Chapter Seven

Ben lay in the large bed, staring up at the stone ceiling. Although it was hard to tell what time of day it was inside the cavern, he sensed that the sun had been down for a while. He was tired, but sleep did not come easily. Ben had never been good at letting go of wakefulness, making himself vulnerable to his own mind and the outer world alike. At least the Resistance had placed guards outside his room. It didn't help that the bed was so soft. Ben was used to sleeping on thin, stiff mattresses. It didn't feel right.

Why go to the trouble of comfort for him when the Empress's own quarters were so sparse? The living area that Snoke had provided him with had been the bare minimum, designed to keep him from deriving any small amount of joy from it. He knew how it worked. A strong Dark side Force-user had to be kept angry. Comfort would have undermined his power. Even after Snoke's death, the quality of Ben's living space had remained the same.

Then Ben realized that of course Rey hadn't designed this place. It was carved out of stone and furnished with running water. It couldn't have been put together in two days. Palpatine—or his followers—must have created the dwelling. One room designed to keep the Empress in a choke collar of unease, just as his had been, the other…Ben hadn't always been kept on a chain. At first, Snoke had made him feel welcomed, as if he had finally found his place in the galaxy. At first, he was comfortable. Just like now. There are always two Sith. A master and an apprentice. This room was for the hesitant apprentice. For him. It was him. Nearly his whole life he had been apprentice to masters who would end up hovering over him with weapons drawn, waiting to strike at an inkling of disloyalty within him. Ben's breath was coming faster. He couldn't stay here.

Just then, the door slid open and the hooded figure of the Empress strode into the room. Ben's mind was reeling. His mother's saber flew into his hand as he scrambled into a sitting position. He hadn't left it far away, but panic made his call instinctive. The Empress pushed her hood back and let her cloak drop. In the dim light, Ben could see that she was unarmed. He told himself to relax. But why was she here? He reached for her in the Force.

"You're lonely," he said.

The Empress raised an eyebrow. "So are you. And scared."

Ben shrugged. It was no secret, at least, not from her.

"Darkness seeks out darkness," she said softly, "and I sense it in you, Kylo." Her voice had mostly lost the cold edge the Empress usually had.

"I know, Rey." The name had slipped through his lips before he had time to think about it.

The Empress turned sharply toward him. "Don't call me by that name. Rey was just a weak, scrappy scavenger and she is no more."

Ben was instantly reminded of how she had stubbornly called him Ben, and how he had eventually given up correcting her. Names had power. "That scavenger still lives in you. Don't act like I didn't see you squirreling away food earlier." He looked away, toward the dark doorway. He had an idea—maybe it was bad, but…bad ideas were better than no ideas. "What are you going to eat here, when that runs out?" he asked. "If you came back to the Resistance with me, they would feed you."

She hissed softly, her cheek twitching. Ben couldn't have helped but to watch as her body, featherlight at their first encounter, had developed into something powerful. She had known starvation, and they hadn't been friends. Ben could feel that the idea still scared her. But when she spoke her face was set. "I won't be manipulated by your offers of food. I've told you, the scavenger is gone!"

Ben sighed. He hadn't really expected it to work. He would take one more chance. For Rey. "Even if that were so, it's the scrappy scavenger I fell in love with. I'm not going to turn for the Empress."

She stood up and started to walk away. Ben sensed anxious conflict in her, but no aggression toward him, at least for the time being. Keeping the lightsaber close, he slid back into the dent his body had made in the mattress. There was no way he would fall asleep now but rest, rest would be good enough. In the doorway, the Empress stopped walking. Her shoulders slumped just a bit and she turned around, keeping her eyes on the floor. She crawled onto the bed and curled up on top of the covers next to him, her knees tucked nearly to her chin. She suddenly seemed so much smaller. Ben sensed waves of desolation and worry radiate out from somewhere deep inside her. His heart ached for her and maybe with just a twinge of hope. He stretched an arm around her protectively, and without a word she nestled into it.

Ben must have drifted off at some point because he woke early in the morning. There were others here, he could sense it. He threw on his cape and fastened his boots. Although Ben preferred to sleep in less, he hadn't wanted to leave himself unprepared. He eased open his door and leaned into the hallway. Hurrying down the passage toward him were Finn and Chewie.

Chewbacca growled something too soft to allow Ben to make out the finer nuances of the language. In a fluid motion, the Wookiee scooped up Ben and threw him over his furry shoulder. Ben's rescuers rushed back toward the entrance, Finn covering the area behind them, blaster drawn. "Chewie!" Ben hissed, trying to keep his voice down. "Put me down! I can walk—she fixed my ankle—ow! Watch my kriffing ribs!"

Just as Chewie set Ben on his feet, the Empress strepped in front of them, blocking their path once again. Finn moved to the front of the group, his blaster drawn but his hand shaking. Ben froze. Finn gritted his teeth and pulled the trigger.

"No!" Ben launched himself forward but Chewie caught his arm, holding him back as a ring of blue light struck the Empress and she collapsed. Finn knelt next to her, cupping her face in his hand. "I'm sorry, Rey."

Don't touch her. Ben struggled against the Wookiee's grip, knowing he had no right to voice his thoughts.

"We need to get out of here," Finn said, rising. "It won't take long for the stun to wear off."

Relief flooded Ben's veins and his body sagged. He took a breath, realizing he hadn't filled his lungs since the shot. He focused on dousing the bright flame of anger that had bloomed inside him so quickly. Chewie tugged at Ben's arm. Finn was already heading toward the door.

"I'm not leaving you for good," Ben said softly over his shoulder.

Once the Falcon was in the air, Ben settled near the cockpit. "Why did you come back for me?" he asked.

Chewie rumbled softly. You killed Han.

"Sorry I asked," said Ben, bitterness creeping into his voice. "Can we talk about this another time?"

You're all that's left of him.

Ben's breath caught in his throat, and the hostility drained out of him. He desperately, almost panickedly, wanted to be different from his father. But he knew that, in some way, the Wookiee was right. The memory of Han was alive within him, and maybe that wasn't such a bad thing. It wasn't quite anger that Ben sensed from Chewie.

"I don't know what he told you," said Finn, "but we can't afford Kylo Ren coming back. We stopped at the nearest outpost to get blasters with stun settings."

"What's the plan?" asked Ben.

"Regroup, get a second opinion. This is worse than I thought."

Author's Note: Just a heads up the next chapter will be short. I'll try to update sooner than usual to try to make up for that, depending on how far ahead I can get this weekend.