A/N: WELL. I'm super embarrassed by how long this installment took to write/post. The holidays happened and then, well, life. But with Star Wars Celebration around the corner with hopefully new announcements concerning IX, how can you NOT get hyped?!
Only one more smol closing chapter after this one, but I hope you enjoy!
Few things impressed the infamous ex-smuggler, which is why Ben was secretly elated at his father's brief surprised expression at Rey's spoils.
"Impressive work." He had praised out of the corner of his mouth. The tips of Rey's ears turned pink at the compliment. "If you're in no rush this evening, join us for dinner-" Ben's heart stopped. "I've seen those rations you got from here, kid. It's the least we can do."
Chewbacca growled in agreement. Ben's palms began sweating.
It was unanimous then. Rey would join them.
After sending a brief message home to her parents to not expect her until the next day, the band of them boarded Rey's shuttle parked nearby to the Falcon. The Imperial era spacecraft was quite cramped and had seen better years, but Ben sensed Rey's pride for the run-down old shuttle – and a Solo could empathize with a pilot's pride. Ben held his breath only once as it lurched and shuddered at lift off, but slowly and surely crossed over the desert floor to their destination.
The Falcon, much to Ben's relief, had remained untouched during their venture.
Arguably their reheated rations of dewback stew were not much more appetizing than murky gray portions distributed at Niima Outpost but the ambience was unquestionably more pleasant: a crackling bonfire acted as backdrop to the comforting sounds of small talk and clattering plates. The company was also significantly better. Ben watched as Rey throw her head back with a booming laugh at his father recounting one of his clichéd stories from past smuggling days. It was a tale Ben could easily recite word for word by now, including glossed over details and exaggerated measurements that seemed to grow with passing time. However he remained quiet with a knowing smile and chose to refrain from spoiling his father's new audience.
Shortly after completing their meal, Han and Chewbacca turned in for the evening in preparation for their early departure the following morning – but not without a suggestive wink from Han that his son conveniently ignored – leaving the Ben and Rey finally alone. They remained beside the dying fire as it smoldered the last firewood, casting a hot red glow and dancing shadows around them. Their silence was comfortable though Ben's mind was racing.
Whether she was ignorant of his nerves or indifferent, Rey's attention was absorbed by the vast sky overhead. Without the presence of any real functioning civilization emitting light pollution, the evening presented itself in an endless blanket of twinkling stars. Ben was unable to recall a time he had ever seen so many stars in the open without being confined to a cockpit. Despite this dazzling natural display, Ben was all but distracted by the mesmerizing woman he sat with.
Rey was clearly awestruck. "Don't you wish you were a part of it all?"
Her question took Ben off guard. "Part of what?"
Her arms flailed up, giddily gesturing to the sky. "All of it! The Rebellion, the Republic…" She sighed longingly. "Being a part of something larger than yourself."
"Uhh…" She looked to him intently and all he could muster was a sheepish shrug.
Rey huffed at his nonchalance, blowing a wisp of stray hair away from her face. "That's the kind of reaction my parents would have – you'd like them. Merchants on Fondor." She loosely waved her hand as if this was explanation enough. "They are kind and I appreciate all they've done for me. They even allow me to run their trade routes because they understand I love to fly, however…" Rey hugged her knees, her eyes drifting to the fire. "I feel guilty for wanting more."
Fondor. Ben racked his brain on what little he knew of the industrialized world having never been there. No wonder the stars enthralled her, as her home planet heavily surrounded by active orbital shipyards and drydocks and a surface covered with a myriad of factories that would mute even the most vibrant constellation. He also understood that the Core-World ecumenopolis had been isolated from other planets during the time of the Galactic War, its labor and resources exploited to build Star Destroyers like the one they had just pillaged. Ben shifted uneasily where he was seated. This knowledge offered more clarity to her solemn remarks on those led astray by the Empire's empty promises, though it not feel like a lesson intended to make Ben guilty of his ignorance. Her people – her parents – had seen war, struggle, felt hunger. In his travels on behalf of the New Republic, Ben had witnessed civilizations in comparable circumstances that had yet to establish stability in the form of labor unions and localized democracy that Fondor had in the years following the Galactic War. The alternative was quite dangerous.
"They are just trying to protect you."
"I guess you're right." Rey conceded with swig of her remaining port with a shudder of her shoulders. "So - what of your parents?" She had redirected the conversation effortlessly, motioning towards the quiet gangplank of the Falcon. "Your father is very gracious."
Ben snorted. She was being kind. His dad was agreeable at times, humorous even, but "gracious" was not on the shot list of adjectives Ben would include on his father's first impressions list.
"I saw his New Republic brooch today at the Outpost -fastened inside his jacket." Rey confessed, twisting the bottom of her braid around her index finger. "Plutt must have seen it too – hence the price gouging." Ah, Ben thought. His father's confident pose of his hands on his hips – with an open jacket. Now it made sense. "Is he a senator?"
Ben's loud guffaw startled her. "Oh no, oh no. My father is certainly not one for politics, I can assure you. My mother is the politician."
Rey's curiosity was peaked. "Your mother? From what system?"
"Chandrila." He promptly answered back but instantly regretted. The Galactic Senate was made of innumerable senators of every species hailing from every corner of the Galaxy. On any given day, the New Republic senatorial complex on Hosnian Prime was swarming with hundreds of these senators that it would be nearly impossible to identify them all. Even so, Ben had little doubt that his mother's planet would escape this young woman's attention – even out here in the Western Reaches.
As if on queue, Rey quickly sucked in a breath. Ben winced. "Your mother is Leia Organa? Which means your father is…" Her words trailed off and eyes widened with recognition before flitting over to the Falcon. Ben often wondered if the ship relic ever lived up to its notorious tales told in legends and stories across the galaxy. After hearing the tall tale his own father told, he assumed most would be disappointed.
Rey, however, was not. "Your mother and father are heroes in the New Republic – the galaxy!" She shook her head in disbelief. "And here I was, teaching you – the son of war heroes – Galactic Civil War history!" She grinned sheepishly, attempting to shield her embarrassment. "You must think me a fool."
Ben chuckled good-naturedly but shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Life as the son of a princess and war hero was never something he would be accustomed to. There were few corners of the galaxy he could travel to without being recognized. He should have assumed that Jakku would be no exception.
"Is the other part true?" Rey asked in a hushed tone.
Ben, baffled, turned to her. "What other part?"
"Your uncle…is he a Jedi?" She asked. She had stopped drinking now, her eyes steady and expectant.
"Yes."
Rey squealed aloud and clasped her hands together, startling Ben. "I've always wanted to meet a Jedi." She admitted. "I always thought they were a myth."
"A myth?" Ben asked incredulously.
"You know," Rey waved her hand, searching for the words. "An ancient religion, of another era, that some have recently picked up again."
Her nonchalance confused Ben. "So you don't believe in the Force?"
"Not everyone does." She must have picked up on his confusion because she elaborated. "Well, it's hard for beings to imagine what is in store for them a year from now, a month – tomorrow, even." She shrugged. "You can't always convince someone to believe in something they can't see with their own eyes, Ben."
Ben initially opened his mouth to reply, but then decided against it, instead focusing his attention on the forgotten fruit on Rey's dinner plate. It was her turn to be confused as she watched him steadily raise his hand without a word.
It was like a stretch of an unused muscle or a scratch of an old itch, but eventually a single shuura fruit lifted from the plate, hovering over for a moment, before drifting into Ben's open hand. Rey was momentarily stunned at the display.
"Okay, okay." She laughed after regaining her composure. "Call me a believer now." She graciously accepted defeat and a piece of the sweet fruit from Ben he had sliced in half. "Is this your way of telling me that you're also a Jedi?"
Ben cleared his throat, grateful for the subdued lighting of the dying fire that hid the pink of his cheeks at her apparent flirtatious teasing. "No – not really, anyway."
"What do you mean by that?"
Ben chewed the inside of his cheek thoughtfully, recognizing that his next words would undoubtedly sober the mood. "The Jedi in their earliest practices would actively seek out Force-sensitive. In order to be properly trained at the Temple, younglings were taken from their families at a very young age – separated from any family they've ever known. " Ben stared off into the dimming embers as Rey quietly listened beside him. "It was believed that their training as Padawans were most effective when they were cut off from potential attachments."
He smirked wistfully. "In a way, they were more advanced than any Imperial army, yet not prepared for the betrayal amongst their own – unwittingly granting power to those who ultimately destroyed them."
"But not all of them." Rey faltered as he looked to her, a bit apprehensive that she may be overstepping a boundary before finishing shyly. "I know the legends."
Ben nodded. Though he was not bothered by her input he was a bit less inclined to discuss what she may have heard in detail. "My uncle was not exposed to the Jedi way until later in life. He had experienced attachment, love, extreme loss and disappointment before he ever laid a hand on a lightsaber. Unlike the Order that came before him, he holds the belief that the full being experience makes him a more effective Jedi in the end – partly the reason I wasn't whisked away to the Temple's academy the moment I raised a tooka doll over my head." He chuckled, almost distracted by the memory. "For him, agency is of the upmost importance. The decision to fulfill the path of the Jedi should be mine and mine alone."
"So why didn't you?" She was unabashedly captivated now.
He shrugged. "My decision was similar to that of my mother's when she discovered she was a descendent of the Skywalkers bloodline: Powerful light but not without powerful darkness." He swallowed, feeling his demeanor darken. He wasn't speaking now as much as it was spilling out of him. "It was a lot of responsibility to rest on the shoulder's of a young child. Even now, I'm not sure if I'm able to make that decision yet. I'm not suited to carry on the legacy."
Before he could become adrift in his brooding self-doubt, an unexpected soft touch a top his hand dragged him back to the present moment. Rey's eyes were waiting for him to return, the corners of her pulled into soft smile.
"I find you extraordinary, Ben." An unfamiliar warmth traveled from the pit of his stomach to the tips of his ears. His flushed cheeks betrayed him.
"I – uh," He sputtered, at a loss of words. How could he even respond? He was abruptly aware of how foolish he must sound.
Without warning, the dizzying sensation from her touch was beginning to blur his vision. The space around them was spinning and Ben was finding it difficult to catch his breath.
Get a hold of yourself. Ben shook his head to settle himself but attempts were futile. This wasn't simply nerves. You'd think he never spoken to a woman before.
Embarrassed by his unexplained reaction, Ben moved to apologize but was forced to give pause once his eyesight recovered. He and Rey now shared a cramped space; the dying flames of their bonfire that were only moments before stretching towards the open night sky were now splashing shadows against the tight walls that now encircled them. The crackling fire does little to dry his skin, damp from the unexplained shift from the barren planet's arid climate to one that was heavy with moisture. As if only to make the circumstances all the more baffling, Ben felt the inexplicable sensation of drifting between two scenes, one where he remained seated with Rey and the other, inside cold, sterile private quarters of an unfamiliar ship where the whirring of machinery filled his ears.
A faint gust of recycled air blew onto his exposed neck, sending an uncomfortable shiver down Ben's spine. He looked to Rey, desperate for an explanation but, to his disbelief, the sight of her provoked more questions than answers. She was drenched from head to toe as made apparent from her slicked back hair that hung in knotted strands over her shoulders. She remained quiet and was seemingly unaware of any turn of events as she clutched a rather scratchy looking bedcovering around her small frame. They sat in a strange silence as her disarming gaze bore into him, causing Ben to feel even more exposed than he thought possible. He briefly wondered what she saw. In addition to the glossy sheen of remaining moisture that clung to her features, Ben noted her tear-streaked cheeks that were threatened by more brimming at the ends of her long lashes. Without a word, she moved her shawl to uncover her hand with the silent understanding she was to reach out to him. Her arm motion was slow and hesitant, unlike her caress in their previous reality, but not lacking purpose.
Instinctively, Ben moved to meet her touch but was disrupted by the dimming of his surroundings, his vision once again subjected to a morphing between realities.
The harsh overhead lights of an unidentified turbolift had displaced the dim glow of the fire inside the hut. They stood alone, their sudden close proximity highlighting their height difference as Ben towered over her.
But she was not to be intimidated. Rey's previous express of defeat had been replaced with one of defiance and there was even, Ben dared to observe, impassioned hope that glimmered from behind her eyes.
Her face tilted up towards him, their gazes tangled.
Ben fought the impulse to kiss her.
Without the courtesy of a warning, their surroundings once again warped and wormholed around them into a new scene; one which washed over Ben in a wave of disbelief and nausea. The paneled black floor they stood on was littered with red garments, damaged weapons, and faceless bodies. Embers danced in the air.
His breathing is heavy and labored from exertion. Rey studied him carefully, standing a safe distance away. He reached out to her, desperate for her grasp. HELP! The word screamed in his head, but only one word managed to escape:
"Please." He whispered.
Her tear-streaked features had returned, except this time it was different. No longer was her expression tinged with longing but tightened with anguish. Disappointment. Regret. Her tears were not to be confused with weakness or surrender – he saw it in her stance, the way her shoulders rolled back, her jaw locked.
She was resolute. Her decision, whatever it may be, would not waver.
Slowly, her hand rose to meet his and-
"Euuuuugh!"
Ben wrenched his hand back, plunging back with a force that nearly knocked him onto his back. Rey yelped and snapped her own hand back in response to his outburst, as though burned.
Ben dug his hands in the sand beside him, a desperate attempt to ground himself to reality. He heaved a few gulps of air, the stale taste of Jakku's atmosphere a strange comfort to his senses. His body slouched as a relieved sigh escaped him.
He was back.
"I-I'm sorry." Rey stammered, embarrassed. She inched away. "I shouldn't have been so forward."
"No, no – " Ben awkwardly chuckled, disguising his slight panic. "I'm just a bit out of practice."
"Oh." Rey was probably not all that reassured, but managed a meek smile that salvaged what little was left of the moment – and his dignity.
A few hushed moments passed between them before Rey's attention returned to the bonfire that had all but become a simmering heap of crackling ash and ember. Ben watched too, but his mind traveled elsewhere. He was having a difficult time grasping all that he had just seen. Was it a vision - a premonition, perhaps? He inwardly shook his head. No – the emotions and scenarios were too strange, too foreign, yet…
He studied Rey from his peripheral, her relaxed features illuminated in the soft, orange glow and seemingly unfazed. There was no mistaking that she was the woman he had seen – but what did it all mean, if anything at all? He gingerly rubbed the side of his head, his thumb grazing the hair that hung at his temple. It had been such a lucid vision. He had not had a dream like that in years, two decades even-
"Ahh, well then." Rey stretched her arms overhead and fell backwards in a casual sprawl. Ben followed suit and reclined beside her, careful that his arms did not brush against hers. There they lay comfortably, shoulder-to-shoulder, absorbing the brilliant night sky the galaxy offered that evening. For a moment, they were able to forget the desolate planet they found themselves on.
"They're beautiful." Rey finally said.
"Mhhm." Ben's murmured quietly, as to avoid disturbing another moment. "They're so many of them."
"Yes, but all aligned in the perfect place. No matter chaotic things may be, life always finds seems to find a way." She repositioned her weight slightly, causing her shoulder brushing against his ever so lightly. The thrumming energy from such a close proximity to her was nothing short of intoxicating and Ben felt his previous anxieties melt away. His racing thoughts ceased. He was completely spellbound.
"In this moment they are all exactly where they need to be." She finished breathlessly.
Ben doesn't reply but she doesn't need him to. The last thing he remembered before drifting to sleep was her head finding the crook of his shoulder.
Her hair smelled of velanie flower.
A/N: Ah-HA! See? It's an AU/Canon crossover! #redthread.
Sounds like Ben needs to reach out to a particular Uncle for guidance. All this seems kind of weird, don't you think?
Drop a review and let me know what you DO think! Thanks for joining/sticking around!
xox Rose
