Force Dyad
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A/N-thank you very much to everyone who kindly read and reviewed the last chapter.
Chapter Forty-One-Bad News
"You need to see this, Ben." Magda said the next day after breakfast.
Ben exchanged an uneasy glance with Rey. They both joined the mon-calamari matriarch at the kitchen table, where she passed Ben a holo-pad. "What is it?" He asked worriedly.
"It's all over the main news feeds this morning." Magda informed Ben carefully as the grim images began to roll across the screen in front of his horrified eyes. There had been an explosion in the middle of Hanna City. In one terrible flash the heart was torn from the city, all that was left was blood, crumbling walls and a sense that all that was good in the galaxy had cried out in pain.
"The explosion came from the same medical facility that you were in." Ben said hoarsely as he locked eyes with Rey. Her face had gone completely white and she was shaking a little. He instinctively reached for her hand. "If I hadn't taken you out of there….?"
Rey breathed, but too slowly to be normal. When she finally did her voice trailed slowly, like her words were unwilling to take flight. There was a sadness in her eyes, the hazel orbs too glossy. "Ben, your parents were still there…and Tai…. Hennix….and Skywalker…"
"And Voe." Ben finished for her.
"Is this the same Voe that attacked you and was responsible for what happened at the temple?" Magda demanded.
"Yes." Rey answered faintly. Her grip on Ben's hand tightened. She felt sick to her stomach.
"Do you think this could be connected to her?" Magda directed the question solely to Ben. She glanced at the headlines scrolling across the screen. "It doesn't mention anything about casualties or what caused the explosion."
Ben felt his throat tighten in agony. "I don't know…but I think it's too coincidental for her not to be involved somehow." His thoughts wandered to his mother and the last conversation they had together before he took Rey from the hospital.
Leia had been so full of empathy, so open to listening to him without judgement or blame. For the first time he felt he had connected with his mother on a deep emotional level that hadn't been possible before. Leia had let him go, promising to intervene with Skywalker so he had a chance to escape with Rey. That alone showed her faith in him. Her last words to him had been- "I still have much to say, but I'll save that for another day. Just know that I love you."
"My mother was suspicious of Voe." Ben couldn't disguise the pain in his voice. "She made that clear to Skywalker, if Voe picked up on it…." He left the rest unsaid, his chin wobbling slightly.
Rey still had a tight grip on his hand, it was almost painful, but a good type of pain. It reminded him he wasn't alone. He never would be while she was with him. "If anything had happened to your mom, we would have felt it through the Force, right?" She questioned tentatively.
The reminder gave Ben renewed hope that his parents had somehow escaped the explosion. He had to hope that Tai and Hennix had, too. There was only one way to know for sure. "We're going to have to go back to Chandrila." He said to her.
Magda sighed, already knowing they would be set on this course of action once she showed them the news. "You're going to need supplies." She said, getting up from her seat. "Give me an hour and I'll get you everything you need."
Ben's eyes were glowing with moisture as he met her practical gaze. "Thanks, Mags." He replied gratefully.
Ben's jacket was the kind of soft black leather that was supple and comfortable to wear. It was well shaped, with a thick fleece lining. It was the kind of jacket that would keep a person warm in any winter, Rey loved it, and wasn't prepared to give it up, even if it was far too big for her. She noticed him giving her a long look when she slipped it on, rolling up the sleeves several times in order to make them fit better.
"I know it's too big for me. But I'm cold, okay." She said defensively when she finally dared to raise her eyes to meet his.
There was a flicker of bewilderment on Ben's face at her prickly attitude. "That's why I gave it to you in the first place. I want you to be warm." He said earnestly.
"Oh." The tips of Rey's ears turned pink. She shuffled her feet, feeling ashamed that she had just basically snapped at him for no discernible reason. She could be so over sensitive sometimes. "Thanks, Ben."
"You're welcome." Ben gave her one of his sweetest smiles. Rey could see how it came from deep inside to light his eyes and spread into every part of him. It was beautiful. "Rey, are you feeling okay?" He asked in concern when she continued to stare at him without saying anything.
Mortified at being caught staring, Rey felt the heat of her blush travelling down her face. What was wrong with her? She was glad Ben couldn't read her mind; she could imagine the endless teasing if he ever learned she had thought his smile beautiful. Rey cleared her throat and turned away from him so he couldn't see. "I'm fine. I'm just going to say goodbye to Mags." She mumbled by way of an excuse as she fled the room leaving him gazing after her in confusion.
Chandrila, a small blue-green planet with calm seas and rolling hills, and Ben's birth place. Under a state of emergency Hanna City had been locked down. Ben concluded his parents would have left the city as soon it started crawling with security, and the first place they would have headed was home. He assumed that Tai and Hennix would be with them, unless they had stayed behind with Skywalker.
Ben's reasoning was borne out when he steered Grimtaash toward a convenient clearing near his old home to find the Millennium Falcon already there. Seeing his father's old ship brought him a sense of relief he had no idea he had been seeking. He made a smooth landing and landed Grimtaash a slight distance away.
"Are you ready for this?" Rey asked him when she noted the ambivalent look on his face as he powered down the starship's engines.
"It's just been so long since I've been here. It was almost ten years ago I walked out of my parent's house carrying you, and promising myself I would never come back. And here I am…." Ben reflected bleakly.
"Things are different now." Rey reminded him. "You're older and wiser and so are they."
"You got the older part right." Ben responded doubtfully. "I don't know about the wiser. And what about Skywalker?"
"I don't think he's here." Rey murmured.
"Neither do I." Ben agreed as he reached out with the Force. "I get a sense of the others, though-Tai and Hennix-and my mother." He sagged back in his seat with relief. He had no idea where Skywalker was, neither did he really care. At least he would be spared the confrontation with his uncle that he had been dreading.
Entering his childhood home was like walking into a kaleidoscope of memories, of old holo-images adorning the walls, each of them conjuring the emotions of those sweet eternal moments. Ben had enjoyed some happy times here, especially when he was very young. The warmth of the main living room caressed Ben's numb cheeks, ears, and nose after the cold outside. It was quiet there, with only the crackle of the fire to break the almost silence. He glanced at Rey, wondering if she was remembering the one time he had brought her here, she had only been five years old when he had reached out to his parents for help.
Ben stood in front of the old-fashioned hearth. White powdered ash from the burning logs were crowded in the crevices of the auburn bricks. The thick wood pieces were crackling and popping as the bright flame slowly ate away at it and turned it to black ashes, as if a shadow had corrupted its lively essence. The dancing fire licked and spat at the curved ceiling of the hearth with its glowing, bright golden flame, and its red base shimmered across the wood like a dawn upon a summer morning. He held out his hands towards the warmth and noticed Rey do the same. They stood in quiet contemplation next to each other until Han appeared through one of the doors on the other side of the room. As soon as he caught sight of Rey, he was running toward her, scooping her up into a bear hug.
"You don't know how good it is to see you, kid." Han said gruffly as Rey hugged him back. He exhaled slowly before gently depositing her back down on her feet. He looked toward Ben, the firelight reflecting the deep-seated emotion in his eyes. "Hey, son, I'm glad you're here. Your mother knew you were coming."
"Hey." Ben replied awkwardly. He wasn't used to seeing Han so sentimental. His father's thick hair was now more grey than brown. His face was ashen, like he hadn't slept in a good while.
"I guess you saw the news." Han continued wearily.
"What happened, Dad?" Ben asked cautiously. "Is everyone okay?"
"We managed to get out…but others weren't so lucky. Tai and Hennix are in the spare rooms resting. We had to fight our way out. It's been a terrible ordeal for everyone." Han grimaced at the memory. "Leia…after you left with Rey…she and Luke had quite a heated argument…" His expression hardened. "I intervened, told them both to calm down, but you know how stubborn your mother can be…" Han paused again, as if trying to choose his words carefully.
"Dad?" Ben prompted him impatiently.
"She went to confront Voe on her own, determined to get the truth out of her, in one final attempt to convince your damned uncle that he was being an obstinate fool…." Han stopped again, rubbing a hand over his face as he did so. "Look, I think its best if I let your mother explain. Come on, she's in the study waiting for you."
A/N-thanks for reading! Please review.
