Chapter Sixteen
Black Troopers
Rose wrapped the white bandage around the long gash on Ben's arm. He hadn't winced or even twitched when she'd had to pull the skin together or apply the antiseptic ointment. His eyes remained trained straight ahead, his other hand resting quietly in his lap as she'd worked. She couldn't help but wonder just how many times he'd been stitched back together. Finn had told her about the wound Rey had inflicted on the former supreme leader during the battle on Starkiller base and she could see the starkly white remnants of that almost fatal scar. She still wasn't sure how she felt about the man sitting quietly in front of her. He commanded a power that she would never fully understand but knew enough of to be concerned by it.
Carefully she tied a butterfly knot and leaned back to scan her work. "How's that feel?"
He flexed his hand. "It's fine." Ben started to stand up, suddenly he stopped and turned toward her, "Thank you." It sounded strange coming from the lips of Kylo Ren. She was fairly certain he'd never thanked anyone for anything before.
Startled, she blinked twice before answering, "You're welcome."
Turning, he started toward the furthest cargo bay quickly leaving her alone. She leaned against the back of the chair and blew out a long breath to release the tension that had been bottled up inside her. She hadn't figured out how to apologize for the conversation she knew he'd overheard between her and Jannah; it was bothering her, a lot. Normally Rose wasn't one of those people that talked behind other people's backs, but she'd gotten drawn into the conversation and hadn't considered the potential consequences. Now she had to decide how she would handle that sticky situation, that consequence.
Yeah, I just bandaged up that 'consequence'. She thought miserably.
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Ben stared out the small porthole at the passing star systems. The cold darkness of space had formed intricate ice crystals on the outermost shell of the viewing material. Small streaks of white looked like the tails of comets as they stretched along that window into space. Staring at them, Ben couldn't help but wonder if his father done the same thing through the same porthole. The familiar ache of loss surrounded him, and he released a slow breath and leaned against the bulkhead. His father's words slipped from his memory into conscious thought, 'come home'. Han had asked him to forsake his foolish quest into the darkside and choose his family over his ambition. He couldn't do that; not at that time.
"It's too late." He remembered saying on that bridge, but he didn't believe that anymore. At the time, Ben had truly thought he'd destroyed any chance at redemption. But his father hadn't believed that and he'd pushed to convince his son.
'I miss you.' It hadn't been 'we' miss you; it had been 'I'. It should have made all the difference to him then, but it hadn't. He'd been too lost in his own hatred and anger at that time.
His head fell back against the cold metal behind him. The strength he'd been relying on since this whole thing had started fled his muscles and he slid to the floor. Pulling his knees against his chest he sat there contemplating his choices and path ahead. He couldn't get lost in his emotional past; Ben needed to be ready for what was coming.
They were set to arrive at Utapau within the next hour and it was more than likely that they would find some form of a fight there. Grinding his teeth together in irritation he knew that they had no other choice. In order to reach the Ring of Kafrene, they needed fuel and additional supplies that they hadn't had time to acquire before leaving the rebel base. The small outpost should have everything they'd need; at least he hoped that it would. But it was likely that remnants of his past would rise up to try and stop them.
Part of him wondered if he would be as useful in this endeavor as he'd initially believed he would be. The moment the Sith hive had taken control of his body it had left something behind. A piece of itself was lodged inside his mind and whatever it was, is was leaving him vulnerable to attacks. And they weren't something he could guard against. When his shields had been shattered, he'd realized that he was a liability to this mission. A weakness that could be used against the resistance. And Rey.
There was only one way that didn't happen; when the time came, Ben would have to remove himself from them…from her. Not forever, just until they defeated the hive and had regained full control of his own mind.
"You okay?"
Startled, he realized that he hadn't even heard her approaching. I really am a mess.
Rey settled down next to him, her hip intimately connecting to his as she leaned against him. Ben didn't know how to answer that. Physically? He was sore and his head was splitting, but he was alright. Mentally? That was a whole different story.
He shifted, draping his left arm around her shoulders and pulling her against his side. "I'm fine." He reassured with a light squeeze.
Rey's eyes lifted to meet his before dropping to his lips, the naked hunger he read there surprised him. He didn't even think about his actions, he simply titled his head and lightly touched his lips to hers. She hummed against him and he couldn't stop the smile.
She chuckled against him before pulling away. "I don't think I'll ever get used to that."
"To what?"
She shifted so that she could stare up into his eyes. "Kissing someone." Rey blushed, "Having someone to kiss." She finished softly as her knuckles ran along the length of his thigh.
He ran his fingers over her upper arm, the intimate caress sent chills through her. "I'm often surprised that you would even want to kiss me." It wasn't self-deprecating, simply his assessment of their past relationship. When they'd first met, he wouldn't have been able see this outcome for them. He's been so determined to peel away who and what she was that it had never occurred to him that she might be his match…his soulmate.
"Why?" Her expression was perplexed.
Ben drew his eyebrows together, then he dropped his gaze. "Rey, I'm not exactly the classically good-looking hero type. And I certainly don't make up for that with a winning personality." He pulled one of the tendrils of hair between his fingers and stroked the silky mass of brown. "You could have anyone you want. Rey, you're beautiful; don't you know that?"
She leaned into his hand and wrapped her arms around him. "So are you."
He didn't say anything, just leaned his head against the top of hers. Apparently, it was true, what people said, love really was blind.
Someone cleared their throat causing their eyes to jolt upwards. Finn stood just out of eyeline, his breathing and presence in the Force the only way they knew he was there. Rey reluctantly pulled from of his embrace and came to her feet, facing Finn's direction.
"Yes?"
He stepped around the corner, keeping his eyes trained only on her. "We're coming into range of Utapau. Poe wanted me to let you both know."
Ben hauled himself upright, swaying slightly as his body adjusted to his new position. This whole injured thing was really beginning to irritate him.
Finn turned only to have Rey's hands grasp his forearm. "Can I speak with you, please?" She sent a mental equivalent of a hug toward Ben before she started walking.
The former stormtrooper nodded and followed her out of the bay.
Ben turned toward the porthole again, his attention focused on Rey's emotional state instead of the ice crystals.
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Finn followed her, his heart hammering inside his chest. He'd overhead their conversation and even though he'd known about their relationship, it had hurt worse than he'd expected to have it confirmed. He didn't know when he'd crossed the line from friendship to love, but he did love Rey. He wanted her to be happy and listening to her speak to Kylo—No, Ben Solo…of her feelings? That appeared to make her happy and it would have to suffice.
He moved to last cargo bay near the hatch and turned to face her. Rey's expression was a mass of hope, desperation, fear and love. She didn't want to lose him any more than he wanted to lose her, but they didn't want the same type of relationship. If he made her choose, she would choose Ben Solo. He could see it so clearly in her hazel eyes that it was heartbreaking for him.
And yet, he would never make her choose. Rey had no family in the universe and neither, to his knowledge, did he. "I already know." Finn said softly. At lease he could spare himself having to hear her say it.
She swallowed, "I didn't plan this, Finn." Rey stepped closer to him. "I didn't even think I wanted it." Her fingers loosened and she allowed them to slip from his arm. It had never been her intention to hurt him and yet she'd done it anyway.
He smiled sadly. "But you do? Want it? With him?" Finn knew the answer before she'd so much as nodded. It was in her face as she stepped closer to him, reaching out with her hand. "Do I have to like it?" His question was edged with a humor he didn't really feel.
A smirk pulled at the edges of her lips. She moved in closer and wrapped her arms around him. Finn folded into her and returned the embrace with an enthusiasm that left nothing to her imagination. She couldn't stand to lose him over her choice of partner. For better or worse they were linked for the whole of their lives. "You're the only family I have." She whispered and he tightened his arms.
"Same here."
He didn't know how long they stood like that, but eventually he felt her muscles twitch and released the hold. "Think you could ever like him?" she wondered out loud.
Finn stepped back so he could see her more clearly. "Rey…I don't—" he didn't know how to answer her question. It was more complicated for him than for her. He'd spent his entire life terrified of the man known as Kylo Ren. That had been the name used to strike fear into the stormtrooper legions throughout his service within the First Order. And while he recognized that Ben wasn't fully Kylo Ren, he was part of that monster. It was going to take longer for him to accept the possibility that a person could completely abandon such a part of themselves. His limited Force sensitivity did allow him to feel the difference between the man that had terrorized the galaxy and the man that had been willing to sacrifice himself for Rey. So, there was a chance that he could learn to live with her relationship with him.
Would they ever hit up Mos Eisley for a glass of ale? Not likely. She hadn't said a thing, even though he knew that he'd been silent for far too long. He sighed, "Eventually. Probably."
"He's a good person Finn."
He snorted at that.
She thinned her lips and raised an eyebrow. "He is. The Emperor had been breaking down his defenses since he was old enough to walk. And then there was Snoke." She swallowed at the memory of the supreme leader and his infiltration of her own mind. "He broke down what was left of Ben Solo. Made him feel alone and abandoned by those who loved him most. He's a victim in this Finn. Every bit as much as you or Jannah."
Blowing out a long breath, Finn shook his head sharply. "I didn't have a choice in what happened to me." He argued.
Rey's disappointment was clearly evident as she dropped her hands and put some distance between them. "Neither did he." She turned away from him.
"Rey, wait." He couldn't let her walk away, not like this.
She didn't turn, but she did stop and hopefully listen.
"I can't promise anything long-term. But I can promise I'll give him a chance. What he does with it is his choice."
She nodded once before continuing out of the narrow cargo area.
"So do we know what we're looking for?" he asked, following her toward the cockpit.
She shrugged, "Supplies. Poe seemed to have a pretty good idea what we could find here and Ben knows the area we're heading to."
Finn stopped. "Did they talk about this?"
"I assume so."
Poe stuck his head around the corner. "You assume what?"
She lifted an eyebrow at his eavesdropping tendencies. "That you and Ben discussed just what we need from this place?"
He grimaced. "No. We haven't."
"Don't you think that would be a good idea?" His overly helpful best friend asked around the smile he was trying to suppress.
Poe leaned against the bulkhead and folded his arms in a defiant pose. "Probably."
Chewie's rumbling from the cockpit drew their attention and Poe rolled his eyes. "No one asked you."
Another round of growls followed his snarky response. "Why yes, I think it would be a grand idea to talk to the person that has been to the planet we're heading to." Rey answered with an irritated edge. "Plus, you can't just pretend he's not here."
"Sure, I can. It's been working so far."
She narrowed her eyes as her irritation rose another notch. "Poe—"
"Fine." Pushing away from the bulkhead he headed back into the cargo area. There was nothing helpful in his body language so it was likely his conversation with Ben wouldn't be all that useful anyways.
Sighing, she followed him back.
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The long narrow streets were strewn with everything from trash to spice-addicts. Tall oddly shaped towers rose up on either side with the occasional platform resting at the top. Aliens of all kinds roamed through the night atmosphere searching for Force knew what. Ben pulled his cowl closer around his face hoping it would keep anyone from recognizing who he was. He'd rarely made contact with anyone outside of the First Order without wearing his signature mask, but he wasn't exactly discreet in his costume choice.
A howl from somewhere in the distance caught his attention. His hand immediately felt for the absent presence of his lightsaber. He should have asked Rey for Luke's prior to leaving the Falcon, but Poe and Jannah had emphatically argued against his being armed with a Jedi weapon. Not because he shouldn't be armed, but because it would have been with the weapon of his choice. He couldn't really blame them for their opinions. But he had wanted to argue the insanity of sending any of their party into a known smuggler's town unarmed.
A blast of cold air pulled at the edges of his hood. Rey had gone with Rose, Jannah and Poe; which had left him and Finn alone for the first time since her return. The ex-stormtrooper had said anything to him since leaving the ship and frankly, Ben wasn't expecting him to. Had their roles been reversed he wasn't sure he'd be able to have a friendly conversation with the man Rey had chosen over him. So, he did his best to keep from making matters worse.
Another gust whirled past them just as they reached the cantina. Gatosina was a well-known gathering place for smugglers and people wishing to remain anonymous. The orange and red lights from inside the smoky bar beckoned them in.
Clangy music played from some type of instrument Ben had never heard before. It grated on his upper audio ranges and he hoped that they wouldn't have to stay long. The headache he'd been battling had started to feel like splinters behind his eyes. Emotions that weren't his battered against his thin shields and threatened to undermine his control. Clenching his teeth together, he followed Finn into the depths of the Cantina.
Neither of them noticed the small figure sitting in the corner booth. A single glass of purple Correlian whiskey sitting untouched on the table. Pointed ears twitched in their direction before the alien grabbed a communicator and flicked it on.
"Tell Admiral Tyko I know where his missing supreme leader is. And I expect a handsome bounty for that information." A garbled response that only he understood crackled through the device. "Utapau, the Gatosina Cantina in Tuille." A second shorted response sent a smile across the thick lips. "Pleasure doing business with you."
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The small team of stormtroopers jogged through Tuille. Their white plastic uniforms had been traded in for the long black clothing of a Knight. They moved effortlessly through the light of the two moons leaving virtually no impressions in the soft dirt of the central road. They had slung their larger blaster rifles and now carried a variety of energy weapons similar to the ones that had been utilized by the Knights of Ren. The red shoulder decals marked them as part of the highest trained troopers outside of those tapped to join those knights. Each black-trooper was well versed in the fighting styles of the Jedi as well as the Sith and they'd been granted additional knowledge by their new leader.
She had personally selected them based on an evaluation that only she understood. Savagery and loyalty were at the center of her assessment of their minds. And then she'd infiltrated those same minds to ensure her control and expand their skills. A part of their minds was now occupied by fractured memories of previous Sith lords, similar to what she'd done to the praetorian guards around her chambers. She could take control of them easily enough, if necessary, but she would rather that they learn to operate within their new hosts independently of her control.
Once Admiral Tyko received the report of both the girl and the traitorous apprentice, she'd sent out this team to capture them both. Under no circumstances could they be allowed to acquire the kyber crystal they sought. And if that meant killing one of them to sever their bond, then so be it.
Jaxton, the ranking trooper held up his hand as a group. They each took up a defensive position until he determined they could again move forward. He watched as the band of rebels quietly entered the Cantina. One was tall and dressed in all black, a positive indicator that this was the former supreme leader. While the other was shorter and stockier. The description he'd been given did not match the second individual, so it was unlikely this was the scavenger girl.
Too bad, I'd like to have tested this new body in combat. He considered their options and made a quick decision, if they could only acquire one of their targets, Kylo Ren would be best. It was his knowledge of the Ring of Kefrene that they were using to track the rare kyber crystal. Without him, it would be far less likely that they would find what they were looking for. When his rebel friends came to rescue him, the Empress could decide what she wanted done with all of them.
He smiled, yes that would be far more impressive to his new master. Far better than presenting her with only one of them or just the head of which ever one they killed. The second directive wasn't what the Empress preferred. She had plans for these two and killing them was a last resort and to be avoided under almost every circumstance.
Yes, capture was a far better plan…
TBC…
Author's Note: Sorry it's not Sunday. But new chapter…here you go.
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