The castle had been demolished to debris, which littered the ground and made inconvenient obstacles. Among the fallen castle was tens and tens of stormtroopers. Everywhere Mara turned, there were always more.

"Chewie!"

Han's call was met with a familiar roar, the wookie going to his friends side. The older man turned to Mara, grabbing something off Chewbacca's belt and handing it to Mara. A charge for her pistol.

The blonde, who usually wouldn't have been so picky in another situation, scoffed somewhat, yelling over the fire overhead, "You expect me to take a a legion of stormtroopers with a blaster pistol!"

Han shrugged, pulling out his own, "I did!"

Mara was not amused.

Solo gestured to the mass of troopers around them, which all had fully loaded guns, "Well there's plenty to choose from if you hadn't noticed!"

The battlefield was flooded with white soldiers, all which stood in the way of her and her objective; find Rey and BB-8. Mara loaded the charge into her worm blaster, praying the battered thing would actually work. Taking aim at one of the many targets in front of her, she pulled the trigger.

One fell into the swath of ruble. She ran through it, grabbing the gun off the stormtrooper's body. Miraculously, the was man was still alive, trying to keep a grasp on his weapon.

Mara yanked it free, punching his helmet with her free hand, "Sorry bucket-head, but I'll be needing this."

She came up to stand and fired on the first trooper who aimed at her. Her first shot missed horribly; she was years out of practice. The second hit the side of the chest, the third the middle.

Mara chided herself internally as another voice teased her, "You really do shoot like a stormtrooper."

The blonde glared at Finn, "Like you could do any better after not touching a blaster for two years."

Mara's attention went to blue lightsaber in his hands. Humming emanated from the weapon, a powerful feeling surrounding it like a forcefield. She'd seen drawings of lightsabers that pertained to the light side, but none compared to actually looking upon one with her own eyes. Ren's was dangerous, bringing fear wherever it went. This one had a fierce, elegant feeling of destruction about it. It was a creation for war, but yet it was so much more.

Her seconds of marveling the saber were short lived, and she raised her gun to her shoulder and shot an oncoming stormtrooper. Finn blocked an oncoming shot, surprising Mara with how easily he fought with the sword. For a guy she'd seen be mostly clumsy, he had athleticism and adaptability that surprised her. Finn was wielding that thing pretty well for a guy who just got it five minutes ago.

She fired again, taking down two stormtroopers with three hits. She abruptly spun back, a stock of a gun pounding against her temple. She fell to the ground, bringing her gun back up to shoot.

"Stay down resistance scum-" The trooper shouted before Mara pulled the trigger again. He fell back and she scrambled back up before another could catch her off guard.

Never, before today, would I thought I'd be called Resistance Scum by my brother's men. Oh, times have changed.

The screech of a TIE came from overhead. She looked over the field of blood and crumbling structure to Finn, running and pulling him down before a storm of blasts came from above them.
The two took cover behind a mass of debris as a TIE fighter rained fire from overheard. Taking a minute to catch her breath, Mara glanced around to see where Rey would've gone.

It only took her a second to guess where she'd gone; the woods.

She turned to Finn, pulling him back up and shouting over the noise, "Make a break for the tree line, I'll cover you!"

He made a quick nod, looking for a clear way to the forest. It would've been a pretty good idea if the trooper behind them didn't decide to get all pompous.

"Traitor!"

Both looked at each other, then behind. The solider dropped his shield and gun, pulling out a baton off his hip. He swung it around, poised to strike.

Finn tapped on Mara's shoulder, actually confused, "Does he mean you or me?"

She shrugged, "I'm dead, remember? This one's all yours."

Just as the lightsaber clashed with the baton, Mara side was grazed by piece of shrapnel from a nearby blast. A few profane words flew from her mouth as she shot another trio of on coming stormtroopers.

Despite the pain snaking through her torso, Mara was able to shoulder her blaster and still shoot. She covered Finn while he faced off against the very stupid (or perhaps brave) baton-welding stormtrooper. All while doing this, she kept her eyes on the tree line. Blurs of tan contrasted against the green, making her smile. She never doubted Rey's ability to stay alive in a fight like this, but knowing that she was still breathing was incredibly reassuring.

In the moments she took to look away, Finn fell a few yards away from her feet. Mara turned to shoot at his adversary, but someone already had. Han Solo emerged from behind a chunk of stone.

Guess he really does shoot first.

"You okay Big Deal?" He asked Finn, who gave a curt nod.

He looked over at Mara, "You good Blondie?"

She scowled, something she'd been doing a lot of lately, "Really? That is literally the most unimaginative nickname ever. But yet everyone uses it- Never mind, just keep fighting."

Just as the words left her lips, they were surrounded, blasters trained on them. Mara analyzed the situation, and came to the pretty obvious conclusion they were outnumbered. Reluctantly, she put her hands up. One of the troopers took her gun, throwing it aside as she growled. The lightsaber fell next to her, another soldier picking it up.

"Move." One ordered behind her. Mara stood firm for a minute, her stubbornness getting the best of her. A barrel was roughly pressed into her back, and she moved to look at the black plated eyes.

"I believe a 'please' should be somewhere in there." She retorted, lightly smirking.

The trooper was about to shove the barrel into her spine again when he stopped short. His mask kept his initial confusion from being shown, "You seem very familiar....."

Mara's eyes darted across the landscape, then gestured with her head movements, "You wanna know who I am, trooper? Come a little closer."

The man leaned in the slightest bit, still very cautious of her. She inched forward, smiling before she spit directly on the black lens.

The stock bashed against her skull, but she still giggled to herself as she finally began to walk, "Your'e all so stupid. Ground troopers always are."

They were marched next to one of the numerous lakes, a transport insight. Now that Mara had relished in a moment of fun, her mind was racing in ways to escape. If they were loaded onto the transport ship, she'd never be able to find either BB-8 or Rey.

Han was in front of her, still keeping pace with Chewbacca next to him. He whispered as discreetly as he could, "Soon as we get in the shuttle you take the one to my left. I'll get the two in the back. Chewie will deal with the rest-"

"The only problem is if our plan fails, Rey and BB-8 at left to fend for themselves and we go are hauled straight off to the First Order," Mara said fiercely, "So we need another plan."

Han kept his voice low, "We'll need a miracle then. But if we get control of the shuttle-"

A roar arose, all turning to look in its direction. Across the lake, water was thrown in the air. At first there were small dots in the sea, but it soon became clear they were ships.

The troopers sprung to action as the parade of enemy fighters came nearer, "Move! Dispatch! Anti-aircraft en route!"

"It's the Resistance." Han said softly beside her, a flicker of hope being placed within the group. Mara's smile grew as wide as it could, the X-wings coming fully into sight.

The leader, a fighter streaked in black, swooped low. The troopers around them were all taken out, leaving them free to fight once more. Mara scrambled for a gun, wishing with every fiber of her being that she was in the sky. Just seeing the elegance of the ships made her jealous.

Finn grabbed the lightsaber from a dead trooper, joining the woman. Mara yelled to him, "You see that? That my friend, is beauty at it's finest!"

Another troop of soldiers gathered on their left, but were soon blown away by the same black fighter. It took out another group, focused then on a TIE. Shooting, the pilot barreling rolled through the smoke, three more were taken down mid-attack. The two on the ground cheered.

"That's one helluva pilot!" Finn hollered as the X-Wong dashed past them.

Mara was shaking her head in absolute shock, "Damn! That's some fine flying right there, woohoo!"

Her excitement was quickly quelled when her eyes found another ship. This was a black landed craft, folded wings lined with red. The sight sent chills down her spine. It was the same ship BB-8 described to get days ago, the one that made her feel some much despair.

Kylo Ren was here, and he was after BB-8 and Rey.

Mara sprinted towards the tree line. The gun slung over her shoulder banged against her side, irritating the wound on her torso. This slowed her down, but she continued. Five stormtroopers stood in her way. They were sandwiched between the woods and debris.

She raised the blaster to her shoulder to aim. Instead, blasts came from above her. The same X-wing went low and took out the entire group of soldiers. Mara's gaze followed the fighter momentarily, giving a thumbs up to the pilot before disappearing into the forest.

The tree's shade darkened the forest floor, only adding to the cold that struck her bones. It was almost as she could feel the Knight of Ren's presence crawling up her skin. She needed to find Rey and the droid, they needed to get off Takodana. Now.

The churning in her gut worsened while Mara went deeper into the forest. She fought off the urge to panic and scream Rey's name. That'd only alert Kylo to her location. All she needed to do was get her friend and run. Easy.

Her breaths became short, and she stopped for a second. While she recovered, Mara listened around her. Small beeps wafted through the light wind. She turned, finally spotting a circular BB-8 and Rey.

The blonde's relief was boundless. She started towards her friends, but Rey raised her blaster. Confused at why she had the pistol or why she was pointing it at her, she was about to speak when the scavenger screamed, "Duck!"

Mara dropped to the dirt, the sound of Rey firing the charge. The shrill holler of a man being hit followed. The woman gingerly turned to look behind her. A fallen stormtrooper lay dead where she was previously.

She got back up and knitted her eyebrows, "When did you learn to use a gun?"

Rey grinned and greeted Mara with hug, smiling against her shoulder, "Just now."

The blonde pulled away, her huge smile reappearing again. She raised her hand, "Ah, high five for that one since you just proved you were a better aim then me. It took me three tries to get my first kill shot today."

"Really?" The scavenger cocked her head, high-fiving her friend, "So I'm better then you? Funny, you always boasted about being a great blaster shot-"

"Shut up!"

"You said it, not me."

"I was just saying today your a better shot then me, not in general-"

"You never specified."

"Hey, how 'bout you don't touch a blaster for two years-"

"This is my first time actually, and I did better then a so-called 'experienced'-"

"Did I say shut up? I think I did..."

"I can shut up if you want, but the fact still remains-"

A loud crunch came from a distance away, both girls going quiet immediately. Another slow footstep broke branches underneath its feet, a cold presence taking over the area. Icy fingers played up and down Mara's skin, goosebumps rising across her arms. Another footstep. Then another.

"We're not alone." Rey whispered.

She tugged on the blonde's sleeves, and they ran for the clearing. BB-8 rolled behind them as fast as he could. The three kept going as the unmistakeable sound of a lightsaber being ignited followed them. A lump in Mara's throat rose. They wouldn't get far.

She pulled Rey behind a gigantic rock, grabbing her hand and stopping her. There was only one way Kylo Ren could be slowed down, which meant one of them had to buy the other time. Mara swallowed, looking Rey in the eye, "You go. I'll slow him down."

The girl stared at Mara confused, "No, c'mon, we have to-"

"You have to get BB-8 to safety," She said, glancing down at the droid, "He's too valuable. I'll slow whoever is behind us down."

Rey shook her head, "No, we have to BB-8 to safety. Mara-"

"Go!" She yelled at her friend, "Go now, I'll be right behind you!"

The scavenger was still confused, but nodded slowly. Mara grabbed for her gun, letting go of her friend's hand. Rey only stopped for a moment before she turned to run back to the clearing. BB-8 followed after he wished the blonde good luck.

If there was one thing Mara knew she had besides a temper and habit of picking fight was her ability to make sure the fight she did pick were to her advantage. She studied everyone she met, the environment around her, and what she could use if she lost her weapon. She was always prepared to punch someone, but made sure the people she punched wouldn't hit back any harder.

That's why everything about the situation fueled her ever growing anxiety. Kylo Ren had the Force. He had a lightsaber. He had the upper hand in this battle. She didn't like that one bit. Still though, if her and Rey had kept running, he'd would've caught all of them. No, BB-8 couldn't fall into the wrong hands. And if Rey did, she'd never forgive herself.

Mara took one quick breath, her heart skipping a beat before coming out from behind the rock. Kylo's mask was now in sight, his red saber swinging back and forth. Without a moment's hesitation, she fired.

The hit was deflected off the lightsaber. She fired again, her enemy deflecting each one. Frustrated, she pulled the trigger again and again. The last shot was stopped mid-air. Her shock was quickly turned to pure fear as the beam was sent back her way.

She ran from it, sparks flying off the tree the beam hit. Mara ran back behind a tree and turned back to shoot again. Instead, the gun was snatched away from her. Kylo's directed the weapon to his side, his lightsaber sliced it in half. The gun fell to the ground, useless.

Mara was soon lifted from behind the tree. Her legs dangled in the air as they searched for firm ground to rest on as she choked. Pain wrapped around her throat while little red spots dotted her vision. She heard the mask seem to chuckle before she was thrown against the tree.

Her back hit hard against the bark with such force Mara thought her spine had snapped. She fell down, trembling in pain. She crawled up from the dirt and spat blood at the assailant's feet, "I've missed Vader Junior. How's it goin?"

She was lifted up again and thrown like a mere doll against the tree. A small cry of pain escaped her, Mara immediately ashamed of it. When she hit the ground again, she managed to keep her footing and stand.

The glowing red weapon twisted aimlessly in his hands whilst he slanted his head, "You don't stay down, do you? That could be considered an amiable trait, but with you, it's annoying."

Mara's quaking body was forced back down as she strained against what was holding her back. Crimson mixed with her blonde hair as her vision became rimmed with black. She wanted to remark again, but her head was pushed father into the mud.

"Poor, pathetic Maranna Hux," The mechanical words seemed to make her wounds sting more, "When your brother ordered your death, it was a practical godsend. You always were incredibly annoying and stupid."

"Excuse me," Mara seethed through the dirt and bitter iron taste in her mouth, "But it's Marana, not Maranna. If your going to insult me, please say my name correctly."

C'mon Rey, run. You gotta run.

Her head was yanked up by whatever power Ren possessed, and she was forced to look into the face of iron which stared blankly at her from three feet away. Her body buzzed with pain, which only fueled growing anger.

She hated  this, she hated everything about this. He could manipulate her so easily, it sickened her. She was so weak, so powerless. Not gifted enough to fight back.

"As much as I want to kill you, I need information. Where is the BB unit?"

Mara shook her head, biting her tongue to keep from saying anything that would hint at where Rey and BB-8 had gone. That was enough for Ren.

He sighed and air blew out from his mask, "Well, I guess I'll take it myself."

The hurt she felt before soon became nothing to the agony she experienced. She always wondered what the prisoners of the First Order felt when Kylo Ren probed their minds. The screams told her that if felt like a thousand needles been jabbed into your head, the pain unbearable.

Pain was too sweet a word for what Mara felt. No, this was something else. She could feel her sanity being ripped away. She felt her cells being split apart into nothingness, the oxygen in her brain pressing against her skull as if it would burst. She felt claws in her mind, scratching harshly at her thoughts like a rabid animal. Tears seemed to form in her head, infringing her memories as havoc was split in her conscious.

You're so afraid, you silly girl. You're wanting to scream in terror, a voice in her mind whispered.

Mara tried desperately not to cry, to not show weakness. Darkness clouded her vision as she stared back at the man, the monster, breaking her mind. She hated him, she hated him with everything she had in her.

Don't you dare scream, Mara.

"You sent them away," His voice snaked into the dark, echoing in her ears, "You tried to save them. The girl and the droid. They're all you have left. All that you care about."

Her thoughts felt naked, peeled away from her brain and put out for the world to see. Mara's notions were brutally stripped from her, all with such force that she finally screamed. Her anger, her hatred, her brokenness left through her lungs as she fell to the ground.

"MARA!"

Rey's word was muffled through the drumming of her heart playing in her ears. The stealing of her thoughts stopped as blaster fire took Kylo's attention off her. The darkness in her vision faded out the scene, but she saw Rey. Her friend was merely thrown aside as she was.

The mask was only what Mara saw while Ren lifted the blonde up once more. A grip around her throat returned, "Your friend here has a power about her. You Hux, have outlived your use."

Mara clawed at her throat, wanting oxygen. Needing it to live. Instead she remained trapped in the air, unable to breathe. Within seconds, her sight was completely gone and she was left in the dark.

Her body hit the ground, but she felt numb to it. All she could hear was Rey shouting her name. Then even that stopped.

I'm so sorry, my friend. I failed.

No, she is not dead. Mara's a tough girl, she'll be back up and kicking in no time, just without Rey next to her.

Now, I'd like to take this time to announce;

NEXT TWO OR THREE CHAPTERS WILL BE FLASHBACKS TO WHEN POE AND MARA WERE STRANDED ON RATAKKA

I've been so excited to do those few chapters since I started this book. I wanted to put them at the beginning, but decided just to put them after she blacks out because it fits the scene pretty well.

That will better explain Mara and Poe's relationship before they meet next chapter, explain why Hux betrayed his sister better, and show who Mara was before she met Rey, because Rey has been a huge influence on her life. And I totally want to write my two fave pilots fighting with each other about who's the better pilot.

DON'T WORRY, the TFA plot will pick up right where it left off after those chapters are finished.

Till next time!