Part XXXVII

The bond did not open that night and while she sat alone in her quarters, Rey ran her fingers along the smooth edges of the folded parchment. Her wedding bands rested securely on the third finger of her left hand and she wondered if she would be able to rest at all with what the next day was bound to bring.

The entire base was asleep, and with light no brighter than a single candle cast around her room, Rey finally cracked the wax seal on the letter Davin gave her on Orinda. Ben's script is beautiful as always and she ghosted her fingers over the dark ink as she read his words.

My Dearest Wife,

I was adrift in a sea of Darkness before you swept into my life, all beautifully bared teeth and brilliant blaster fire. But then there you were, a beacon in the night, an island of Serenity amongst endless torment. I no longer fear the future, growing old and death, because I know you will be there to safely guide me home.

Tomorrow we will embark on an endeavor that has not been accomplished for generations. You of the Light and myself rising from the Dark, have found balance and now we will bring peace to the galaxy and to our Empire.

Through all of this, through the battles and pain, loss and love, you must know that it was you, my sweet wife and brave Empress. You are the reason that peace will be made on this next sunrise. I am so proud to be yours and I wait with honored anticipation to tell the rest of the galaxy what you have done to save us all.

Your ever loving servant,

Ben

Rey finally found slumber with her husband's kyber and his loving words pressed to her chest. Some time in the night, she sensed his warmth, caught his smell on the recycled air of the underground base, felt his kiss upon her neck, but she woke alone, sighing contently at such a wonderful dream.

The sun rose over Dantooine on day five hundred and five and the leadership sat together at breakfast eating in a strange mixture of solemn excitement. Rey didn't join them, opting to bring some toast and sweet melon to Rose since Finn came in to the mess hall groaning about another sleepless night with Rose retching in the fresher.

So she spent an hour with Rose before going back to her quarters to ready for their departure. Rey took her rings out of the box in her drawer and threaded the chain in her necklace through them, making sure everything was safely tucked into her breast band.

She pulled on her gray leggings from Mygeeto, a white tunic from Coruscant, and the green cowl that he gifted her during their courtship. A brown leather belt hung just above her hips and she clipped her saberstaff to the small of her back. Rey kept her hair loose, knowing that he loved to run his fingers through her locks, that now could easily cover her modest breasts.

The last items that she grabbed from her quarters was two of the stolen Jedi texts. Rey knew that the books would all eventually end up in Ben's library, but she didn't want to seem too kind or too eager to part with them. So she left the other six in her room and trotted happily down to the hangar.

They were taking her shuttle and Poe greeted her but shifted nervously, "Ready to go?" He asked the pointless question as Rey had already thrown her bag onboard and was settling into the pilot's seat.

"Are you?" She fired back with a raised eyebrow.

Poe just blew out a large breath and took the seat next to her as Major Connix and another veteran of Crait, Captain Torc settled into the jump seats in the main hold. The trip wouldn't be long, the two worlds slightly more than a sector away from each other, and Rey was thankful for the quiet, if not ominous mood that hung in the air.

Rey set them along the Myto's Arrow hyperspace lane but broke off at Anx Minor and was thankful that the shuttle Ben gifted her had an updated free space navigation system. There were no other obstacles to the ice-covered planet on the border of sector M5.

She had groaned after looking up the world of Akuria on her datapad after ended the comm with Ben two days prior. She hated the cold just as much as she hated sand, and she hoped that they wouldn't be meeting on the world itself.

Pulling out of hyperspace about five parsecs away from Akuria, Rey and Poe watched the pale blue and white planet come into view but immediately knew that they would not be going down to the surface.

Cutting across the frozen world was the unmistakable spear shape of a Star Destroyer, but as they approached, it became evident that it wasn't the normal Resurgent-class Star Destroyer like the Finalizer, as it was only about one-third the size.

"A Venator-class?" Poe questioned just above a whisper.

"What's so special about it?" Rey was more versed in ships of the Old Empire as they were the ones she scavenged and also used to fly on the simulator, so she genuinely didn't know one Star Destroyer from the other.

"Venator Destroyers were used by the Republic and were affectionally called Jedi Cruisers."

Rey's expression hung somewhere between surprise and amusement.

"I wonder what it means," Poe mused as he leaned forward from his chair to attempt to get a closer look at the ship.

Even though the ship was smaller than the First Order's normal fleet Destroyers, it was still heavily armed with turbolaser cannons, proton torpedos, and tractor beam projectors. The Cruiser was black with two long gray strips running the full one-thousand-one hundred and fifty-foot length of the Destroyer.

The comm on the shuttle crackled to life, "Unidentified vessel. You are about to enter restricted space. Please provide an access code or redirect your course."

"This is Rey, Jedi of the Resistance. Our access code is Zulu-Foxtrot-Niner-Kilo."

Three of the Resistance leaders on the shuttle were holding their breath to see if this would really work while Rey was too busy reaching out through the Force to feel the first tendrils of Ben's signature.

"Please proceed to Hangar B on the starboard side of the ship."

Rey warmed thinking about the last time she was in a Hangar B at the Kuat Drive Yards. That had been when she flew a real TIE for the first time, but most importantly, it was when she at agree to be Ben's wife and at that thought, she pressed her rings into her breastbone and felt the pulse of his power in the kyber.

"Here go nothing," Poe breathed as they approached the open hangar.

Reaching out and gripping his forearm, Rey gained his attention, "This isn't nothing…this is everything, Poe. We are about to make peace."

"I love your optimism kid."

Connix and Torc stood behind Rey and Poe as they came to land on the glossy black tarmac of the Destroyer's hangar and they looked out of the windscreen to the moderately sized group that had gathered to greet them. Rey was relieved to see Arlan standing front and center.

Gone were the guards black elite trooper armor and Arlan was dressed sharply in a collared wrap dress. The fabric appeared to be structured wool, with sleeves that came to her elbows and a hem that hit just below her knees. Her pale purple hair was pulled back tight and her rank was pinned perfectly on the left side of her chest.

Rey felt severely underdressed even in the finer clothing that both Arlan and Ben had picked out of for her. Her mind drifted to the emerald green velvet dress that hung in her closet on Coruscant. It's long sleeve, dipping neck line, and feathers embroidered in golden thread layered like armor on each shoulder.

Absentmindedly, she reached up to her head as if to adjust her crown, but she just swept back some flyaways before moving into the main hold and lowering the hull door.

Poe walked next to her, showing no fear but also knew that if things went south that Rey was their best chance at getting out alive. The Major and Captain followed a pace behind.

They came to stand before a strikingly beautiful woman who was flanked on each side by an elite trooper and Knight. Rey could sense, even with their helmets on that it was Tyris, Davin, Cale, and Bona, each having their own distinct signatures in the Force that she had come to know and love.

Arlan had to keep herself from curtseying before Rey, but instead just offered a respectful incline of her head, "Welcome to the Serenity. The Emperor is expecting you. Follow me please."

Giving his Jedi a sideways glance, Poe pulled a face as if he was not expecting such a civil reception. Rey just shifted the wrapped books that were clutched to her chest and started walk after Arlan.

The Serenity was set up like many other Star Destroyers but on a smaller scale and they strutted down a few hallways, the troopers behind Arlan and the Knights following the group of Resistance fighters. Torc had a tight hold on the leather briefcase that held their treaty documents and conditions.

"You may leave your weapons here," Arlan gestured to a metal bin that was being held by another Knight. Rey had never seen this one before and only knew it wasn't Kaida as she had given birth to a healthy baby girl two weeks prior and suspected that her husband Volsh was with her. That left Cander and Lophen and she reached out with the Force to test the signature.

"Why do I feel like you are saying 'may' but we don't really have a choice here?" Poe asked placing his hand over his blaster but not unsnapping the strap that held his weapon in place.

Arlan just smiled gesturing to the bin again and watched at the three that were not her Empress started to unbuckle holsters and surrender their weapons. "Jedi?" It hurt her to address Rey as such, but she knew that appearance must be kept up.

Rey's attention was drawn away from staring down the Knight when Arlan spoke and with wide eyes she reached behind her and unclipped her saber, placing the two-foot long hilt across the top of the bin. She may be disarmed but she was hardly defenseless, as she still had the Force and for all intents, she had command of this entire ship if she so deems to out her true position.

They were ushered through some double doors and Rey was expecting a throne room but instead, it was a well furnished but nondescript conference room. The two New Order officers that were seated at the table stood as soon as the Resistance entered just as they have been instructed to by their Emperor, who Rey noticed was absent from the room.

The officers came around the table and allowed Arlan to make quick introductions, Warwick was a strategy advisor and Hollin was a lawyer. Rey liked that Ben had kept his negation party small, even though she had no doubt that he had the right to disregard any and all of their suggestions.

Setting the wrapped books onto the table, she felt him before she saw him and Tyris and Davin opened the doors for the Emperor to make a sweeping entrance. Rey had half expected him to be in his full Kylo Ren regalia, mask and all, but his black cape rested over a more Alderaanian styled gray coat and his face was bare and his crown of thorns rested upon his waves of ebony hair.

He stood with his hands clasped behind his back as the Knight fell to one knee while the advisors and Arlan bowed at the waist. After a beat, Arlan turned to Resistance ambassadors, "You may bow to your Emperor," with the same unquestioning tone that she used when 'asking' them to relinquish their weapons.

Connix and Torc gave their General a confused look and Poe's gaze turned hard as he bit at his lip at the blatant posturing move of Ren, but there were here for peace, they were here to sign a treaty and at the end of all of this, they were agreeing to Ren being their ruler. So with gritted teeth, Poe bent just slightly, inclining his head and looking at the large black boots that rooted Ren just a few paces before them.

"Jedi," Ren's questioning voice rang out and the bowed group looked up at to see an almost amused look on their Emperor's face.

"I will not bow to you," Rey said with squared shoulders. She could feel that this was a test to see if she had truly listened to her husband after her coronation that she would never bow to anyone, especially him.

"Can she do that?" Warwick asked Arlan in a hushed voice and the female trooper just shrugged while trying to keep the upturn of her lips at bay.

Ren finally let his arms hang at his side and when they saw that the saberstaff was gripped in his hand, Poe shot his arm out in a protective gesture across Rey's chest, but Rey did not flinch.

Holding the saber up as if he was inspecting it, Ren shot his gaze to Rey. "This is a beautiful weapon," he remarked before gripping each side, disengaging the locking mechanism and pulling the two hilts apart. He looked at the secret inscription there, rubbing the pads of his thumb over the stone embedded there to represent her pure soul and his bleeding heart.

Clipping the hilts back together, he used the Force to engage the blades, their blue light hissing and spitting in the large room. "You used the Skywalker kyber," he said in more mock intrigue as if he was seeing the weapon for the first time and had no hand in constructing it.

"It has always called to me," Rey answered simply.

"So it has," Ren remarked, deactivating the saber and took two long strides to stand before his beautifully stubborn wife. "Still so much to learn little Jedi," he smirked and using his left hand, he handed her back the saber.

Rey heated at seeing his wedding band sitting proudly around his finger and she wanted to reach out, grab his hand and place a kiss to the precious token, but instead, she held her hands out, palms up and allowed him to secure the saber back into her grip.

Looking up and breaking the heaviness that had settled over the room, Ren looked to Poe, "General, should we start?"

Poe just nodded dumbly, fully confused to what had just happened. Rey had crossed blades with Ren on multiple occasions and with her special powers she was possibly the only person that could defeat him and Ren had just purposely rearmed her. Back on the base, Rey had asked Ren to trust her, that this wasn't a trap, and perhaps that is what was happening here…the redeemed Darkersider was trusting the Jedi.

The New Order advisors took up the seats to the Emperor's right as the Resistance leadership sat at his left. Poe was closest to Ren and then Rey, Connix and Torc. Arlan sat at the table too, but on the far side of Warwick and Hollin. Rey wondered if Arlan had received a promotion, but also remembered asking for the guard to be put in the Empress' command and for a moment she wanted to think that maybe Arlan was there to be a representative for the position that Rey could not yet make public.

Rey felt a wave of confusion and…anger roll off Poe at the General's gaze was locked onto the table top in front of the Emperor, but as she skimmed his thought she sucked in a breath just as Poe spoke.

"Are you married?" Poe couldn't help but notice the gold band that was formed around dark blue iridescence stones that rested on Ren's third finger on his left hand.

"I am," Ren confirmed, twisting the ring, that he had not taken off since the day that Rey placed it there, around his finger. He felt the kyber that hung around Rey's neck pulse and he swore she shivered.

Poe seemed to be gobsmacked and disgusted at the same time. "That holonet was right," he mused, his focus still on Kylo's hand. "The mystery woman…"

When Ren didn't offer any other information, Poe met his gaze, "So where is this little wife of yours?"

Ben chuckled, "You think that I would bring her here? Into what could possibly be a trap and another attempt on my life?" He did very well not to slide his gaze to Rey as she was staring at him intently with such a sweet blush on her cheeks. "My Empress is safe and will be revealed to the galaxy in due time."

"But…" Poe started, still trying to fathom little Benny Solo from his childhood, the awkward and sullen teenager that became a mass murder and then unmatched Emperor of the galaxy…was married!

"I thought we came here to discuss peace and not my love life," he leaned closer to Poe and pointed one of his thick fingers to the table as to get the meeting back on task.

The mental image of Ren having a love life left a bad taste in Poe's mouth and he finally shook out his head, ready to never think about Ren in any precarious situations ever again. "Yes…" he turned down the table to Torc who produced copies of the conditions of their treaty and he passed one to Ren and each of the advisors.

Just as Rey suspected, the conditions for abolishing slavery and trafficking of sentient beings, education, and agriculture reforms, as well as health care were all agree upon since they had been projects that she had been working with Ben on for months now.

To Poe's surprise, Ren didn't fight them on the free elections of local governments. "It won't be a Senate," the Emperor reminds them. "But there will be fair representation across the galaxy. Monarchies will be allowed to continue with the traditions of their people as long as sentient rights are not infringed upon."

Poe nodded before bringing up the next line, "Term limits."

"There will be limits of three years for the representatives…"

"I meant for you," Poe was brave and held Ren's gaze.

Sitting back in his chair, Kylo pressed his fingers together in front of his mouth, most likely to hide his smirk. "And that would be?"

Poe looked back at Rey now for some encouragement, but she just rolled her eyes and sighed, "Ten years."

This time Kylo did truly snort out a laugh before looking down and spinning his wedding band with his thumb, "I rule for the Force. Don't be mistaken in thinking that I am doing this for selfish ambition." His eyes shot up to Rey when he spoke next, "My wife and I have decided to rule until the galaxy is stable to be pass on to another. We have no intent for our children to have this burden."

Just like any time Ben talked about their future, their children, their family, Rey's body heated and she covered a moan with a cough and then turned to Poe, "I told you he wouldn't go for it. What did you expect from a grown toddler who isn't ready to give up his favorite toy?"

Kylo had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep himself from making a remake on Rey being his favorite toy and he would never tire of playing with her, but he just raised an eyebrow at her insults before asking them to move on to the next topic.

The Emperor granted safe passage for any Resistance members who were not in leadership, which made Poe sit up straighter. "What do you mean, except leadership?"

"Some may need to be brought before a jury to answer for war crimes and treason."

Poe was outraged, standing so quickly that his chair nearly toppled backward as he slammed his hands down on the table, leaning towards Ren and pointing a finger in his face, "How dare you speak to me, of war crimes!"

At Poe's outburst, the Knights went to move to their Master's side but Ren held up his hand halting their advance and his cool gaze slid back to Dameron. "You are a murderer and a traitor and an appropriate punishment will be recommended for your crimes."

"Murderer," Poe spat. "And I suspect that you will also be called out for your many dark deeds."

All cockiness left Ren's expression and now his eyes were dark and hard, "Sit, General." When Dameron made no move to follow the order, Kylo continued, "Or shall I have to make you?"

Rey saw Ben's intent to use the Force to subdue Poe and she reached out her hand, touching her friend's forearm, "Poe, everything here is a negotiation. We are to hear his terms and state our own."

With gritted teeth, Poe retook his seat and only then did the Knights go back to their post by the door. "What about the Hosnian system? What about the village on Jakku?" Poe took a breath before striking a personal blow, "What about Han Solo?"

Kylo may as well have been wearing his mask because he usually over expressive face held firm, "Snoke and Hux are responsible for the Hosnian system and one of them has already met his fate. Hux is currently under investigation for his war crimes. The village on Jakku was orders, not a plan of my own making. And as for my father, I am serving penance through the Force and he has forgiven my sins against him."

"Sounds like a bunch of hypocritical bantha shit to me," Poe sneers.

"You, General personally planned an assassination attack, killing more than a dozen innocent people and causing millions of credits in damages. You have shot unarmed contractors of the New Order and pirated shipments of supplies meant for struggling worlds. Not to mention your grave miscalculation on Mairne."

"Mairne was not my idea. They were following their own orders."

"So if you can not be judged for the actions of others on Mairne then how is it that you hold me responsible for Hosnian?" Ren quipped and sat forward in his seat again, only allowing Dameron to think for a moment, "This war has been raging for too long, too much life has been lost, and you wouldn't understand because you are not sensitive to the Force, but I feel all of those deaths. I used to draw power from them, but now they just haunt me and this is how I am serving my sentence to the Force."

"It was war!" Poe tried to defend again. "You were the biggest fish. If we brought you down we would have brought down the First Order!"

"You would have brought forth an enemy far eviler than myself. I may have been Snoke's apprentice, but he groomed Hux to be even more ruthless and bring mass destruction to the galaxy. You may have been cutting the head off of a reek, but just to put a rancor on the throne."

Poe shivered at the thought of the red-haired General leading the galaxy into ruin. He doubted that Hux would have been willing to sit down with them and had a hunch that they would have already been long dead if Hux had his revenge for Starkiller and also claiming two of his limps in the assassination explosion.

He pondered for a long moment, thinking that if the positions were reversed he wouldn't question to sign Ren's execution order personally. The fact that both sides had committed such heinous acts in the name of peace and freedom was not now lost on him and the unauthorized and botched mission to Marine had shown him the horrible lengths people were willing to go for power and it had made him ill ever since.

So that was what prompted him to take notice of the galaxy around him and start to listen to the Jedi that was trying to lead him to the light all along. "I won't accept anything less than a fair trial," he finally conceded.

Kaydel sucked in a surprised breath from down the table and tried to retain her composure as tears welled in her eyes.

Ren nodded, "I would see no issue with appointing Rey to over see your tribunal."

Rey's attention snapped up and she and Poe spoke at the same time, "What?"

He knew that they had never spoken of this, but he was sure that his Empress would honor her vows as a sovereign and be just in any ruling and since she was steeped in the Light, she was far less likely to order sweeping executions. "She is a Jedi…is she not? Full of Light and I have faith that she will be honorable in any of her pursuits."

"Is she not to stand trial for Snoke's death?" Torc asked from the end of the table, having been told since Crait that Rey had a bounty on her head from the First Order.

"I killed my Master," Ren stated plainly.

"But the bounty?" Poe asked, thinking how worried he had been every time Rey went off world.

"Hux would have tried at any opportunity to murder me for literally cutting down Snoke." He almost looked embarrassed at the next admission, "So I told the First Order that she was the one who delivered the killing blow."

"You kept a bounty on her this entire time?" Poe's anger was starting to rise again.

"It did say to bring her in unharmed," Ren cut his eyes to Rey. "I never wanted any harm to come to her."

Poe shifted his gaze between the Emperor and his Jedi a few times thinking that he was missing something. "All those times you went off world and never had a run in with the First Order…" He looked back to Ren, "You were protecting her?"

"Of sorts," Kylo admitted. "I respect her. We are two of a dying breed and if I hope for the Force sensitive lines to carry on, I needed her alive and off in the galaxy, happy and making a family of her own."

"Okay," Rey fiercely cut in. "That is enough talking about me like I'm not here and also, you," she pointed at Kylo, "my desire to reproduce and further my line, is none of your business."

He had to suppress a smile and tamper down the need to smirk, call her 'wife', and work towards furthering their line for the rest of the evening. But since they were clearly not alone, he just nodded and held up his hands in surrender. "My apologies. I won't mention it again."

"Make sure that you don't," Rey quipped wanting to get in the last word.

Shuffling his papers back in to order, Ren looked down at their list of points, "I think that we have made good headway towards ending this war. I will have my advisors look this over and then draw of a treaty which you will have ample time to review before signing."

He looked around at all the parties in the room, "I want this to be a just galaxy that we live in. I want the next generation to flourish and continue on with the ways of peace and not know the hardships and loss that we have all endured because of this war that was started by our parents."

"That is what we want also," Rey spoke for her side of the table and placed her hand once more on Poe's forearm hoping that he would get the hint that the negations were over for the day.

"What's that?" Ren asked as he nodded towards the package that still sitting at the opposite end of the table.

"Oh that," Rey said and pushed out of her chair.

Four other chairs scraped as Ben, his advisors, and Arlan all stood quickly, as what was accustom when their Empress went to move away from a seating arrangement. The three Resistance fighters all looked around incredulously, but then slowly rose to their feet as well.

Kylo walked around the table and stood in front of Rey, looking more at her beauty than the package. She held the simple cloth wrapped rectangle with one of her hands on the bottom and the other resting on the top, pushing it forward and presenting it to her Emperor. "Thank you for meeting with us. Thank you for trusting me and fostering peace."

When he took the package, he let his left-hand drift over hers under the gift and he watched her eyes come alight. 'Thank you for believing in us,' he sent through the bond before pulling at the string that held the cloth folds closed.

Letting the simple muslin fall away, he was met with the aged leather and binding of some of the first Jedi text. He remembered these from Rey's studies, but the fact that she was giving them to him, and so public spoke volumes.

"Thank you, but don't you think that you need these more than me?"

Rey finally smiled, "We could all use some more guidance to balance in the Force…" They seemed to gaze intently into each other for just the smallest second before Rey's expression relaxed from feral hunger for her husband to nonchalant apathy, "I've read them all anyways. Figured it was your turn to learn something of substance."

As she spoke his name, his real name, for the first time since boarding their interim flagship while the Redemption was being completed, Ben needed to touch her, to kiss her, and he turned back to the group. "I have arranged a tour of my flagship and there are two chefs from my home world of Chandrila aboard that have prepared a meal that I hope you will stay and share with me as a show of good faith in these meetings."

Arlan didn't give them a chance to decline as she gestured towards the door, "Please follow me."

Rey and Ben still stood before each other and Poe turned back, "Are you coming, Rey?"

Ben looked up at Dameron, "I actually have a collection of other Jedi texts in the ship's library…" then he turned to Rey. "If you would be interested in seeing them?"

Her face lit up, but looking at old stuffy books was the furthest thing from her mind. Seeing her expression Poe tried once more, "Are you sure Rey?"

"I'll be fine. Kylo has already told us he has no desire to hurt me and I've kicked his ass twice already, so I'm sure I can do it again if needed."

This jab made Poe smirk and then he followed Connix and the advisors out of the room.

Without taking his gaze off Rey, Ben gave a simple command, "Guard the door. The Empress and I have an important matter to discuss."

AN: As we get nearing to the end of Part One of this story, I see a lot of you are getting excited about First Order of Business starting back up again. I am too! My head has been so full!

Maybe I will try to write Part Two of this story in between because I will not be able to leave it like this...

As always you all are so freaking amazing! Your comments freaking make my day and make me want to neglect my documenting for work and just write fluff! Keep them coming!