Star Wars
The Light Awakens
scarlett Michealson
It had been one year. One year since we had fought. In the peace, we had quietly been building up. We trained new members, acquired new ships, new resources, and built new bases. And we did it all under the radar.
I was careful as to never know too much, and to work on my strength. I could feel when we were about to see each other, and I closed myself off at those times, and avoided it. I hadn't seen his face in a year. I was afraid.
Our connection had been so strong. We had felt each other's feelings. We cared for one another. After all, we were some of the only people who could use the force. My heart skipped a beat, when I felt his presence. I had to take a deep breath and reason with myself. If I opened myself up to him again, would I be let down? How much closer could I get, before he got to me, or killed me? I didn't know.
And so more than 365 days had passed. I thought about him on every single one of them.
"Who is she?" I heard a new recruit ask. Her skin was blue, her hair silky white and her eyes were a beautiful green. She walked with a strong posture. She was confident and I liked it.
She was also not the first to ask that question.
"That's Ray. She's a Jedi in training. Come now." Said the pilot with her, and taking her arm they walked away. Because I was keeping my distance, the new recruits were curious about me.
In the afternoon, General Leia requested to see me. These days she was more of a mother to me. She knew how I felt about her son. She had the force too.
"General, you requested my presence." I said, walking into her chambers. She stood by the window. Turning around, she saw me and smiled.
"Come in, Ray." She smiled. Her voice was soft and warm.
"I wanted to talk to you." She started.
"About?" I asked. She was the person I was closest to.
"My son." She frowned, looking back out the window. I listened quietly. She had good ideas...most of the time.
"The resistance is ready. Ready to face him and the First Order again." She paused. "But I'm not." I saw a single tear roll down her cheek, which she quickly brushed away.
"If we do this, I fear we will win. And in doing so, kill him. You see, I've lost so many friends and family already. You understand. Won't you consider helping me?" She asked. I took a deep breath. The General never asked for help. She was a strong, independent, women.
I turned and took a few steps, staring out the window, and thinking. Our last fight flashed before my eyes. I could see him, still swinging his light saber through the air. We had not fought our last battle against each other, but rather, with one another. For a brief moment, we had been on the same side. I could still hear his words, ringing in my ears.
"Let's end this...once and for all! ...join me, Ray..." I closed my eyes and fought back the tear. I thought I had won him, thought I had rescued him, until that moment.
"I don't know General." I whispered.
"Please Ray. We both felt it. He was listening to you. It's possible." She begged. I closed my eyes. If I didn't do this, I would let him down, I would let her down, I would let myself down. I had to do this.
"Okay. Okay, I'll do it." I finally agreed.
In the evening, when the next shift had come, I retired to my chambers. As I sat on my bed, I thought back to what Ben had said and shook my head. How on earth was I going to accomplish what seemed impossible?
And then I heard Finn's words echoing in my mind. Rose had said it to him the day of our last battle, and he thought they were some of the wisest words he had ever heard. So wise, that he had to tell me. I smiled. He was a great friend.
"You can't fight the ones you hate, you have to save the ones you love." He had said to me, days after the battle. As the words echoed again and again in my mind, I suddenly knew what I would say to him. I wasn't sure how he would respond, but I knew what the best was that I could do.
"You finally opened yourself up." A deep, almost chilling, voice whispered. I gasped. I hadn't realized, but I had accidentally let my guard down. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
"Relax. I can't get to you." He said again. I sighed and opened my eyes. Before me, I could see him, sitting on his bed. He seemed to be staring out a window, but he glanced at me.
"It's been over a year." He said quietly. I nodded.
"Yes, it has been." I agreed. He stood up from his bed, and took several steps closer to me. With each one, I felt his strength increase. He stopped though, not getting too close.
"Why now?" He asked. I shook my head and turned away.
"Why now?" He repeated. I closed my eyes.
"I was thinking about you." I replied. He raised an eyebrow.
"Why?" He asked. I shook my head.
"Just back to the battle." I lied. I could feel him, searching my emotions.
"You've gotten stronger." He commented. I shrugged.
"Have I?" I asked. I didn't want him to know I had worked on my skills.
Suddenly, he looked to his right, as if someone were saying something to him.
"I have to go." He said coldly. I stood up.
"Wait Ben." I protested. He paused and looked at me.
"I want to talk to you...in person." I said.
"Why? So I can kill you? I'd rather not." He almost growled. I shook my head.
"It's about what you said. You wanted to end all of this. The fighting, the past, all of it. I want to, too. Please, let me come to you." I asked. He locked his jaw. I could see him thinking it through.
"Fine." He said, and he was gone.
I had a date with the Dark Lord. Wonderful.
I didn't tell anyone. Not even the General. I didn't want people asking questions or thinking I was changing sides. I didn't want her to get her hopes up, or to be nervous when she knew I was gone.
The next day, when night had fallen, I snuck out to the field where the ships all sat. In the midst of them all, sat one. It had a rich history, filled with battles, and heroism, and bravery. It had seen all ends of the universe, and it still flew as if it were new. Sometimes, in the midst of life, when I walked through its passageways, I could still hear him. He would laugh or argue. He would yell and shout. I would shake my head and smile.
"You really are a trip, Han." I would whisper.
I woke Chewie and we fired the Millennium Falcon up. Before anyone could have realized, we were at light speed and flying towards him. We took a long way around so we came in from a different direction, to throw them off. We had remained hidden and safe for a year. I wasn't changing that now.
"Keep the radio on. I'll contact you when I need to." I told him. He nodded and I took an escape pod down to his ship, just as before. As I did, I saw Chewie kick it back into light speed and disappear. This was it. It was now or nothing.
A group of storm troopers greeted me when the capsule opened up.
"Come with us." One of them said, taking my arm, and they lead me through a maze of corridors. Everything around me was in black, white, and silver. There was no color, happiness, or laughter. Only darkness.
At the end of a hallway which had a door on the other end, they stopped and pushed me forward.
"Walk rebel." A storm trooper growled at me. I took a deep breath and carefully made my way down the hall.
When I reached the steel door, I paused. I needed a code to enter. Frowning, I took the easy way out and knocked on the massive door. For a moment there was silence.
"Who's there?" A deep, menacing voice asked. I closed my eyes. He had his mask on.
"It's me." I replied. After a brief pause, the door opened, and Kilo Ren stood before me. I stared up at him, making sure I showed no fear.
"Come in. Leave us guards." He said firmly. I stepped inside and didn't take my eyes off him as I walked past him. His quarters were huge. Everything but the window was black. I looked around, and saw the place where we had last fought...together.
"Hello Ray." His harsh voice greeted me, turning around. I looked back at him, and sighed.
"Hello Kilo." I said. He walked towards me carefully and then paused.
"What did you want to talk about?" He asked. I looked at the ground.
"Can I talk to you, Ben?" I asked, looking back up at him after a moment. He knew what I meant. He was quiet, but he reached up, and carefully unclasped his helmet. When he removed it, his hair fell down, and his eyes came up and met mine. He held the helmet by his side and carefully I reached out and took it. Holding it in my hand, I stared at it. The power it represented was enough to kill millions.
"Why do you wear it?" I breathed, staring at it. It was heavy and dark. I could feel the power it held.
"It allows me to be who I need to be." He replied softly. I looked at him, and carefully set it down.
"I came...because I wanted to know if that offer still stood." I asked. He gave me a questioning look.
"You wanted me by your side. To...end all of this." I reminded him, motioning at the room around us. He sighed and looked around.
"Yes. It still stands." He replied, looking back at me, and stretching out his hand, as though he wanted me to take it. I walked around him and then paused.
"But I want to do things a little...differently." I replied. He lowered his arm and listened.
"Ben, we both want to end all of this." I started. He remained quiet the whole time. "But we can't do it by fighting the things we hate. You hate the rebellion, I hate the First Order, but we can't do it like that. That's how it has always been done. Until now. We don't hate each other. So, instead, I propose, that we end all of this, by saving the ones we love." At this, he looked at me as though he had been shot in the heart, his life flashing before him, and he knelt to the ground, staring into empty space.
"You always say you want to be better than your grandfather. You wanted to be different and unique. Here's your perfect chance to change all of it. You hold the ability to change the entire universe." I reminded him as I bent down. I placed my hand on his heart, and he looked up at me.
"Ben, Vader ended his life a Jedi of the light. How will you end your life?" I asked him, looking him in the eyes. He took a deep breath and looked out the window.
"I never thought about it like that..." He whispered. For a long moment we were both silent. He was thinking, letting my words take root.
"Please, Ben. Come with me. I'll help you. Together, with the force, we hold the power to change all of this. Please...come with me." I explained to him. He finally looked back at me, his face torn.
"How? Everyone would hate me. I'm The Dark Lord...The Supreme Leader of all of this. All they would ever want is my head on a platter." He replied, shaking his head. I took his hands in mine.
"Ben. The rebellion, the light, is not about revenge. We are about kindness, gentleness, goodness, forgiveness, and grace. We are about love and patience, and life. If I can forgive you, then so can they. I know they can, and they will.
And we don't have to go to them right away. Come with me, to a place far away, hidden. We can learn how to work together, I can show you the light. The peace. And the immense strength. Give it a chance. Give me a chance." I asked him.
He stared at me, thinking to himself, and searching for alternative motives, but he found nothing. He stared at me for a long moment, his dark eyes had golden rings around them. This was the final moment. There was nothing more I could have said.
And then he nodded. He took a deep breath and rose to his feet, and I rose to mine.
"Okay." He breathed. "Okay I will go with you." He agreed, and taking my hand, he grabbed his helmet and put it back on.
"Follow my lead." His deep voice echoed through the mask. I nodded, trusting him, and he lead me from his chambers and through the maze of halls again.
We walked past dozens of storm troopers, all marching. Commanders and officers past us. No one dared question him or where he was going. No one spoke a word.
When we reached the escape pod hanger, we paused behind a corner, and he looked around. We waited until the guards walked past and then we jumped into the closest pod. He shut the doors fast, and I fired it up. We were gone before someone even noticed us.
"Where are we going?" He asked me. I smiled.
"Tell me when we get there." I replied. He gave me an odd look, but didn't ask again.
I radioed to Chewie, and we were back on the Millennium Falcon in no time.
When we boarded, Chewie greeted us, holding a gun. He gave me a serious and terrified look.
"It's okay. I promise. I'm going to help him. He's not going to hurt us. Please, Chewie, why else would I have let him come with me?" I asked him. The tall, hairy, being thought for a moment and then responded.
"No, we don't have to tell him anything. Just come with me." I said, and I walked around him. He looked back at me and at Ben again, and then lowered the gun and followed me. I typed in the coordinates to the planet we would train on and warped us into light speed.
"Just drive." I told Chewie. I had been sit with me by the machine gun.
"How long before they notice you're gone?" I asked. He shook his head.
"A while. I spend a lot of time alone. They won't suspect anything for a while." He told me. I nodded.
It wasn't long until the blue and green planet came into view. As we flew down to the surface, Ben looked at it and frowned.
"I don't think I've been here before. What galaxy is this?" He asked. I smiled.
"A hidden one, to everyone but us." I remained cryptic. When we had reached the surface, we flew over the oceans and waters until two islands, one larger than the other, came into view. They were both like mountains, coming to sharp peaks.
We landed on the North side of the larger island, and stepped outside. As Ben walked off the ship and looked around, he took a deep breath, taking in his surroundings.
"This is where Luke hid, isn't it?" He asked, looking at me. I smiled, closing my eyes and listening to the ocean waves.
"Yes." I replied, and I opened my eyes again and looked at him.
"How did you know?" I asked. He sighed.
"One of the first times we spoke through the force, I heard waves crashing and I even had water on my glove." He replied. I nodded. Made sense.
"So now what?" He asked. I smiled and taking his hand lead him up the steep steps.
"Now, we work together." I replied.
One Month Later
"Try this." I said. He gave me a horrible look.
"There is no way, I am putting that on." He laughed at me. I rolled my eyes.
"Just try it. You might like it." I replied, shoving the clothes at him. He sighed, rolling his eyes, and taking them stomped past me and into the stone hut.
"Black has always been my color!" I heard him shout. I shook my head.
"Just try it!" I shouted back.
A moment later he came back out wearing white robes. He stared at me with slumped shoulders.
"How could I possibly gain any respect wearing these?!" He protested. I was too fascinated by how he looked to reply.
"Now you look like a Jedi..." I breathed, smiling. He stopped his pouting, and looked down at what he wore.
"You think so?" He asked seriously. I nodded and walked up to him, putting my hand on his chest. The linens were soft, white, and pure.
"Yeah, I think so." I smiled. He gently lifted my head with his hand and looked me in the eyes.
"I still can't believe what you've done to me in only a month." He whispered. I smiled.
"I knew it was possible. I could feel the good inside you, like water droplets splashing against from my face from a massive wave I couldn't see. I could feel it though. You, are so much like your father." I replied quietly. He looked down for a moment, and then back at me. I could see the shame he was trying desperately to hide.
"You think so?" He asked again. I nodded.
"Yeah. You're stubborn just like him. You have his attitude...and his eyes." I nodded. His gentle smile told me everything. He now hated the past as much as I did.
"Thank you Ray." He whispered softly, and he put his forehead against mine. "Thank you..." He breathed. When our eyes met he pulled me forward, and we kissed. I felt the power, the strength, the meaning, and yet the gentleness and care he now held. It was the most powerful thing I had ever experienced.
When he pulled back and we looked at me again, the expression on his face radiated so much happiness and awe that even I was surprised.
"Light..." He smiled at me. "Your...kiss, radiates light." He smiled. I giggled a little and we hugged.
As we stood there, by the edge of the cliff, over-looking the ocean and the sunset, Luke suddenly appeared to us. He stared at both of us, his expression that of awe and astonishment.
"Ben?! Ray?!" He asked, his eyes wide as he stepped forward. I nodded.
"Master Luke..." Ben breathed, eyes wide. None of us knew what to say.
"You're...you're here?" Luke asked. He nodded.
"And Ray...you brought him here..." He couldn't believe his eyes. I smiled.
"How did you do it?" He asked. Ben looked at me and took my hands in his.
"Together." Ben replied. I nodded.
"We did it together." I agreed. Luke walked up to us, and looked at Ben.
"I am so proud of you. You both did it. Wow." He smiled at us. We both nodded.
"What do you think Ben?" He started. "Are you two ready to carry on the Jedi Order?" He asked. We looked at each other and Ben took a deep breath.
"Now I know what I'm going to do after this." He said and we all laughed.
"Wow. Now I am happy. The two of you are going to change everything. Go out there, and do it now. May the Force be with you." He smiled at us both, and he squeezed our hands before he turned and walked away, eventually disappearing into the air.
I smiled at Ben and rested my head against his chest for a while until the sun had set.
"When we go back," He whispered. "Do you really believe they will forgive me, or were you just saying that?"
I sighed and looked up at him.
"I think they've already forgiven you. I know your mother has." I whispered. He nodded and kissed me again.
"I'll go start dinner." I told him, and patting him on the arm, I left him to think through his thoughts. The only thing left to do, was to forgive himself.
When we had filled ourselves, we sat together around our small fire. I had my head rested against him, his arm around me. Eventually the fire faded from my view and I drifted off.
When I woke, he was carrying me to my bed. He leaned over and gently set me down and removed my boots. I opened my eyes and smiled at him.
"Thank you." I said, leaning up on my elbow. He chuckled.
"No Ray. Thank you." He said it with such emphasis that we both knew what he meant. I nodded and he leaned in and we kissed again. And again, and again.
When he sat over me, he threw his shirt off and I laughed a little as he leaned down and kissed me again.
"What's so funny?" He teased me. I shook my head and then our eyes met.
"Last time I saw you shirtless, I was staring at you through the force." I whispered. He chuckled darkly.
"You don't have to be afraid of me anymore." He breathed. I nodded.
"You know I'm not. You can feel it...Kylo Ren. " I was serious until his name, which I teased him with. He laughed and then tackled me.
"Now you're in for it!" He yelled and we laughed.
And so we made love that night.
When the sun came through the window, I woke to find him staring at me. He smiled.
"Good morning Ray." He whispered, kissing my forehead. I smiled.
"Good morning Benjamin Kenobi Skywalker." I whispered back. The expression on his face was priceless.
"How did you know that?!" He gasped. I laughed.
"Why else would your parent's name you Ben?!" I replied. He shook his head.
"Impressive. Now it's my turn." He said, poking me. I gazed into his dark eyes.
"Your parent's named you Ray, because you're a ray of sunshine, a ray of light." He guessed. I giggled and put my head back on the pillow as I stared at the ceiling.
"Yeah. Let's go with that." I whispered.
The End.
For now.