Chapter 1 - Escape from Crait
One by one members of the Resistance run onto the Falcon. Rey is at the top of the ramp of the Millenium Falcon waiting for everyone to come on board in order to close the ramp and then leave Crait as soon as possible. Is this what is left of the Resistance? There is so few of us now. She is lost in her thoughts as she ushers the last of the Resistance Members on board. She turns to push the button to close the ramp when she feels the hum of her Force Connection with Kylo Ren open up and she can see him kneeling in what looks like an old control room.
Ben.
Kylo is kneeling on the ground of the abandoned control room. He clenches his fist with the dice before she can see what them. Rey.
They stare at each other for a second before Kylo speaks thru their bond without actually saying a word, "Rey, you will be hunted with the Resistance if you leave now. You will only be safe if you join me." For a moment she just stands there with her hand near the button to close the Falcon. She hesitates. What if I join him-will I be safer? Will I be able to turn him back to the light if I go now?
Kylo watches her as she looks at the button and back to him. Why does she fight her destiny like this?
"Goodbye Ben" Rey says as she pushes the button and the ramp to the Falcon starts to rise. She doesn't take her eyes from his until the ramp closes shut and effectively closes the force connection as well.
Kylo lets go of a breath he didn't even know he had held. He opens his palm and watches as the gold dice from the Falcon, his Father's good luck charm, fade from his palm. He feels a pang of jealousy as he realizes Rey is flying his Father's ship, with his Mother on board as well. She will come to me. It is her destiny to join me.
Rey doesn't feel peace with the connection closed between her and Kylo. I'm alone again. But he is not going to give up. She shakes her head and heads to the cockpit to help Chewbacca get the Falcon off Crait. I cannot go to Kylo. He kidnapped me, he tortured Poe, he killed Han, and he nearly killed Finn. No. He doesn't care about anyone but himself, more power, and leading the First Order.
She sits down and begins punching in coordinates as Chewy works on pre-flight checks. They work together as if they had done so for years. "Maybe their tracking system will be down after the Finalizer was destroyed?" Rey asks Chewy.
"Let's hope that is the case. This ship has a few tricks up its sleeve, but we still need to be cautious" Leia says with a smile. She had entered the cockpit so quietly during pre-flight checks that Rey didn't hear her come in. Chewy roars in agreement.
"Rey", Leia says, "let's set a course for Bespin, we have an old friend who lives in Cloud City who may be able to help us with fuel and supplies before we find a new Base. We only have one shot at this before the First Order regroups and possibly tracks us again. It's now or never".
Chewy growls his approval and Rey nods once in understanding. Chewy and Rey prep the Falcon with the calculations and coordinates to jump to lightspeed.
Kylo Ren stands up and considers the moment with Rey. Why does she have to be so difficult? She has no idea what she has rejected. The protection I could provide her…
"Sir, we have found Snoke's shuttle abandoned in the mountains behind the base. It appears the Resistance has boarded the Millenium Falcon and are beginning their escape as we speak. They will likely be jumping to light speed within minutes." Hux says from the middle of the main cavern.
"Are we still able to track them thru light speed?" Kylo asks as they walk out of the Base and towards the shuttles.
"The Analysts and Technicians are currently working on the Finalizer II and have advised that they should have it operational shortly. There is no word on if it will be ready in time to track the Resistance now" says Hux nervously.
Kylo stopped mid-step and turned to face Hux. His eyes are blazing as he is holding back from force choking Hux and every Trooper in the Base. "I am holding you fully responsible for the repair of the tracker, General. Ensure it gets done or you will pay dearly for your team's failure".
"Yes, Supreme Leader", Hux nervously responds.
The shuttles lands in the Finalizer II and Kylo immediately exits and doesn't wait for Hux or the remaining Troopers to follow. This is the first time he is on board the ship as the new Supreme Leader, so he heads to the bridge for a status update regardless of Hux being there or not. They better have that tracker working… I will not wait in the Throne Room for updates in my nightgown like the previous leader that's for sure.
As Kylo enters the Bridge the technicians rise from their workstations to acknowledge his entry. He gives them the at-ease and they return to work. He approaches Lieutenant Mitaka, who is standing at the front of the Bridge reading a data pad. Kylo briefly remembers speaking with him when they were hunting BB-8 and Rey once they escaped Jakku with that Traitor. I should probably be a little nicer to him this time…remembering the brief choking incident following his lightsaber attack to the walls of the ship.
"Lieutenant, what is the status of the tracker? Will we be able to track the Millenium Falcon thru lightspeed?" he asks quietly so the others cannot overhear the conversation.
"Yes, sir, we have confirmation the tracker is operational and has the coordinates of the ship that left Crait. It appears they are headed towards for Bespin" Mitaka responds nervously.
"Very good Lieutenant. Please keep me updated personally on all status updates of the tracker and the Resistance whereabouts before you report to Hux. That is an order."
"Yes, Sir Supreme Leader", Mitaka replies.
Now at least I can rely on someone besides Hux to get this information to me.
Kylo stands on the Bridge momentarily before he decides he is will go to his chambers to get cleaned up after the Throne room battle and the "duel" with Luke Crait. I still cannot believe I fell for that ridiculous Jedi trick he thinks to himself as he begins to change.
Rey and Chewie engage lightspeed and finally feel like they can breathe some relief as they fly towards Bespin. Rey excuses herself to take a quick break for Caf while Chewie takes over controls. It's going to be at least a few hours before they make it to their destination pending no interruptions from the First Order. As she walks out of the cockpit, she is nearly knocked to the ground by Poe who catches her just in time. "I'm sorry Rey. I didn't see you there" says Poe as he steadies her. Rey notices that his hand lingers on her arm while he speaks.
"It's okay Poe. I didn't see you either. Thanks" Rey replies as she removes her arm from his, but he doesn't move from in front of her. "Excuse me, I am going to get something to drink".
"Oh, that sounds great actually. I will walk with you", Poe responds as he places his hand on the small of her back and leads her to the small kitchenette area of the Falcon. Poe fills two mugs with Caf and hands one to Rey.
"Thanks" she responds as she slowly sips her own Caf.
"Rey, I just wanted to say that it was really brave for you to rescue us all back on Crait. I am here to help if you need anything with the Falcon or if you need an extra co-pilot. I am pretty good Pilot myself."
"Thanks Poe. I am grateful for the offer. Chewie and I can handle the Falcon. I appreciate the information though". Rey starts towards the cockpit but is blocked by Poe again.
"Look, I get it" he says while grabbing her free hand. "You obviously have a lot going on. I am here if you need someone to talk to or if you need a friend. These are tough times and friends are hard to come by." He stared into Rey's eyes as he bites his lower lip.
Rey realizes that Poe is meaning something more than just friends and she is now blocked between Poe and the Kitchenette. If this were Jakku she would have already defended herself with her staff and he would be on the ground. Why do these men keep touching me? I do not need to be rescued.
"Thanks again Poe. I appreciate the offer to help with piloting the Falcon. I really will keep you in mind and let you know if I need you to step in to pilot occasionally. We may want to confirm Leia is okay with extra pilots as this is also her ship. I agree and appreciate having you and Finn both as my friends", Rey says hoping he took the hint and will let her pass. However, Poe pulls Rey in for a hug instead.
She thinks about pushing him away but realizes she is so tired from fighting Luke, then Snoke and the guards, and then the entire First Order that she allows the hug for once. It's nice to be comforted by someone who isn't trying to kill me for a change. I feel so foolish for thinking Ben would return with me…
Confusion washes over Rey and she decides the hug has gone on for long enough. "Thanks again Poe" She says as she pats him on the back to signal the hug is over for her.
Luckily, he gets the hint and pulls away. "Remember my offer. If you need anything, I am here for you" Poe says with a smile before he leaves the Kitchenette to rejoin Finn and the others.
I spent so many years aching for physical contact from my missing parents or to find a companion…now I have 1 man grab my hand several times despite my protests, one ask that I join him and lead the First Order, and now one offer me to help me with anything including piloting a ship I am more than capable of piloting. Geez.
She was lost in thought of how little these people knew of her when she realizes someone is watching her… Ben.
They lock eyes and she is frightened at how quiet and angry he looks. How long has he been watching me?
Kylo Ren is standing yet leaning against the wall just off the side of the Kitchenette, his arms are crossed, his eyes are narrowed accusingly at Rey as if he caught her committing a crime.
Kriff. I didn't even feel the force connection open up…
"I'm disappointed Scavenger. I thought you would have at least waited a few days before moving on after rejecting me. I guess you want that 'pilot' more than you wanted to join me".
Kylo recalls the force bond opening almost instantly as he entered his room and began to prepare for meditation. He watched as that sad excuse for a Pilot embraced Rey and made his advances. She appeared to be annoyed with it - at least at first. Then she seemed to enjoy the Pilot's touch, which just made Kylo angrier. The Pilot left and Kylo stood there watching Rey, drinking her Caf, in his Father's ship. If he had only broken the connection rather than staring at her then he could at least let out his anger on some poor training droid.
Rey has had enough. She sets down her mug of Caf a little too hard splashing the cooling liquid onto the table. "I do not need to be rescued. Who I hug or talk to is none of your business. You don't care about me and you are not welcome here". She attempts to shut the bond but is unsuccessful.
Kylo can feel her attempting to close their bond but failing. Now or never. She needs to come to me, but she needs to make this decision. I will not kidnap her again.
"Rey, I felt you thinking of me while you were hugging him. You were thinking of when we touched hands on Ach-To. If you had joined me then you wouldn't have a doubt on who cared about you. You would be stronger. You wouldn't need to run away because nobody would be hunting you anymore" Kylo says smugly while standing so close to her she can see the black in his eyes.
Rey considers what he says for a moment before replying, "don't you dare pretend like you wanted me to join you other than for more power. You don't care about my wellbeing or my safety. You want the 'Last Jedi' to be destroyed and you wanted me to come to the dark side for the power. Nothing more."
Kylo stares at her as he slowly reaches up to caress her face. She freezes under his touch, which is surprisingly gentle and matches his tone. "You weren't listening before. I never said you would be joining the dark side with me. I wanted to start a new order-"
"Yes, a new order to rule the galaxy" Rey interrupts him and pushes his hand away. "I don't want to rule the galaxy or rule anything for that matter. You forget that I didn't ask for any of this. I waited for years on Jakku for a family that never came. I didn't have a choice to come on this adventure and now that I am here, I finally have friends and people in my life that don't want to kidnap, torture, and/or kill me. I will not throw that away to join someone on a path that I don't agree with. I will not throw that away for someone who doesn't care about me and only cares about power and ruling the galaxy."
Kylo stares at Rey in disbelief at her accusation. She doesn't know. "I cared enough about you to go against my master's orders to kill you and I killed him instead. I cared enough that I fought alongside you against the Red Guards and almost died in the process. You saved my life also – so you care. I protected you. I could have let them torture and then kill you before murdering the rest of the Resistance on Crait. I also care enough to try and explain my actions right now after what I just witnessed between you and that Pilot. Think about all of this before you accuse me of not caring about you or anything other than power".
Kylo's fists are shaking and he is staring at Rey with darkened eyes waiting for her to respond or yell back. Instead, she lets out a breath that they both didn't realize she was holding. "Why would you care about me. I'm nobody. Remember? You said so yourself.", she whispers.
"I already told you that you are not nobody to me" Kylo says gently not looking away from Rey. He leans down and cups her face in his hands. She feels her breath catch as it seems he is going to kiss her right there thru the Force Connection. He stops just short of her lips and pulls away. "I need to know. Will you join me or stay with your friends?"
Rey considers his question carefully. She looks away from Kylo to her Caf, which is now cold, and cannot bring herself to answer his questions. It is too much emotion from the day's events and she is afraid of what she wants to say in that moment. She looks at him apologetically and finally brings herself to respond, "I need time to think this thru".
"I'm growing tired of games", Kylo says quickly as he turns away from Rey. "You have two standard cycles to make your decision. I cannot make you choose this path. You need to choose it willingly. Keep in mind – and this is not a threat – I cannot spare the Resistance for much longer just because you are with them. You either join me or die with the Resistance. You obviously know how to reach me if you make your decision before the deadline".
Kylo ends the force bond before she can provide any sort of argument. I want her. She will be mine. He thinks to himself as he begins to prepare for meditation. Two standard cycles cannot come and go soon enough.
Back on the Falcon, Rey is cleaning up her Caf spill from earlier before returning to the cockpit. Why does this bond have to open at all the wrong times? First, his shirt is off and now with Poe. Why would Kylo Ren care who I hug anyway? I don't belong to him. Kriff though it feels nice to be fought over…
With a sigh, she walks back to the cockpit to take her place in the Pilot seat to try and focus on the flight to Bespin but all she can really think about is how close they were to kissing only moments earlier…