With her refusal to accept my assistance, Leia had requested that I assist a different search team. After a brief period of contemplation, I reluctantly acquiesced. I despised using my powers to ingratiate myself with the Resistance: such groveling is for the weak who lacked the means to take what they desired without assistance from others. Perhaps what I truly detested was admitting I now had some semblance of reliance on my former enemy.
For now, coexistence required I prove a willingness to value those things they held dear: namely, innocent life. More importantly, these lives mattered to Rey, and she still had much to learn. The task ahead would give me an opportunity to demonstrate my superior skills; a demonstration of my mastery of the Force would help her understand what I could give her, to see the knowledge I could pass along that no one else could.
Team Delta Two was working three-quarters of a kilometer from Rey, and I assumed Leia had chosen it to avoid any confrontation between the Girl and myself. However, a more compelling reasons was that the team was led by one of the founding members of the Resistance, an officer with unwavering support that she knew would at least grudgingly accept my presence.
Joph Seastriker and I had met only twice, shortly before our lives had taken very different turns. The blonde X-wing pilot had left the New Republic military to join Leia after he became convinced that there was a an unknown threat building forces in the outer reaches of the Galaxy; a threat the New Republic refused to acknowledge. He had left all he had known to oppose the power that was gathering in the shadows; I had left my home to join it.
"Commander Seastriker," Leia said with a smile.
"General Organa!" Seastriker said excitedly, turning away from whoever he had been speaking with to embrace his commander and friend. "It is so good to see you."
"You to Joph," Leia said.
"I thought you were on Triaxis base?" Seastriker said.
"The First Order located the base," Leia replied.
Seastriker's eyes widened. "Is everyone OK?"
"There were some injuries during the evacuation," Leia said, yet again avoiding any negative details, "but no loss of life."
The young Commander looked visibly relieved. "That must be some kind of miracle."
"We had help," Leia said, nodding to me.
For the first time Seastriker took a moment to study me. "You look so familiar," he said. A moment later his jaw dropped open and he turned to Leia, astonishment spreading across his face. "I thought he was dead… I mean, I know you said he was missing and they never found the body, but with everything that happened I just assumed…" He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't—"
Leia put a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, Joph. You couldn't have known."
"It is just, wow." Seastriker shook his head. "But Leia, I'm so happy for you. And you Ben." The man was struggling to hold back tears. Gatalentian's were known throughout the Galaxy as a particularly empathetic people, and he was no exception.
I saw Leia's lip tremble slightly as she struggled to find the words to explain the reunion was not quite as wondrous as the pilot seemed to believe. Yet again, Leia's reluctance to trust others placed her in a difficult position. Despite ostensibly being part of her inner circle, Seastriker had been left in the dark as to the fate of her Son. Now, he was about to learn that not only was I still alive, but I had in fact become the enemy he had given up everything to fight.
Seastriker could see the sadness in her expression. "Is everything ok?" he asked, concern evident in his voice.
"He is not the same person you remember," Leia said softly. "The past few years have not been kind to him, and the truth…" She inhaled deeply. "The truth is, Ben came under the influence of the Dark Side."
Seastriker's expression morphed from tender concern to shock. I could feel fear suddenly take hold within him. "Like Vader?" he asked, his voice noticeably cooler.
Leia closed her eyes for several seconds, the comparison giving her chills. She knew it was an apt comparison, but it still pained her tremendously to hear her son compared to a great Sith Lord. I wondered if she realized how I idolized my grandfather. "Even Darth Vader found his way back to the light," Leia said. "It will not be easy, but Ben will too."
I frowned at her statement, but did not contradict her. There was nothing I really needed to say; my somber demeanor told him all he needed to know about where I stood.
"I know you have given me your trust more times than I deserve," Leia continued. "And once again, I'm asking you to believe in my judgment."
He still looked sullen, but nodded. "Of course, General."
"There is one more thing you need to know," she said. I was finding this impromptu tell-all most amusing, but suppressed a smile. "Ben was, until recently, a member of the First Order."
Seastriker's face darkened more. "The rumor I heard was true." He turned away, reluctant to accept a reality that only moments before had seemed absurd. He took several steps, shaking his head as he struggled with a truth he found as morbid as the destruction around him.
"What rumor?" Leia inquired.
Seastriker did not turn around. "Several members of the Emancipator crew said that you had brought Kylo Ren aboard the ship. It was so ludicrous I dismissed it immediately, but—" His voice trailed off.
"They are correct," I said, careful to keep my voice cool and calm. I motioned to Leia. "What you had been told is in fact accurate: Ben Solo is gone. He was weak, and thus is no more."
He looked at me, and for a moment I thought the short blonde pilot was going to be sick. He shook his head several times and the feeling seemed to pass. "I'm not sure I understand, but you are creeping me out when you talk like that."
"When the dark side takes control," Leia explained, "it tries to suppress the good in someone, and by doing so makes them into someone else." Leia looked at me, her eyes burrowing into my face. "But the true person is still there, and if they fight hard enough, they can emerge again."
I glared at Leia. If one has access to ultimate power, why would they fight it? The only reason to resist the darkness is an inability to move pass trite and inconsequential emotional attachments.
"You make it sound like there are multiple personalities in there," he said, looking back and forth between Leia and me.
"There is only what was, and what I am now," I corrected. "They do not coexist. I am Kylo Ren," I added firmly, "and no one else."
Leia lowered her head slightly. "You know that's not true."
I ignored her. "That, however, does not mean I am your enemy, Commander."
Seastriker was dubious. "Galentians still teach their children of the Jedi," he said, his voice soft but fervent. "Never once did a Dark Sider do anything not in their self interest."
I shrugged, a gesture that seemed to surprise Seatriker. The informal expression of indifference apparently conflicted with the mental image he had of a Master of the Dark Side. "Aren't we all driven by our own motivations? Even the most altruistic individual chooses their actions based on what brings them satisfaction, no matter how selfless they appear."
"But the actions of most people are limited by their morals and ethics," Seastriker argued. "Dark Siders have no such restraint."
"I am not bound by any hollow social constructs," I admitted. Seastriker understood what that meant, and his jaw clenched visibly. "But when my goals align with yours, there is no reason for you not to accept my help."
"Your help?" He asked suspiciously.
"Ben has offered his assistance in the search," Leia said, ignoring the irritated look I gave her. "You'll find his skills in the Force are more versatile than most life-sign scanners."
"Isn't he dangerous?" Seastriker asked.
"He has been disarmed," Leia said.
That fact alone did not allay the younger man's concerns. He knew one who could use the Force had no need for a weapon. "Your caution is wise," I commended, "But even my abilities have limits. I am surrounded by members of the Resistance with a fleet of capital ships overhead." Getting past such a force was not necessarily an insurmountable challenge, but not a certainty either. I looked up at the sky. "And where would I go?"
For several seconds the pilot considered my words, as well as the wishes of Leia. "You will do exactly as I instruct, and there will be no second chances," Seastriker said, his commanding tone almost comical coming from a short, young man. "If you do anything threatening, I will do whatever it takes to bring you down."
Once again I had to suppress a smile. He had intended the statement as a threat, but it was quite amusing. If the small man thought he could do anything to stop me, he was delusional. "You will not need to attempt to do so," I said.
Seastriker did not seem to notice the hidden meaning of my statement and took it at face value. That darkness that had crossed his face disappeared as his expression became more natural. "Well, how does this Force stuff work anyway?"
A/N: I read Claudia Gray's Bloodline some time ago (those of you who have as well probably noted certain references to it before) and decided that Joph Seastriker would fit in well as a character (other than Poe) that would trust Leia enough to give Kylo/Ben a chance. By introducing him there may be a few small spoilers to Bloodline or other associated cannon, but I don't think it will be anything too dramatic.
As an aside, I originally had Kylo and Rey working together… two chapters of it, in fact, but it all felt too rushed and I felt like it did not convey the gravity of the situation. As Rey noted, the Dark Side has ways of tricking people into using it, and I felt it would take something bigger than a search and rescue operation for her to open up to Kylo. Don't worry though—something bigger is coming soon!
As always, thank you for the remarkable support. All the reads, follows, faves, and reviews mean more than you know. Special thanks to Fern Haddock, NoveltyRose, Lord Revan Flame, PrincessStarberry, and AnakinandPadme on their extremely kind reviews on the last two chapters!
Thanks again for reading!