To Move the Stars
Chapter 4: Temporary Ceasefire
"Would you please pass the zwil?"
Rey plastered on the politest smile she could manage and passed the zwil jar to the prince sitting across from her. Ben Organa-Solo had that peculiar ability to get her angry with a single word, and she was trying her hardest to keep it from happening again. Especially after the banquet the night before.
Palpatine cleared his throat from across the table. "It certainly is a lovely morning, is it not?"
Rey directed another polite smile and nod at her grandfather, eying Ben to see what his reaction would be. They were seated on a back terrace of the palace of Coruscant, and the cloudy, smog-filled atmosphere of the planet was undoubtedly less than agreeable to someone from Alderaan.
Ben looked equally polite as he replied, "Lovely, Your Excellency."
Rey gritted her teeth and fought back the sneer that threatened to form on her lips. She was infuriated, burning up on the inside, knowing that Hux – Hux, of all people – was in Corellia as they spoke, undoing every negotiation she had worked so hard on. It could be her, and it should have been her; yet here she sat, twittering away the morning and trying not to glare daggers at Ben.
He seemed tense as well, if his posture was anything to judge by. He had spent the whole evening of the banquet putting on a façade of charm and ease, but Rey could tell just by looking at him now that he was anything but comfortable. She fought back a smirk; at least she wasn't the only one who was miserable.
"I regret that I will not be able to accompany you on your tour this morning, Your Highness," Palpatine was saying, "but I'm afraid I have a multitude of other affairs to attend to. However, I know that you will be in excellent hands with Adreyna. She has an aptitude for showing guests the highlights of Coruscant. I trust that you will find your time with her very pleasant, and very educational."
Rey could sense Ben's unease at Palpatine's speech. She didn't dare try to delve into his thoughts – he would sense it immediately, and her Force stealth would be all for nothing. Still, his discomfort was almost tangible.
"Of course," Ben agreed stiffly, trying to seem casual. "I've been looking forward to seeing the sights of Coruscant… particularly after hearing Rey's description of them last night."
Rey locked eyes with Ben, letting her saucy smirk counter the icy thoughts running through her mind. "I'm afraid my descriptions can't do them justice. It's only once you see Coruscant for yourself that you can truly appreciate it."
"Of course," Ben said again. Rey could feel him nudging around in her thoughts, pushing for any sort of advantage he might have over her. Rey shut him out of her mind firmly, not caring if he seemed startled at the abrupt change.
Palpatine nodded in approval. "Well, then, I see no reason to delay your excursion any longer. Adreyna, Your Highness, if you will excuse me." Palpatine rose from the table, flanked by two of his striking red-robed guards.
Ben stood as well and nodded his goodbye to Palpatine, then took his seat again. The table was small and crowded, and Rey noted how Ben's eye twitched nervously as he took a sip of his fruit juice. She could feel herself slipping back into her element now that they were relatively alone, save a few guards lining the terrace nearby. Rey mentally shut her frustrations over the Corellia situation into another compartment of her mind, taking on the alluring persona that she always used around the men she dealt with.
"What would you like to see first, Ben?" she finally asked, breaking the quiet atmosphere.
Ben swallowed thickly, flicking his eyes to hers and then over her shoulder. "I'm at your mercy, duchess."
Rey's lips turned up at the corner. "Oh, that's hardly true. You're the guest of honor, after all. I'm entirely at your disposal."
"The guest of honor?" Ben repeated, raising an eyebrow. "That was last night. It's morning now, and I'm just a dazed and confused houseguest in the grand palace of Coruscant."
Rey chuckled, keeping her tone light. "You're the guest of honor as long as the Chancellor says you are."
Ben cocked his head to the side at her comment. He wasn't trying to be winsome anymore, just making casual conversation tinged with curiosity. "May I ask a question, Your Grace?"
"I told you last night, it's Rey. And yes, ask whatever you wish."
Ben nodded. "Your grandfather," he stated. "You always call him 'the Chancellor.' Never any sort of family title or nickname. Is that a Naboo custom?"
Rey could feel her jaw tightening, her pulse stepping up a notch. Ben didn't even have to try to agitate her; he did it without even knowing. "No," she replied, keeping her voice steady. "I've always called him that. It's a habit from growing up around senators and diplomats. It's not respectable to call him 'Grandfather' or 'Granddad' in a professional setting, don't you think?"
Ben shook his head. "I never even considered it. My mother is the queen, and I've always called her 'mom' no matter who I'm talking to."
Rey took a sip of her own juice, giving a subtle shrug. "I certainly am no expert on the subject. I suppose everyone has a different custom for their family members."
Ben nodded, seeming unsatisfied with the answer, but he didn't push it any further. Rey was glad for that – if there was one topic she didn't want to go into so early in the morning, it was her hatred for Palpatine and her desire to pretend they weren't related.
"I thought we'd save the Jedi Temple for last," Rey remarked, changing the subject. "Sort of a grand finale for your tour. That is, if you think you can wait that long."
"I'll force myself through it," Ben quipped. "I can't tell you how long I've been waiting to see the Jedi Temple. It's been a fascination for me since I was a little boy. My uncle – my master, that is – has told me stories about the Old Republic and the Jedi Council and the massacre from the beginning of my training. It's been my dream to see it in person."
"Then see it you shall," Rey informed him, forcing down her last swallow of juice. "Along with every other highlight we can fit into one morning of sightseeing."
Ben nodded with a slight smile, fixing his eyes on the table. Rey could sense his discomfort, but Ben seemed to have something else that he wanted to say, so she stayed quiet until he could get it off his tongue. The sounds of the bustling city below the balcony were muted enough to keep the atmosphere peaceful, and Rey let her eyes close as a smooth gale of wind ghosted over their table.
When she opened her eyes a few seconds later, Ben was looking at her discretely. "I want to apologize," Ben said immediately. "I've been very combative ever since I arrived, which is extremely improper considering my station and your generous invitation for me to stay here." He cleared his throat nervously but didn't take his eyes off hers. "It's in my nature to argue, I suppose. Both of my parents have a belligerent streak, and I inherited it, unfortunately."
Rey suddenly wished she could delve into his mind, just to know what angle he was working from and what he wanted from her, but she kept cool and fluttered her eyelashes at him. "There's no need for an apology, Ben. I've been just as combative and unwelcoming to you, despite you being my guest and my respected equal. If one of us should apologize, it should be myself."
Ben gazed at her steadily, and Rey purposely blocked him from intruding on her mind's whirling thoughts. "We'll call it even, then," Ben conceded. "We're both at fault."
"And we're both sorry. There's no more to be said, then?"
"No more to be said," Ben agreed, leaning back in his chair. Rey still sensed that he wanted to say something more, something about their connection through the Force, but she couldn't risk having him bring it up yet. They had the entire morning to spend together, and Rey would need every bit of advantage she could muster over him. Keeping his mind occupied was the most important trump card she had on Ben.
Rey nodded firmly and flashed Ben her most dazzling smile. "Well, are you ready to get started?" she asked, feeling his mind draw out of her own.
Ben smiled back at her, a little less dazzling but just as mysterious. "Lead the way, Your Royal."
"We call this the Grand Corridor," Rey told Ben, waving a nonchalant hand at the most beautifully decorated room Ben had ever seen. "The walls are made of cortosis, which, as I'm sure you know, is used in the construction of lightsabers."
Ben could only manage a slight nod as he gazed around the great hall, awestruck and wordless. His work as a diplomat had taken him to dozens of palaces and bungalows, each of them more elaborate than the simple palace of Alderaan, but Ben had never seen anything like the palace of Coruscant. He and Rey stood in the front portion of the Grand Corridor, not far from the entry hall that Ben had first come through upon his arrival. The walls were made of the deepest black stonework and sprinkled with small, red-tinted glass windows that cast beautiful reflections and shadows throughout the open, sun-drenched hall. The ceiling itself was so high that Ben could hardly catch a glimpse of it.
"What kind of trees are these?" Ben asked, glancing at the carefully trimmed trees that lined both sides of the open hallway. The leaves reflected a lovely turquoise hue that Ben recognized from pictures in books.
Rey lifted an elegant eyebrow. "Ch'hala trees. They are only found on the planet Cularin. Each tree was imported here many centuries ago, during the days of the Old Republic."
"Ch'hala trees," Ben echoed. "They change colors with different sound vibrations, correct?"
"Correct. The trees make excellent spies."
Ben stopped short at that. "Spies?"
Rey laughed, letting the musical sound echo off the walls and transform the ch'hala leaves to a darker blue color. "I'm joking. The Chancellor has always insisted that one day we'll glean some invaluable shred of information from these trees, but confidentially, I think it will take more than a colorful leaf to make a spy out of a plant."
Ben cracked a smile at that as well, falling into step next to Rey as he continued surveying the Grand Corridor. "Is there such a shortage of spies in Coruscant that the Chancellor wants to rely on trees for espionage?" he asked, keeping his tone light so as not to sound suspicious.
Rey tossed him a pointed look but made her words civil. "Of course not. Coruscant is in no danger of falling prey to spies. We are a fortified planet, in more ways than one. Any spy would have more than a colorful little forest to contend with if he tried to double-cross us."
Something in Rey's voice made Ben pause, holding back the words that fought to spring off his tongue. She knows, he sensed for a moment, but he quickly pushed the fear aside. There was no possible way she could know that he was a spy. If she did, he would already be packed off on a ship back to Alderaan, or worse, locked in a cell in Coruscant's dungeons.
Ben and Rey continued their stroll through the Grand Corridor, which wrapped around the entire palace complex. Rey kept a running commentary going as they passed each room, and Ben was grateful for the numerous distractions that kept him from getting too focused on the lilt of her voice or the fiery sparks that lit her eyes. She was dressed more casually than the two other times he had seen her; her embroidered tunic was encircled by a leather belt, and her flowing skirt reached only the tops of her ankles, revealing her practical leather shoes. Still, her very presence was distracting, and keeping his focus on the surroundings was the only way Ben could keep his detached demeanor. Rey was dangerous, he kept reminding himself, and he couldn't risk giving her any advantage over him.
"This is our aviary," Rey explained, pointing at an airy, glass-walled room on their left. Purplish, sail-winged creatures hung upside down from a variety of branches and twigs inside. "We keep our hawk-bats in there. They are one of our two last native species to Coruscant. The Chancellor likes to serve hawk-bat meat at his fanciest occasions."
Ben smirked down at her. "Are you trying to tell me that I ate hawk-bat meat last night?"
Rey gave him an equally teasing look. "Perhaps I shouldn't say."
Ben shook his head and laughed. "I'm not so uncivilized that I can't try something new. I certainly can't complain about any of the food from the banquet."
"Good thing. The kitchens are in the next room over, and I wouldn't recommend upsetting our chef while he has a meat cleaver in his hand."
"Do you really think he could pose a threat to a Jedi knight?"
"If you want to push your luck, feel free," Rey replied softly, "but I'd advise you to keep the peace around here."
Ben nodded, sensing a double meaning to her casual words but keeping it to himself. They continued walking down the corridor, passing a variety of servants and Republic officers on the way. Rey occasionally commented on the sights they passed, but Ben couldn't help but notice the looks he and Rey received from the people who passed them. The servants, dressed in colorful uniformed robes, gave subtle nods of respect to Rey, refusing to meet her eyes and speeding their steps to pass her more quickly. Even the uniformed army officials seemed discomforted by her presence, straightening their shoulders and giving her curt nods as they passed. Rey kept her chin lifted high, barely acknowledging them.
Her coldness was nearly suffocating, and Ben let his mind drift away from Rey's tour-guide commentary to observe the dynamics around him. A young servant girl, dressed in traditional Coruscant regalia, passed by Rey, keeping her eyes fastened on the floor as she offered the tiniest nod. Ben studied her face, noting her fearful eyes and trembling hands as she passed the grand duchess.
Ben chanced a look at Rey then, absently noting her comments on the paintings they were passing. She barely showed any sign of recognition for the people they passed, letting her eyes ghost over them as if they were rats scurrying under her feet. Ben's lips curled up to the side in disgust – a memory of how kindly Leia treated her own servants sprung into his mind, juxtaposed sharply with the ice-cold royal next to him.
"Don't you think so?" Rey finished, turning suddenly coy eyes on him. Ben gave her a blank look, realizing that he hadn't heard a word she said, and Rey sighed impatiently. Ben managed to nod unconvincingly, and their walk continued in silence.
I've got to step it up, Ben thought. I'm not going to get anywhere at this rate. He could sense Rey's annoyance, her desire to speed things up so she could get away from him faster, but her calm posture and stony expression betrayed little to him. She's got a politician's poker face, no question.
Ben and Rey walked only a short distance further before they came to their next stop. Rey put her smile back on and gave him a look that made his heart beat unfortunately fast. "Perhaps you'll be more interested in this section of the palace," she said in a low voice, and Ben merely raised an eyebrow in response, careful not to provoke her.
Rey took the first step through a doorway, and Ben followed only one step behind. Suddenly, all thoughts of Rey and his mission vanished again as he was overwhelmed by the sight before him.
They were standing on a bridge which stretched several hundred feet across, overlooking a mesmerizing garden below. The manicured squares, colorful flowerbeds, and geometric trees made up the most beautiful patchwork of plants Ben had ever seen. More plants than he knew existed stretched from wall to wall, on and on in a room bigger than Leia's throne room. A crystal fountain carved in the shape of a Twi'lek girl stood in the very center of the gardens, its water shifting between silver, gold, and pale blue as it flowed. A glance straight up told Ben that the place was a kind of greenhouse, with a large domed ceiling that displayed the blue sky.
Rey was watching his reaction, leaning against the railing of the bridge with her mouth in a smirk. "I'm guessing I was right?"
Ben realized that he had been staring at the gardens for several moments in pure awe. It was simply awe-inspiring in a way he couldn't have imagined. He gave Rey another blank look and asked, "I'm sorry, what was the question?"
Rey laughed, and the sound echoed off the glass walls. "Doesn't matter – you answered it." She cocked her head to the side and glanced up and down at him. "Don't you have gardens in Alderaan?"
Ben looked back over the edge of the bridge, trying to soak up the beauty of the area. "None like this," he admitted. "It's… it's entrancing."
"I agree." Ben felt Rey step closer to him, caught a scent of her dusky perfume, and switched his mind to focus on anything but her. She knew what kind of effect she was having on him, he guessed – and he couldn't give her that advantage.
Ben turned, just enough to put space between them, and glanced just over her head. "Is it usually busy in here?"
"No," Rey told him. "We have meetings with dignitaries in here sometimes, just to put people at ease, but generally it's very quiet."
Ben nodded thoughtfully. "And is that what you're trying to do? Put me at ease?"
A slow smile spread across Rey's face at that, and Ben felt a chill run up the back of his spine as she lifted her chin to look at him more closely. "Maybe I am." Her smile shifted into the smirk Ben was becoming very familiar with. "Do I make you nervous?"
"Only a little," Ben said softly.
She laughed at that. "I'm sorry."
Ben shrugged slightly, determined not to show her any weakness she might exploit. "No need to be. I'm always nervous around a politician."
"And why is that?"
He grinned at her, ready to see her reaction. "Because I never know for sure what's real and what's just an act to buy my vote."
She was looking up at him through her eyelashes, trying hard to make him lose his train of thought. "Why would I need to buy your vote?" she asked softly, her voice barely more than a whisper.
"I don't know yet," Ben answered her honestly.
Rey's expression still didn't betray her thoughts, but Ben could immediately sense the shift in her mind. Just a hint of apprehension, the fear of being caught… Rey shut him out just as quickly as he had begun to read her emotions, and Ben made sure not to show his surprise. So she was playing at something more, just as he had suspected.
"One more stop," she announced, taking a step back out of his personal space. "And then we'll get to the Jedi Temple."
Ben nodded, sensing that Rey was feeling the effects of their strange emotional bond the way he was. "Anything you say."
Rey was going to have to be careful.
She knew how dangerous a dyad bond with her sworn enemy and espionage subject would be. Palpatine had made it perfectly clear that there would be a special connection between her and Ben, and Rey had been working doubly hard to keep her Force-stealth walls operational.
But there was just something about him and the way he kept prodding around in her mind for clues. He was up to something, she knew that beyond a doubt, but he had her at a disadvantage – he could experiment with reading her thoughts and feelings as much as he wanted, while she couldn't even nudge his mind without betraying her Force sensitivity.
As she walked next to Ben down yet another corridor, Rey pondered on Ben's strange behavior. He was completely unpredictable – taunting her, baiting her, flirting with her, and being flustered by her in equal measures – and Rey found it almost impossible to read the usual signals. As a politician, she prided herself on reading people so she could manipulate them, but Ben Organa-Solo was no ordinary man.
Even now, she struggled to keep her mind focused on the task at hand. She sensed that Ben was struggling with the same thing and had been all morning, but at least she had the advantage of knowing what was causing it. Rey could only imagine what Ben must be thinking about their bond.
Rey's hard-soled shoes clicked against the floor as they walked, and she pointedly caught the eye of an older servant woman who was passing by with an armful of folded cloths. The woman was looking at Ben with a sense of bewilderment, but as soon as she noticed Rey's glare, she glanced back down at her work and passed in silence.
Ben didn't say a word, but Rey could sense his discomfort at her actions. Still, why shouldn't she let the servants know who was in command? It was the only way she knew to express her strength to them.
A soft scuttling sound reached Rey's ears, and she tossed a glance over her shoulder to see what the noise was. A wide grin stretched itself across her face as she turned around to the hallway behind them.
"Mouse!" she greeted the little utility droid as it rolled towards her, beeping happily. MSE-6 turned in a small circle as Rey stooped down and reached to fix his antenna, just as she always did when she saw him. A few more beeps let her know the droid was on his way to the maintenance facilities.
Rey could feel Ben's eyes on her as she straightened back up to her full height. "This is MSE-6," she informed him. "A maintenance droid for the palace. We call him Mouse."
Ben couldn't keep an amused smile from crossing his face at that, and he turned his face towards Mouse to give the little droid a formal nod. "I'm honored to make your acquaintance, Mouse."
The droid spun in a little circle again, offering a few quiet whistles in response. Rey smiled and turned to resume their walk, but Mouse edged forward again, approaching Ben cautiously yet curiously.
Rey narrowed her eyes, not sure what was about to happen, but suddenly feeling defensive over her little droid friend. Mouse edged just a bit closer, then whistled again to Ben, softly enough to barely be heard.
"He's asking what kind of machine you have," Rey started, but Ben cut in before she could finish.
"He asked what kind of weapon I'm carrying. I think he means my lightsaber." Ben knelt down to the floor, reaching back onto his belt and unclipping his lightsaber. Rey watched, intrigued by his actions, as Ben held the saber handle delicately, offering it up for Mouse to see clearly. The droid whistled a third time, this time in appreciation for such a fine artifact.
Rey bit back a caustic remark at Ben's correction of her, knowing that agitating him would be an unwise decision. She couldn't help the way he effortlessly riled her up, though, and seeing how easily he got along with her droid – and how Mouse was captivated by Ben's presence – made Rey's blood boil in a way she didn't like at all.
Mouse had just extended a retractable rod towards the lightsaber when Rey broke in, "You probably shouldn't let him touch that. Droids can be unpredictable."
Ben glanced up at her, raising an eyebrow in surprise. Mouse merely tapped on the lightsaber's handle before collapsing his rod, beeping loudly and spinning in several circles to show his excitement. Ben laughed at that, seeming to be genuinely amused by the droid.
"I wouldn't have let him hurt it," Ben assured her, standing and clipping the saber back onto his belt. "A Jedi's weapon is his life."
Rey let his words sink in, nodding calmly as her lips quirked to the side. "Maybe you should be a bit more mindful of your life, then," she remarked, beginning to walk down the hallway again as Mouse scurried away to the maintenance facilities. Ben fell into step next to her again. "You certainly seem well-versed in droid communication," she added. "Most people can't understand Mouse ever since his circuits got fried."
Ben laughed a little at that, his defensiveness not quite so pointed now. "I have a friend back home who runs a droid repair joint. He's brilliant at fixing them. Mouse reminds me of his droid – a little BB unit with a permanent case of confusion." Ben paused, collecting his thoughts. "Actually, you've met him. General Poe Dameron. He visited here on a diplomatic mission a few weeks ago."
"Indeed he did," Rey responded. "He raised quite a stir with his… audacity."
"That's Poe all right – audacious and memorable."
"Somehow he didn't strike me as the mechanic type. You're a close friend of his?"
"Yes," Ben smiled, and Rey immediately sensed a gap in his defenses. "We've been like brothers all our lives."
Now that's a piece of information I can use, Rey thought to herself. "How charming. And you have no brothers or sisters of your own, correct?"
Ben nodded cautiously, apparently remembering who he was talking to. "That's right. Neither do you, correct?"
"I do not," Rey confirmed, shouldering past an army official who had stopped to let her pass. "My parents died when I was five years old, so the Chancellor is my only family member left."
"I'm sorry," Ben offered, a hint of sincerity in his voice. "I'd heard that your parents died, but I didn't know you were so young."
Rey tossed her head a little, just to show him she didn't care. "I barely even remember them. Matters little to me now, though. I wouldn't be where I am now if the Chancellor hadn't raised me."
Ben's surprise at her calloused answer was obvious, but he didn't let on in his words. "I can understand that."
As they approached the last stop Rey wanted to make, she decided to play a bit of charm, just to get things going again. "Ben," she said abruptly, setting a hand on his arm to stop him and watching the way his eyes widened at her touch. "I know I've apologized about yesterday already, but I am truly sorry about the things I said about your father. I was completely out of line."
Ben watched her carefully, seeming to ponder his next words carefully. "That's true," he affirmed, "but the apology is appreciated. The things you said were true, but I'm proud of my father. Han Solo is the greatest hero I have, least of all because of where he came from."
Rey gave him an admiring smile. "I would imagine so. I have great respect for anyone who can become a success despite their background."
Ben opened his mouth to respond, but he bit the words back. "So do I," he finally said, looking ahead at the doorway in front of them.
"Are you ready to see the Senate Chamber?" Rey asked him, deciding that a subject change was wise. Ben's eyes widened to an almost comical degree, and he glanced between the huge doorway and Rey several times.
"You're taking me to see the Senate?" he asked in amazement.
Rey laughed. "I told you I was going to give you the grand tour. And what's grander than the Senate Chamber itself?"
Ben couldn't get any more words out, just gaped at the doorway and nodded. Sensing an opportunity, Rey reached one hand up and tucked it into Ben's elbow, walking arm-in-arm together through the arched doorway as if they were entering a gala.
The Senate Chamber was the most magnificent sight Ben had seen yet, and that was no small accomplishment. Each room Rey took him to seemed to overwhelm him, but he could feel chills running up and down his spine as he stepped into the Senate Chamber for the first time.
"If I've heard about the Jedi Temple a thousand times," Ben breathed, reverently in the silent auditorium, "then I've heard about this place ten thousand times."
Ben felt Rey give his elbow a gentle squeeze – why did she have to be so kriffing close? – but his senses were finally more overwhelmed with what he was seeing than who he was with.
Somehow, the holograms Ben had seen didn't do the Senate Chamber justice. It was big, bigger than he could ever have imagined it to be, and stacked ceiling-high with more repulsorpods than could be counted. The chamber resembled a flower, Ben thought, a metallic flower with thousands of petals. It took his breath away.
"Your mother was one of the greatest senators ever to grace this hall," Rey whispered to him, as if the silence that blanketed the chamber was reason enough to be quiet. Ben looked over at her for the first time since they arrived, raising a skeptical eyebrow at Rey's sudden praise of his mother. "Just because I disagree with some of Queen Organa's politics," Rey clarified with a smirk, "doesn't mean I can't recognize her talent and impact on the Senate while she was here. She was the most spirited and well-loved senator who has ever represented a system – short of Padmé Amidala, of course," she added gloatingly.
Ben tore his eyes away from the vast sea of repulsorpods and turned to face Rey squarely. "Don't you think you're a bit biased?" he baited her.
"Why? Because I'm from Naboo?"
"Maybe."
Rey gave him a mischievous look but nodded thoughtfully. "Maybe. Nonetheless, Senator Amidala made our Republic what it is today."
Ben raised an eyebrow and turned to walk in the opposite direction, still letting his eyes take in the sheer magnitude of the chamber as he spoke. "If my mother spoke correctly, the Chancellor and Senator Amidala rarely agreed on policy and implementation."
"That's true," Rey conceded, following him. "They had very different approaches, but they had the same end goal."
Ben glanced over his shoulder at her. "Galactic monopoly?"
"Peace," Rey said firmly, and he turned to face her again, feeling the familiar spark of conflict bubbling between them again. "A desire for all the galaxy to be united in peaceful accord. That was what Senator Amidala stood for – a peaceful solution to the chaos and disorder that plagues the galaxy. The Chancellor has different methods, but that end goal is what he strives for as well."
Ben scoffed, taking a step closer to her. "Can you explain why he thinks garrisoning troops in every independent system and planet is a good pathway to that peace?"
"How else to keep miscreants and lawbreakers in their place?" Rey's eyes gave off sparks. "The people have proven that they do not have the capability to keep order in their own systems. As their leaders, it's our responsibility to see to it that they don't destroy themselves!"
"Troops aren't the answer," Ben said in a low voice. "Armies aren't the answer. My mother has been saying this since the beginning. The disorder you're seeing in the Outer Rim is the direct result of the threat of this Sith Lord who has been terrorizing them. Get rid of the Sith, and you eliminate the majority of the unrest in the wilder parts of the galaxy."
"And that's the magical solution?" Rey said mockingly, tossing her head. "Hunt down one criminal, and you somehow silence the rest?"
Ben fought the urge to shake her, to somehow force her to see what was so obvious to him. "That's an awfully broad answer from a politician. Are you sure you're not getting comfortable with this Sith Lord's ways?"
Rey's face contorted, becoming a mask of rage and offense. "What are you implying by that?" she demanded.
Ben's answer was on the tip of his tongue, and it took every ounce of his strength not to let loose the most biting insult he could think of. He could read her thoughts, though, and he knew that one insult was all it would take to push them over the edge again. He needed her confidence too much to let that happen.
"Nothing," he finally said, letting out a long breath. "I'm just… letting off steam, I guess. It's not your fault the Sith hasn't been caught yet."
Rey gave him a strange look then, halfway between suspicion and intrigue, and all the rage Ben had sensed building in her suddenly dissipated. "You're right. It isn't my fault. Neither is it yours."
If you only knew how important that statement was, Ben thought. "Of course."
Rey took one more look deep into his eyes, so deep that Ben wondered how she would ever find her way out. Then she slowly stepped back out of his space and let her gaze drift around the room. Ben did the same, trying to put his boiling emotions to the side and focus on where he was. He was standing in the Senate Chamber – the legendary Senate Chamber where his own mother had voiced her opinions and stood for justice – and Ben knew he needed to be worthy of that.
Ben took one last look around the chamber, trying to drink it all in, before looking over at Rey, who was still staring distractedly around the grand auditorium. "Thank you for bringing me here."
Rey nodded to him. "No tour of Coruscant would be complete without seeing the Senate Chamber."
"Indeed," Ben agreed, casting his eyes around the chamber. "I've never seen its equal in all my travels. It seems I have a great deal to learn about the beauty of the galaxy and its planets."
"There is beauty to be found in anything, if one looks closely enough." Rey's words were soft, and Ben glanced at her once more. Her face was softened as well, and he sensed a change in her mood. "I've found that wherever I go, I can find some small thing to treasure and appreciate, no matter how foul the city or wasted the land. Every darkness has its diamond."
Ben found it difficult to respond to Rey's sudden philosophical meandering. He doubted that she was being honest with him; the ice-hearted politician seemed to have no soft spots. Except for the little droid, he remembered. Ben knew that he couldn't trust her, but he could certainly pretend to.
"I seem to have discovered that myself," he remarked, glancing at her briefly and catching her eye. "Coming here on my own was something of a plunge into darkness, but I have found a great deal of beauty in Coruscant already. I would be lying if I said I could see no beauty in you, duchess."
Rey only smirked at that. "You wouldn't be the first to say it. I'm not interested in superficial compliments, Ben."
"I didn't mean it to be superficial," he continued, knowing he was probably going in over his head too quickly. "I see beauty in you beyond the physical. It would be a lie to say I agree with you on most subjects, but I admire your tenacity and your intelligence. It's a refreshing change to be able to speak with someone who is passionate about a cause and who isn't so diplomatic that they can't have a good old-fashioned argument about it."
Rey laughed, looking so striking that Ben had to brush his superficial thoughts aside with a purpose. "I must agree with you there, Ben. I think I enjoy quarreling with you because you aren't afraid to quarrel back. Politicians and diplomats can be quite tiresome when it comes to debating. Please don't mistake my aggression as dislike," she added, her voice dropping a few notes. "I actually find you… quite stimulating, if you'll pardon me for being forward."
Ben felt his heart start pounding, his throat suddenly feeling tighter than before. Why had he started this? Rey could match him compliment for compliment, flirtation for flirtation, and never feel a single bit of the fallout. He, on the other hand, was finding it impossible not to be captivated by her. He didn't even dare nudging her mind, as his own was suddenly filled with thoughts he wished he could silence. It was almost enough to make him forget the malicious look she had given him the night before.
"That… is most generous of you," Ben confessed, trying to recover without her noticing. "I only hope I can be worthy of the attention you give me."
She smirked again, raising an eyebrow and his temperature. "Have you seen enough of the Senate Chamber, or shall we linger a bit longer?"
Ben swallowed hard, envious of her ease at changing the subject while he was still reeling from the first. "Uh, yes," he started. "That is, as much as I'd love to explore the Senate Chamber a little more, I'm quite anxious to see the Jedi Temple."
"I can remedy that," Rey replied, grinning. "Shall we go?"
Rey gripped the steering controls of her ship just a bit tighter, running her thumb over the knob absently. Even miles in the air, traveling through air traffic at a speed higher than most pilots would prefer, Rey found Ben distracting in a very disconcerting way.
"I didn't realize you were a pilot, too," Ben remarked from the seat next to her. He had been quiet as she led him into her ship's cockpit, his surprise evident as she took control of the seat next to him.
"Most people are surprised. I find it's a good skill to have, with all the different places I go and the hostile people I encounter. I greatly dislike placing my life in someone else's hands."
Ben didn't respond right away, but she noticed his impressed nod. "I feel the same way."
"Is that why you became a Jedi?" Rey queried, keeping a hint of innocent curiosity in her voice as she changed lanes in the hectic air traffic.
Ben stiffened ever-so-slightly at her question, and Rey reminded herself that questions about his work as a Jedi were probably pushing her luck a bit – at least at this stage of their relationship.
He cleared his throat. "I became a Jedi because I wanted to be like my uncle. Master Organa is truly a brilliant mind and a master of the Force. Seeing how powerful yet humble he was… well, I guess you could say it inspired me. I saw how he handled violent situations and aggressive politicians with a lot of grace, and I wanted to be able to do the same." Ben opened his mouth as if to say more, but he changed his mind.
And also because you're the strongest Force-user in the galaxy next to me? Rey was dying to ask, but she slid into a practiced smile instead. "Lovely reasoning, Ben. I wish everyone had as noble a reason for going into their line of work."
"I'm not a Jedi by trade," he corrected her. "My primary work comes from my duties as the prince of Alderaan. My mother and I are the only two members of the family who fulfill royal roles in galactic affairs."
Rey glanced at him in surprise. "No one else? Not even your uncle or your father?"
"Master Organa abdicated the throne in favor of becoming the Grand Jedi Master. My dad, well… he'd much rather run a ferry from Alderaan than have anything to do with politics," Ben laughed, and Rey shared a genuine chuckle with him.
"I see," she responded. "And you believe that you will be able to maintain your lifestyle as a Jedi even after you inherit Queen Organa's throne?"
Ben hesitated. "As I said before, I see no reason why a king of Alderaan could not also be a Jedi knight. The two lifestyles are not mutually exclusive, as many might believe."
Rey nodded, keeping her eyes focused on the ships around her and her mind focused on blocking him out. He was still gently nudging at her thoughts, clearly trying to explore the strange connection they shared. His confusion at their bond was almost humorous, Rey thought, since he could have no way of knowing that they were a dyad in the Force.
"A Jedi king would be something new on the political scene," Rey remarked. "I should quite like to see it in action."
Ben turned his head to gaze out the window next to him. "Believe me, I'm in no hurry to become king yet."
Interesting, Rey thought, new ideas shooting through her mind at the speed of lightning. "Is that so?" She let her tone become a shade smoother, trying to lure him into looking at her again. "You have doubts about your suitability as a ruler?"
"No," he said firmly, turning to face her again as she had hoped. "I have received a great deal of training to prepare me for my future as a king. My mother is the greatest example of a ruler that I could ever hope to have. When the time comes, I will take my place as king of Alderaan, and I have no fears that I will be unsuitable as a ruler for my people." He paused, then added, "I simply said that I'm in no hurry."
Rey couldn't hide the genuine surprise that crossed her face. Ben spoke with an incredible level of conviction and honesty, something she suspected he had little control over. He would make a poor politician, Rey realized, but he would be a king trusted and respected by his subjects.
"There is no shame in wanting to learn more about one's trade before beginning a new chapter of life," Rey said quietly. "I'm sure you will learn much before your time comes."
The cockpit fell silent for several moments, the bustling and humming of thousands of ships outside doing little to break the silent tension between Rey and Ben.
"And what about you?" Ben asked at length, his voice somewhere between cautious and curious. "Your grandfather is a very old man and has ruled singlehandedly as Grand Chancellor for many decades. Are you ready to take his place?"
Rey snapped her head to give him a pointed look. "Who says I'm going to take his place?"
Ben raised his eyebrows. "Who else? I know the position of Chancellor isn't one that is passed down through families, but it seems you've secured your political position to ascend Palpatine's power when he's gone."
Rey could hear alarm bells going off in her own brain, telling her that Ben was probing too deeply for her liking. Her mind wasn't open to him; that was for certain. Which left only one option – his mere observations of her were far too accurate.
"I am ready to take whatever position my duty demands," Rey said carefully. "My duties as Grand Duchess and foreign diplomat have kept me more than occupied, and I see no reason why that should change if the Chancellor – well, if power shifted."
"Then you're not hoping to become the next Grand Chancellor?" Ben tested her.
Rey threw him a flippant smile. "Even if I was, do you think I would tell you or anyone else?"
Ben gazed at her a moment longer, obviously measuring her words for an angle, but he slowly returned her smile, nodding in acceptance. "Point taken, my lady."
Their silence relapsed, a bit more comfortably this time. "So what do you get out of this arrangement, Ben?" Rey asked.
"Arrangement?"
"You're here under the guise of courting me," she said plainly, noting Ben's posture stiffen again. "Politically-arranged courtships lead to arranged marriages. I highly doubt you came here because you thought I was your dream girl, which means you or someone outranking you decided that marrying me would be an advantage to you. What do you get out of this arrangement?" she repeated.
Ben stayed very still, not betraying his apparent nervousness by twitching. Rey didn't goad him any more, waiting for his response as he stared straight ahead at the heavy air traffic.
"I don't know," he said, honesty saturating his words. "This arrangement wasn't my idea."
"I gathered that," Rey quipped. "But no one bothered to explain why you should court a stranger who happens to be the most powerful woman in the galaxy?"
Ben retained his stiffened position, not meeting her eyes but not nudging her mind either. "My job is to do as I'm told, not ask for explanations. As you pointed out, I'm not king yet."
It was a vague answer, one that any good diplomat could recognize as an evasion. Rey couldn't forget the way Ben kept tugging at her consciousness, the way his curious mind kept prodding hers in search of answers about their bond. Still, something in his words made her wonder if Ben truly was as enigmatic as she had believed. Maybe he really was just a pawn being used by officials much more experienced than he.
"Kings don't become kings overnight, Ben," she said. "They learn to think for themselves long before the crown is put on their head."
Ben didn't reply to that, just stared in silence out the front of the ship. Still, his silence wasn't tense or angry. Rey sensed that he was mulling over her words, so she kept quiet and focused on piloting. Silence was, after all, one of the greatest tools a diplomat could use.
The moment Ben caught his first glimpse of the five spires of the Jedi Temple, all his torrid thoughts were immediately swept aside. He hadn't noticed how furrowed his brow had become – the result of diving too deep into Rey's deceptively cunning remarks – until his face lit up at the sight of the temple he had heard about every day of his life.
He knew he must look like a child getting his first look at a dreadnaught, but he couldn't help himself from bracing his hands against the dash and letting his mouth gape as the Jedi Temple came into view fully. Ben could feel Rey smirking next to him, but she stayed silent as she released the landing gear and settled the ship onto the landing platform.
Ben felt a strange sensation as he stepped out of the ship and onto the platform – as if he wasn't worthy of being in such a sacred place, wasn't honest enough about his intentions, shouldn't be the first Jedi back in the Jedi Temple in many decades. These qualms, however, were drowned out by his eagerness to see the temple, eagerness that made him want to sprint through the entrance that very second.
Rey was at his side a moment later, glancing up at his awestruck face as he took in every detail that his eye could reach. The five spires climbed impossibly high into the sky, resembling torpedoes as they glittered in the midmorning sunlight. The temple ziggurat itself, smooth and sandstone, sprawled out for what seemed like miles, every column and alcove perfectly arranged to give the picture of power, strength, and peace.
"Impressive, isn't it?" Rey commented softly. Ben had actually managed to forget that she was standing next to him.
"It's…" Ben searched for a word that could capture what he was feeling. "Breathtaking. I've never seen anything like it."
Rey laughed. "You've said that about several things this morning. Are you sure you can handle one more?"
"I don't know," Ben said honestly, unable to tear his eyes away from the temple. "But I'm willing to find out."
They made their way towards the temple entrance slowly, Ben drinking in every detail of the columns and walls they passed. All his senses were alive and vibrating, thrumming with the sheer presence of the Force that enveloped every inch of the temple's grounds. Never had Ben felt so connected to the Force, so in touch with every principle Luke had tried to drill into him.
Ben and Rey reached the great arching entrance to the temple, and Ben stopped short at the elegant pillar to his right. Carved symbols and words, likely written in the ancient Jedi languages and codes, stared back at him. Ben couldn't resist reaching out his hand to touch the pillar, his fingers tracing over the words with great reverence.
There is no emotion, there is peace.
There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.
There is no passion, there is serenity.
There is no chaos, there is harmony.
There is no death, there is the Force.
"The Jedi code," Ben murmured, his voice filled with awe. The mere thought that he was standing where a millennium's worth of Jedi had stood overwhelmed him to the point of awestruck silence. Who knew who had carved these very words into the pillar? Perhaps Qui-Gon Jinn, or Master Yoda, or some Jedi from the Old Republic that Ben had only heard stories of.
Ben closed his eyes, flattening his palm against the pillar and letting the ways of the Force wash over him. It was so much easier here, so much simpler to reach out and touch the Force when it surrounded him like a cloud. All his time of struggling on Alderaan, all his doubts and fears and inability to tap into the Force, seemed to vanish as he stood in the presence of so many Jedi long gone.
To be a Jedi is to face the truth, and choose. Give off light or darkness. Be a candle or the night.
Your eyes can deceive you. Do not trust them.
When you look into the dark side, careful you must be. For the dark side looks back.
The final voice, a voice that Ben recognized from the Force ghost apparition of Master Yoda, seemed out of place, speaking of the dark side in a place imbued with the light side of the Force. A strange feeling washed over Ben, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.
You cannot refuse the power that flows in your veins. You don't know the power of the dark side.
Ben jerked his hand away from the pillar, holding it close to his chest as if it had burned him. The dark voice was speaking to him again! The same dark voice, the one that had followed him ever since he began his training, the one that he heard every time he reached out to the Force in meditation – the same voice even had the power to follow him into the light-filled Jedi Temple.
Ben let out a shaky breath, letting his eyes trace over the carved letters and symbols. How? his mind wondered. How can a dark voice have power over me, even here?
The voice that answered his mind was familiar. Balance. Powerful light, powerful darkness.
"Ben?" another voice called. Ben turned and blinked, taking a moment to realize that this voice belonged to the person standing behind him. Rey was staring at him in confusion, her eyes displaying just a hint of concern. "What is it?"
Ben could only stare back at her, words failing him as his mind considered what he had just heard. Rey filled his vision, everything in the background simply fading away as Ben's eyes stayed locked on hers. The hazel depths seemed endless, almost beckoning.
All is not as it seems.
Rey furrowed her brow and took a step closer to him, and the world behind Ben's eyes exploded into a kaleidoscope of stars and galaxies. It's this connection, Ben thought rapidly, this weird bond I have with her mind. She doesn't have the Force, but my mind is connected to hers somehow.
Unable to do anything but gape at her, Ben shut his eyes, turning his shoulder to her so that he could regain his composure. He took a deep breath, letting the mantra of the Jedi repeat in his head a few times.
"What is it?" Rey demanded again.
Ben opened his eyes, giving her a cautious look and feeling relief when his mind didn't fall into a black hole again. "It's – it's nothing," he stammered, gathering himself. "It's nothing. I just… I just got very overwhelmed for a second. When I touched the pillar…" He trailed off, trying to decide how much he should tell her. "I heard the voices of Jedi from the past." It wasn't a total lie, at least.
Rey's eyes narrowed. "Are you sure that's all it was?"
"Of course," Ben nodded. "I've never been to a place that's so connected to the Force. It's a bit overwhelming for me, especially on my first visit here."
Rey considered him for a moment, regarding him with a look that told him she wasn't sure he was telling her everything. Which, of course, he wasn't. "Be careful, then," she said finally. "And maybe you shouldn't touch anything."
Ben licked his lips and nodded, swallowing a laugh at the irony of her words. "Yeah."
Ben followed Rey's suggestion throughout the rest of their tour of the Jedi temple. Keeping his hands politely clasped behind his back, he observed everything they passed with wonderstruck eyes and a reverent awe. Every corner they turned brought about a new sense of amazement, and Ben still found it hard to believe that he was actually walking through the same Jedi Temple he had heard so many stories about. Thanks to Luke, Ben had met several Force ghosts – Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, Plo Koon, even Qui-Gon Jinn once – and knowing that each of them had walked these halls countless times was nothing short of overwhelming.
Rey's solemn voice cut through Ben's thoughts. "This is where it happened," she said quietly.
Ben glanced around the mezzanine that he and Rey were currently standing in, beams of light carving through each window and creating mesmerizing patterns on the heavy carpeting. The pillars and corridors surrounding them made Ben feel small in a strangely comforting way.
"Where what happened?" Ben asked just as softly.
"The massacre," Rey whispered back, as if such an event was too horrible to even speak of aloud.
Ben's eyes widened, and he swept his gaze around the mezzanine with a new appreciation for where he was. So this was where the Jedi were slaughtered, caught unaware by intruders that were never caught or identified. Even holograms of the massacre failed to give any idea of who could have betrayed and murdered countless Jedi in their own peaceful temple. The very notion was unthinkable.
Ben glanced down at his feet uncomfortably. What if he was standing on carpet that had once been stained with the blood of a Jedi? The thought made him shudder, and his connection with the Force gave him insight into the terror and death that had stalked these halls more than fifty years before.
"Have you ever seen the holograms from that night?" Rey asked him, turning her hazel eyes upon his.
Ben shook his head. "No, never."
Rey's eyes took on a shade of darkness as she recalled the holos in her mind. "It was horrible," she told him in a hushed tone. "The Jedi were taken completely by surprise. Slaughtered like farm animals. Even their younglings." Rey fought back a shudder at the thought, and Ben had the sudden urge to place his hand on her shoulder in comfort. "It wasn't until every Jedi was dead that the intruders fled."
"And they've never known who it was," Ben mused.
"No. Though it must have been someone incredibly powerful, someone who was close to the Jedi and knew their weaknesses. Who else could waltz into their temple and kill every one of the most highly trained, lethal peacekeepers in the galaxy?"
Ben nodded thoughtfully. "I've always suspected it was an inside job. Luke – that is, Master Organa disagrees. He thinks it was rival planetary forces, or even Sith operators."
Rey gave him a skeptical look. "Of course it was an inside job. Only another Jedi could have massacred all the rest. He had help, naturally, but it must have been another Jedi."
"I agree," Ben said defensively. "I was only telling you what Master Organa thinks."
Rey only smirked back at him. She took a few steps forward into the mezzanine, and Ben fell into step next to her. "They say it was Anakin Skywalker," Rey remarked as they passed a large, blitzing crack in the marble wall. "They say he fell to the dark side and chose to murder the Jedi before they could stop him."
"So I've heard. Still," Ben said uncertainly, "it seems truly bizarre to me that Skywalker could have massacred every Jedi in the temple singlehandedly, considering the fact that he was found dead only a few hours later."
"Indeed," Rey agreed. "Perhaps he didn't complete his scheme alone. Perhaps he shared the plan with someone else, who then betrayed and murdered him."
Ben only nodded, many confusing thoughts swirling through his brain. "Anakin Skywalker was the greatest Jedi of his time," he said. "What a waste that he fell to the dark side."
Rey hummed in response, running her fingertips along the wall next to her. "Perhaps the dark side offered him something he couldn't have."
"Like what?" Ben scoffed. "He had practically unlimited access to the Force, he was a brilliant pilot, he had scores of victories and conquests and success. He was on the verge of becoming the youngest Jedi Master in history. He could have had everything, and he threw it all away."
"Everyone has a reason for doing the things they do," Rey said firmly. They were approaching a balcony of the temple, and they walked onto it together, leaning side-by-side on the railing that overlooked the labyrinthine city below.
Ben took a moment to observe his surroundings, feeling the Force flowing through his veins more strongly than ever before. "Perhaps so," he said, "but there could never be a reason good enough to make a Jedi go to the dark side."
Rey shrugged, and the very atmosphere around her seemed to move with the lift of her shoulders. Ben couldn't help being fascinated by her, even as she spoke such impossible words. "They say Skywalker did what he did because of love."
Ben scoffed again, pointedly throwing his gaze forward. "Love?"
"Love is more powerful than it's given credit for," Rey maintained. "They say Skywalker was secretly married, and he feared that he would lose his wife in childbirth. They say he was married to Padmé Amidala."
"Padmé Amidala?" Ben echoed incredulously. "The Senator? Impossible."
Rey tossed her head imperiously. "Not according to a lot of reliable sources. The data matches. Amidala disappeared the same night Skywalker died and was never seen again."
Ben turned his eyes back on Rey, his curiosity genuinely piqued. "I've never heard that part of the story."
"Maybe it's not part of the Jedi narrative," she goaded him, the slightest hint of amusement in her eyes. "Maybe the Jedi like to think that a woman's love isn't as powerful as the Force. Something had to have pulled Skywalker away from a perfect life with the Jedi. He wouldn't have been the first Jedi to reach beyond his limits, searching for a dream that wasn't meant to be his."
Ben felt a tugging sensation at the back of his brain when Rey spoke those words. They reminded him strongly of a comment made before he left on this mission. Zarola Antilles, Bail Organa's relative who had always been a source of wisdom to Ben, had said nearly the same thing to him weeks prior. Ben almost shuddered at the thought of comparing Zarola to Rey Palpatine.
"I suppose you're right," Ben conceded. "Something must have made Skywalker desperate enough to turn his back on everything he believed in."
Rey didn't respond, so Ben closed his eyes and let the cool breeze brush across his face and hair. The noise from the air traffic was muted from where he and Rey stood, on a balcony high in the top of one of the temple spires. The air was thinner as well, and the altitude made Ben's head feel lighter.
The voices of the Jedi floated back to Ben's mind, soothing his thoughts with the mantras he had learned before he could even walk. The Force was alive in the temple, Ben knew, and it flowed through him like a river, wrapping around his mind and filling his senses in ways he never knew existed. Is this what Luke feels all the time? he wondered. Am I so distant from the Force that I have to come to the Jedi Temple to feel it?
A blaring horn from below the balcony cut into Ben's thoughts, making him open his eyes. He glanced at Rey and saw that her eyes were still closed, her black eyelashes dusting the tops of her cheeks. The wind gently combed through her upswept hair, making patterns that Ben couldn't help finding entrancing. Ben could sense that Rey's mind was racing, searching for new angles and advantages over him, but her features were so relaxed and peaceful that he could almost forget she was his enemy. For a moment, he felt that he would never be able to tear his eyes from her. So this is how so many men fall at her mercy.
A moment later, Rey opened her eyes, and Ben made sure to avert his so that she wouldn't know he had been observing her. She sighed, obviously waiting for Ben to begin the conversation.
"I'm glad we came here," he said finally. "The gardens and the Senate Chamber were astonishing, but the Jedi Temple is truly the crown of Coruscant."
Rey laughed at that. "Most people would say the palace is the grandest place."
"It is grand," Ben ventured, "but this place is alive. It's like all the Jedi who ever walked these halls are still here and still speaking. The air is alive with their presence."
Rey scanned Ben's face calmly, as if she were searching for something. "What does it feel like? The Force?"
Ben was taken aback, never having been asked to put the Force into words. He could imagine, however, that for someone who wasn't Force-sensitive, the very idea of it must seem almost impossible to understand. Han Solo had certainly voiced that opinion many times.
"The Force is a living energy field," Ben began, remembering some of the words that Obi-Wan and Luke had said. "It exists in every living thing, and it's what binds the very fabric of the galaxy together. Imagine reaching out and touching something that's alive, feeling it move and breathe and live right under your hands. That's what it's like when you reach out through the Force. You're becoming one with everything else in the galaxy, and you're transcending time and space to reach beyond the physical. It's like flying without a ship, or believing without knowing. It's in the cracks of the universe, and it reaches down into the heart of your being. And then it never lets go."
Ben suddenly realized that he had been speaking for far too long, and that his words probably made little sense to someone who wasn't Force-sensitive. Rey's eyes bored into his with an intensity that bordered on maniacal. She let her lips part, taking one step closer into his personal space.
"And that's the Force?" she whispered dangerously.
Ben nodded, unable to form any more words. Rey glanced down at his lips for a fraction of a second, and he felt his mind spin, trying to guess at what she might be thinking but not daring to nudge her mind. Rey let her gaze linger on him for a moment longer, then stepped back, resting an elegant hand on the balcony railing.
"That is truly fascinating," she said. "And you feel it here? More strongly than you do elsewhere?"
"I do," Ben admitted. He didn't like being so honest with her. It felt wrong.
Rey only nodded, turning his words over in her mind. Ben felt drained, suddenly hit by the impact of how much energy the morning had taken out of him and how intent he had been throughout their tour of the temple. He leaned against the railing for support, running a hand through his hair.
Rey noticed his behavior and suddenly flashed him a casual smile. "It's been a long morning. I'm sure being here has started to wear you down. Why don't we find some lunch and continue the tour another time?"
Ben raised his eyes to study Rey's face. Her tone was just a little too bright, her smile a little too inviting. She was a Palpatine; she had ulterior motives that he couldn't even dream of. Her enthusiasm and concern were a façade for something else; that he was sure of. Truly, however, he couldn't bring himself to follow that line of thought.
"That sounds like an excellent idea," he agreed, rising up to his full height and drawing strength from the Force surrounding him. If Rey was going to play politician, so would he.
Rey smiled at him again, looking slightly less dangerous than before but somehow just as captivating. Ben felt his breath catch in his throat and replayed the words that he had heard before. All is not as it seems.
Ben offered Rey his arm, just as she had done in the Senate Chamber. She raised her eyebrows in impressed surprise, but she easily took his elbow as if they had walked arm-in-arm hundreds of times. Ben ignored the way her touch made his head whirl and focused on one step at a time.
There was only one way to win this game, and Ben had already decided on a plan of action.
"You asked me what I get out of this arrangement," Ben stated abruptly. "I don't get anything."
Rey continued chewing on a mouthful of her nerf steak sandwich. It was only hers and Ben's second mealtime conversation, and he had already decided to bring on the most difficult topic she could think of. She had taken him to a semi-formal restaurant – one fancy enough to have linen napkins but relaxed enough to house a few noisy Gungans in the corner booth.
Ben hadn't even touched his Eopie soup, just sat with his arms crossed on the table and his gaze fixed sharply on her face. Rey couldn't deny that he made her nervous, even with all her years of diplomatic work and face-to-face political showdowns. Still, she made him wait until she finished chewing her bite before showing any reaction to his statement.
"Really?" she asked. "You don't get anything at all? Not even an educational experience?"
Ben cleared his throat, betraying the nervousness behind his feigned confidence. "I'm not here for political advantage, Rey." His eyes stayed locked on hers. "I know that's the unspoken question. Why should I court – how did you put it? – the most powerful woman in the galaxy if I have no intention of using her for political advantage? Isn't that what you're wondering?"
"Wondering? No. Assuming? Yes." Rey smirked at him, knowing that the expression tended to fluster him.
Her smirk did not have the desired effect, as Ben kept glaring at her with an intentionality that made her want to look away. "Then you've assumed wrong," he informed her. "I have no ambition to climb the political ladder."
"Really, Ben? Because I'm not sure why you'd come here to court me unless you and Queen Organa have some ulterior motive."
"I never said my mother doesn't have an ulterior motive," Ben shot back. "But I don't."
His response was unexpected and sharp, leaving Rey a bit unsure of what his point was. "You're trying to tell me that your mother orchestrated all this, and that you want nothing to do with an arranged marriage?"
"I'm a prince, a Jedi knight, an inexperienced diplomat. I've visited a grand total of thirty-two planets, compared to the hundreds that you've seen. I'm accustomed to negotiating with tribal leaders, while you've debated the most powerful magistrates in the galaxy. I can't even begin to match your level of experience or influence. Compared to Coruscant, Alderaan is a village in the shadow of a metropolis." Ben leaned across the table a bit further, and Rey mirrored him. "I meant what I said about wanting to be king one day," he continued, "but I have no ambitions beyond that right now. I'll have my hands full trying to keep up with my mother's involvements and responsibilities. The last thing I want is to become a senator or a grand duke or – the Force forbid – Grand Chancellor."
Ben's words were laced with conviction, but Rey held onto her skeptical demeanor. "Why should I believe that? Even if it's true now, who says you wouldn't get power-hungry after we were married and try to take over my power?"
Ben hesitated a moment, seeming unsure. "I'm not asking you to take confidence in my every word. I just wanted you to know that I'm not getting anything out of this arrangement."
"So you're just a pawn? A playing card that Queen Organa is using to get what she wants?" Rey leaned forward another inch, so that she and Ben were almost nose-to-nose. "You wouldn't have come here unless you get something out of the deal. Even if it's just a trip to see Coruscant, you're a fool if you think I believe you want absolutely nothing out of our whole arrangement. If there's one thing I've learned in politics, it's that everyone has an angle. Always."
Ben leaned back in his chair, keeping his eyes on her but seeming to consider his next words carefully. "All right," he agreed. "Then what's yours?"
She arched an eyebrow. "Mine?"
"What's your angle in this arrangement?"
Rey smirked at him again, lowering her chin so that she could look at him through hooded eyes. "Who says I have one, Ben?"
"You said everyone has an angle. I can't imagine you being the exception to that rule."
"And if I am? What if I'm a pawn, too? What if the Chancellor has orchestrated my part in this courtship the way your mother orchestrated yours?"
Ben grinned at her, showing his teeth in a way that was anything but friendly. "I find it impossible to believe that you aren't manipulating all of this somehow. You're too smart to let the Chancellor call all the shots for your future. Are you really going to tell me that you bent to his will and that you don't have any angle at all in letting me come here and court you?"
"Maybe I am," she replied, not caring that her tone was challenging. Their spark of conflict was addictive, making her mind switch gears and her hands tremble with anticipation. He was baiting her, but she couldn't help wanting to see what Ben was working at. His nervousness was gone, replaced by a calm tenacity that made her wonder if he had the makings of a politician after all. "But how do you know I didn't just decide it was time I had an ally secured by marriage?"
"Alderaan?" Ben asked. "I don't think so. You must get ten marriage proposals a week, all from more powerful planets than mine. Yet you chose Alderaan. You chose my proposal. Why? Why would you and the Chancellor pick me to be your suitor?"
"And why would Queen Organa arrange a marriage between her only son and the granddaughter of her greatest political rival?" Rey retorted, feeling her blood boil to a delicious level. "What does it gain her?"
Ben narrowed his eyes, daring her. "Even if I knew, do you really think I would tell you?"
Rey could see her own reflection in his eyes, mirroring the same determined and intense gaze that he was shooting at her. Her plate lay by her elbow, forgotten in the heat of their conversation. "No, I don't think you would."
"Even if I thought I could get at yours and the Chancellor's intentions?" he pushed.
Rey laughed, throwing her head back and knowing that Ben's eyes followed the curve of her neck as she did so. "Let's just say that my intentions and the Chancellor's may not always coincide. If I had it my way, I would be in Corellia this very minute."
Something like triumph flashed in Ben's night-black eyes, and Rey suddenly wondered if she had given up something important. "So it's true. You don't want an arranged marriage any more than I do."
Rey thought for a moment, then nodded in acquiescence. "True enough."
Ben's eyes glittered, and Rey felt a twist in her stomach that made her wonder how far into her mind he really could have gone. "Then I think we may have just found our missing link."
"And that is?"
"You don't want an arranged marriage, but the Chancellor is forcing you into it. I don't want an arranged marriage, but my mother is pushing me into it. We've got a common enemy, and it's not each other."
Rey's eyes widened as she realized what he was saying. It seemed almost too good to be true that he wanted to join forces with her when that was exactly what she had been planning to arrange anyway. The coincidence seemed far too great to be mere chance.
She leaned her elbows back on the table, resting her chin on her folded hands. "What do you propose?"
Ben's eyes glinted. "A truce."
Ben honestly hadn't expected to get so far so quickly, but the way things were moving, he sensed that he could trap Rey into allying with him on the pretense that they were both being forced into an arranged marriage. It was true; he had no desire to marry her. But Leia's political ambitions had next to nothing to do with the matter.
"A truce?" Rey repeated, the words sliding off her tongue like velvet. Her eyes were glued to his, keeping him vigilant to any tricks she might have up her sleeve.
The words leave his mouth before he can think them over. "All right, call it a temporary ceasefire."
Rey smirked at that, her red lips curving to the side. "You want us to form our own plan that contradicts those of the Chancellor and the Queen?"
Ben shrugged, playing the part of the politician that he had seen Leia do a thousand times. "It doesn't have to contradict. It just has to turn the angles in our own favor."
Rey regarded him very carefully, distrust and intrigue warring behind her eyes. He could feel her sizing him up, gauging his own personal agenda. "Our favor? What exactly is our favor?"
Ben shrugged again. "I think we'll have to play that by ear. Who knows what all they have planned for us? In the meantime, though, we can set aside our differences and get what we want out of this deal."
"What exactly do you want?" Rey asked sharply.
Careful, Ben warned his own mind. "I want freedom," he told her, cursing his heart for the small amount of truth his statement held. "I want to have control of something for once in my life, and I want to see how far my own judgment can take me. I want to know that I've got what it takes to be a king instead of a puppet."
Ben held his breath as Rey stared into his very soul, hazel colliding with deep brown in a confusing whirl of color. Her eyes were narrow, cold, and entirely guarded. He held her gaze, but his chest was tightening with the anticipation she dragged from him.
After a moment that seemed to last a lifetime, Rey lifted her chin and spoke. "I can understand that feeling. I've been waiting many a year to break free from the Chancellor's leash. This arranged marriage has certainly done nothing to lessen that feeling."
Her words seemed honest and raw, different than any he had heard from her before. He had to fiercely remind himself that Rey was the most dangerous woman in the galaxy, and that he had only known her for two short days. Ben smiled at her. "Then you're willing to throw in together? You take me into your confidence, and I take you into mine?"
Rey's smile matched his, but there was something menacing about the way her fingers dug into the tablecloth and her teeth grazed her bottom lip. "I've never received a proposal quite like that, Ben Organa-Solo, and I'm surprised to say that I am, in fact, willing. We'll be honest with each other, and we'll take on everyone who gets in our way. We'll create a new arrangement, one that's tailored so we both get what we want."
Ben nodded, pausing for a moment, then seized his drinking glass and raised it towards Rey. "I'll drink to that," he declared, feeling his feigned confidence slipping away as the weight of his decision dawned on him.
Rey lifted her own glass, brilliant-colored fingernails contrasting with the cool ice of her drink. "May the better enemy win," she purred, raising the glass to her lips.
Ben took a drink as well, but he couldn't escape the sensation that he hadn't actually won this battle, that his own victory was echoed by the sound of Rey's trap snapping shut. As Rey lowered her glass back to the table, giving him a predatory smile, Ben suddenly felt very unsure, smacked between the eyes with the realization that he may have just made a deal with the devil.
A/N: My friends! It has been far too long since I've updated, but I hope this chapter makes up for it :) It certainly was a fun one to write and really let me dive into Rey and Ben's repartee in a way that is incredibly entertaining. I love you all so much and thank you so much for being patient for this chapter! I hope you enjoy it, so please read, review, and enjoy!