En route to Naboo, Rey felt the bond snap into place and heard Ben speak softly. "I have a retreat on Naboo, nothing much. Snoke gave it to me, to help strengthen my connection to Anakin. I have no reason to believe Hux or anyone else is aware of its connection to me." He quickly reeled off coordinates and Rey said them back to him. "Good. I have to go. I'll explain everything later but Hux will not know I'm on Naboo. I'll come alone." He met her eyes and tentatively reached to brush her hand, drawing back at the last second. "Thank you… for trusting me. I know I haven't earned it." Then he was gone, leaving Rey with a hand she hadn't realized she'd reached out with and coordinates for an unknown location on the surface of Naboo.
Fortunately she had a good memory for numbers, and repeated them to Leia, Chewie and Mace Windu in the cockpit. Leia entered the coordinates and they all paused, looking to each other for assurance they were doing the right thing. Leia broke the thick silence. "I've made my position clear. I don't trust my son, but I trust Rey and her abilities. We have much to gain and less to lose."
Rey could feel the conflict rolling off Chewie. He still held onto great sadness and rage over Han's death, but he also remembered the little boy he'd seen grow up, struggling to cope with absent parents and an immense power he did not understand and could not control. He slowly nodded to Leia, then to Rey. He couldn't bring himself to speak, but it was enough.
Windu stared at the floor for a long moment, hands braced on his robed knees. When he spoke, it was quiet and he did not meet anyone's gaze. "I believe Rey. Whether or not she is correct remains to be seen, but I believe in her sincerity and I have great hope that her abilities are what I think they are. Force bonds are not unheard of, though they are rare. But from what is known of them, they are not easy to exploit. They are deeply empathic and I don't think Ren has the control to manipulate it, even if he wanted to. On balance," his mouth twitched at his own pun, "We should take the risk."
Rey breathed deeply. She had nothing to add. She only hoped she was making the right call. If she was wrong, their blood was on her hands as much as Ben's. Or Ren's, if that were the case. That was the problem at the center. She still wasn't sure who was waiting for them on Naboo. She opened her eyes and sent the Falcon toward Naboo.
Naboo was a beautiful planet at the height of it's power and influence. Years and wars and the Empire's machinations had taken away much of it's wealth and some of it's grandeur, but a worn stateliness still garbed it's cities, and the countryside was nearly unparalleled in it's lush beauty. In more peaceful times, Naboo was still an incredibly popular destination planet for the wealthy who craved quiet and natural beauty over entertainment and riotous sights.
The place Ben had sent them lay in the countryside, well outside the capital city Theed. It was not ostentatious, but neither was it the "nothing much" Rey had expected. It had an up-to-date hanger that comfortably accommodated the Falcon, what looked like a beautifully maintained garden they glimpsed as the Falcon swooped in, and more than it's fair share of balconies, columns, and porticos. In keeping with Classical Theed architecture, the walls were of soft sandstone and the domed roofs were copper, aged to a mossy grey finish. A shimmering lake lapped against a seawall that wrapped around the retreat. Nothing much, indeed, Rey snorted to herself. If she didn't know better, this was a palace.
They cautiously walked down the Falcon's ramp. No one held a blaster in their hand, but arms and fingers were tense and close to hips, safeties off. Mace Windu appeared to have a casual grip on his saber, but his thumb remained a hair from the switch. Leia had a crease between her eyebrows and Rey's worries echoed in her mind.
With a hiss and a soft thunk, a door leading to the retreat slid open and every hand moved a bit closer to their respective weapons. A single protocol droid rolled through and spoke in crisp monotones. "Please, follow me. Master Ren is expecting you." It immediately began to roll back through the door, but paused and gave their party a quick scan. "I shall begin baths for our guests."
"Rude," CPO said, but Rey had half a mind that the particular droid agreed with the other's decision. Perhaps would have done the same long ago, given the chance. She felt a small smile flicker across her mouth as she started toward the door. Without a word, the rest followed. The small remnants of the Resistance, banking everything on this one hope.