield was smaller, and smaller, and smaller still. Soon the only field he could keep up was the one around himself, Finn, and Rey.
He couldn't continue.
Ben dropped all the forcefields, took merely a second to collect himself, and grabbed a blaster.
His skill in long range combat was not to be underestimated- while he preferred hand to hand, the First Order had expected much out of him.
Hux, face scraped and bruised from the fall, back to back with Phasma, aggressively trying to destroy their enemies, locked eyes with Ben.
Hux set off towards him, and Ben knew he had one chance. He took the kill shot.
He missed.
Ben's right leg was still bleeding, as was his left arm, but he couldn't think about that now as he took off, sprinting away from Hux and formulating a plan. He could duck into the dock used to store their-
But Ben hadn't been looking where Hux was chasing him to. Cornered, his eyes darted around and tried to come up with a plan of escape.
There was none.
Hux walked up, eyes glinting, face fixed into a snarl.
He twirled something in his hand. Ben's heart dropped.
"You have made a fatal mistake, Ren."
The item his enemy twirled was purple with a silver hilt.
Ben had dropped his lightsaber during the chase.
Rey, Finn, Poe, Luke and Leia all steadily moved to help their family member, but Ben was a far distance from all of them and it was, after all, a battlefield, which made getting even a few feet no small task.