A/N: It's been two months since the last chapter, what else can I say except sorry? I've lost my rhythm of writing one chapter a week, I even wonder how I managed it at the time. But I promise I will finish this story no matter how long it takes. The 32 is finished, I will try to complete the 33 before translating it. Thanks to those who are still reading, those who are discovering or just passing by. I have the impression that there are not many people around here anymore and that everyone has moved to AO3 or moved on from Reylo ? I hope I'm wrong! But even so I'm going to continue sharing here anyway.


Chapter 31

Sorgan. Six months later.

Rey ...

That voice ... She had heard it somewhere before.

Rey ...

Rey!

She had to answer these calls that were becoming more and more insistent, it was rude of her to ignore them.

Rey stepped forward, drawn by curiosity about that voice and what it wanted from her. She progressed in the dark, without hesitating about which direction to take, she didn't even need to swing her arms in front of her to find her way, the voice was guiding her. Light appeared a little further on and she accelerated her pace. That's when she saw him.

The man with the long blond hair and the pale, almost translucent skin, was standing there. Her dreaded enemy, the man who terrified her for he could read her in a way she never thought possible, the man who was chasing her had finally found her. But he wasn't alone. A hooded figure dressed in black stood beside him. The two seemed very close, the man was holding the silhouette by the waist and was whispering in its ear words that Rey could not understand at that distance. Both of them were standing on a pile of dark forms, forms that were scattered all over the place next to them. She was still too far away to distinguish what they were. And so, still hidden in the darkness, she kept moving forward without a sound.

One step, then two. One more, just one more. She shouldn't be spotted, but Rey wanted to know what he was up to. She had to know. She had always been curious. As a child, curiosity had caused her many problems, but in the end, she had never learned her lesson.

As she got closer and closer, she finally made out the surroundings. The dark forms turned out to be bodies. Crushed, mutilated for some, they were covered with a dark matter. Earth perhaps, or, as Rey's violent nausea indicated to her seconds later, blood. This time her curiosity gave way to fear, and she began to retreat. She must have made a noise, because suddenly the two of them turned towards her. The pale light behind them, like a moonlight, illuminated part of the man's face and the hooded person beside him.

Rey recognized it immediately. It was her.

She was standing in front of herself. Her double sent back a wide wicked smile, revealing sharp and shiny teeth. Blood was staining her face, dripping down her teeth and chin.

Rey was stunned by the vision. And as when they last met on Kef Bir, in the wreckage of the Death Star, her double wanted to attack her. She had nothing to defend herself so she decided to flee. Before turning around and running away from her, Rey could see the blond man burst out laughing. The other Rey ran after her.

On what seemed to be miles, she chased her. Without stopping, without tiring. Rey on the other hand felt quickly out of breath, but she couldn't stop. She mustn't. This time she listened to her instinct to escape as far away as possible. No more curiousity. It was the instinct of survival, the one that had kept her alive all these years. Like a child removes its hand from a hot surface to avoid being burned, she knew she must not be caught. Or the other Rey would try to kill her.

The latter was gaining ground now. Glancing over her shoulder, Rey couldn't see her clearly because both of them had put a lot of distance from the only light source. Her surroundings were dark, almost blurred, she had no idea where she was, but nothing mattered except her escape. The unstable and crumbly ground on which she was running reminded her of Jakku's sand dunes, the burning ones that encircled her territory and that most of the time prevented her from unpleasant encounters.

The other Rey was so close now that she could hear her breathing. Soon she would be able to touch her, stop her, and Rey would be finished.

She accelerated a little more, her legs screaming out their pain as the adrenaline caused by the fear was no longer enough to fuel her endurance. Then her attacker grabbed her and she fell to the ground, head first. Hands landed on her body, immobilizing her in an uncomfortable position. One was on her shoulder, pushing her painfully into the ground, the other was clutching her neck. It wasn't long before she ran out of air after their mad run.

In a desperate gesture, she raised her arm to make her release her grip by hitting her, but it didn't worked. She then grabbed her clothes and her hood, looking for her neck to return the favour. Understanding her gesture, her opponent tightened her grip, and Rey hiccupped when her windpipe got crushed. The ground in which she was sinking was beginning to crumble more and more, it would not be long before she disappeared. And as if sucked up into the soil, that's what happened. Luckily the other Rey did not follow her.

When she fell for a long time and then landed abruptly in the water, she was almost relieved to recognize the usual landscapes of her nightmares. Everything would soon be over. She let herself drift before seeing the huge wave crashing down on her, killing her instantly.

Rey woke up screaming.

Or at least that's what she thought, for although her mouth was open in a terrified wince, not a sound escaped, and a few long seconds passed before she realized she was safe. She blinked several times, gradually getting used to the brightness of the sunlight coming through the window. Rising up, she rubbed her face to remove the last traces of sleep. Her hands were shaking and her lungs were on fire as if she had actually drowned.

It was just a dream. Relax.

She massaged her shoulder and neck so brutally battered in her sleep. Feeling the panic win her over as she sought a meaning for her dream, she turned her head and the vision of Ben, tangled in the sheets, his huge body taking up most of the bed, managed to calm her down.

She considered waking him up, but she preferred to kiss him on the cheek instead. A small laugh escaped her when he grunted and mumbled something like "stay", and for a moment she was tempted to give in and snuggle in his arms. It was still early and she could rest safely in his arms. But yet she decided to get up, knowing full well that she couldn't go back to sleep. Habits were hard to break, even after six months in their new life free of responsibility, Rey would still get up at the first light of the sun, as if a day of scavenging on Jakku was waiting for her.

Wearing nothing more than one of Ben's long t-shirts, she walked through the hangar, which only had the name left. Because now it was a real house. At least that's what Ben had told her, for she had no idea what a real house looked like. All she had known in her life were abandoned metal carcasses, military bases and ships. But this, was her home.

Their home.

During the first days of their arrival they had worked hard to get the multiple generators and furnitures back in use, so that they could have a minimum of comfort. Then Rey had taken care of all the electrical installations, while Ben had secured the surroundings. Several sensors recovered from the ships and the hangar had allowed them to monitor the limits of their territory. No one could enter the domain without them knowing. They had never had any intrusions or incidents before, but they had not forgotten that they were still on the run.

Sitting on one of the kitchen counters, she levitated some fruits and began to nibble what turned out to be a frugal breakfast. She could have waited for Ben to get up, but she was still preoccupied with her dream and she looked for distraction through the food.

To both their surprise, Ben had discovered an interest and a true passion for cooking. It was an aspect of him that she would never have suspected before, he was in fact a true creative. She had no recollection of him serving her the same meal several times in a row. Every time he would cook, Rey watched him avidly, wondering what he could invent, and what better audience for him than an eternally starving woman?

As she recalled the fine meals he served her, her stomach began to growl. She thought to herself that they would soon have to return to the village to stock up on provisions.

In exchange for their help, the villagers often provided more food than they could eat, even though Ben's culinary experiences quickly tapped into their reserves. Sometimes they would stay eat with them, and Ben and Rey would use these occasions to remind them with the Force to not be suspicious of their presence. They were just a young couple who had been around for a long time, seeking some peace and quiet to start a new life.

Rey had been intrigued the first time he had explained this. She had felt like Ben almost said "starting a family". It was an aspect of their relationship that they had never discussed together, never had the opportunity, nor the time. She had wondered back then if Ben had also considered this possibility. Would he want children one day? With her? Neither of them had felt the need to talk about it out loud, but there had been no worries in the bond. If the subject would come up, then they would always have time to think about it. Instead, she had preferred to enjoy the delicious meal, leaned against him, enjoying the protective arm he had placed around her shoulders and the light kisses on her forehead from time to time.

Once again she was tempted to go and wake him up, but she changed her mind, she would have him for herself all day long, she had to learn to depend less on him. And as she was till preoccupied by the images of her dream that kept coming and going in her mind, she got out of the house and took one of the paths that led to a nearby river.

There was nothing new to this, they always had nightmares that disturbed their peace of mind, but she, like him, was used to them and knew how to chase them away. While Rey usually drove away her demons by making love to him, Ben never calmed down better than by holding her close to him and running his fingers through her long hair.
A light breeze was waving them around at the moment. She had barely tied them up in his presence since their arrival on Sorgan. If she did it for work or swimming, Ben would untie them as soon as she was within his reach, marvelling at the way they framed her face when they fluttered in the wind, or at their texture, and she found it very hard to resist his long hands caressing them.

She would have to consider cutting them off at some point, but Ben was adamant that she should not. She chuckled as she recalled a memory from a month ago. After his own hair had grown to a length that they both felt was unacceptable, Rey cut it off one morning. The experiment had been quite unsuccessful, but they had laughed a lot.

"'Looks like you did this with a saber," Ben had exclaimed as he looked at his reflection in the water.

Rey's laughing had increased, and annoyed, Ben had made her fall into the water and joined her just afterwards. Freed from the weight of their crimes and their remorse, freed from fear, Ben and Rey spent most of their time laughing. There was no laughter this morning, though.

She walked along the path, passing by the pine trees with the resinous smell that was so heady but that she had learned to appreciate. She stopped for a moment in front of a patch of fresh earth where they had started to grow some vegetables and plants that attracted a kind of blue, almost translucent butterfly. Ben loved them, they brought back memories of his childhood, he had once told her.

She sat on a large flat rock where they sometimes practiced with their saber, or with the Force.
The first few weeks had been unsettling for them, Rey recalled. With no responsibility, no schedule, no pressure, they found themselves helpless with all this free time, but they quickly took advantage of it. Rey had imagined many things about relationships before she had tasted it, but after all these months together, she was still amazed that each embrace seemed more incredible than the last. She would never get tired of loving him, again and again.

A glance at their ship, which they had never used again, made her think of her friends. It would have been hypocritical to say that she didn't miss them. Because she did, she really did. But the echoes they received from Finn, when he contacted them every two weeks or so, didn't make them think that they would soon return to the Resistance. Much to Ben's delight.

Rey's feelings were more mixed on this point. With each communication, she could sense her best friend's growing concern. It was leaving marks on his face, ageing him prematurely. But in the most selfish way, Rey rarely asked for details about what was bothering him. She listened with a distracted ear the agitated news of the galaxy, wanting to preserve the quiet daily life she and Ben shared. For the first time in her life, Rey was no longer lived in expectation or hope, but simply in the moment. She knew the fight would come for them sooner or later, but when she would shut off the transmission and run into Ben's arms and he would catch her and laugh, she promised herself that nothing would taint their little piece of heaven.

Sometimes he was be the one talking to Finn. A few days after they arrived, Ben confessed to her that he had trained her best friend to use the Force. While she was surprised at the fragile understanding that now existed between the two men, she had made no comment. However, she found it very difficult to share him, and on more than one occasion he had had to abruptly end their meditation session because Rey could not help but distract him. Whether it was in the bond when she began to think very loud about her desires, or when she was particularly impatient as she came to kiss him on the neck and caress his body. She would insist until Ben would apologize to Finn and grab her to take her passionately.

Only that morning, nothing seemed to distract her from her dark thoughts, not even the wonderful memories of the last few months. She stood motionless for a long time on her rock, before slipping into the icy waters of the river that ran alongside their home. The sudden change in temperature was like an electric shock. She didn't venture beyond a few meters, staying where she was standing, half immersed, when she felt Ben's presence in her mind.

Immediately the tension that had built up in her muscles when she woke up began to fade as he became aware of what was bothering her and tried to comfort her through the bond.

He joined her a few minutes later and she was relieved that he made no comment on her state of mind. She gratefully accepted the thick towel he handed her, and let herself be wrapped up and huddled in his arms. In the shelter of his embrace there was no place left for her anxieties. She had been wrong to attach importance to a dream she had already had hundreds of times. They meant nothing. Everything would be all right.

When Ben started kissing her, Rey could almost convince herself that it would be true.

/

/

The Requiem, Outer Rim.

[00.0297] Signal searching.

[00.0298] Holonet connection established.

[00.0299] Klatooine. Hutt Empire.

[00.0300] Live broadcast.

[00.0301] Decryption in progress. Translation ...

[00.0302] Activated. -

"Dear peoples of the Galaxy,"

"Our fight for peace and prosperity has always been our priority."

"I have the honor to announce that we are no longer alone in the face of the adversity and dangerousness of the Force and its followers."

"The New Order is now part of our project and adds its power to our movement. Along with the Hutt Empire, which had already given us its support, we are now assured that we can free the Galaxy from this scourge. The purging of the Force has never been more important at this time. Our two allies and our own troops will work hard to secure as many systems as possible and bring order to the Galaxy, but we need your help. Eliminating Force sentient beings will not be enough, we must ensure that a new generation of this scourge is never born again. We will need everyone's help."

"The Purge of the Force will only be the beginning, we will create a new society based on equality and order. Our soldiers are scanning the systems for these abominations as we speak."

"Anyone caught protecting them will suffer the consequences of their treachery, because there will be no place for traitors in our new world."

"We remind you that the traitors well known as Kylo Ren and Rey Palpatine are still actively hunted. The New Order and the Eghalists will continue to hunt them down in order to bring these criminals to justice. We also remind you that they are dangerous, do not under any circumstances seek to confront them alone, and immediately notify the authorities who will be able to apprehend them. On the other hand, our leader ..."

The transmission was cut off abruptly and silence fell in the huge office on the main bridge.

"Here we are, they did it..."

"General?"

"Contact our guy, I need to speak to him urgently."

The guard nodded his head and immediately went to it.

Coderex rotated his seat and contemplated the stars behind the huge glass wall of his desk. Indifferent to his torments, they laid there, eternal and yet already dead for some. Weariness and despair made him sigh loudly, earning him a surprised glance from his subordinate.

He had not been in contact with his ally, the leader of these fanatics, for many weeks, but he continued to follow with attention every news concerning them. Thanks to his spy, he had been able to gather valuable information about the Hutt Empire, which controlled much of the Outer Rim, and about the New Order that had set out to conquer the Core Worlds now.

Only his status as the first ally with the Eghalist had saved his life several times. He knew many other generals who had simply disappeared, governors who had never been seen again after meetings, innocent people killed in the name of a fanatic, the disgusting slug and the old imperialist who accompanied him. These three had succeeded in a few months in overturning the balance of power in the galaxy, and no one had stood in their way.

Not even the UGS organization. The alliance, which looked promising at the beginning, and which he had almost considered joining, had merely issued agreements on free trade routes and timid non-aggression pacts. Hiding behind political debates and cowardly inaction, they had allowed the Eghalist to take a prominent place publicly, while secretly the New Order regained all its power.

The Resistance, which had lost all credibility after the secret of their Jedi revealed, and their inability to deliver Kylo Ren after protecting him for months, had almost no support now. Had it not happened exactly as Coderex had predicted in Dameron after the battle of Exegol, he would almost have felt pity for the rebels who were trying to make the people aware of the threat they had welcomed with open arms.

The majority of the Merchant Guilds and the major intergalactic banks had rallied to their cause too. Out of fear or conviction, he had no idea, but the Eghalist banner was flying in more than half of the systems now. And after tonight's announcements, those of the New Order would soon join it. For a radicalized movement that had started in a filthy cantina, they had certainly come a long way. And no one seemed to be able to stop them.

Even today, Modi was surprised by such enthusiasm on the part of the people, but one could say that the leader had pulled off a masterstroke by unifying them out of hatred of a common mystical enemy. This man had known how to surround himself with the right people, Modi could not take that away from him.

In addition to that, the Hutt Empire was gradually taking control of all the free trade routes and markets, while at the same time, the banks were at its mercy thanks to the mercenaries they employed. But what worried him most was the return of the New Order.

Coderex did not believe for one second in the false and hypocritical discourse of this former high-ranking officer of the Empire. Just the name she had chosen for their movement proved that she was playing a shady game.

"New Order," he murmured ironically.

During the rise of the Galactic Empire, that's what their political and ideological regime had been called. Few systems had known it, most of them aware of the Empire only by that name, but Coderex had attended meetings of imperialist extremists. That she had chosen this name was not without consequence. Between the Eghalist, and the Hutt Empire, he did not yet know how these three would share supremacy and power, but Coderex was in no hurry to find out.

Eventually the guard gestured to him that the man he had sent to spy six months earlier had replied. He slid his seat towards the communication screen and nodded to his correspondent.

"General."

"I suppose you knew about this?"

"I saw the message being sent, yes. That's what we were afraid of, I'm sorry it took so long to contact you but I was being watched."

"It was too late anyway."

"Most of the systems still free welcomed them with open arms. The Force Purge is more in effect than ever! It's like the Empire is back..."

"I know..."

"Some UGS members have even left the organization to join them!"

"They're not the only ones."

"They even hired mercenaries sent by the Hutts to impersonate Force sensitive people! They make them attack the populations, and the New Order and the armies of the Eghalist stop them, kriff they appear as heroes to the people! They have created a threat and they act like they're the cure!"

"It doesn't matter anymore."

"Sir?"

"You must return to base at once."

"What? But sir..."

"That's an order. We've learned enough, it's time to quit."

"Sir, with all due respect, I can't. He trusts me, I'm so close to finding out what he's hiding."

"It's not worth it anymore! Did you see what happened? They have officially allied themselves with the New Order, they have definitively recovered their armies, not to mention the men of the Hutts! And the people accept it! It's over! Your mission is over, I want all the men back at the base, we're going to move the Requiem, and hide."

"But Sir... what about your bounty to find Kylo Ren? If we hide, we'll declare publicly that we're no longer with the Eghalists, and you'll never be able to get your hands on him ..."

"What I do is none of your business! This is the second time you challenge an order, who's the General here?"

He banged his fist on his desk before taking a deep breath to calm down. The man waited silently for him to speak again.

"It's been six months, you have no more idea who he is than I do, or where Kylo Ren is hiding. I'm grateful for the risks you've taken, but it's too dangerous, I won't be able to get you out safely for a long time! Don't be stupid, you have a family, children, they ..."

"Precisely, General. Children. That's what we discussed last time, he talked about children. I can't leave until I find out what he's up to."

"I don't want your death on my hands!"

"Trust me, General."

"I can't wait for you forever! You better get back quickly!"

As he cut off communication a few minutes later, and resumed his place in front of the ship's window, Modi had the unpleasant impression that he would never see his man again. But his words remained in his memory.

"What about the bounty hunters? Anything new?" he asked for the thousandth time at least in the last six months.

"No sir, nothing new."

He grunted before violently throwing his fist into the window. The sound of his crushed knuckles echoed eerily as his guards realized they had to leave him alone. They were used to it.

His office now empty, he leaned his head wearily against the very spot where he had just struck. Around the huge space station, hundreds of ships were orbiting, their subliminal engines blending with the brightness of the stars. He had built up a truly modest empire over the years. And to think that all this was coming to an end.

Modi Coderex had always considered himself a patient and loyal man. Loyal to his cause, to his men, to his family. So when the latter two were brutally killed thirty years ago, even if his loyalty remained, he had stopped pretending to be patient. He couldn't believe that after six months of intensive research he still had no clue of where Kylo Ren and the Jedi were hiding.

In his early youth he had revered the Force and the Jedi. Begging his mother to let him receive their teachings and take him to the temple. When she finally agreed to go, no little boy on Coruscant was as happy as he was at that moment. His joy did not last long though, for he had been brutally rejected. He was not sensitive, had pretended one of the acolytes.

Sensitive? Modi knew he was very sensitive! Sensitive to nature, to the beauty of the butterflies that came to fly on his balcony, sensitive when he watched old holofilms with his mother that made her cry. But not enough for the Jedis.

He had kept a certain resentment but had been able to accept it and put aside this rejection to become an accomplished soldier. After the fall of the Jedi order he had even managed to feel sad for all those men, women and children who had been massacred as a result of their great betrayal. Who lacked sensitivity at that time, eh?

But when he had joined the armies of the Empire, he had finally understood the true nature of the Force. And because one day he had refused to carry out an order, he had been able to see its true cruelty. He didn't need to be sensitive to it to recognize the evil within it. Lord Vader had made him witness the death of his wife and daughter by his own gloved hand, massacred his men one by one.

Modi had deserted the Empire that very evening.

Taking refuge in the confines of the Outer Rim, he vowed never again to deal with those who were Force sensitive.

So when that Jedi bitch provoked him by bringing back Kylo Ren, another monster of the same kind, Modi found himself confronted once again with everything he had fought and abhorred in the past years. But not only did Kylo Ren find himself protected by this half-crazed warrior, it turned out that he was in fact the son of Organa. And therefore the grandson of the murderer of his family, the descendant of the infamous Darth Vader. The murder and cruelty had been passed on, perhaps sparing a generation, but Kylo Ren was definitely guilty. The fact that he was named Ben Solo in reality didn't change anything.

Modi remembered well the feeling of hatred and betrayal. He hadn't imagined for a moment that the situation would take such a turnaround when he had answered the call of the Resistance, and taken his men to fight on Exegol to destroy a new threat, one more scourge, a Force monster returned from the dead. The tragedy that had shattered him and that continued to haunt him had come back to his face like a punch in the gut. Unable to provoke an open war against the Resistance for lack of resources, he had hastened to leave Ajan Kloss never to set foot there again, and drown his sorrow as he had always done, with the help of Boga Noga. The acrid and foul taste of the strongest Hutt alcohol ever distilled, had immediately faded when a hooded man in the shabby cantina where he was, had proposed to him to join a movement aiming to destroy all Force-sensitive beings in the galaxy. Was it grudge and the cruelty of his life that made him accept it right away?

Even today, he did not know, but he recalled that he didn't hesitate for a single second. The appearance of this strange man seemed to have been predestined, as an answer to all his expectations and prayers.

When six months earlier, he had learned that Kylo Ren had fled from the Resistance and was walking around freely with his bitch, Modi Coderex had once again not hesitated. That the guy had laid with the Emperor's descendant was only the logical continuation of his long list of crimes. Strangely, the revelation of the identity of this Rey had hardly surprised him. Of course he had wondered how such a creature as the Emperor could have created a lineage, but after all, these beings were plagues, and his granddaughter was no exception to the rule. As the Eghalist's main target, she and Kylo Ren had quickly become the number one enemies of their movement, so Modi had to work twice as hard to make sure he captured his enemy before the Eghalist did.

Emptying his coffers and borrowing from other Outer Rim generals and tycoons, he had set the highest bounty in the galaxy for the capture of the former Supreme Leader in years.

Surprisingly, Modi Coderex had to admit that he had indeed remained, a patient man. After years, he was finally getting ready to avenge his family.

/

/

Ohma Dun, Resistance base.

It was already late in the afternoon when Finn eventually had a moment of his own to breathe. The last few months had been the busiest and most stressful he had ever experienced. And after years of service as a Stormtrooper, he didn't feel that fact was insignificant.

When he had left Ben to run away with Rey, Finn had knew that big changes were coming, but he would never have imagined how big.

Heading to his favorite spot on the base, on one of the hills overlooking the city where Rey had been practicing for a long time, he settled into a kneeling position and tried to reach the state required for a meditation session. He had been having less and less time lately. Missions followed one another, meetings and war councils dragged on, and the results were increasingly scarce. In fact, he wasn't displeased that the debriefing of his last mission had been cut short for lack of information to report, because he couldn't have borne another minute.

He took a deep breath in, concentrating on his rib cage and the flow of air he was absorbing and exhaling. Clear your mind.

After months of training, this was still the most difficult part for him. How was he supposed to get rid of his emotions and worries so easily? It often took him long minutes to just begin to reach a calm breath, therefore peace ...

Yet today he needed it more than ever.

Another failed mission, he could not help but think bitterly. Another missed opportunity to recover legions of stormtroopers and help them change sides.

They had to face the fact that all those who were still willing to fight and had not disappeared into the wilderness had already joined the New Order. As for the others, none of them had responded to the multiple and increasingly desperate calls of the Resistance. New recruits were scarce, and some had even fled. The rebels were going through dark times and discouragement was felt in the ranks.

Finn suddenly opened his eyes and reached for a rock in front of him. The rock rose immediately. Although it was difficult for him to meditate, the levitation exercises came more and more naturally to him, which made him proud. By the time his friend came back one day, he hoped to make even more progress, and then maybe he could even practice with a saber!

"You shouldn't do that."

He turned around suddenly and a thud resounded as the surprise had made him loose his concentration and the rock fell. He didn't need to ask what Poe meant, the situation with the Eghalists made him particularly nervous as soon as Finn used the Force.

"There's no one here but you."

"You don't know. The last thing we need is for someone here to betray us."

"I wouldn't mind a good fight if you ask me. I'm tired of these recruiting missions."

"It was your idea though!"

"Yes, but ..."

"Don't bother, I wasn't here for that. We need you, they broadcast a new announcement."

"Let me guess, it's bad."

"You have no idea."

They silently walked the two miles from the base of the hills, then went to the General's office where everyone was already there. Chewie greeted him with a growl, while his friends welcomed him with a glance for some and a nod for others. Only Jannah smiled warmly at him, and Finn responded in the same way.

Fortunately, his best friend's departure had been softened by the constant presence and support of his companion, and he praised the Force or whoever was in charge of his destiny for putting the young woman on his path.

Connix thanked them all for coming and launched the message on a holographic panel. A man materialized and silence fell in the office.

So, the Eghalist were officially allied with the New Order. There was nothing surprising in that, brooded Finn. They had managed to act in the shadows until they made people forget who they were, what side they were on at the beginning. Hiding their true intentions, and with a charismatic leader, the people seemed to have fallen for it. The Resistance had suspected this for months. Ever since that message they had sent to all the members of the UGS, causing panic among the new alliance and within the Resistance itself.

Finn could never forget the looks of hatred directed at Rey, or hers apparently indifferent, but the immense panic he had felt deep inside himself. Then Ben's outburst of rage.

The days following their escape had been terrible, the majority of the members of the Resistance demanded that they be hunted down, that they be handed over to ensure their survival. The UGS had not been much better, but Finn, Poe and the others had endured it for Rey, because what happened to her was unfair. They hadn't been as pragmatic about Ben, but since they both didn't want to be separated, it would have been out of the question to hand him over, no matter what their allies thought.

At the end of the message, as new threats against Rey and Ben were made, he was torn between pride that his friends were too smart to be found and fear that they would be eventually. An urge that had been bothering him for some time came back into his thoughts, and he looked for courage in Jannah's eyes to dare to say it out loud.

"I'm afraid we will have to leave Ohma D'un."

Poe's suggestion left Finn speechless. Not everyone else had the same reaction, and many protests arose in the room. The General quickly silenced them before continuing.

"We must face the facts, they will soon come for us. I'm even surprised that they haven't yet."

"Where will we go?" Jannah asked.

"We have some ideas," Connix answered. "Bases abandoned by the old Alliance for example. The Outer Rim and the Core Worlds are off the table with the Hutt Empire and the New Order, which doesn't make it easy for us. We are trying to get the support of our allies, but as you know, our relationship has been conflictual lately ... The UGS and especially Naboo still can't forgive us for letting Ben and Rey escape and not revealing their hiding place ...

"We will get back to you shortly, but be prepared to leave soon."

"Does anyone have any other news to share?"

Finn took the opportunity to finally say out loud what was bothering him.

"We should contact Ben and Rey and ask them to come back."

Like Poe's announcement a few minutes earlier, this one didn't leave anyone indifferent.

"What ?"

"Did you hear a word I just said?"

"Have you gone crazy?"

"The return of the last Jedi ..."

"You mean of the Emperor's descendant," cut Zorii, but Finn ignored her.

"... will bring hope to those who are afraid to oppose the New Order or the Eghalist!" He exclaimed as he tried to cover up the other protests.

"If they don't get killed before they reach us, someone will turn them in!"

"Not to mention their bounty!" added Connix.

"Exactly!" Said Poe, nodding vigorously. "I don't know if you've noticed, but it hasn't stopped increasing! It's going to attract all the freaks around if they reappear, I think we've got enough problems as it is, don't you?"

"How much this time," Finn asked softly.

"A million credits for Ben, and eight hundred thousand for Rey."

Zorii emitted an admiring whistle before addressing Finn.

"The false leads that Chewie, Lando, and I left lying around were no luxury, but don't be fooled, they're going to be caught eventually."

"Who could have financed such a bounty?"

"If they haven't already, they'll soon have every bounty hunter in the Galaxy on their tail."

"You said it yourself, the New Order will come looking for us too, a war is imminent! They have no more reason to hide, we will not obtain peace with the New Order! We could protect them, and with Ben and Rey by our side it can make a difference!"

"We will lose the last members we have left, that's the difference!"

"We haven't been able to recruit a single member for weeks, the last legions still free didn't want our offer, they don't trust us, we need Ben! We need Rey, we need their image! We need a legend!"

"A legend? But where were the legends when we needed them all these years, eh? Where were the Jedi, and the Force sensitives to help us against the First Order? We've been doing very well without them for a long time!"

Zorii put a hand on Poe's shoulder to calm him down, but he pulled away abruptly.

"Don't insist Finn! I forbid anyone to contact them!"

"But ..."

"I SAID NO, DAMN IT!"

/

/

Sorgan.

After her unexpected bath in the river, Ben had tried to make her forget her bad dreams in his own way, which involved lots of caresses and kisses. Then she had let him drop by the village to replenish their food supplies, while she napped in the still warm blankets of their embrace.

When he returned, a shadow seemed to hover over his face, and he prepared their meal in silence. Delicious as usual, she relished each of the many dishes laid out in front of her. He was pecking for his part, and she did not hesitate to take his leftovers as soon as he looked away.

"Is everything alright?" she asked after a while.

He nodded vigorously but the smile on his face didn't reach his eyes.

After lunch they separated to go about their business, and Rey found herself back in her workshop working on some repairs that had been waiting for too long. The worries of her dream were long gone by now. But this time it was Ben who seemed preoccupied. She soon heard him practicing with his saber, quite violently.

She let him until his anger was so intense that it swallowed her up in their bond. Rey then felt compelled to intervene before he hurt himself.

Since that day on Exegol where Rey had sent it to him, Ben had always used his mother's saber, he never took his uncle's, and by extension his grandfather's, lightsaber. He barely reacted when she used it to counter a blow that would probably have knocked down the pine tree he was fighting against. He turned around to attack another target, but there again, she countered him. He kept going for a few more hits, before she saw his hands tighten on the metal handle. Then finally he agreed to fight.

If he was calmer and more peaceful than she had ever seen him since they had fled from the Resistance, when he would take up a saber, Ben seemed to become Kylo Ren again. The way he turned, sliced through the air, broke everything in front of him, it was the Dark Jedi standing in front of her. But it didn't scare her. Not anymore.

In a way it was almost reassuring to see him like that, to see that he wasn't repressing anger, strong emotions, but that he accepted them and trusted her enough to let her witness them. As the months went by, his anger had finally subsided, but from time to time, memories came back to him, remorse and feelings of shame justified the need to exorcise the demons he had inside him.

She didn't know what was bothering him right now, he seemed to be doing everything he could to hide it from her in the bond. But she tried hard to give him all the help he unconsciously asked for. If she herself had needed gentleness a little earlier, he needed rage now, and she did so without hesitation, she knew he would never hurt her.

After yet another stunt, he looked into her eyes, and there were far too many emotions in them for Rey to grasp them all. Her own breathing accelerated, although it was for other reasons than the strenuous training.

Would she ever get tired of his dark and magnetic gaze? Would he have less impact on her over time? Probably not, she thought to herself as she turned off her saber.

Ben too was struggling to catch his breath and she closed her eyes, waiting for the moment when he would kiss her and pin her against a tree, or on the ground. But he didn't.

He also shut off his saber, then turned around and walked towards the house. Not wanting to let him mope any longer, she caught up with him and stood in front of him, then pushed him slightly as he tried to go around her.

"Are you finally going to tell me what's bothering you?"

His jaw contracted, a sign that she was annoying him prodigiously, but she didn't care. After a battle of glances that lasted a few long seconds, and an insistence in the bond, Ben seemed to give up.

"A Rodian came by the village yesterday. He killed Milto and Threrin."

Rey put a hand over her mouth to muffle the scream of horror that this announcement provoked. The fishermen were both fathers, good and generous men. They shouldn't have died.

"But ... why ..."

"A bounty hunter. The rest of the village managed to kill him before he took more victims but ... this is only the first of a long series ..."

"It's our fault ... We put them in danger ..."

"Your dreams more and more frequent, and now this ... something is coming Rey ..."

She caressed his cheek and he closed his eyes, giving in to her touch.

"I will never let anything happen to you, you know that?" He told her abruptly.

"I know," she reassured him. "Whatever happens, we will face it together."

He put his forehead on hers, and Rey caressed his shiny torso from his training. He hugged her, and as she held him tighter, they both suddenly stopped. The sizzling and then characteristic sound of an incoming communication was heard.

"Finn?" he asked.

"It's weird, he called us just two days earlier," says Rey.

"Let's go."

They rushed towards the ship as the sound became louder and louder.

"Finn," she shouted, pushing the button violently to answer.

"Rey! Ben!"

"We're here, what is it?"

"You must come back! We need you!"