Thanks so much Garden Guru, madsbouc, and guest for leaving a review! It really means a lot to me! I am trying to set a good pace to the story, which can be tricky. I am going to be writing about other characters that are not Ren and Rey, so there will be moments where we take a break from Reylo. With that being said, this whole chapter is about Ben, with Luke in it as a background character. I took some things from the book Bloodline, so if you haven't read that book yet, you totally should. And much later in the book, we will get to more of the political side of things, but for now, we shall set the foundation for Reylo! Enjoy!
I do not own Star Wars or Bloodline!
Chapter Ten
"Land on that loading dock," Luke ordered, pointing to the right of the viewport. "Last I remember, the mechanic shop was somewhere over there. They fixed the hyperdrive last time, so they should be able to do it again."
"Again, I am more than capable of repairing it myself," Ben argued, gliding the Ghtroc 720 freighter to the wide, duracrete landing pad. "I'm basically the reason this thing is still able to fly."
"I'd feel more comfortable with a trained eye working on the hyperdrive," Luke countered, gathering up his robe from the co-pilot seat. Ben rolled his eyes as his uncle placed a hand on his shoulder. "Even you have your limits, Ben. Best you remember that."
Ben rounded his jaw. Annoyed.
Luke went to the main deck, gathering the wupiupi coins out of the safe behind a loose panel. The town they were stopping at, Shufriit, was one of the only places on the desolate desert planet of Er'kit that had a decent mechanic shop.
"Why don't you just purchase a new ship? I've been telling you to do that for years," Ben yelled over his shoulder as he slowed and lowered the freighter gently onto the platform. While he went through the usual routine of shutting down the engines, his uncle came back into the cockpit.
"You know I hold too much sentiment towards her," Luke said, glancing at the controls affectionately. "Your dad gave me this ship as a gift."
"He gave it to you as a joke," Ben corrected, flipping the last of the switches before standing. "You could have bought a brand new ship with all the money you've wasted in keeping this thing alive."
It was a conversation they'd had hundreds of times over the last decade, but Luke would never let go the attachment he had for the hunk of junk.
Luke sighed and shrugged. "You know I'll keep flying this thing until she decides to explode on me." A smile played across Luke's lips and Ben reciprocated the action.
"Oh, you'll fly? I've been piloting this ship for us since I was fifteen."
"And you're so good at it."
Ben rolled his eyes, following his uncle to the lowering ramp. As they were about to exit, Artoo rolled speedily toward them.
"You should stay here, Artoo," Ben instructed. Artoo gave a loud squeal of defiance, something the droid was particularly good at. "Yes, I know you're bored, but the town is too precarious to bring a droid along. Especially a high functioning one, such as yourself."
"He's right Artoo. Best you stay here." The droid let out a low hum, making his disappointment known. "I'll bring you back some high grade oil. I promise." But the droid did not cheer up. Instead, he rolled out of sight, back into the confines of the ship.
Ben turned and scowled at his uncle.
"That droid is in serious need of an adventure. Even I'm growing bored of this search for Jedi temples." It was midday on Er'kit, the sun not taking any prisoners. As they stepped out of the ship's shadow to make there way over to the mechanic, Ben lifted the cloaks hood, attempting to keep the intense rays off of his pale complexion. His black Jedi robes were not the smartest choice of attire for the planets atmosphere, but it wasn't like he was going to be outside for long.
He didn't plan to be, anyway.
I hate desert planets…
"Ben," Luke addressed him as they reached the entrance to the shop. "You should go ahead and grab a bite to eat next door. I want to stay with the mechanic as he looks her over." Ben glanced inside the rundown garage and saw the short, slender frame of an Er'kit working on a speeder bike. The species was very off-putting to look at, with its light blue skin, lanky limbs, and yellow eyes.
"You don't trust these people, Uncle?" He slyly smiled as Luke scrutinized him with non-amusing eyes.
"I never trust strangers. Especially here."
Ben shrugged his shoulders in a non-caring way, taking one last look inside the garage. "Fine. You stay here and babysit while I cool off inside the café." Just as he walked passed, Luke gave him one last bit of instruction.
"No causing trouble, Ben. I mean it." Ben shifted back to see his uncle eyeing him like a parent would eye their mischievous child.
"I never cause trouble." Luke cocked an eyebrow. Ben shrugged. "Okay, sometimes I do, but it's never a big deal." He spread his arms out, trying to look innocent as a playful grin showed on his lips.
"You call pick-pocketing a security officer not a big deal?"
"Hey, I needed to get inside the Royal Library to figure out where the Jedi temple was located on Lothal. While you were wasting time negotiating with some aristocrat, I was getting results." Ben stood tall, showing he wasn't ashamed of what he did.
"And that almost ended badly for you," Luke stated dryly as Ben scoffed.
It hadn't been easy stalking the guard and finding the opportune moment to bump into him. Ben had been quick about finding the book they needed, but he must've taken too long. Once the guard had found out about his missing chip, he was able to see where it was being used and sent every single police droid to the library.
"Well at the end of the day, I didn't go to jail and we found what we were looking for."
His uncle sighed in defeat and shook his head.
"Now, I'm going to go eat and relax inside where the sun isn't trying to kill me. Come find me when they've identified the problem. If they even do." Ben turned on his heels, causing his robe to billow in the hot air behind him. The entrance to the café slid open, the rush of cold, welcoming air beckoning him further inside. Cautiously, he eyed the small restaurant, taking note of the occupants and finding another exit at the far end of the rectangular perimeter.
He found a comfort in being prepared for anything.
Ben made his way to the counter, taking a seat on a rather uncomfortable bar stool. It made a low, creaking noise, fighting against the sudden addition of his weight. He quickly moved over to a more stable chair as an elderly woman appeared on the other side of the counter.
"What can I get for ya?" Her eyes held disinterest, her voice extremely raspy, scratching at Ben's ears. Probably got that way from inhaling too much of the desert sand over the years, he thought idly to himself.
"Do you by chance have any banja cakes?" The waitress looked down at her relic of a datapad and started to scroll through the food itinerary.
"What flavor would ya like?"
His eyes lit up, mouth salivating over the prospect of devouring his favorite kind of sweets. "Chocolate," he answered eagerly.
She tapped the screen. "Anything else?" She looked up at him impatiently.
"Any cold sandwich will do, but I want the dessert first." Ben never did acquire the patience to wait for the sweet courses, always requesting it to be chocolate. "Oh, and some water please."
"One choc banja cake and cold sandwich with water. Got it." Ben reached for his pants pocket, taking out his small and slender datapad and placing it on the counter. He sighed in disappointment when he saw that he still couldn't get a signal. Months of hunting for Jedi temples in the Outer Rim Territories had left them with no way of sending or receiving messages. None of the planets they've visited had strong enough equipment to magnify any sort of message through space, and the immense radiation out here made matters worse for communications. Especially aboard a ship.
Ben sat there, wondering if his mother was even worried about him.
The abrupt placement of a cold cup of water brought him back to the present. The waitress eyed his glossy datapad. "Ya wont get a signal right now. We installed a transistor amplification system a few months back, but it was damaged in a recent sandstorm. Should be up and runnin' tonight, though."
Ben's back immediately straightened. "You can get communications off world?"
"Yup." She turned to the black holoscreen above the kitchen expo window behind her. "We finally get to play some programs on that there screen. Helps pass the time for me, and the customers like it. If ya come back tonight, everything should be up and runnin'.
"What time do you close?" he asked eagerly.
"We're open all day and all night."
Ben thanked her for the information and sat back, eyeing the holoscreen above. There had to be some messages from his mother waiting for him on his account. Maybe even his father…
He stopped that line of thought before it gained traction, knowing it never led to a good place. It was hard trying to suppress his hope that maybe, this time, he would receive a message from Han. Instead of letting his disappointment sink him into further despair, he'd learned to never expect anything from his old man. There won't be any messages from him waiting for you, he reminded himself.
Taking a sip of the chilled water, he wondered when his own mother would stop checking in with him. It felt inevitable that it would happen, since she was so involved in her own life. As time went on, her messages were becoming fewer and farther between.
He heard the door open from behind, making him glance over his shoulder at the two human males entering. They were of middle age, with dark leathery skin and attire that had seen better days. Dirt and grime covered their once light shirts and pants, making it obvious they worked out in the elements.
"Kaydee," the darker haired, bushy bearded man yelled toward the older waitress. "We're gonna seat ourselves in our usual spot." She waved her hand in the air, not even bothering to look up from her task of drying the numerous amount of flatware before her. They proceeded over to the table behind Ben, not adhering to the proper social protocol of lowering their voices while in a public place.
Most of what they spoke of was easy to ignore. The trivialities of their home lives and their desire to make more money did not hold Ben's attention. After a few minutes of frivolously looking over the navigational chart for him and his uncle's next destination, his banja cakes were placed in front of him. Ravenously, but still holding his manners, he shoved the bite-sized cakes into his eager mouth, relishing the rich flavor. They weren't nearly as good as the ones on Chandrila he'd grown up eating, but none ever were.
Still, these would do just fine.
"Have ya heard about the new shipments comin' in?" Ben recognized the deeper voice belonging to the bearded man.
"A bunch of women and children. Guess there's even an exotic lookin' Twi'lek in the bunch," the bald one replied.
Ben stopped chewing, his gaze lifting to look straight through the expo window into the kitchen. He couldn't even taste the chocolate flavor anymore as the men continued their conversation.
"She'll go for a hefty price. That's one lucky bastard who snatched her up. He's gonna get a good share of the profit." Both men laughed. Ben clenched his teeth. "You goin' over to the caves tonight?"
"Yeah. I got guard duty till the mornin'. And a buyer is comin' sometime during the night."
"Wanna head over to the gambling center after this?" One of them cleared his throat, coughing up a big ball of phlegm.
"Nah. I gotta spend sometime with Ginna or she'll think I'm cheatin' on her."
"You are cheatin' on her."
"She don't need to know that." Boisterous laughter erupted from the two men, the kind that grated against you nerves.
Ben's face was as hard as iron as his fists curled on top of the counter. He glanced down, noticing his trembling hands. His right palm itched to touch his lightsaber, but he sat there. Frozen. Some time during the eavesdropping session, the waitress must have brought him his sandwich, for it was placed off to thr side.
He didn't even recall that happening.
All his focus was on the two men sitting behind him and if he didn't make himself leave soon, he wouldn't be able to hold himself back from doing something brash.
He placed some coins on the counter and awkwardly stood, knocking the stool to the ground. He darted for the exit, never looking back on his way out. Finding his uncle was the only thing he cared about.
Luke was standing next to the tall Er'kit underneath the ships belly, pointing to something of insignificance. Ben squinted against the bombardment of light and ran over to his uncle, not even bothering to shield his face from the sun. He grabbed Luke's arm and wheeled him around.
"Ben! I'm in the middle–"
"We need to talk. Now. It's important." Luke looked at him questioningly, but his face quickly smoothed over.
"Alright." Luke addressed the Er'kit standing off to the side. "I'll be back shortly. You can examine the rest, but don't fix anything till I agree. Understood?" The creature nodded and continued his task that was so abruptly interrupted.
Ben led Luke into the ship, wanting the closed space for privacy. Once Ben was confident he was out of earshot of the mechanic, he began to tell the man everything he had heard. Luke leaned against the edge of the table, concentrating on his nephew.
Ben didn't try to hide his anger and disgust, he knew Luke would have felt it even if he tried to pretend to have a calm demeanor. "A buyer is coming tonight, so we need to go to these caves as soon as possible." His uncle nodded slowly, staring at the wall behind Ben as he stroked his beard.
"Why aren't you agreeing with me? These people need our help!" he yelled, not even causing a rise out his uncle.
"I'm not disagreeing with you Ben, but the way you want to go about this is all wrong." Ben blinked in shock. "We need to contact the New Republic and get the Republic fleet to handle it."
Ben's fingers threaded through his hair as he stared at the old man.
"Are you kidding me? To get aid from the Republic fleet, it would have to be authorized by the Senate. Those politicians are beyond useless and never agree on anything. And we can't even transmit a message off of this planet!" He could feel the rising heat in his face as he tried to make his uncle see reason. A deep breath filled his chest while he made the effort to talk smoothly. "The Jedi are separate from the Republic, giving you full and legal authorization to make this decision on your own."
Luke's face was a pillar of durasteel as he let no emotion show through his calm expression. "I can make the decision, and this is what I will decide we do. The New Republic needs us to be on their side, not gallivanting through the galaxy doing whatever we want. If we do this without them, they'll think we're taking the law into our own hands."
Ben shook his head, grinding his molars. "Fuck the New Republic." Luke's brows rose. Ben's voice went deep and low as he enunciated each word, painting a clear and disturbing picture."There are innocent women and children being tortured and raped and this is the route you want to take? Inaction?"
Luke rubbed his lips together, trying to keep his aggravation in check. "It's not inaction, Ben. The mechanic told me we'll be able to communicate off this planet sometime tonight. I'll immediately contact Leia and tell her what's going on."
Ben scoffed. "Well, I'm not going to wait around for you to make that call."
He moved to the ship's exit, but was stopped by his uncle grabbing his arm.
"Don't you dare, Ben. My word is final."
Luke was now visibly frustrated.
"I don't have to abide by your word since you're no longer my master," Ben reminded him sharply. "Or have you forgotten that you gave me the title of Jedi Master and a seat on the council before we left on this quest? I can act of my own volition now." Ben faced off against Luke, their glares deepening.
If Luke looked frustrated before, he was now fuming with indignation.
"I gave you that seat and title personally, deciding to wait till we got back to announce it to everyone else. If you go through with this, consider your title stripped and your seat revoked. If you tell anyone about being given the title of Jedi Master, I'll deny it. It will be your word against mine."
Never in his life had Ben ever considered killing a member of his family, but that was all he could think about in that moment.
You could do it. You are more powerful than him. You could cover it up and no one would ever find out…
The dark thoughts formed in the back of his mind, pushing his rage to become a physical manifestation. Ben wrenched his arm from his uncle's hold and headed for his own quarters. Upon closing the entrance, he tore off his Jedi robes, leaving him in only his undergarments. He felt like he was suffocating from all the layers and he needed his skin to feel the cool air of the ship.
His wrath ripped through his room like a tornado, leaving nothing whole or unbroken. The anger would not stop pulsating through his veins, and it demanded to be released through unbridled carnage. Sharp pain hit his knees as he crumbled to the floor, examining the damage upon which he just made.
Part of his mind couldn't believe his uncle had threatened him, but he honestly should've expected it. He'd worked so hard for so long to be able to join Luke on the Jedi council. He would be the first to join Master Skywalker, and together they would build up the Jedi to what it was before The Empire destroyed it. His uncle had seemed so excited to have someone help him with this huge burden, and had been so proud that that person was his nephew.
Ben had thought he was to be his uncle's equal.
It had all been a lie. If he could threaten to take it all away from Ben, what would stop him from doing the same in the future?
A heavy sigh stroked his lips as he lifted himself off the chilly floor, collapsing on his hard bed. For the rest of the day, he remained in the confines of his room and weighed his decision carefully.
Go help those innocent people on his own, or keep his seat on the Jedi council– the very thing he'd wanted ever since he was forced into attending the academy.
Which one was was more important?
()()()()()
Wind hit his face and filled his ears as he glided across the dark terrain on his speeder.
It was the dead of night when he slyly crept off of the ship, waiting long enough to make sure his uncle had drifted to sleep. There had been no reason for him to stay up since the transistor amplification system was still not functioning.
Being alone in his room, with only his thoughts at play, it hadn't taken Ben not long to decide on venturing out to the caves. He couldn't live with himself, even if he was a Jedi Master, knowing that he could've done something to save those slaves.
There was only one mountain he could visibly see near the town, so he decided to start his search there. The only possessions he took with him was a small canteen of water and his lightsaber.
He'd been circling the mountain for nearly an hour before he felt the first forms of life. He followed the energy trail, seeing a cave forming in the distance. The speeder roared as he hit the throttle, his nerves starting to make an appearance. The moon was only a sliver in the sky, making him concentrate more on his dark surroundings
He cut the engine and parked the speeder behind a boulder by an opening. The inside was pitch black and he scolded himself for not bringing his night vision binoc's. He activated his lightsaber, watching the iridescent blue color light up the jagged walls. The inside was dank and cold the further he trekked, making him concentrate on staying light on his feet.
Time passed, and he started to doubt that this was the right cave. But I feel something here, he reassured himself. He rounded a corner and saw a dim light at the far end. The lightsaber disengaged as he flattened himself against the moist cave wall. Slowly, he crept closer to the illuminated cavern, trying to calm his racing heart.
All at once, his knees gave way, and his hands caught himself on the dirt floor. The all-consuming pain nearly blinded him, diminishing his strength to hold himself upright. He felt hopeless, lost, and completely terrified. These feelings did not belong to him, for they came from the people trapped in this hellish place.
Now steeled with determination, he craned his head up and crawled his way closer to the light. He had to see what was in there.
The foul smell hit his nose and burned his eyes as he came upon the edge of the cavern. He started to gag, but held down the few contents that were still in his stomach. Breathing through his mouth was even worse as he could taste the stench on his tongue. He settled on inhaling through his nose, not wasting his time with trying to breath through his robe.
Nothing would be able to mask the odor.
His eyes cleared, allowing to focus on the picture ahead. All he could do was stare, wide-eyed. Disbelieving. To the right, a dozen or so women were chained to the wall. The majority were human, but there was a Twi'lek and a Togruta among them. Some were completely naked, while others were in rags. They were lifeless behind their distant gaze, having lost hope of ever being freed.
He stood to his full height and made his way cautiously over to the prisoners, trying not to frighten them. Not one person paid him any heed. Even when he knelt down in front them, no one would look him straight in the eye.
They were broken.
From the far wall behind him, he heard soft crying, like a small wounded animal. Ben reared himself upward and turned to see cells etched into the rocky wall. He neared the prison, seeing that the ground was lumpy behind the cell bars, movement catching his eye.
As Ben gradually realized what the lumps were, he sagged to the ground and clutched onto the iron rods. Dozens of children were lying on the ground, curled up in an attempt to keep warm. They were infinitely filthier than the women, having no access to a refresher in what seemed to be days. By the thick smell of ammonia, it could have been weeks.
Ben shook uncontrollably, not able to stop the vomit from shooting up his esophagus and exiting his mouth. He heaved onto the floor while one hand gripped the cell bar, the other on the ground to steady him. Never, at any time in his life, did he think he would witness such depravity and outright maliciousness.
How could someone do this to women and children?
A cold palm grasped the hand that was still on the cage. He lifted his gaze to see a young girl staring at him. Her hair was so matted and dirty, he couldn't be sure of the color. Her slanted irises, though, were as black as night and were overflowing with sorrow.
"Who are you?" a voice bellowed. "What are ya doin' here?"
He'd been caught.
But Ben and the girl kept staring at each other for a few moments longer, ignoring the man's shouts. Her skinny arm went between the two bars and up to his face, wiping the tear from his cheek. Something cracked inside him at that moment. It was something that he would never be able to repair, no matter how hard he tried. It consumed all that he was, so delicate under his carefully crafted world, its viperous head ripping apart the order.
The choice.
Ben Force pulled the man into his outstretched hand as he quickly stood, towering over what he realized to be a Rodian. His lightsaber came to life and he drove the plasma blade through the whimpering creature's chest, smelling burnt flesh.
He'd never killed a person before. The act should have been more shocking, but he felt none of that. The acceptance over what he'd just done didn't take him too far away, but deep inside himself to a primitive place that knows how to dissociate from the kind of disbelief that preceded death.
Everything after that was a daze. Even his own screams became incoherent to his ears. He was a crazed animal on a murderous rampage, seeking to fill his blood lust till his belly was full and his muscles were spent.
One after another, the blue light of his saber cut down all that stood in his way. Men ran from him, but he followed their fear deeper into the caves. They begged and pleaded and cried to have their lives spared, but Ben couldn't stop now. Wouldn't. He gutted every last one of them, their blood seeping into the dirt below his boots.
As he came upon the last man cowering in a corner, he heard the close sound of dogs barking in the next room. A sinister smile played along his lips and he dragged the sobbing, soiled man into the chamber with him.
The dogs were chained to the wall, much like the women were, but these animals were actually fighting against their chains. Their rib cages protruded out of their sides, bones scattered across the dirt floor.
They weren't animal bones.
"Are these your dogs?" The man kept crying, not answering him. Ben balanced his weight on the balls of his feet as he knelt down to the man's eye level. One look at Ben's face made the man answer his question.
"Y-yes," he stuttered. "Please, I'm only seventeen. I–I didn't want to be here–"
Ben cocked his head to the side. "Do you think these animals are loyal to you?" he asked, ignoring the pleas. The man's brows furrowed, not knowing how to answer. "Well." Ben paused and straightened to his full stature, his eyes never leaving the youthful man's pathetic face. "I'm going to enjoy finding out."
He force pushed him into the far wall, the rabid beasts pouncing upon their master, tearing the flesh from his face, ripping into his gut for the delicious prizes inside. Gurgling screams echoed off the stone walls, blood spraying in all different directions. Ben watched the man be torn apart, relishing in the sound of bones breaking and flesh tearing.
It took longer than expected for the man to finally die, but after he did, Ben retraced his steps back to the cavern. So many bodies filled the hallways that he didn't make any attempts to step around them. They were dead, anyway.
He started to pick up the pace as his worry began to heighten for the women and children he left behind.
Somehow, the women had freed themselves from their chains and were now herding the children from the rank cells. The Twi'lek spat in his direction and shielded her body between him and the young ones. "You need to leave." Her accent was hard, making him strain to understand her as she spoke Basic. Bodies lay torn apart across the ground, but the cavern was not as convoluted with corpses as the narrow hallways. The women emptied the cells and were now making their way outside, coaxing the terrified children to the exit, telling them not to look down.
"You need my help." The voice that came out of his mouth was unrecognizable. It was deep, dark and dangerous. It reflected how he felt.
The Twi'lek stepped over the bodies, pointing down to the corpse of a human woman. "She needed your help and you murdered her in your blind rage. She grabbed the keys from one of the dead men and began freeing us, but she accidentally got in your way. You even looked at her as you pierced her with you lightsaber, Jedi. Or do you not remember?"
Ben instantly denied her accusation.
"Don't believe me? Come. Look. The lightsaber burn is in the middle of her chest." He sauntered over the random limbs and carcasses, ready to prove the woman wrong, but stopped mere feet from the lifeless body. There, perfectly placed at the center of her chest, was a lightsaber wound.
"No…" His head shook in disbelief, his mind drunk with confusion. The events of the slaughter were running through his thoughts, but it was all a blur. He couldn't remember seeing her, even though the Twi'lek said he'd stared right at the woman before striking her down.
"You've done enough. You should now leave this place," she demanded.
Ben fell to his knees, his hands trembling as he stopped himself from touching the face of the deceased. Her eyes were open, no hint of life behind her hazel irises. His breathing became more labored as it dawned on him what he had done.
"I didn't see her. I–" He lifted his head, but the room was now empty, leaving the dead as his only company.
Blood was sprayed everywhere, covering the walls and soaking the soft, sandy ground. He stood, looking at his bloody Jedi robes. The smell of copper and sweat lingered in the air, on his clothes, and in his hair. His chest constricted. He couldn't breath. Suddenly he was in the dark halls, running from the nightmare as he tore off his outer robes, dropping them in his wake.
They said he was evil, all those kids he grew up with. He'd been just a boy, not understanding how they could form such a prejudice against him. They had once been his friends, but somehow, they saw what was lurking below the surface. Knew he would snap one day.
He was a murderer. A psychopath. A villain.
But even under the terms that plagued him, he was still that feeble boy, not strong enough to fight off that darkness inside. But he wasn't just weak, but scared, too.
He was too scared not to follow the dark, and to weak to fight that fear.
The cave exit came into view just as his boot caught on a jagged rock, sending him plummeting onto the sharp floor. His head hit the ground hard, a gash opening up just above his temple. Warmth trickle down to his neck, but he did nothing to stop it. Didn't numb to the pain. He glanced around, seeing his lightsaber lying on the ground next to him. He froze, studying the saber with the small amount of light the outside offered.
He recoiled from the silver hilt, like it was the one who chose to slaughter all those people, not him.
As he laid there, in his sleeveless undershirt and trousers, he knew his life as a Jedi was over. He'd known that was a possibility when he decided to come out here, but now facing that reality was hard to stomach. The last ten years of his life did not matter now, but there was one thing he did know: he never wanted to touch that lightsaber again.
He picked himself off the floor and walked out of the cave, not looking back at the weapon he left in the shadows.
The women and children were huddled off to the right of the entrance, but he kept walking to the boulder that hid his speeder. The Twi'lek was right; they did not need his help anymore.
He pulled the speeder out from concealment, mounting it swiftly. His eyes gazed over the vast landscape to his right, searching for his uncle. Luke was close, coming up to the cave at an accelerated speed, but Ben did not plan on being here when he arrived.
At least he can help the slaves find shelter, he thought.
Igniting the engine, he took one last look at the group in front of him. The girl, the one he'd shared a moment with in the cavern, was standing away from the others. Her eyes locked onto him, her face frozen as she raised a hand to wave. That young girl, who couldn't be any older than fourteen, was not afraid of him like the others. She offered him her silent gratitude, and he gave her a sad smile as he nodded, bidding her farewell.
He turned the speeder around and throttled the engine, zooming off into the distance toward the town.
()()()()()
Ben was exhausted as he came upon the café. He'd felt his uncle make it to the caves, horror and shock rippling through the Force. Luke would most likely be there for a while, trying to help the malnourished slaves before eventually coming to look for his nephew. By then, Ben planned on being in a different star system, trying to pick up the shattered remnants of his life.
The elderly waitress hadn't lied when she told him the café never closed, for a large crowd was pushing up against the counter. Hopefully he could find one of them leaving the planet soon and hitch a ride. But first, he needed to eat something before he fell over. The last thing he ate was those banja cakes, and he hadn't even finished them.
He took a seat at the end of the counter where it was less crowded. Everyone seemed to be focused on the holoscreen over the kitchen window, some type of Republic News broadcast playing.
Ben froze.
If they were getting the news, the transistor amplification system was working. He raced out of the café at a dead run, going straight for his room aboard the ship. His datapad was still on his bed as he grabbed it and headed back for the restaurant. He switched it on, waiting for it to load when he opened the café door.
The café was now in total chaos, people shouting at the holoscreen and throwing food at the broadcast.
The datapad started to ding in his hands, showing dozens of unread messages from his mother, the last one from about a week ago. He scrolled down to the beginning, still standing right in front of the door.
"That fuckin' Alderaan Princess deceived all of us!"
"Her and her bloodline should be hunted down and exterminated. They're too dangerous to be left alive."
"Skywalker and that woman have been lying to us this whole time!"
Ben snapped his head up, his eyebrows scrunching together as he glanced around the frenzied room, many fingers pointing to the holoscreen. He could make out his mother's name among the shouting and stepped closer, wrenching himself to the front of the crowd where he could get the best view of the broadcast.
He still couldn't hear what was being said over all the shouting. He waved his hand, making the volume grow louder till he could discern the reporter's voice.
"…mere twenty minutes ago, it was revealed by Centrist Senator Ransolm Casterfo that Senator Leia Organa is indeed the biological child of Darth Vader. We will now show you the clip of the unveiling that took place on the Senate floor."
Ben started to have tunnel vision, only noticing the screen directly overhead. The broadcast cut to the inside of the Senate meetinghouse as he watched a tall, blonde Senator reach inside a chest and take out what appeared to be a music box. He opened it, and Ben immediately recognized the song as one of the lullabies his mother used to sing to him.
A man's voice started to speak when the song ended, starting the recording off by saying, "My beloved daughter…" It was Bail Organa, addressing his mother. He listened as Bail voiced his worry that he might not survive the war, and stressed that he needed to pass down a piece of important knowledge to his daughter. Ben's heart raced frantically with anticipation, focusing his eyes on the screen like it was enchanting him to do so.
"You've never expressed much interest in knowing about your birth parents. So many times, you've told your mother and me we are the only father and mother you've ever needed– and never doubt how much that means to us both. But Leia, the story of your origin is one you must know. You were hidden with us, for your own safety, and for that of your brother. Yes, you have a twin brother, though you must not seek him until the war has ended, and both Palpatine and Lord Vader have been defeated."
"Obi-wan Kenobi took your brother for safe keeping, and I took you. We hid you both from each other, and from your father, who could not know that any child of his had been born alive. You see, Leia, I always told you the truth about your mother and how she died. But I never told you that she was Padme Amidala, former queen and senator of the planet Naboo. Nor could I share that your father was Anakin Skywalker, one of the last Jedi Knights and a great hero of The Clone Wars. But now I must tell you the worst, and you must be strong. I must tell you what became of Anakin Skywalker."
"You father has become Darth Vader."
The senate floor erupted in shouting, both sides arguing over one another. Ben held onto the counter edge so tight, his hands felt like they would break under the strain. This cannot be true. It has to be fabricated! My mother would have told me something like this. As Ben's thoughts began to race out of his control, he tried to search for his mother on the screen.
Instead, Senator Casterfo came back on.
"I have every reason to believe it is genuine. But if it is not, let Senator Organa pronounce it false."
Finally, the broadcast showed his mother. Ben waited, expecting her to get up and proclaim that it was all lies, that it was a slanderous political tactic fabricated from one of her opponents. But she just sat there, displaying a collective exterior to the public. Ben was confused that his mother could be so calm in the face of such a heinous accusation. Darth Vader was the second most hated person in the entire galaxy, right after Palpatine, and all his mother could do was sit there patiently and listen to her accuser?
After a few moments, she stood, the amplifier droids swarming her immediately. With a cold stone stare, she said, "Senator Casterfo's accusation is true. My father was Darth Vader."
Every single light in the cafe, including the holoscreen, sparked and exploded all at once. People yelled in fright and shoved each other as they tried to exit the establishment as fast as possible.
Shattered pieces of glass covered Ben, but he did not attempt to brush them out of his hair or off his shoulders. His life had unraveled too quickly for him to hold onto any remnants of his sanity. Everything he thought he knew was now a lie. The big expanse of fury was engulfing him into its suffocating vacuum and nothing made sense to him anymore.
In the caves, he had started to accept that his path as a Jedi was over, that he would have to make a new start somewhere else. But now this news… The two people closest to him, his uncle and mother, had deceived him his whole life. He grew up scared and confused as to why he was so sensitive to the Force and why he had problems controlling his anger. And the answer had been there all along. He was the grandson of Darth Vader, the most powerful Sith in thousands of years.
The lightsaber… I left it in the cave… When his uncle had given him the saber at fourteen, he'd told him it was a special family heirloom. Obi-wan had explained to Luke that it had belonged to his father, who was murdered by Darth Vader. But now, Ben could see the whole truth for what it was. The lightsaber he had refused to pick up was that of Darth Vader's, before he became a Sith.
All your family does is lie to you.
They do not care about you.
All of them have tossed you aside, never trusting you.
But I know your potential.
Your power can be greater than your grandfather's.
You can crush criminal enterprises and bring order to the galaxy, with my help.
The familiar voice caressed his emotions as he spoke to Ben's mind. The wheel of regret, sadness, and anger were as seductive and potentially unrelenting as a black hole, and all he wanted was to rid himself of such emotions.
I am not far from you.
Come and join me.
I have only ever respected your power, while your family has been holding you back from fulfilling your destiny.
You owe your family nothing, for they have given you nothing.
Looking out into the dark café, Ben became numb. He was tired of trying to achieve his family's expectations, tired of being lied to, and tired of feeling disgusted with himself.
With that thought, he gave into the voice and let his own monster roam free among his mind. He was done feeling guilty, and the only way to free himself from the guilt was to embrace his sins.
The datapad lit up and dinged on the counter, showing a brand new message from his mother. But it was too late.
He had no family.
He grabbed the device and threw it against the wall, hearing it break into pieces.
His boots crunched on the broken glass as he exited the café and went to the mechanic shop. He Force pushed the locked door across the garage, heading to the box of keys behind the work counter to the right. The ion lock that was placed on the ships dashboard would prevent the craft from starting up and could be difficult to unlock with the Force.
But that could be easily remedied.
As he ruffled through the contents, the Er'kit came rushing into the room from the back door. "You're not allowed in here." Ben paid the creature no heed. "You still owe me half the cost for fixing the hyperdrive. I won't allow you to leave till I'm paid." The alien came at Ben, but was lifted into the air by his outstretched hand. The creature choked, and with a violent jerk of his wrist, Ben snapped the Er'kit's neck.
The body made a sickening thud as it hit the floor, its eyes open and tongue sticking limply out from its mouth.
"You won't allow me?" Ben snickered, chuckling.
With the key firmly in his grasp, he left and walked onto the ship. A high-pitched squeal made him turn and face Artoo. The droid scooted back when it caught sight of Ben's expression. Artoo bolted down the ramp and wheeled off into the darkness of night.
Ben removed the ion lock from the dashboard and initiated the launch sequence. His destiny was somewhere out in those stars and he needed to desperately find it.
The belonging he had sought for was with his new master now.
That foolish, naïve boy who went by the name Ben Solo would forever remain in those dark caves, rotting away with the rest of the corpses, where he belonged.
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