"Kylo Ren?" cries out a hundred voices.
"Ben Solo," Finn insists. "Kylo Ren has been—well, he's gone." Somewhat.
To whatever extent anyone can really leave their past behind.
"Look, the point is, the First Order's falling apart," Poe says. "Well, maybe that's a slight exaggeration, but they're struggling. They're not as powerful as Snoke would like us to think. Their superweapon's destroyed, and guess who did that? We did. They tried to bomb us, and we escaped, most of us with our lives. They fight to avenge their weapon; we fight to honor our dead. And Kylo Ren or Ben Solo—whatever you want to call him—agrees that the First Order needs to go down. He's able to help us. I'm not saying we excuse him for his crimes. Not a bit. He personally tortured me and I haven't forgotten." Poe pauses, drawing in a deep breath. "But he's our best hope right now."
"How do we know he isn't tricking everyone?" Nien Nunb asks.
"Because he saved our lives," Finn says. "When we were captured. He could have left us all to die, but he helped Rey save our asses. And he sacrificed himself for us, so we could escape another—an unfriendly group of criminals. It's a long story." Finn scowls. "Suffice to say, I do trust him."
"Even I do," Poe admits.
"And I do," Luke says.
"And me," Rey says.
"Why did you leave?" demands Statura.
"I found out some disturbing information about my family," Rey tells him. "I needed time to think it through."
Luke clears his throat. "Statura, this is Obi-Wan Kenobi's granddaughter."
"What? Ben Kenobi?" Admiral Ackbar exclaims.
"Yes," Luke confirms.
"Is Ben named for him?" Finn whispers to Poe, who nods.
What. Weird.
"I didn't even know he had a child!" sputters Ematt.
"Well, not many did," Luke says, turning to Rey with his brow creased. "Lor San Tekka and I tried to track them for a decade."
"And?" prompts Statura.
"We found out that they were part of a clan. A clan that was destroyed by the Knights of Ren." Luke launches into the explanation. Rey folds her arms across herself, lowering her head as Luke explains that her parents considered her dangerous and abandoned her.
"That's such bullshit," Poe mutters, releasing Finn's hand to stalk over to Rey and put an arm around her. Finn copies, and Rey starts to smile.
"Is the Force even worth it?" asks a pilot whose name Finn can't recall. "I mean—with everything that's happened—"
"They're using the Force," Rey interrupts. "Snoke knows the Force. He's drawing on the Dark Side. We're drawing on the Light."
"It's an age-old battle, one I've seen in countless iterations during my thousand years," Maz agrees. "The Jedi are vital to the survival of the galaxy, and to freedom."
"The Force helped the Rebellion win against the Galactic Empire," Luke says, a wry smile on his face. "I would know."
"That it did," Ackbar confirms.
"So about Kylo Ren," says Lieutenant Connix. "What do we do with him?"
"Keep him in a locked room, like we did with the stormtroopers," Poe answers.
"Like you did with me?" calls one woman, standing next to Jess Pava. Finn's heart leaps.
There's hope. There's hope. No transmissions from anyone aboard the Finalizer yet—but there could be. Eventually.
Rey smiles as she watches Ben blink in shock when Leia, Luke, and Rey enter the room he's locked in. A few hours earlier, Chewie was the one who ushers Ben off the Falcon, sending a clear message of protection that made Rey's heart leap with hope.
"Any news?" Ben ventures.
"First, we're eating," Rey declares. "Leia says." She lays out a variety of nuts and fruits, plus some meat and grain dish that smells spice and sets Rey's stomach aflame.
"Yes," Leia tells her son. "The Resistance wants to hear from you in the morning." She hesitates. "There's so debate about restraints."
"If I wanted to, I'd snap them off," Ben says. "But I wouldn't," he adds. "If they want to use them, I understand."
"Good," Luke comments.
Ben clenches his fists and looks at Rey. He's confused.
"Why are you all here?"
"I told you. You're back. That's all I ever wanted," Leia tells him.
Ben's eyes water.
And Rey's mouth waters. She reaches for some of the nuts and pops them in her mouth. "These are good."
Ben laughs. "Sweet, aren't they?"
"They were always your favorite," Leia remarks.
Ben's jaw drops. "I can't believe you remember." Or noticed, Rey hears him thinking.
"I wouldn't ever forget," Leia says.
Dinner is punctuated with pauses and moments of tension and clenched fists. But through it all, Ben keeps sneaking looks of wonder at his mother, and she keeps looking at him like he's not a murderer, but her baby. And Rey feels the drums in his mind: I was wrong. This whole time, I was wrong.
Rage at Snoke flames inside Rey.
Luke and Leia eventually excuse themselves, to continue discussions with Ackbar, Statura, and the rest.
"I'll be right there," Rey calls.
"I'm not helping her case," Ben says sadly, the moment the door shuts behind his mother. "Her credibility—in front of the others."
"She's just glad to have you back."
"I'm glad to be back," Ben admits, settling back on the cot, the only piece of furniture in the room. "With her, at least. But…"
"It will work out," Rey assures him.
"What if it doesn't?" He meets her eyes. "What if I said that I'm not sure we can beat Snoke, Rey? Because I'm not sure. I want to believe we can—I hate him—but I don't know." Ben covers his eyes with his hands, and Rey sits next to him, studying the freckles and moles dotting his face, the way his shoulders shake.
"We can do our best," Rey says desperately. "We have to try."
"Even with Luke and you and me—the Light—I don't know if it's enough." Ben shakes his head and lowers his hand to peer into her eyes. "The Dark Side is powerful, Rey."
"Not powerful enough to snuff out all the Light in you," she reminds him, cupping her hand around the back of his head, burying her fingers in his soft hair. "It calls to you. It always has, and it always will."
"The Dark has too," he whispers.
"What if it's Snoke who made you believe that?" Rey counters.
"Maybe." Ben chews on his lip.
"We can do this, Ben," Rey insists, his forehead brushing her own. "We can. I can feel the Light in you." She puts her hand on his chest. "It's always been there. Let it in."
"Okay, Rey Kanata."
"Shush."
"What if there's not enough of it?"
"We have a bond, don't we? When you're scared and it's dark, look there. Look into my mind."
His thumb strokes her cheek, and he smiles as he searches their bond.
Rey closes her eyes as his lips sink to meet hers. This kind of kissing—it's frantic like the way she kissed him in the cantina, but slower in other ways, deeper. He's savoring her and she relishes the feel of his mouth against hers.
None of it was ever worth it, she hears him think. Nothing could substitute…
For this. For love, and acceptance. Rey remembers all her nights on Jakku, the nights she cried and imagined an ocean, and an island. Waiting for a family that would never come.
But Ben's here, in her arms, and his hands rove up and down her sides, and he believes she's worthy enough to die for. She sees his faults, his sins, and she knows them well, and she forgives him.
She held back for so long, hoping to resurrect a dream that wasn't even worth it in the end. But now she's moving forward. Rey leans back, pulling Ben with her until she's flat on her back and he's above her. Her arms wrap around him and she holds him, drinking from him as if she'll never get enough, and she wants all of him. His hand moves to her shirt and he pauses.
"Do you want to do this?"
She nods. "Yeah." And she feels in their bond that he's nervous, that he doesn't want to let her down, that—"You too?"
He shrugs. "Snoke didn't want distractions."
We've both lost so much time, Rey thinks, running her knuckles along the scar on his face. But he's here, right now, with her.
Ben shakes his head and reaches down, unbuckling his belt and pulling off his torn robes.
Rey spots the scar she gave him, on his shoulder, and the scar from Chewie's bowcaster. She pulls him close and traces them with her fingers, kissing his neck, his face. His fingers rove under her shift, lifting it over her head. His eyes widen as he takes in her body, not just with lust but with a sheen of hope.
I love you, she tells him, reaching up and lacing her fingers with his,
Ben looks at her with almost a smile on his lips, but not quite. He believes her now. Truly. Rey wraps her legs around his waist as she kicks her boots off, and when they meld together, Rey lets out a gasp, but it's not from pain. She only wants him, all of him—not just his body, but who Ben Solo is—she loves him, she wants to know him, and he loves and wants to know her, Rey Kenobi, the girl who once was just a scavenger, the girl whom he adores.
He holds her, and she grips his shoulders, neither of them speaking, their breaths syncing. Her eyes penetrate his, and Rey feels waves surging through her, tightening. She focuses on their bond, and he does the same, and Rey holds nothing back—none of her past, none of her emotions, nothing of what she believes or hopes or fears. His thoughts, his love, pours into her as waves crash and she starts to shiver.
He moans, and Rey hold him against her. He smooths strands from her face, and she kisses his lips. Neither of them speak, because they don't have to. Their hearts beat together, their thoughts merge.
Ben rolls off her. Rey presses her cheek against his chest, letting the images of an ocean, an island, stars above and the warmth of the man beside her pull her into sleep.
"Have a good night's rest?" Poe asks Rey the next morning as she scrambles to the room appointed to be the center of command. The equipment they have pales in comparison to what they had in D'Qar, but they can make do. Rey hopes.
Rey's cheeks pink, and she crosses her arms.
"I hope you did," Leia comments, a small smile on her face.
Oh shit, she knows. She knows exactly what Rey and Ben were up to last night.
Leia squeezes Rey on the shoulder, and moves on to talk with Jess Pava and Lieutenant Connix.
"Hey, she approves," Finn remarks. He looks at Rey like he's happy for her, and Rey gives him a hug.
"What's that for?" Finn asks, laughing.
"For being my best friend," Rey answers. "And my first friend."
You aren't unwanted. Not anymore.
"Here he is!" snarls a dark voice, and Rey jumps as Chewie and Luke escort a manacled Ben into the room. His head hangs, but he lifts it when he passes Rey, offering her a smile.
Stay strong, she thinks.
He nods as Luke halts him, keeping his hand on his nephew's shoulder.
"So," Ackbar begins. "Uh… you've decided to turn back to the Light."
Ben nods. Luke whispers something, and Ben clears his throat. "Yes."
"Why?" Ematt prods.
This, clearly, was not a question Ben was expecting. He shifts. "I saw—I—Snoke was wrong. About a lot of things."
"You're going to have to be more specific," states Statura.
"I didn't want to become who Snoke wanted me to become," Ben says. "Snoke was using me. As soon as I outlived my usefulness, he would have crushed me." He swallows, clenching his fists. "He wanted me to bring Rey to him. I told him I would, and I left. I fled."
Rey already answered questions the day before about what exactly went down when she agreed to travel with Ben.
"What did he want you to become?" asks Ematt.
Ben shakes his head. "I don't know entirely. Dark… like my grandfather. And I thought I wanted that too, but I—I couldn't."
"You murdered Han Solo," counters Statura, crossing his arms and regarding Ben with his chin jutting out.
"I did," Ben confesses, voice barely above a whisper.
Silence. It shrieks, shrill and deafening. Rey's pulse hammers in her eardrums. Tears roll down Leia's face.
"It was the worst—" Ben starts, before shaking his head. "He was trying to save me. I almost went with him—I wanted to, but—"
"But?" prompts Statura.
"But I was too selfish," Ben says. "Snoke told me before—when he found out my father had the droid—that I would have to kill him. That it would be a test. And he begged me to come home, and I stabbed him, because I didn't think there was a home to go back to—the sun went out, and everything was dark, and I thought the Starkiller had destroyed—it was too late to stop it. And I stabbed him, and I have no excuse. It was evil. It was wrong. I—I'll never forgive myself." Ben's voice wobbles. "But if I can make it right somehow—but helping you, as he would have wanted—I would be honored to help." He sniffs, and Rey realizes he's crying. The man who once masked himself so no one could read his expression, now cries openly.
"Well," says Statura, exchanging a glance with Ematt.
"What information do you have for us?" Ackbar questions. "About Snoke, about their plans—are they going to build a second Starkiller?"
Ben shakes his head. "Not that I know of. Admittedly, I wasn't ever really a part of that operation, so they could—"
"What operations were you a part of?" demands Statura.
"Lots of missions that Snoke would send me on… finding the last Jedi." Ben glances at Luke.
"Why did Snoke want the last Jedi?" inquires Ematt.
"He didn't exactly… he wanted to keep my uncle away from the Resistance because he's afraid of him. But he didn't much care otherwise. That was all me."
Rey stiffens. Shit, Ben, you didn't have to admit that. Finn rubs her shoulder.
Leia sighs. Chewie grumbles, as do most of the Resistance members.
"Snoke's afraid of the Light," Ben adds.
"Why is that?" questions Leia.
"I don't—I think he doesn't understand it," Ben says. "He thinks it's weakness." He swallows.
"What can you offer us about the First Order's military operations?" Ackbar asks finally.
Ben relaxes. "A lot." He dives into the details, and Rey relaxes.
We're going to be okay. We're going to figure this out. She looks at Leia, still watching Ben with love, and Luke standing so straight, and Finn with his jaw set and Poe nodding, and a thrill shoots through her, from the top of her skull to her toes.
They've got the Light, and they've got a chance.