Ben was nearly out of breath by the time he reached the pavilion. He found Rey standing alone, beside her, the fallen body of Ereus Ren. Everyone else had fled the scene.

"Rey?" he asked as he rushed to her.

She didn't seem to see him at first, and her eyes were moist with unshed tears.

"Rey, are you all right?" he asked as he grabbed her to him.

"Oh, Ben. I missed up! I'm sorry!" she said as she buried her face in his chest.

"Rey, did he hurt you?" he asked, as he gently lifted her chin so that she would look him in the eye.

"No. No, I'm fine. It's not that. I messed up; I killed him before I searched his mind. Now we'll never know where to find Aldo Ren. I was just so angry! I wanted to wait for you, but I couldn't! Ben, he was going to kill those children! The force-sensitive children we saw yesterday, they were here, though I don't know where they are now."

"Is that why you blocked me?"

"You had to finish it, Ben. You had to! I'm sorry!"

Ben knew if they could have fought Ereus Ren together they probably would have had greater success at extracting the information they needed, but there was no helping it.

He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. "You did what you had to do, Rey. Don't apologize! Another Knight of Ren is slain, we may not know where Aldo and Snoke are, but eventually we will find them, and we will hunt them down together."

She didn't feel any better. Getting into the mind of Ereus Ren was their best lead to eventually hunting down Snoke, and now that hope was gone. Every day that the war raged on, more lives would be lost.

He could feel her anguish through their bond and it clawed into the very soul of him.

"I failed you, Rey, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have taken that bet, I should have just slit that damn Hutt's throat the moment he looked at you."

"Don't, Ben. We had no way of knowing how things would turn out."

They left the arena and made their way back to Mos Espa. They stopped in the market to buy Rey another pair of goggles to wear on their long trek over the dunes back to Mos Eisley. The day was coming to a close and they were both exhausted. They decided to leave in the morning. They had little to fear with Ereus Ren gone.

The next morning when Rey awoke she was surprised to find that Ben was missing. When she heard a knock at the door she found a staff member had brought two breakfasts. Ben must have ordered them before he left, so she assumed he meant to return quickly. She could sense that wherever he was, he wasn't in any distress.

She wanted to wait for Ben to return but after a while she gave in to her hunger and ate her food alone by the window. Eventually she thought she saw him drive up in a convertible speeder.

I'm here, Rey.

He assured her through their bond, and she immediately ran outside to greet him.

"Your breakfast is cold…what's this?" she asked, referring to the speeder he had pulled up in.

"I went back to the arena this morning, remember, I did place that wager for Rando. He'd never forgive me if I left his winnings behind," he said as he unlocked and opened the trunk of the speeder, and Rey was shocked to see it was half filled with credits, more than she had ever seen in her life, and clearly more than they would have been able to return with on their speeder bike.

"I was able to rent this speeder while I was out. We can ditch the bike here."

"Absolutely not!" she argued. "That's our speeder bike! Besides, you asked to marry me the day we rode it together, we can't just leave it," she begged, and Ben was shocked that she was so quick to get sentimental, but he wouldn't dare deny her.

He gave her one of his roguish smiles and immediately relented. "If you want it, we'll keep it. But we'll have to go back to the market and see about buying a hitch so we can tow it behind this speeder."

She insisted that he go inside and eat his meal before they leave, and as soon as he was finished they hopped into the rented speeder and made their way towards the market, but little did they know that someone was following them.


Rey was impressed with the Mos Espa market; it had far more to offer than the shabby Niima Outpost where she had lived on Jakku.

Her regular clothes were still waiting on the Falcon in Mos Eisley, but she had permanently abandoned her veil and chain and stayed close to Ben as they parked their speeder and got out to search the market.

As they walked along Rey saw Ben take an interest in a strange looking creature that was for sale that seemed to cackle and gambol about on its leash.

"What is it?" she asked.

"A Kowakain Monkey-Lizard. I always begged mother to get one for me as a pet when I was a kid. I probably drove her crazy by asking so much."

"I take it she never relented."

"Nope, I don't know why, but she absolutely hates them. Maybe one of these days she'll explain why," he explained as they passed up the pet trader's stall and moved further into the market.

While Ben was dealing with the parts trader for the tow hitch, Rey examined some of the other speeder parts that were being displayed, when she felt a small hand touch her arm.

She looked down to see the twins from the pavilion staring up at her. She sensed mild fear from them both, but was surprised when the little girl reached inside of her dirty rags and pulled out Rey's goggles and held them out to her.

She slowly accepted the offered goggles. "Thank you."

The children made to leave, but she called to them.

"Wait! Please!"

She watched as they stopped, and sensed their fear escalating.

"Don't be afraid! I won't hurt you! I have the force too!" she explained as she opened her hand that held the goggles and levitated them above her palm. The children watched her in shock and awe.

"We thought we were the only ones," explained the little boy.

"No, not at all. It's called the force. People who have it are very special," she said and the children stepped closer as she began explaining to them about the many abilities of the force.

When Ben turned around he did not see Rey, but when he checked outside of the parts stall he found her with the two strange children, and she was speaking to them about the force.

They looked up when they saw him approach, and he could sense them grow fearful.

"It's okay. That's Ben, he has the force too," explained Rey. Hoping the children wouldn't bolt again.

"Who are your parents? Where are they?" asked Ben.

"Our father died before we were born. It's just us and our mother. She isn't well," said the young girl.

"She's sick," added the boy.

"Can I speak with her?" asked Rey.

The two children gave each other uncomfortable glances and seemed to regard their feet in the dirt.

"You're not in trouble, we promise. We just want to talk to her, please?" added Rey.

Eventually the children nodded in assent and waved for Rey and Ben to follow them.

Ben and Rey were in turn followed slowly behind by someone on a speeder.


"Mother, we're home," said the boy.

"We brought guests. They wanted to meet you," added the girl.

Ben and Rey followed the two children into a ramshackled old hovel. Sitting in a chair by an open window was a woman, possibly in her early to mid forties. They could see by the cloudiness over her eyes, that she was blind.

Rey could only assume that she must have had the children rather late in her life.

"Ma'am, you don't know us, but I'm Rey and this is my fiancé Ben."

"They told me they were caught stealing yesterday. I beg you, please forgive them. They are good children; they steal because I cannot provide for them. My heart is weak, and they are all I have since their father passed away."

"We're not here to harm you or the children, but we are here because they may be in danger. Have you ever heard of the force?" asked Ben, and he watched as the children's mother's face took on a look of surprise.

"Yes, yes I know of the force. I know they have it. They are like their father," she explained.

"Who was their father?" Ben asked.

"You would not know him, I'm sure. His name was Dan, Dan Kenobi. I am Ann, and the children are Higs and Heyna. Dan brought me to this world before the children were born, he was searching for his father, but he never found him. We were attacked by Tusken Raiders one day when we were searching the desert. Dan was killed and I was tortured while I was still pregnant, that's when I lost my sight. I've never been able to leave Tatooine, and had nowhere to go anyway. I survived and provided for the children by being a beggar until they grew older and developed their father's strange abilities. I thought they had been begging, but it turns out they had been stealing."

Rey watched as the children took on looks of extreme guilt.

"Don't be angry with the children. I can see they just wanted to help you," said Rey.

Kenobi! I was named after Ben Kenobi, he was Uncle Luke's first Jedi Master. He lived as a hermit here on Tatooine after the issuing of Order 66. Uncle Luke never mentioned him having any children.

Stated Ben through their bond.

Maybe Master Luke never knew? He told me Obi-wan Kenobi died shortly after he started training him. They didn't have much time together.

Seems odd that a Jedi knight would father children. The Jedi code is so against attachments and passion.

Perhaps he was more human than you gave him credit for. Who can say what he was going through at the time when the old republic fell? Though, it is odd that his force ghost wouldn't have mentioned it to Master Luke.

Maybe he did.

Speculated Ben.

"Your children were captured yesterday because they have the force. The First Order is out to capture and destroy any and all force-sensitives. If you and the children remain here, eventually the First Order will hunt them down. You and your children must return to the resistance with us. You'll be safe with the resistance," said Ben.

"No!" asserted Ann, much to Ben and Rey's shock. "Tatooine is our home! It was the last home we had when Dan was alive. I do not want my children with the resistance! Do you really believe they would be safer? Even out here on the outer rim, we have heard of what the First Order did to the Hosnian System! You will not drag me or my children into this war. Please leave!"

"Ann, please. It would be better for the children," argued Rey.

"I know what is best for my children! Please go!"

Why that stubborn old…

Ben! They are her children. We cannot take them by force.

We can't leave them here! Can't you sense it? She's dying, Rey. Her children will be alone soon anyway.

Then we will return.

She could sense that Ben was reluctant to give up, but they had no choice.

"As you wish, we will leave," he finally said. As they turned to leave the dwelling, Rey looked back and signaled for the two children to follow them back outside.

It took a few minutes, but Ben and Rey waited patiently and eventually the children came back outside.

"We're sorry," offered Higs.

"She just worries," explained Heyna.

"I want you two to take this," said Ben as he handed Higs a case which contained several thousand credits from his half of the race winnings, and the com-link with the secured line to the resistance that Rando had given them before they left.

"If anything happens, or if your mother ever changes her mind; you can use that com-link to get a hold of us. We'll come back for you," he explained.

"Here," said Rey as she handed Heyna the goggles that had just been returned to her, and also removed her new replacement pair and handed them to Higs. "These might come in handy out here in the desert for you two. Please be safe. Lay low, don't get caught again. And whatever you do, never reveal your force powers to anyone."

Higs and Heyna thanked Rey and Ben and reluctantly turned to go back inside their home. Rey and Ben could sense they were torn between their desire to go away with them, and their need to stay and look after their mother.

As soon as the children had left Rey and Ben alone, a mysterious figure pulled up on a speeder that was towing something.

Ben's hand instantly reached for his saber, but he stopped short when the stranger removed his helmet.

"Crom?"

"Cal…you run from race! I wanted to…make words with you," he explained in his broken common.

"My name isn't Cal. I'm Ben Solo. This is Rey, she's my fiancé, not my pet," corrected Ben, who felt relieved for an opportunity to be honest with the racer.

"Big Jedi, eh? I follow you all day."

"Why?"

"Lord Rotta…he is…coward. He fear Jedi. He send me with your winnings. Say he want no trouble with Jedi," said Crom as he lifted a cover to reveal that he was towing a large chest containing the hundred thousand credits that had been promised to Ben.

Crom continued speaking. "I see what you do here. I hear about what your eh…Rey do. I happy! Ereus Ren was…" he stopped struggling to think of an appropriate common adjective to describe the Knight of Ren, but failing to do so, instead opting to use a string of words in Nikto, that though Rey and Ben didn't understand, were safe in assuming it was a vulgar combination of expletives.

"Those little ones, they have it, yes?" he asked, then added; "I do."

Crom never ceased to be full of surprises. Ben had thought that Crom had seemed unusually adept at pod racing.

"You? You have the force? I should have known! Why didn't Rotta turn you in to Ereus Ren?"

"But who would win his races?" laughed Crom.

Ben couldn't help but smile. Crom had managed to grow on him, and even Rey seemed to sense that he had a trustworthy nature.

"Crom, thank you," said Rey, on both her and Ben's behalf.

"Yesterday was best race I have in years! I not even mad! Is…Ben Solo coming back for big race?" asked Crom hopefully.

"Fraid we have to get back to the resistance, but maybe someday we can do a rematch," offered Ben.

"I make deal. You come back some time. We race again! Until then, I keep eye on little ones, yes?"

"You'd do that for us?" asked Rey.

"Sure! I like little ones. Even my pets very much like little ones. They be safe until you return," he promised.

Ben shook Crom's hand in gratitude and agreement, and Crom helped them load the large case of credits into the back of their speeder. They thanked him again and promised to keep in touch.

As the twin suns began to set, Rey and Ben finally managed to set out from Mos Espa, with their speeder bike in tow and considerably more credits than they had when they arrived. Between the winnings from Rotta, and Ben's promised half of Rando's winnings, they could afford to retire to the end of their days, if they chose to live a modest lifestyle.

Rey was glad to get back to the Falcon and finally change into her normal clothes.

"Do me a favor?" asked Ben.

"What?"

"If we're keeping the speeder, you should also keep that slave outfit," he requested with a roguish grin.

"And why is that?" she asked with a sly smile, knowing perfectly well why.

"Well, it was what you were wearing when you said you'd marry me. Perhaps I want to be sentimental too?"


"Lieutenant Simms, please report," asked General Organa as she entered the radar tower.

"Skies are clear, General," he assured.

"When your shift is over, please make sure you have someone take over for you. I want eyes on our airspace at all times. The moment anything unusual is spotted, I want this entire base on Red Alert!"

"Yes, Ma'am!"

Leia Organa was starting to convince the rest of the commanding officers that the time to abandon their base on Takodana was approaching. Every day they waited she felt more and more jumpy and on edge. She had ordered transport pods to be on standby, and most of the base was packed in the event that a quick evacuation was needed. But she couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible was about to happen.


A note from your humble author: Ah, a nice calm-paced chapter after the adrenaline rush of the last chapter…and before the absolute shit-storm that's going to be the next chapter. MWAHAHAHAHA You guys are going to have to buckle up because as we approach the end, you probably know enough about how this story has been going so far, to know that the end is going to be an intense ride. I will put a lemon in next chapter though :D

Also, I'll toss you a bone with one of last chapter's Easter Eggs, which was "Crash and Burn." I was making a reference to the 1989 movie Robot Jox (a cheesy low budget giant robot fighting each other flick – and I love it), apparently the expression actually started with pilots in WWII, and even made an appearance in the movie Hackers, but I was trying to make a nod to Robot Jox (btw whose excited that they just announced a sequel to Pacific Rim? ^_^ SQUEEE!).

Thank you to all my readers and followers. I seemed to get a lot of positive feedback about the last chapter, and I'm glad it entertained you guys, and I hope to keep you all on the edge of your seats for what's to come. Please keep the feedback coming! I love hearing what you guys think of the story!