Force Dyad
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A/N-thank you very much to everyone who kindly read and reviewed the last chapter.
Chapter Sixty-Six-Ajan Kloss
Ajan Kloss was a jungle moon located in the Cademimu sector of the Outer Rim Territories, orbiting the gas giant Ajara. Although Ajan Kloss was a moon, it had two moons of its own. Its gas giant shielded it from harmful radiation. After the formation of the New Republic, Ajan Kloss served as a quiet waypoint between Republic outposts. It also made it the perfect location for the new Resistance base.
The jungle resonated with life and Resistance scouts would routinely check for new species to be used in medicine, though the moist environment meant technicians had to work double-time to moisture proof electronics. In the past it had also served as a training ground for Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa at the latter's suggestion sometime after the Battle of Endor.
Luke was on the Resistance general's mind as she took a break from her pressing duties and strolled out into the open air. A small smile lit up her face as she reached out a hand and let her fingers trail through the ferns and broad-leafed creepers that lined her path. Ajan Kloss held so many good memories. Years ago, she'd trained there with Luke, who had declared it 'Nice Dagobah.' He'd claimed it was as wet, green and overflowing with life as the planet where he'd trained with Yoda-except it didn't smell bad.
As she became lost in the past, she unexpectedly came across Rey. The young jedi was sitting cross-legged, with her eyes closed. She appeared to be meditating, but in her quiet contemplation, had somehow ended up floating. Pebbles and small boulders hovered around her, like a field of asteroids orbiting the sun. The Force was strong with her.
Leia paused in her walk as she scrutinised the young woman from her sheltered position. She wondered if Rey was even aware she was there. Rey was frowning now, concentrating hard on something that only she could see. The Force flowed through her, buoyed her, connected her to everything. Leia sensed the mysterious energy field surrounding her, too. She stayed very still, unwilling to disturb Rey and break her concentration.
Suddenly Rey inhaled sharply through her nose, her eyes still closed. "I'm trying, Ben." She said testily to the empty air in front of her.
Leia's hand flew to her mouth in surprise. She had been so caught up in watching the young woman that she had failed to notice her son was nearby. Not prepared for a confrontation with her only child, she backed further under the umbrella of trees, her eyes moving back and forth as they scanned the immediate area, but to her confusion she could see no sign of him. How strange?
"Be with me, be with me, be with me." Rey murmured from a few feet away. She remained suspended in mid-air, chanting the words under her breath like a mantra.
The wind in the trees made the chirruping insects sound louder than normal. They were making it difficult for Leia to hear what Rey was muttering under her breath. She strained her ears, intrigued by what was playing out in front of her eyes.
Was this some kind of training exercise dreamed up by Ben? How was Rey communicating with him? There didn't seem to be any sign of a communication device within the immediate vicinity. Ben wasn't nearby, Leia knew she would have sensed his Force signature. He had to be a significant distance away. And yet Rey was still talking as if Ben was right in front of her.
Eyes still closed, Rey asked. "How did you know?"
Whatever the response was, it displeased her. She opened her eyes and turned her head slightly to glance over her shoulder. Leia's breath caught in her throat when she realised the irritated young jedi was looking right at her. She had no choice but to reveal herself.
"What are you doing all the way out here, General?" Rey's tone was barely polite as she faced forward and closed her eyes again.
"I was just having a stroll." Leia replied defensively.
"Ben seems to think you were spying on me." Rey answered.
Leia's expression morphed into one of indignation. "You can tell my son I was doing no such thing." She scoped the area uneasily, expecting to see her tall son striding out from underneath the trees. "Where is he?"
"He's at the landing zone with Hux, fixing a tear in one of the sensor scattering nets." Rey explained.
The Resistance had attached sensor scattering nets to the tops of trees. These nets prevented the starfighters from being detected if the First Order ever scanned Ajan Kloss.
Leia frowned. "Dameron was supposed to be supervising the repairs."
"It seems the former Commander thinks he's above such menial tasks. Rose couldn't spare anyone to help Hux, so Ben offered." Rey sighed, giving up on training for the day now her peace had been shattered. Peace and calm were key, Ben always said.
Leia tensed, feeling like there was an underlying criticism coming from Rey's direction concerning her waning authority over Poe. "I will be reprimanding Dameron for shirking his responsibilities, I can assure you. Ben shouldn't have stepped in, instead he should have come to me."
"Like you would have listened." Rey mumbled under her breath in exasperation.
"What did you say?" Leia demanded sharply.
"I was just wondering what made you walk in this direction. We're quite far away from the base." Rey said hastily to cover her lapse in manners. She didn't feel up to the challenge of trading barbs with the Resistance general.
"I could ask the same of you, but, if you must know I was thinking of my brother. Luke and I trained here." Leia felt the familiar moisture well up in her eyes when she said her twin's name. The grief was still very raw. "I miss him. As I expect you do."
Rey didn't acknowledge that part of her statement, instead she gazed at the older woman curiously. "Why did you give up training with Master Skywalker?" Her words came out too harsh, almost like a challenge.
Leia looked at Rey haughtily, she wasn't used to being treated with anything but deference. She was beginning to wonder if Rey was deliberately trying to push her buttons to get a rise out of her. "Another life called to me."
"How did you know?"
"A feeling. Visions. Of serving the galaxy in different ways."
"It must have been difficult…taking on all that extra responsibility when you had Ben to look after." Rey pressed.
"What are you insinuating exactly?" Leia narrowed her eyes slightly.
Rey arched one eyebrow. It seemed like she had hit a raw nerve. She hadn't intentionally meant to upset Ben's mother, but she couldn't help but gain some grim satisfaction that the Resistance general was unnerved by her line of questioning, especially since Leia had gone out of her way to avoid Ben since landing on Ajan Kloss. She had made no effort to reach out to her son at all, and that angered Rey.
"I treasured every moment I spent with my son." Leia continued. "Just like I treasured every moment I spent with my brother. The things he taught me…. I use them every day. Once you touch the Force, it's part of you always. There were times on the Senate floor when the meditations I'd practiced with Luke were the only thing that kept me from causing a galactic incident. I can see he has taught you well – "
Rey frowned. "Ben has taught me well." She corrected Leia.
Leia paused, her nostrils flaring slightly, the only outward sign that she was annoyed by Rey's impudence. "They both taught you well."
Rey was tiring of the conversation. Ben had warned her countless times it was a pointless exercise expecting any compassion from Leia Organa. It saddened Rey that he felt this way, she knew deep down he was hurting, but on the outside, he seemed to have reached a quiet acceptance that nothing was going to change regarding his troubled relationship with his mother.
"I don't want to hold you up, General." Rey said, giving up. She refocused and emptied her mind of worries, just as Ben had taught her. She cast out her awareness. Opened herself up to anything the Force might want to tell her. The first thing she felt was Ben's essence, hovering on the edge of her consciousness. Tentatively, she called for him: Ben?
"I'm here, sweetheart."
Rey's face relaxed into a smile when she heard his deep voice echo in the recesses of her mind. Their connection was growing stronger, they were discovering more about their deepening bond each day-telepathy being one of them.
"How did it go?"
A resigned sigh passed Rey's lips. "Not well. I let my mouth run away with me again."
"Its such a pretty mouth, too" Ben teased her lightly.
Rey's blush was like the opening of spring blossoms, she felt her heart flutter. It was taking her some time getting used to this new side of Ben. They hadn't openly admitted their burgeoning romance to anyone, though those closest to them were beginning to suspect something had shifted in their dynamics. They had come to a mutual agreement to keep their relationship on the down low for now. The romance was so new, they wanted to keep it all to themselves, didn't want to share it with anyone. There was such freedom in that, something thrilling about their secret trysts, yet also a powerful sense of being home, of belonging, of wishing to ever-stay. The secret of their strong bond, of how it formed over their lifetime. Pure hearts will do that, that's the way love is.
"You're blushing." Ben was amused.
"Shut up!" Rey felt her face grow warmer. "Your mother is still here. I can feel her watching me."
"Forget about her." Ben's voice deepened in pitch, becoming huskier. "I've got a surprise for you later."
"Another one?"
"We missed your birthday when we made our mad dash back from Ahch-to. Or had you forgotten?"
"I did." Rey exclaimed in disbelief. "I'm eighteen!"
A low chuckle escaped Ben. "Tonight, we celebrate."
"What did you have in mind?"
"You'll just have to wait and see, sweetheart." Ben's laughter faded into the background when their connection was severed as Leia's impatient voice broke Rey's concentration.
"Rey." Leia could put so much into a single word: chastisement, frustration, annoyance. In this case it was leaning more toward the latter. "How are you managing to communicate with my son?"
Rey opened her eyes and looked at the Resistance general. She wondered how Leia always managed to look so neat and tidy, no matter how muddy their makeshift base got. Leia's hair was pulled back into a circlet of braids, and she wore a quilted vest over a brown tunic. Alderaanian jewellery always dangled from her earlobes, wrapped her wrists and fingers. Her eyes were bright and knowing, but there was evidence of slowness in her movements, as though her responsibilities were becoming too much of a burden.
"I have to go, General." Rey said, avoiding answering the question. She grabbed her blast helmet and leapt to her feet. "I'm going to run the rest of the training course. So, if you'll excuse me…" She dashed deeper into the jungle without a further word.
A/N-thanks for reading! Please review.