Ben
The barrel of a blaster was put to my temple and I held my arms up, palms out. Stun cuffs were immediately locked around my wrists, and I was roughly hoisted up, out of the crate.
I'd thought about fighting, I'd wanted to fight, but my saber had been taken by Hux when he'd imprisoned me, and with the stun cuffs, I was completely unarmed.
"Is it them?" I heard one ask, and looked over to see him keeping a blaster trained on Rey as she climbed out, her hands also bound.
The one in front of me flipped through a holocaster of bounties, and stopped on Rey's picture. "That's her." He flipped the image, to one of me. "And, that's him." He started typing on a data pad.
The first one snickered again. "A million credits, I can't believe it!"
The other looked up from his data pad. "The issuer will be here in an hour, and he wants them unharmed."
They took us on board their ship, which was an ancient Starcruiser that I was honestly shocked was still floating, and put us in a holding cell.
Through the rusty chain link separating us, we devised a plan while the two bounty hunters discussed what they would do with their million credits.
Rey and I would have to wait until we were uncuffed, then overtake the issuer or the bounty hunters, and steal the ship.
The Star Cruiser was pulled into an unmarked freighter, and when we stepped out onto the hangar, we saw a StormTrooper waiting on us.
I slowed, as soon as I saw him.
Because he wasn't wearing First Order armor.
The differences were subtle, but I'd been raised by a General who had helped destroy the Galactic Empire, and I'd spent nearly a decade with the First Order.
And, that was Empire armor. And, he held an Empire blaster across this chest.
The bounty hunters waited long enough for the credits to be deposited to them, and promptly left, grinning like fools.
The Trooper spoke into a communicator. "Can you confirm that we haven't been seen?'
There was a quick reply that I couldn't hear.
"Then, let's go."
The freighter jumped into drive.
The trooper stared at us for a long moment before shaking his head. "I hope you both realize that this all could have been avoided if you'd just listened to me."
My eyebrows pulled together. What?
He stepped forward to unlock our cuffs. "Sitting at the dinner table making moon eyes at each other, I told you then. I told you to just tell her about the Bond. But, no."
My cuffs clattered to the hangar floor, and I was too confused to do anything but stare.
"And, I told you." He said to Rey, going to unlock her cuffs. "Told you to stay and hear him out."
Rey's cuffs fell as well.
When my abilities returned to me, I recognized their Force signature. This wasn't a StormTrooper. They weren't even male.
"And, I tried to tell you again, right before you left. I told you not to go back, to just go find Rey, and what did you do?" She reached up, and jerked her helmet off.
"You two owe me a million credits!" Ciir'sae fumed.
"You paid our bounty?" I gasped.
"Of course I paid your bounty!" She snapped. "The First Order has a price on both of your heads, and I doubled it to anyone who could bring you to me, first." She pointed to me. "Though you could benefit from having some sense knocked into you."
"But, Hux and the First Order are still looking for us?" I asked.
She rolled her eyes. "Well, yeah, I'm not a miracle worker."
"C, if we stay on Naboo, they could find us." I told her. "If they come for us there-"
"If you continue to argue with me, I will chuck this helmet at you." C threatened.
I closed my mouth with an audible snap and Rey pressed her lips together to keep from laughing.
"I don't want to hear anything else from either of you, other than 'We should have listened to you, and thank you for saving our asses.'"
It was nightfall by the time we landed on Naboo, and I caught C's arm as we stepped off the shuttle. "Thank you." I told her. "I should have listened to you."
One corner of her mouth turned up. "Go on, get outta here." She said, nodding toward Rey, who stood several feet away.
I let go of her arm, and stepped forward, taking Rey's hand in my own.
Authors note: the love scene is being revised. you waited 33 chapters for it, and I'm obligated to make it worth your wait.
