The Resistance ran across the salt flats.

The TIEs and X-wings came down into an attack run.

A barrage of laser fire hit the soldiers from above and behind.

Five fell on the first pass.

As the fighters came around, six soldiers stopped and spun, firing on the ships. Most of the shots went
far wide. The ones that did hit had little effect.

The men were cut down by laser fire.

"Keep going!" Poe shouted.

Laser fire hit the ground on all sides of them, sending up puffs of red crystal.

The fighters took out another dozen men; then they were over the Resistance soldiers and swung around
again.

Only half the men were left by now.

Rey looked at the hundreds of meters still between them and the open gates of the base. She looked
back at the fighters. She slowed, falling to the back of the group.

Then she stopped and turned.

The fighters came around, hulls glinting in the sun.

Rey activated her lightsaber.

"All forces," Hux said over the comms. "Target the Jedi. Destroy her."

Rey held her lightsaber in a defensive stance.

Finn looked all around him. "Rey?" then he looked over his shoulder. "Rey!"

He turned.

Poe grabbed him by the arm. "She knows what she's doing. Keep going!"

"I can do this," Rey whispered to herself.

Then the fighters came into range.

Laser fire lanced at Rey.

The first few shots fell short, but then the pilot's found the range.

Rey blocked the first laser bolt. The force of it jarred the lightsaber in her grip and sent her stumbling
backwards. Rey found her footing in time to block another laser bolt, stumbling again. Laser bolts
continued to rain down around her, throwing up puffs of crimson. The impact of each deflected shot
shook Rey's body like a blow. Her arms shook, her legs wobbled. Chips of rock thrown up from the
ground cut at her and the heat of the laser bolts seared her skin with every close call. She fell backwards
as she blocked the next shot, catching herself on one hand. She came to her feet, blocking another laser
bolt. Still off balance, the force of the shot spun her around and sent her slamming to the ground on her
knees. Rey angled her blade behind her back, catching the next shot blind. And when the laser bolt hit, it
sent her blade rebounding into her back. Rey cried out and fell forward, a livid burn across her back. Rey
rolled onto her back, blocking the barrage from the ground. Laser fire hit the ground on all sides of her.
The impact of each laser bolt on her lightsaber forced Rey a little deeper into the salt, while more shots
tore at the ground around her, until Rey lay in a tiny crater. Rey's forearms shook as the laser fire
hammered down on her. Each blast rebounded her blade closer and closer to her face. Most of the
fighters had gone past her. The last X-wing fired one final shot. Rey's blade was pushed back into her face
for a moment before she was able to pull it away.

Finn heard her scream from a hundred meters away. "Rey!" he shouted, turning again.

Chewbacca caught him by the collar with his free hand and dragged him towards the base. The first
soldiers reached the massive threshold carved into the mountain and rushed inside.

"The door controls!" Poe shouted as they rushed into the dusty interior, full of antique Rebellion era
consoles. The technicians began brushing the dust off the computers and getting them online.

The fighters came around for another pass.

"Finish her," Hux said.

Rey scrambled for her footing as the fighters closed in, one hand pressed to her face.

In one of the X-wings, the pilot's hands shook. "I can't do this," he said. "Breaking off."

The X-wing left formation, swinging around in a wide arc and coming at the squadron from behind. He
made weapons lock on a TIE.
"Lieutenant Alveron," Holdo said over the comm. "Stand down immediately. I can't allow you to
compromise the treaty."

"No can do, ma'am. That's a Jedi down there. No way."

On the Wild Hunt's bridge, Holdo steeled herself.

"Target anti-fighter cannons," she said.

"Ma'am?" The gunner said. "Is that your order?"

"It is. Fire."

A single shot rang out.

The X-wing was blown from the sky.

Rey took her lightsaber in both hands as the fighters closed in.

"We have power!" a technician called from the base's interior. "We can lower the doors."

Poe held up a hand from the threshold. "Wait."

Rey ran for the base.

As the fighters came into range, she turned, blocked one shot, stumbled, kept running.
The majority of the fighters got a lock on her and opened up.

Rey turned again. She blocked one shot, three, six. The seventh blew her blade from her shaking fingers.
Rey thrust her hand out, calling it back to her without thinking. The hilt was blackened but the blade still
sprang to life.

Rey blocked as she ran.

"Rey!" Finn called from the threshold. "You're almost there."

Chewbacca set Leia down and unslung his bowcaster. He sighted up and fired. The shot tore through a
TIE's cockpit and sent it crashing to the ground.

Laser fire rained down around Rey. She stumbled under the impacts, fell forward. She landed on one
knee, spun to block another shot. Three more slammed into her guard rapidly, knocking her onto her
back.

Finn and the other soldiers at the threshold opened fire on the fighters.

Rey blocked from the ground, pushing herself backwards in slow increments towards the door with her
feet. Her fingers blistered under the heat of the laser bolts. Jagged rocks tore into her back.

"Rey!" Finn called to her. "Rey, the salt!"

Rey turned her head towards him. Small plumes of red-stained salt were still being thrown up by the
impacts of the laser bolts.
Then Rey understood and slammed her palm into the ground. The Force left her in a burst, sending a
cloud of crimson particulates into the air. Suddenly the fighters were firing into the cloud blind.

Rey scrambled to her feet, holding her blade before her in the red haze with one hand, shielding her
eyes with the other. Laser bolts streaked through the cloud on all sides. Several went into the base,
hitting the consoles in a shower of sparks.

"The doors," Poe said. "Now."

The massive blast door began to lower.

Finn looked between Rey stumbling through the cloud, and the slowly lowering door.

Then he ran out into the cloud.

Rey stumbled, falling forward. Finn reached her in time to catch her. He dragged Rey inside as the blast
door closed.

Darkness fell over the interior of the base. Laser fire hammered into the door briefly before the fighters
were forced to break off.

Dim lights guttered to life in the corners.

Silence fell as well.

The few surviving medics rushed to the wounded.

Finn lowered Rey down on a bench in the corner.

"Rey, it's okay." he placed his hand over hers, which was still clutching the lightsaber's hilt. "You did it.
You can let go now."

She didn't let go.

Finn took her fingers and peeled them away from the hilt as gently as he could. Strips of her skin came
with it. The hilt was searing to the touch. Finn dropped it.

He looked her over for serious wounds. "Rey, can you tell me if anything hurts?"

"Finn," she said distantly. "I think something's wrong."

"A lot of things are wrong. Did you get hit anywhere?"

"Finn," Rey's head was lowered and her hair was fallen over her face. "I can't see anything."

Finn went silent for a moment, and dead still.

Finn raised her head as calmly as he was able. He smoothed her hair back off her face. Where her
lightsaber had been forced back against her face, there was a livid burn. Right across Rey's eyes.

"It's okay, Rey," Finn said quietly. "Your eyes are just closed."

She raised her hands to touch her face. "I don't think so..."
Finn caught her wrist and lowered her hand back to her lap gently. "It's fine. I'm just going to call a medic
to make sure." he waved for a medic.

"You don't have to lie, Finn. It doesn't hurt."

"I'm fine," Leia said, shrugging the medic away. "Go look at her."

The medic rushed over.

He looked at Rey's eyes. He ran a scanner over them.

"Well?" Finn said.

The medic looked between Rey and Finn.

"It's okay," Rey said. "Tell me."

"If I had access to proper facilities the damage wouldn't be permanent," the medic said. "But... these are
not proper facilities. I'll see if I can find some bacta. If I can't... I'm afraid there isn't anything I can do."

"What do you mean there isn't anything you can do?" Finn demanded. "You're supposed to be a medic.
Help her."

Rey patted Finn's arm. "It's okay. Let him go do his job."

"I'm sorry," The medic said. Then he rushed off to his next patient.