While Rey was away, Ben spent most of his time learning as much as he could about Ahch-To. He had always been meticulous about understanding his surroundings, no matter how brief his visit.
On this planet, he didn't need to dive into ancient texts and journals to know that there was history here. The millenia that had passed on Ahch-To was imprinted on the force which permeated through everything on the island.
Shortly after Rey's tie disappeared into the sky, he snatched up the old journals Luke had stored on dusty shelves in his hut and began reading. He thumbed through his uncle's well-documented findings of Ahch-To, including the site of the first Jedi Temple built atop a high ledge overlooking the ocean.
Ben made a mental note to explore the temple at some point.
Luke's journals also revealed that the planet was arguably the birthplace of the Jedi order and therefore the polar opposite of Exegol. Luke had also apparently found the old Jedi texts, located in an ancient Uneti tree library. Ben walked the short distance, following his instincts to the location of the tree but was only greeted by a large, damp pile of ash.
He understood now why the Caretakers took their job so seriously. There was a lot to protect here.
The island was everything the force embodied - light, darkness, life, death, peace, and violence. But most of all, Ahch-To was balance. No aspect of the force seemed to outweigh the other here, every facet in constant flux to maintain equilibrium.
It excited Ben to have Ahch-To as his new study. He had always immersed himself in understanding as much as he could about the force, darkside and light, and the past year was mostly spent trying to understand his bond with Rey. Why was he so honed into her senses and abilities? Why could he feel her emotions and her pain, even from light years away? Why were they able to communicate through time and space? It took him months of scouring every corner of force lore before he finally landed on ancient accounts of "dyads", very rare but entirely possible.
The last recorded dyad he had read about was Darth Revan and Bastila Shan from the Old Republic era, thousands of years earlier. He couldn't find much history on the pair, as their story had been lost over the years, but he at least had proof that there was something more to his connection to Rey. It wasn't a manufactured connection, but rather ingrained in the force, their souls linked in a fateful dance between light and dark.
Now, he sat cross-legged outside in the damp evening on a perched rock near the hut, meditating as the binary sunsets crept below the horizon. He absorbed the silence and peace of this place, the only sounds coming from the occasional squawk of a Porg, the chatter of the Lanai, and the waves stirring below.
He had grown accustomed as Supreme Leader to meditation, not only to remain close to the force, but also to pass the time. Now, he found himself wishing he could speed up time until Rey returned.
He was meditating for a few hours when suddenly he heard a strange, distant cry break through the still air, coupled with a familiar, dark pulsating in the force. He cracked an eye open as the noise morphed into several eerie cries folding and echoing over each other.
Ben was fully present and aware now, pupils dilated. The moon was high, reflecting beautifully off the ocean and providing the only source of light as he swiveled his head around to search for the source of the disturbance. A flash of light caught his eye and his gaze snapped to the nearby Caretaker village just a few hundred yards away from him at the base of the island. The light grew, billowing into a fire.
Several long boats were rolling ashore as the screams grew louder.
He blinked. The Caretakers. Someone is raiding their village.
He didn't think as he jumped off the rock, just followed his purest instincts which told him to protect. Anger built inside him at the knowledge that anyone would dare target these innocent and peaceful creatures.
They picked the wrong island to disturb.
He flung his large body down the mountain, half falling as his boots scraped and caught against the jagged rock. Debris kicked up around him as he blazed down towards the village, kicking his legs as fast as they would go. His heart threatened to burst out of his chest and his lungs couldn't seem to take in air fast enough.
The screams grew louder as he approached, and he pushed his body faster, faster, eyes locked on the tribal wooden door standing in his way. He snatched his saber from his hip, igniting it and slashing through the door like butter. It crumbled to the ground in pieces, revealing the scene inside. He skidded to a halt at the village entrance, kicking up the ruined remains of the door.
He paused for the briefest second to take in his surroundings, calling on the force to help focus his senses.
It was pure chaos inside. The bandits were viciously shoving the Lanai aside as they tore through their resources and belongings. There were about 20 of them - tall, bulky creatures dressed from head to toe in thick, black, woolen garb. They wore wide-set goggles over small glowing eyes, indicating they were not human. They dawned vicious tribal headpieces, sharp and intimidating, which brandished the only color on their bodies - red.
This immediately revealed their identity to Ben, remembering Luke's journaled accounts of the nearby Carja tribe and their distinguishing headpieces. They occasionally terrorized the other islands on Ahch-To, which meant this wasn't the first time.
It will be the last.
The Carja carried various weaponry, hand-made but menacing and dangerous. Their equipment ranged from iron war clubs, vibrocleavers, arm flame projectors, scythes, bardiche axes, and tribal swords and spears.
The power imbalance between the Carja and the un-armed Lanai infuriated him, narrowing his vision like a predator about to strike.
They froze like dark statues at the sight of him, clearly not expecting an intimidatingly large and powerful force-sensitive human with a glowing-blue laser sword.
The Carja were the first to move. They rushed quickly at him, abandoning the Lanai who scrambled off to safety. They thrashed their weapons at Ben, aiming for his head, his torso, his limbs. He fell into a cadence, slashing and deflecting their blows.
The strikes from the Carja were strong, but he was stronger. His fighting style was skilled and poised, but raw, unforgiving, and brutal. His opponents slowly began to fall as he continued to slice and stab through the creatures, jamming his teeth together in anger and focus.
His breath came in huffs, each blow he dealt and took sending involuntarily grunts and muffled yells through his throat.
Ben sensed an enemy approach from behind, so he threw out a hand and force pushed two Carja against the wall of a nearby hut while continuing to slash at the enemies in front of him. He parried, jumping out of the way of a heavy swing from a long-handled axe that sung through the air. Ben slashed through his attacker's midsection, the smell of cauterized flesh stinging his nostrils. The creature crumpled sickeningly to the ground.
Ben breathed heavy and backed up, assessing the battle ground.
The fallen Carja only angered the ones remaining. They kept coming faster and faster now, the muscles in his arms and shoulders burning from the effort.
A painful blow collided with his jaw and he could taste the blood pooling in his mouth. Ben staggered back, spitting red onto the sandy ground. Then, a hard strike landed on his back, knocking him to the ground. The pain rippled through his body as he exhaled, trying to find his breath. He looked up and the Carja inched closer, at least granting him the decency to not attack while he was down.
Then, he felt her. She pierced through their bond like a moonbeam through a cloud, yelling in his ear as if she was right next to him.
"Ben! I'm almost there, hang on. KEEP FIGHTING!" She shouted, her voice rippling and echoing through their bond.
He gritted his teeth and scrambled back onto his feet. He used the force to push a cloud of sand from the ground into his assailant's faces, temporarily blocking their vision and buying him some time.
The quarrel was interrupted by the sound of a ship breaking through the sky. They all looked up and the Millenium Falcon rocketed past with its signature, bright sound and piercing blue light from it's overpowered ion engines.
Rey.
The ship quickly settled on a nearby flat outcropping. As soon as it touched down, the bay door hissed open and she came flying out of the ship, saber ignited and illuminating her features. White and grey ribbons of fabric floated behind her in her wake and her hair danced freely in long, brown tendrils.
Even through that moment of chaos, all Ben saw was Rey, his narrowed vision now focused on her brilliant form.
Her hair is longer. I like it. He thought.
He shook his head and flicked his eyes back to the Carja.
Half of the remaining Carja turned to face Rey while the rest kept their sights on him. Ben smiled viciously, raising his saber and crouching down low preparing to strike.
The Carja fell quicker now, Rey flowing effortlessly through the force and her movements. He tuned into her through their connection, pulling on her strength and she from his and - is she channeling the darkside?
He knew all too well what it was like to face her, and he pitied the victims at the end of her saber. He could feel her seething anger and focus coming down on them, hard.
They hadn't stood together like this since fighting the Praetorian guards in the throne room. There was something mystical about the way he felt when they fought together, as if they were somehow not two fighters, but one. Fighting against her had felt the opposite, like ice and fire, neither element ever besting the other in a frustrating stale-mate.
Eventually, Ben impaled his final victim, then swiftly turned around, eyes searching for Rey. Almost simultaneously, she caught one of the Carja's arms, pivoted, then slashed the creature in half, putting a satisfying end to the entire quarrel.
Rey sheathed her saber, hooking it to her hip. Her hazel eyes immediately searched and found Ben from across a pile of dead bandits.
Her chest heaved, out of breath. "I leave you...alone...for just a few...just a few hours...and the wolves descend." She huffed and shook her head.
He shrugged and breathed hard, struggling to get the words out. "I figured...you...you needed...a little excitement." He felt a playful smile creep across his face.
"Ha!" She exclaimed sarcastically, rolling her eyes. She turned to face the village, assessing the damage. The Lanai were frantically dousing the fire on one of the huts while the others were accounting for any injuries or losses.
She took a few quick steps towards them, calling out desperately, "Is everyone ok? Is anyone hurt?"
His dark eyes followed her. So caring. Even for those she doesn't know.
Ben spotted a flash of gold flicker behind her, followed by the robotic sound of metal and wires moving in unison. C-3PO waddled forward as quickly as his mechanical legs would take him, arms flailing about nervously.
The droid looked about the ground at the dead, "Oh goodness me, and here I thought the war was over. Are you alright?"
Rey turned her head to C-3PO and waved a hand dismissively, nodding.
Ben began to walk towards where Rey was standing. The droid eyed him, his metal body shifting back in surprise.
"Oh! Enemy! You missed one!" 3-PO pointed a gold finger at Ben.
Ben sighed and continued walking forward, hands up in feigned surrender. He looked at Rey expectantly.
Rey sighed, rolling her eyes and turning back to 3PO. "He's on our side now, 3PO."
"On our side?! Miss Rey, the odds of-"
"Don't ask! It's a long story. Please, 3-PO we can trust him. Now quiet, I need to make sure the villagers are OK." Rey turned back to the Lanai, who had mostly doused the fire and were now diligently scrambling to dispose of the dead invaders.
3-PO looked between Rey and Ben and then back at Ben, the only sound emitting from his mechanical movements. Ben reached Rey's side now, and 3-PO choppily backed up a few paces.
Ben ignored the droid, only looking at her. He had more important things to worry about and he certainly wasn't going to waste his time making sure a droid trusted him.
He touched the small of Rey's back, "Are you ok?" His voice was low and serious.
She turned and smiled up at him, "I should be asking you that." She eyed the dead surrounding them, "Luke warned me about the Carja tribe. I wonder why he never took care of them himself..." She trailed off.
They were interrupted by an approaching Caretaker, flaked by two others. Rey and Ben turned to face them.
The Caretaker in the middle seemed much older and clearly of some differing status from the others. She too wore a crisp white dress and hood, but was dawned with strange jewelry made of runic stones.
Rey knelt down to the Lanai's level. "Is everyone ok?" She repeated.
The Caretaker just looked at her with large, black eyes, saying nothing. Then, the creature reached for Rey's hand, taking it in her small, fin-like hand.
The Caretaker held Rey's hand, but turned and looked up to Ben, silently instructing him kneel.
Ben obeyed and sunk down next to Rey, unsure of what was happening. Rey was just as curious as he was, her lips parted and eyes following him as he knelt.
The Caretaker took Ben's hand and placed it on top of Rey's. Then she placed her small, fish-like hand on top of Ben's, which barely covered over their human hands.
The Caretaker spoke then, an ancient language Ben had never heard.
"Alnuwr fy yukarum alnuwr fik."
Ben blinked. He heard 3-PO step forward behind them.
"Miss Rey, it is a very ancient language only found on this island. There are no words to directly match the common galactic tongue, but it roughly translates to 'the light in me honors the light in you'. This is the highest level of honor and most formal expression of appreciation in the Lanai culture, only spoken to their loved ones and closest allies."
A small warmth built from the contact that originated from the Caretaker. Rey turned her head, looking to Ben. He smiled at her, eyes warm, and nodded slightly.
She turned back to the Caretaker and bowed her head, resting her forehead on their clasped hands. A single small tear rolled down her cheek like a clear, shimmering kyber crystal, and trickled onto his hand resting gently on top of hers.