Chapter 12

A Hive of Scum and Villainy

Another day had passed since the shuttle had begun to hang in orbit around Urear. Another night passing below them in silence, brilliant colored lights rivaling the stars in their intensity. He spared a few minutes of the night before (or what he deemed to be night, he wanted to sleep) to take in the sights before dropping off. They'd spent their time discussing their next destination and sifting through their supplies to see how long they could last without stopping to restock

Now as Rey lay quietly across from him, impatiently flipping through what she told him to be Jedi texts, he worked the crystal Exbi had given them before in his hands.

"We could go back to Raspitar, Leia just made an alliance there," Rey suggested, jaw working as she searched the rune-slathered pages of a particularly rough looking volume. Her brown hair was down and hanging all around her face like wavy strands of grass.

"But will they try to kill us as soon as we land?" he asked, angling his crystal to refract the cabins lights above. They weren't planning so much as sitting back and chiming in when they could.

She leaned back and chewed at the inside of her cheek. "I'm sure it'll work out. I'm just worried we won't be able to find Leia and the others. I'm glad I left Luke's lightsaber with Leia in her ship, who knows what could have happened if I left it on the Falcon…"

Ben paused and gazed into the depths of his crystal. Exbi had given these to them for some reason. A Force-user with predictive powers had to have some sort of plan in place. Soon the pieces began clicking together in his mind's eye. "These are your life," the village leader had told them before they had fled the First Order.

"They're lightsaber crystals," he almost shouted. He leapt to his feet, causing Rey to jump in fright.

"They're what?" she asked confusedly, standing and gazing with him at the clear-cut gem.

"They're what're inside lightsabers. They're probably not kyber, maybe opila. You still have yours, right?"

Rey blinked slowly, then thrust her hand underneath her covers to pull out her crystal. Ben chuckled at her placement. It seemed very scavenger-esque of her.

"What?" she asked incredulously, an impish grin playing across her lips.

"Oh, it's nothing." He held his crystal up next to hers. They were the almost identical size and shape, twinkling in the warm cabin light. "Rey, we could make you a new lightsaber. That way you won't have to keep using those staffs we have stuffed back there. Damn, how could I have been so stupid…"

Her grin faded, and her expression turned anxious. "I don't know, Ben, where could we get the parts? We can't exactly strip the ship."

"I don't know, but getting the crystals is usually the hard part. We just need some basic stuff and we've got what we need." He almost felt giddy thinking about it.

"I could make another one of mine," he wondered aloud, hand caressing his face in thought. He most certainly needed a shave.

"You're right," she breathed. The smile returned as she mulled things over. She kneaded her crystal in her hand. "We just need to find a safe place to go and trade. We still have credits, right?"

He pointed to the small bag on the table, lacking in volume but still containing what they need.

"This could work out!" Rey grabbed ahold of his wrists and shook excitedly. She led in around in tight circles around the cabin. Her entire face was lit up, freckles highlighting the soft roundness of her cheeks. He nodded, hoping his small blush didn't make itself too evident.

"Yes! But we need to decide where to go," he pointed out, turning their conversation back to possible planets they could travel to.

Rey's body went as still as stone as a though seemed to catch her attention. Ben took a step back just in case she needed some space. The gears were turning, her eyes shifting and her mouth working silently. Finally, after a minute of scarily silent deliberation, Rey finally turned back to him. Her face was solemn, and her hands picked nervously at the hem of her robes.

"We need to go back to Jakku."

Ben did a double take, not quite processing what she said. From what she had told him over the past week, her former home took the meaning of the word "nowhere" and amplified it tenfold. Misery and isolation were its only true exports.

"Are you sure?" he asked softly. His hand gently took hers, but she didn't react.

Her eyes met his, adamant yet slightly afraid. "Yes. I know Niima Outpost. If Plutt doesn't give us what we want, I know where his stores are, and we can take things if we need."

Ben opened his mouth but closed it. He needed to choose his next words carefully. With a careful slowness he steered her towards the bench and they both sat down.

"There's more, isn't there?" he asked. He squeezed her hand reassuringly, but she only stared out the window into the stars. "It's okay to tell me."

A moment passed with only the rumble of the life support systems to keep the silence at bay. Rey gulped and looked back up at him.

"I want to show you where I came from," she said quietly. "It's not much, but I want you to know."

"Of course." He nodded slowly and pressed his lips together.

"Come on," he chided, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and guiding her towards the glimmering dashboards of the cockpit. "We'll set the coordinates and get the parts we need and then we'll be back with the Resistance in no time. Don't worry."

"Thank you." The warmth in her voice pulled at his heartstrings.

…

Not long after she entered the coordinates into the computer they were on their way, stars streaking past their windows like speeding drops of rain.

They remained silent for most of the journey. Rey stared out the window as if trying to pick out someone in a crowd. But he brushed his long hair behind his ears and let the quiet wash over them. He didn't want something unsavory to slip out and offend her. This was all about her, after all.

Rey brought the lever down to pull the shuttle out of lightspeed and they were greeted with the same tan, dusty planet that both of them had set foot on the weeks before. Deep ravines and red patches of deserts scarred the cloudless surface below and just looking at it made his mouth dry. Part of him yearned for some water, but sticking with Rey at this moment was more important.

Her eyes smoldered as the shuttle skimmed the stratosphere and dipped lower and lower. Soon the familiar sandy dunes began to sharpen out and small gray huts appeared out of the gritty winds.

"We should see Niima Outpost pretty soon." She reported, though her voice shook slightly. He nodded, still keeping silent.

Soon enough, a fleet of grounded old ships surrounded by stalls and stables and shops materialized after a few more minutes of flying. Ben couldn't help but stare at the display of misshapen huts and dirty tent covers flapping in the dry desert breeze. The last time he was on Jakku it was more wildly different purposes. Last time, he was in a position of power, someone to be feared. Now he was on Jakku as a fugitive who needed to keep himself hidden lest spies spot them and turn them in.

Rey parked the shuttle with a pained grimace outside a large, circular building with an open roof. As they made their way outside she took a staff from the far corner and told him to bring his saber along.

"When have I not had it on me?" he tried to joke while slipping a cowl over his head and shielding his face, but her stern expression shut him down.

"Watch your back, you know how nasty these other scavengers can be," she muttered darkly, opening the back doors and stepping outside. Her robes fluttered out behind her.

No wonder the Resistance hadn't touched this place, it was crawling with the dirtiest people in the galaxy whose loyalty was only worth a few credits.

The heat and sun slammed into Ben like an oncoming speeder. It may not have been the wisest decision to wear his usual all-black attire, but he had nothing else in their cabin. Nov Sensum and Urear had decent weather, and this heat was like a slap to the face. He squinted and held his hand over his eyes, his eyes working desperately to adjust to the light.

A collection of eccentric characters moved all around them. Short hooded men rode huge, flabby beasts along well-worn paths while old women and younger children stood around shaded tables where they seemed to be scrubbing at recovered scrap.

Rey moved past these people as if she didn't know them, but Ben knew she had been at those tables, wiping away the grease and grime and all of it ending up under her fingernails. She had walked those well-worn paths time and time again, hot and thirsty and squinting in the sun. It made him feel incredibly lonely, thinking about her here in this sandy prison.

"Are you coming?" Rey was already ten paces ahead of him and showed no signs of stopping. He hadn't even noticed the scrape of her boots in the dirt. He rushed after her, his cowl bouncing with his steps.

"We can probably find a ride with a Tito, we'll have to pay but at least we won't have to walk to my home, I'm sure my speeder is just scrap at this point…" Her voice dipped sadly. He could tell from her tone that this speeder meant a lot to her.

A mother and young daughter, both clothed in dirty rags, stepped out from the big building, a few ration packs peeking out from the woman's leather bag. The girl held her mother's hand, her little feet dragging through the dirt.

As Ben watched, two taller figures approached the women. Their faces were concealed behind greasy wrappings and large blasters hung from their belts. An uneasy anger broiled up inside him at the sight. He knew what these men were after.

One lunged forward and grabbed ahold of the daughter's arm while the other wrestled with the mother's bag. She cried out angrily and tried to hit the man away, but her assailant shoved her down to the dusty ground and pulled off her bag. Taking the ration packs out, he yelled for the daughter to be released before he and his friend stalked away, splitting their ill-gotten loot between them.

The daughter's cries sounded around the desert as she ran to her mother, who hadn't been able to stand up from where she had fallen.

Before he knew it, Ben's legs had carried him over to the fallen scavenger woman. Making sure his face was covered up, he approached her and extended his hand.

The woman hesitated, her scared breaths catching in her throat. Eventually she took Ben's hand let him lift her off the dusty ground.

"Thank you, stranger," she said in a heavy accent. Her daughter dashed behind the folds of her skirt and hid, one eye peering up at him.

Ben nodded and turned back around, that ugly feeling in his stomach acting up. If there was more he could do without causing a scene, he'd do it. But he needed to catch up with Rey.

She had been watching, her hand reaching back to her staff just in case anything escalated. She gave him a sad, knowing expression, which he returned.

"Don't try anything else that could get us in trouble," she muttered, though her subdued expression betrayed her gratitude for his actions.

They had reached the outskirts of the small outpost in just a few short minutes. A devilish-looking creature in dull metallic armor rode on a great metallic beast. It pulled a cart behind it, skis where wheels would normally be located. Rey ran up to the rider and Ben remained behind, letting her take control of the situation.

She and the little creature spoke in a language he had only just now heard, an elegant string of words. She held up the small bag of credits and the rider nodded and buzzed excitedly, clapping its stubby hands together. Rey nodded back at him and left into the back of the cart. Her robes swirled in the dry air. He signed and climbed in after her, wiping sweat from his forehead. As the son of a princess and a general, he had to admit he was not used to this kind of transportation.

…

A brutally sunny hour later, the Tito arrived at the ruins of an abandoned AT-AT walker, on its side like a long-dead animal and half-buried in its sand dune. They hopped down from the cart and landed ankle-deep in the shifty sand surrounding the structure. After paying a small fee, Rey waved at their guide and he prodded his beast back the way they had come.

"This way," Rey said softly, grabbing Ben's sleeve and directing him towards the belly of the walker. The access panel was sealed shut, but Rey made quick work as she forced the metal handles to turn and unlock the heavy metal door. A rush of scalding air blew his hair back and fluttered the edges of his cowl. He gritted his teeth against the additional heat.

She climbed inside haphazardly, then waved him in when only her arm was visible around the corner. He entered after her, trying not to catch his feet or hood on the edges of the doorframe. The space inside was enough for Rey to stand fully upright in, but Ben was forced to bend down a bit to avoid hitting the ceiling as he took a deep look around Rey's former home.

The first thing that caught his eye was the wall of tallies. Thin scratches were lined in neat little rows, hundreds of carved lines etched into the rusting metal. It didn't take a genius to figure out their function. Some were neat and orderly, other looked rushed, like Rey's tiredness had gotten the better of her some days. The longer he stared the heavier his heart hung in his chest until a lead weight seemed to press down on his lungs. He wrenched his gaze away to take in the rest of her quiet desert life.

A small, handmade doll sat against a rough porcelain vase holding a dead flower. Piles of nuts, bolts, and other scraps piled in a corner of the dingy bedroom. The dirty floor from tracked-in sand. Empty ration packets strewn everywhere.

Rey lay rigidly in a low-hanging hammock, her eyes locked onto the ceiling. He hands crossed over her chest as if shielding her heart. All those long, hot hours stretching into days, those days stretching into months and weeks and years. It twisted him up inside to conceive of it all. But her it was, her home, her space away from the chaos and villainy at work in Niima Outpost. The bald dunes and long distance from civilization guaranteed a safe place to cultivate a life outside of scavenging.

"I'm sorry I've been on edge, it's just not so fun coming back to this place." Rey grabbed a spare wrench from the wall and tossed it onto the ground with a careless clatter. "It reminds me who I really am."

He winced and bit at his lip, staring at the potted plant, now long dead. Long-overdue words welled in the base of his throat. She wasn't just nothing. But how and when could he tell her that without saying something that could ruin their relationship.

"I've waited for my parents here for so long." she said suddenly. He turned his gaze from the plant to the tall wall of endless tallies.

"It was all for nothing." Her voice began to shake, and she held her hands above her head. Ben stepped over the plastic wrappers and sat down next to her, folding his hands together in his lap. He waited for more. Her tone implied she had more to say.

"And I think I knew that, deep down." Her eyes glistened with unshed tears. Their heartbreaking shine was even more pronounced in the dim light of the little den. "But I never wanted to admit that to myself, because what else would I possibly have to live for here?"

Her chest heaved with emotion and the tears began to fall down the sides of her face into her hair. It hurt Ben more than he could bear, seeing her this way. But he didn't try to talk or reason with her quite yet, just let her feelings run their course. He placed his hand on hers, sensing the multitude of small scars marking his fingers.

"You know, it means a lot to me. That you wanted to bring me here."

She met his gaze for a moment and gave a shaky smile. "You already know that I've come from nothing. That I'm nothing but scum. This isn't all that much of a surprise, I bet."

Then he decided to take the leap, as he had in the throne room.

"You're much more than that." he stated firmly, taking a breath before continuing. "This place has made you the strong, fearsome warrior woman that kicked my ass all those weeks ago." He blushed as he admitted one of his more devastating losses. But she had been the cause of it, and that should mean something to her.

She let out a watery laugh, which made him smile. She moved one leg over the edge of the hammock, so she could rock herself. "You really don't mean to say that this place could have done me any good, do you?"

"Yes, it has," he reinforced, brushing his hair from his eyes.

She didn't respond but gazed back up at the ceiling. A tense silence unfolded in the warm air between them.

"What would you like to do about all this?"

Rey fixed him with a confused look. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"Well, you said that this Plutt might not give us what we need, so why not raid what he has off the bat?"

She sat up and smoothed her robes over her legs in contemplation. "I guess, but…"

Her face slackened, then broke out into a large, wild grin. Her eyes glimmered not with tears, but with a new energy.

Ben sat back and waited for her idea. "What's going on?" he asked.

"I have an idea, but it's kind of risky…" Looking out into the flat desert outside, she chewed at her lip. "We could, you know, redistribute his wealth in the process. Leave everyone a little bit more well off than I ever was."

His gut lurched against the idea, but he swallowed the feeling down. The shine of her eyes had gotten to him once more. He prided himself on his usually accurate instincts, but for her he'd do away with all of them.

"I'm with you all the way. Let's take this bastard down."

Rey's smile dissipated a bit, leaving a determined smirk behind.

"We should wait until it gets dark out, it'll be cooler, and we can hide ourselves easier."

"You have your crystal, right?"

They both held up their gifts from Exbi.

"The first step of creating a lightsaber is imbuing it with the Force, and if I remember right, we meditate on them to do it."

"Great!" Rey popped up from her hammock and plopped down onto the floor. "Let's get started."

Ben was taken aback. He hadn't met anyone, not even Luke, who considered meditation a frivolous activity to look forward to.

He moved a little bit closer and set his crystal down on the ground and Rey did the same. They looked so strange, such beautiful objects juxtaposing with the grimy walker floor.

"Are you ready for this? It'll take a while," he cautioned, the hot air of the cabin stiffening his lungs and creeping down his shirt. This black outfit really had been a mistake.

"Yes," she said seriously, avoiding his gaze as he pulled his doublet over his head.

Now the pair sat side by side, eyes closed, and legs crossed in a standard meditating pose. Only the sound of the light winds hitting the hull of the walker made themselves apparent, though the rabid beating of Ben's heart against his chest almost rose above the din.

They had held hands, hugged, and in his case thrown an occasional arm over her shoulder. How have things progressed this much in the past week, he couldn't explain. Not that he was complaining: becoming more comfortable with one another was key to sticking together during this whole conflict.

Staying as still as possible, he opened one eye to glance at her one more time. With her hair drifting down her shoulders and her robes spread around her body, she embodied a quiet grace. He closed his eyes hurriedly before she had a chance to find him peeking and turned his focus back to the crystal in front of him.

For a split second he thought he had caught sight of her glancing his way as well.

…

Darkness was gathering outside when something in the air seemed to shift. It was almost as if the crystals on the floor were moving the energy in the room around them.

Ben's undershirt stuck to his chest like glue. The afternoon heat had become more brutal as time went on. He wished he put his hair up before starting. Rey had her trademark look for a practical reason, not just for looks.

Picking his crystal delicately off of the floor, he took a closer look. The thing looked absolutely tiny in his hand. Nothing about the luster or color had changed, but he knew that their lightsaber construction proved to be a success so far.

Rey stirred and plucked her crystal from the ground. "Did we do it?" she asked tiredly, rubbing at her eyes and yawning widely.

"Yes," he breathed, meeting her eyes. Both were drenched in sweat and panting slightly.

"Are you ready to do this?" he asked, holding out his hand.

As was the new normal, she took it and nodded. "Let's steal some stuff."

Author's Note: This chapter's a bit shorter, but I hope that doesn't put a damper on things! I'm so excited to write more and keep the story going for all you wonderful people :)