Ben felt that time was moving slowly. It had only been a day since his mother announced that they were going to meet Ahsoka Tano, but he felt like it was longer than that. He knew that it was only natural to feel that way because he was excited about it. But he couldn't help it. He was just eager to hear about his grandfather.

His grandfather who wouldn't talk to him.

Ever since the end of the war, when his true loyalties had been revealed, Ben tried to commune with Anakin, but he was only left frustrated. So far, only Master Obi-Wan had appeared to him.

The old Jedi had no problems with Ben's actions during the war. Anakin however was another story. Ben's grandfather blamed himself for Ben's 'fall'.

Ben knelt on the floor of his room, feeling the Force around him. He controlled his breathing and reached into the Force, hoping that this time, Anakin would come.

"He won't see you," Obi-Wan said as he appeared.

That day he was the young General Kenobi, close enough to Ben in age. Ben knew that it was Obi-Wan's way of trying to make Ben feel comfortable, of looking a peer, rather than as a mentor.

"Why not?" Ben asked, clearly frustrated. It was definitely not the first time that his grandfather refused to see him, nor would it have been the last.

"He wouldn't say," Obi-Wan replied, which was just a polite way to say that Anakin didn't want to see Ben.

"He hates me," Ben complained. "He hates that I used Vader's legacy as my cover."

"To be fair," the Force Ghost pointed out. "Those years in the Dark Side weren't his best."

"That doesn't mean that he should ignore me," Ben said.

He knew that it was petulant of him, but when he was a child, before he took on the role of double agent, his grandfather had never refused to see him. While he was with Snoke, he had to block off those ties for a while, it wouldn't do for the Supreme Leader to know just how tightly Ben clung to the Light.

Anakin Skywalker was Light, Darth Vader was Dark. It was just how things were.

The disappointment was clear on his face, and Obi-Wan was nothing but compassionate, so he placed a comforting hand on Ben's shoulder.

"Don't be so dejected," Obi-Wan comforted. "Anakin sees this as his failure. If he hadn't turned, none of this would have happened. He doesn't hate you. Nothing could be farther from the truth."

"You don't have to make excuses for him Master Obi-Wan," Ben said. "I know what hatred and rejection feel like. You should know, you were there."

Ben's time in Luke's Academy were lonely years. The other students were wary of him. He was powerful in the Force, a legacy from his grandfather, and they had felt it. Because of that, he had excelled in lessons, which caused them to become petty and jealous. They made sure that he knew that he was as welcome there as he was with the children of the politicians, which was to say, not at all.

Because he was so isolated, he spent most of his time practising his lightsaber forms and meditating. It was during one of those meditations that his grandfather had first come to him.

Anakin knew how lonely it was to be more powerful than his peers. He knew how children could be jealous of those to whom powers of the Force came easily. He had seen that Ben needed a friend, so he decided to talk to him.

Over time, Obi-Wan joined them, regaling the young Ben with stories about Anakin as a padawan. Ben had enjoyed those stories, just as he enjoyed the lessons Anakin gave him with his 'saber form. Back then, meditation meant story time with Obi-Wan and katas were moving meditations spend with Anakin.

Ben didn't see the need for any other friends.

But his isolation would have proven to be his downfall. Snoke spoke to him through the Force, whispering dark dreams of power. The Supreme Leader told him about the First Order and about the Knights of Ren. He was promised leadership in both, that he would be feared and respected.

Ben did the only logical thing when the dreams continued. He told his mother.

By then, Leia had heard rumours about the First Order. It hadn't been much of a threat back then, but by some gift of foresight, Leia knew that they would become a group that would threaten her beloved Republic.

So they came up with the plan of sending Ben undercover. They had no idea that it would mean the devastation of the Academy, or that Ben would be gone for over a decade, but when they were formulating the plan, it seemed like a logical course to take.

The rest was history.

"He cares," Obi-Wan insisted. "It's just that Anakin has always had trouble facing his failures."

"So I'm a failure in his eyes then," Ben sighed.

"It's not that. Blast!" Obi-Wan stroked his chin.

For the Negotiator, Ben noticed that Obi-Wan didn't seem too savvy with words. Perhaps that's what all that time in the Force did to you.

"Ben," Obi-Wan said. "Anakin loves you. He just doesn't know how to ask for your forgiveness."

"My forgiveness?" Ben asked with an incredulous look. "It should be me asking for forgiveness, not the other way around!"

"Not in Anakin's eyes," Obi-Wan said slowly. "To him it was his fall to the Dark Side that tainted his line. That because he became Darth Vader, it meant that his descendants would be forever doomed to be seduced by the Dark."

"But that's-"

"Ridiculous," Obi-Wan agreed. "I know. But sometimes Anakin gets these ideas in his head and they're quite difficult to dislodge."

Ben huffed in frustration. Stubbornness was indeed a family trait, some of them less so than others. But Ben was also a Solo, which meant that he could out-stubborn anyone in the galaxy.

"Grandfather!" he shouted, causing Obi-Wan to raise an eyebrow. "I know you're there! You always are whenever Master Obi-Wan is around!"

The Force rippled, but Anakin didn't show himself. It didn't matter, Ben knew that his grandfather was listening.

"This wasn't your fault!" Ben continued. "I chose to walk that path, for the greater good! Mother and I agreed to it beforehand."

Ben took a breath, feeling the Force as he did. If he concentrated enough, he knew he could feel Anakin's presence, but he didn't. His main goal was to get Anakin to stop blaming himself for Ben's actions. Getting his grandfather to appear would have to happen another time.

"I mean it Grandfather," Ben said in a calmer voice. "There was no other way, none that would give us the results that we needed. I'm sorry for shutting you out all those years while pretending to seek out your voice for the benefit of the Dark Side. But it had to be done."

Ben inhaled again. Obi-Wan's eyebrow had descended back to its normal position and instead, he had a thoughtful look in his eye. His head was tilted to one side, as if he was waiting for Anakin to whisper something into his ear.

"I'm sorry I disappointed you," Ben finished.

He didn't expect Anakin to show himself, or even to make his presence known. But he felt a light pat on the head and a warm feeling spread throughout his body.

While Anakin wasn't quite ready to talk to him again, Ben was forgiven.

"Give him time," Obi-Wan advised. "He has always found it harder to forgive himself than others. A trait he learned from me I'm afraid."

"Thank you Master Kenobi," Ben said gratefully. "For being here and for staying with him."

"Oh dear one," Obi-Wan said with a smile. "Where else would I be?"

Obi-Wan and Anakin's presence disappeared after that, leaving Ben alone in his room. The warm feeling stayed with Ben throughout the day.

Rey sat down in the shade as she finished her katas. Master Luke had told her that there were different lightsaber forms back in the days prior to the Empire, but he didn't know them that well. Obi-Wan told her a bit about his chosen form, Soresu, but she didn't know how to adapt it to a staff.

Soresu needed one hand free to channel the Force through. Staff fighting, more often than not, needed her to have both hands on her weapon.

Still, she worked on the forms that were clearly meant for one-handed combat. There were other forms, of course, Djem So being one that allowed a person to have both hands occupied, but she had no teacher.

Master Luke had tried to teach her, but his form was far from the proper complete form. His style was a mix of Djem So and Soresu, his incomplete training evident. He had mastered his hybrid form, but it was not one that was adaptable to Rey's staff.

Unless Anakin decided to show himself and help train her - not likely - or Ahsoka was nimble enough to give her pointers when they met – also not likely- Rey would have to make do with the training that she did have.

Thinking about training eventually led her thoughts to Ben. In light of recent events, namely his way of bringing her back to herself after that horrible experience, he was a puzzle to her.

She had understood Kylo Ren. Anger is easy to understand. Lust for power is easy to understand. But being a double agent to bring about peace, even if it meant losing a part of yourself for the cause? That was not simple.

She sighed as she rubbed her eyes. She still owed him for what he did the previous day. Rey knew that she gave him quite the beating. She decided that after she took a shower, she would ask the General what she could do to make up for it.

After washing the sweat off of herself, Rey found the General in her private rooms.

"Rey," Leia greeted when she opened the door. "Come in. Have you had lunch?"

"No," she shook her head as she stepped inside.

"Come join us then," Leia said, shutting the door behind her.

"Thank you," Rey replied.

Inside she found Master Luke at the table. C-3PO quickly made another place setting for her. Neither Han nor Ben were anywhere to be seen.

"Rey," Luke nodded in greeting. "What brings you here?"

"Lunch, apparently," Rey replied sheepishly.

"You don't say?" the corners of Luke's mouth twitched.

"Actually," Rey said. "I'm here to see the General."

"Rey please," Leia said, a soft look in her eyes. "How many times have I told you to call me Leia?"

"Sorry Gene-" at Leia's look, Rey cut herself off. "Le-Leia."

"We'll work on it," Leia smiled, noting her stutter. "What did you need?"

"Well," Rey hesitated, watching as C-3PO served lunch. "It's about Ben."

"Oh?" Leia asked.

Rey fought the urge to squirm in her seat. Not only was the General looking at her, but Master Luke was studying her as well. Both of them had concerned looks on their faces. It struck her how similar they looked. Despite knowing that they were twins, she had not noticed that before.

"Did Ben do something wrong?" Leia asked. "He's always had a hard time expressing himself. He may come off as standoffish, but I'm certain he meant well."

"Oh. No!" Rey said, waving her hands in denial. "Quite the opposite actually. Ben got hurt while we were sparring yesterday."

"You sparred?" Luke asked.

"Yes," Rey nodded. "He said it was to work me through my frustrations. It worked."

Luke shared a look with Leia. Rey couldn't tell what the look meant, she doubted that she was meant to. Leia's gaze swung downwards before it rested on Rey once more.

"I'll make sure he sees a healer," Leia assured her. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," Rey replied. "He was going easy on me."

"That's nice to know," Leia smiled. "Shall we dig in?"

As they ate, Luke and Leia talked politics while Rey listened. Some of it was boring, namely the disputes about which trades could use which hyperlanes. But Rey knew that she had to be aware of the current events going on in the galaxy.

"We cannot allow any of the bureaucrats that much leeway," Leia said. "I remember Father telling me that it was because of those types of people that the Republic had crumbled into chaos."

Rey noticed that Master Luke gave a small, barely noticeable wince when the General said 'father'. She realised that Leia wasn't talking about her birth father, rather, it was Bail Organa that the General was talking about.

"There will always be bureaucrats," Luke pointed out. "I like them as much as you do, but it can't be helped that they exist."

"Maybe you could limit the bureaucrats' power?" Rey suggested.

Leia gave her a thoughtful glance. Luke sat back and watched.

"How would you suggest we do that?" Leia inquired.

"I don't know," Rey shrugged. "Perhaps tax their trade or something that will lead to less income for them and more income for the Republic."

"That sounds reasonable," Leia mused. "Perhaps each commodity should have a corresponding tax. Weapons and fighter droids getting a bigger fee because they're non-essentials."

Luke smiled. He could tell from the look on Leia's face that she was already planning things. He continued eating, motioning for Rey to do the same, despite Leia just pushing her food around her plate, her mind obviously on how to limit the bureaucrats.

"Perhaps we should have Rey present the proposal," Luke suggested a few minutes later. "It's high time that she was involved in this."

"Me?" Rey asked. "I don't think anyone would listen to me."

"I think that would be a great idea," Leia smiled at her. "The younger generation should have a say in all of these as well."

"But," Rey protested. "I don't know what to say."

"I'll give you pointers."

That was that.

Rey shot Luke a dirty look, which the Jedi Master promptly ignored. Rey understood why they wanted her to do it, but she was reluctant. Despite being lauded as a hero, Rey still felt like the scavenger from Jakku. She didn't think that any of the politicians would want to listen to her.

While they waited for Leia to get ready for the afternoon's session, Luke gave her a reassuring smile.

"Relax," Luke said. "Just believe in yourself. You've done more for this Republic than anyone else in the meeting later, myself included."

"But Master Luke," Rey said. "Why would they listen to me? I'm just a scavenger from Jakku."

"You brought peace to the galaxy," Luke reminded her, cutting her off when she was about to say something. "I know you had help, but a lot of that effort was yours. These people owe you a great debt. Use that to help those who cannot help themselves."

"I haven't done anything like this before," Rey pointed out. "I'd rather be sent out to a battlefield than this."

"There are different battles Rey," Luke said. "As keepers of the peace, we should learn how to fight verbal battles rather than just physical ones."

Before Rey could reply, Leia walked out, ready to face the politicians once more.

"Ready?" Leia asked.

"As I'll ever be," Rey replied. To her great surprise, she really was.

Luke smiled at Rey as the delegates filed out of the meeting room. His apprentice had outdone herself, just as he expected she would. Concessions were made, not that they didn't expect that they wouldn't, but all in all, the powers of the bureaucracy had been limited a bit.

"That was," Rey said as soon as the last politician closed the door. She was searching for a proper word to describe the experience. She settled on calling it "different."

"How did you find your first taste of politics?" Leia asked.

"I've never met so many people who say one thing," Rey replied. "But mean another. They kept projecting their thoughts. I see how this would be simple for you General."

"You'd think that knowing their thoughts would make this job easier," Leia commented. "But most of the time, it's not enough. They may be projecting their surface thoughts, but I can never be certain what is lurking underneath."

Leia excused herself to see to some paperwork in her private office. Luke lingered in the room for a while. The silence was a relief after the meeting that they just had. Rey stayed as well, clearly wanting to talk to Luke about something.

"The General may not have probed," Rey said. "But what about you Master?"

"Tempting as it is, mind probing isn't appropriate," Luke lectured. "At least that's what Old Ben taught me. In times of peace, the Jedi must keep the peace, even if it means severely limiting ourselves."

"So you never used the Force to influence any decision?" Rey asked.

"I try not to," Luke winked. "Whatever agreements happen here should be made freely. Using the Force to get the results that I want is a gross misuse of the power granted to us. You could even say it was bordering on the Dark Side."

"So never?"

"I didn't say that," Luke chuckled.

"Right," Rey grinned. "I don't know if I can do this again soon. Words really aren't my thing Master."

"Words weren't my thing either," Luke admitted. "But needs must, and you have the head for these things. Compared to myself or Ben."

"Master?"

"Ben and I are a bit short-tempered," he explained. "I know it might seem like I'm patient now, but that's from years of learning how to be patient. Ben's patience is short, not exactly non-existent, but close enough. It runs in the family."

"But Master," Rey started to say, but Luke cut him off.

"Besides," he gave her an encouraging smile. "Negotiating is in your blood."

"Those are big shoes to fill," Rey said. "I might not be able to live up to Grandfather's legacy."

"Do any of us ever?" Luke replied. "All they would ask of us is that we do our best."

"Do you really think I did well today?" she asked.

"Nobody could tell that it was your first time," Luke promised. When he saw that she made no moves to leave, he raised a brow. "Was there something else?"

"My 'saber form," she said. "The one I'm using now is adequate, but I feel like there is still so much I can do to improve, but the form I'm currently using won't cover it."

Luke studied her. He knew that Soresu had limitations, it was the Form that he and Obi-Wan agreed to train her in after all. His own style was unique to himself. By the time he had found the holocrons with lessons, he was set in his ways and only adapted different aspects of the other forms to strengthen his own.

"Listen to the Force," he advised. "There isn't much else I can teach you."

"The Force?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied. "I told you about Master Windu who created the Seventh Form, Vaapad right?"

Rey paused, no doubt trying to recall that lesson. Then she nodded slowly.

"He created that form to suit his purposes," Luke said. "No doubt, you can do the same for yourself."

"Right," Rey replied sceptically.

"And," he continued. "If Madame Tano would agree to it, she could probably instruct you in Djem So. Proper Djem So."

Luke saw Rey's eyes brighten. He didn't want to get her hopes up, but that was all he could promise her at that moment.

Luke knew that he could ask his father to give lessons, but that chances of Anakin actually agreeing were low. Ever since Ben went undercover, Anakin visited less and less, until eventually, he had stopped. Old Ben had continued visiting, and gave Luke updates about Anakin, but Luke missed having actual conversations with the man.

He sighed as Rey walked out of the room, a bounce in her step. He wondered if there were still holocron recordings of 'saber forms hidden somewhere. His own library of those things had been destroyed when the Knights of Ren attacked. They may not be as effective as actual teachers, but they were better than nothing.

I am SO sorry that this took so long to update. RL has been hectic with exams and whatnot.

Okay, here's the thing, I have to get this done before the end of April because I'll be starting my clerkship by May*fingers crossed*. So if I don't wrap this story up by then, I'm apologising in advance. I will write in my spare time, but who knows how much spare time I'll even get? lol.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter.