The disturbance woke them both in the night. Kylo's arm around Rey's middle tightened protectively for a moment as they jerked awake, and the warmth of his body left her back as he sat up. His hands rose defensively in front of him in preparation to use the Force as Rey snatched her long lightsaber staff from where it rested against the wall near her.
They remained tense for several minutes and then slowly relaxed as they realized their perceived threat was not in the room. Kylo's hands lowered, and his dark eyes closed as his body went still. Rey remained silent and watched him focus upon the Force as she leaned her staff back against the wall. The gray Jedi was more sensitive to the Force than Rey, although she had more natural talent in lightsaber combat, honed by years of fending for herself on Jakku. The balance of their abilities made them a strong team in addition to the bond they shared through the Force.
Kylo's voice was low and rough from sleep as he finally murmured, "It's from a system in the Mid Rim, but I can't tell what caused it."
Rey crossed her legs in front of her, her eyes resting on the pale skin of his muscular back. "Luke will want an investigation if it was that powerful."
He nodded and ran a hand through his tousled black hair. "You'll have to leave, then."
Rey felt a pang of loneliness from both herself and the man before her. Luke almost always sent her to check on disturbances in the Force. People generally did not cooperate with Kylo Ren out of mistrust, and the Senate refused to allow him to be the only Jedi present at the school. The lack of faith in him caused them to part for several days while Rey went off Coruscant. They both were acutely familiar with being alone for most of their lives, and neither particularly liked leaving the other now that they were so used to spending every night together.
She slid forward and rested her head on Kylo's bare shoulder. "Why don't we wait to talk to Luke in the morning?"
Kylo turned his head and pressed his lips gently against Rey's temple. Her mouth spread into a soft smile, and she pulled him down to lie next to her. His dark hair spread against the pillow, and he wrapped his long arms around her thin frame to pull her close. "I think that's an excellent idea."
Rey eased the shuttle through the clouds and glanced at the readings in front of her. The scanners told her that trees spanned most of the landscape, but a clearing was not far from their entry point. Kylo flicked a series of switches from the co-pilot's seat, and Rey let the vessel glide into the clearing as the landing gear lowered.
A twinge ran through Rey as they touched onto the ground, and one glance at Kylo told her he had felt the same disturbance ripple through the Force once again. It was like an itch that she could not scratch, and its intensity had grown the closer they had flown to Kashyyyk.
Kylo pressed a small button, and the ramp lowered slowly to the ground. Rey ran the sequence to shut down the roaring engines and listened to their slow whirring as she grabbed her saberstaff and slung it across her back. The two Jedi descended down the ramp together, and immediately entered into the middle of a waiting group of five Wookies.
Two immediately began speaking rapidly in a series of rumbles, growls, and purrs, and although Rey had learned the basics of their language, she could not follow the two speaking at such a quick pace. Kylo, however, nodded slowly next to her. She was fairly certain it was his second language, if any of Luke's stories of him as a boy were true (not that Kylo liked the Jedi Master telling them). His skills were why Luke had sent him with Rey.
"They say that the human colony not far from here was attacked by some First Order sympathizers last night." Kylo's voice was soft as he translated for her. "The Wookies helped defeat them, but not before heavy casualties and damages were sustained."
Rey felt the disturbance ripple through her uncomfortably in the direction of where she assumed the colony was located. The disruption was likely from the sheer loss of life, but she decided they should investigate just in case any more First Order members were still nearby. "Can we walk around the colony?"
The Wookie nearest her nodded and tilted his head toward the trees to Rey's right with a soft purr.
"He says we can take a speeder since it's a long walk there." Kylo grumbled a soft thanks in the Wookie's language, and Rey followed him to the single waiting speeder bike nearby. Her eyes grazed over the machine as she automatically cataloged the parts that could fetch the best sum of food. Scavenger habits died hard.
She clambered on first and caught Kylo roll his eyes as he slid on behind her. They frequently argued about who was the better pilot, but she won all three Starfighter races they had somewhat illegally staged with Poe Dameron's help.
Rey fired the engines, and Kylo's arm slid around her waist as the bike lurched forward. They moved choppily forward for a few feet as she got used to the controls, and he chuckled softly behind her. She elbowed his side a little harder than necessary. "Oh, like you could do any better."
Kylo's stomach vibrated against her back as he laughed harder, but he did not comment as they flew more smoothly into the trees. Rey followed a winding path through the trees for nearly an hour, all the while feeling the tug of the Force calling her to continue forward.
The speeder bike entered the small city that humans inhabited on Kashyyyk, and Rey felt Kylo's lean body stiffen behind her as they took in the devastation wrought by the First Order. Smoke billowed gently from several buildings, and droids of various models lay in pieces from failed attempts to protect their dead masters beside them. Survivors in emergency uniforms moved among the wreckages of buildings along with a few Wookies who had remained to help.
Guilt flowed through the Force from Kylo, and he made no attempt to hide it from Rey as she slowed the speeder to a halt. She knew he had no affiliation to the pockets of the First Order, but he continuously beat himself up for helping them remain in power for so long. He never felt like he fully atoned for his actions, and the Senate's obvious mistrust did not help.
They both walked among the destroyed section of the colony in silence. The unbalanced Force in the city hummed chaotically within Rey as she watched the emergency workers pull a cloth over another body. The dire need for more Jedi in the galaxy to keep the peace had never been more evident to her.
A sharp cry wailed through the air, and the disturbance in the Force nearly knocked her over. Kylo ran down the street and stopped by a collapsed building. Rey followed him after a moment and picked her way over the rubble as he stepped on top of the jagged stones. Their boots crunched over broken glass, and Rey felt the Force stop her from taking another step as they neared a tall pile of debris. Kylo lifted his hands, and several pieces of stone shifted and rose into the air at his command.
Rey's heart nearly stopped as her eyes fell upon a dead woman clutching a small infant in her arms. The child – miraculously still alive – wailed and shifted where it lay against the ground, and a dead man lay with an arm wrapped around the woman.
Rey slid carefully down to where the family lay as Kylo set the stones down a few feet away. He called for some emergency workers to help, and she knelt down, gently picking up the crying baby. "Poor little boy…"
Rey held the infant against her chest, trying desperately to calm the increasingly loud cries. She had really no experience with babies, and she tried bouncing him gently in her arms as she had seen in a holovid she had once watched with Kylo.
Kylo delicately lifted the bodies of the child's parents with the Force, taking care to set them gingerly on the ground outside the collapsed building. He turned to her as the emergency personnel identified the man and woman. Rey brushed a tear from the child's cheek with her thumb and smiled down at him. He only cried louder and squirmed in her hold. One of his chubby arms flailed out toward Kylo, and the tiny fingers brushed over his arm. Her eyebrow rose in curiosity, and she slowly moved the infant into the grey Jedi's arms.
Kylo looked intensely uncomfortable holding the child, and he tried giving the baby back to Rey. She shook her head and took a step away, forcing him to keep hold of him. The cries quieted as he very slowly held the infant against his chest. He looked up at Rey suddenly, his usually dark eyes glinting a stunning hazel in the bright sunlight. "He's Force-sensitive."
Rey felt her mouth pulling into a large smile as she watched her partner gaze at the child with a look she had rarely seen on him. "He seems to like you."
Kylo's eyes drifted to the child's dead parents, and an expression of sorrow crossed his face. Rey knew he was thinking of Han and Leia and the chance he had missed to actually know his parents. The child gave a soft whimper and curled against his chest, his tiny fingers clenched into little fists. "He's orphaned… He caused the disturbance."
Her instincts told her that his words were correct. The attack on the colony created an intense unbalance, but the disturbance radiated from the child who had lost his parents. The little life in Kylo's arms had enough power to be able to disrupt the Force from so far away. Rey resolved to make sure he would grow up surrounded by those who cared for him and be able to make his own decisions, unlike the childhood she and Kylo had both experienced.
Kylo watched child with a curious expression as they slowly headed back to the speeder bike, and Rey sensed his emotions settling as he rested his free hand over the back of the infant's neck and head. The disturbance began to dissipate as the infant began to fall asleep in the Jedi's arms. Perhaps the Force meant to send them a child that could help heal the invisible wounds Kylo Ren carried with him every day.
AN: Prompt given by orevale on AO3! Send me your requests if there's anything you'd like to read!
