Published November 7, 2020

"Imposture"

Presentiment is that long shadow on the lawn
Indicative that suns go down;
The notice to the startled grass
That darkness is about to pass.

~ Emily Dickinson

Ben found himself missing Rey the most when the dancing began.

As the hostess, Leia was obliged to lead most of the sets, to energize and encourage the guests. She insisted that Ben kick off the first dance with her.

"We're celebrating your birth, and I'm the one who did all the work that day," she reminded him.

He smiled faintly at that. "Okay, fair enough."

Dancing with Leia was not bad in itself. In fact, Ben liked the feeling of being in sync with her, cooperating with her movements. It was a rare moment of genuine connection between them. What he disliked was how everyone around them watched. Some even recorded holos of their dance, which would probably be shared widely through the holonet in the following days.

Since he did not have a date, Ben found himself coerced into dancing with a few female guests. Amilyn was nice about it, and whispered some gossip that made Ben laugh. Greer Sonnel was polite and friendly, asking about his ability as a pilot, and after the dance he was able to continue talking with her about ships and races rather than returning to the dance area.

Leia naturally danced with Han the most, but also took turns with Lando Calrissian, Ransolm Casterfo, and Tai-Lin Garr. Han was friendly enough to invite Greer, whom he had mentored as a racer.

Watching from the side of the room, Ben noticed that his father seemed somewhat emotional as he danced with Greer. When the music ended, he gave her a hug, a surprising display of affection for someone usually so aloof. Greer also had a soft expression, and left the dancing area quickly, while Han went off to the side where Ben was nursing a watered-down Corellian brandy.

"What's going on with her?" Ben asked, curious.

Han did not answer right away; when he did, his tone was heavier and slower than Ben was used to hearing. "Greer doesn't want people to know … but your mother and I already do, so she probably won't mind me telling you." Han lowered his voice. "Greer has bloodburn. That's why she had to quit racing."

"Oh." Ben looked up at Greer, who was now chatting with Korr Sella and some pilots. She did not look like a sick person. She was young, in the prime of life—and yet she was fighting a disease that could not be cured, whose triumph could only be stalled. "Is it … is her prognosis bad?"

"Not yet, but I know she's not one to just accept limits."

That sounded familiar. "Sort of like you? 'Never tell me the odds' and all that?"

Han smiled ruefully. "Something like that. I worry about her. But that's why I'm glad she's working for your mom now. I know they'll look out for each other."

Ben had had no idea that Han was experiencing such anxiety. "I'm sorry. For you as well as Greer."

Han looked at him in mild surprise, then managed a sad smile, clapping him on the shoulder. "Thanks, son."

In between sets, Korr Sella came up to Leia with a datapad. "Princess Leia, there's a call for you from your brother. He's with that girl—your son's, um, friend?"

"Rey?" Leia's hope and excitement were audible in her voice.

"Yes. She said she can still make it, but she needs a dress—and you were going to help with that?"

Leia nodded. "I see. Korrie, can you do me a favor?"

"Of course."

"Tell Luke and Rey to go to my apartment. Meet them there and let Rey pick out a dress, then bring them here."

"Yes, ma'am."

Ben was not within earshot of this conversation, but looked over at them in time to see Korr hurriedly leaving Leia's side, looking as though she were carrying a secret. When Leia's eyes met his, she smiled blithely and continued making her rounds around the room, chatting with the various guests while they were not dancing.

"Are you and your assistant conspiring something?" Ben asked when she passed by him.

"Maybe," Leia said mysteriously.

"If you're trying to set me up with someone besides Rey—"

"I wouldn't dream of that." Leia's expression became serious. "I saw how happy you two were. What you have with Rey isn't something you find every day."

Ben appreciated her supportive words, but he still felt wary.

A while later, Korr returned and whispered something to C-3PO before joining the assembly once more. The droid shuffled back to the door and addressed the assembly, sounding more excited than he had been about any other guest.

"Gentlebeings, please forgive this interruption, but it seems I have one last introduction to make. Please allow me to present two singular guests: Miss Rey, escorted by Jedi Master Luke Skywalker."

Ben's mouth dropped open in disbelief at this news—and even further when the new arrivals stepped into view.

The man was dressed in simple attire, fitting for a Jedi on a formal occasion; but the young woman at his side was a sight to behold. Her hair was pulled back in a sophisticated braid, and even at a distance Ben could see that she was wearing makeup. She wore a dress from the Amidala collection, but it was one that Rey had not modeled before. It was black, and tight-fitting, with a low neckline and no straps. Her accessories were a necklace that was more like a beaded scarf, hanging down almost to her feet, and fingerless gloves that extended to her biceps.

The outfit's allure was dark, sensual, and completely different from Rey's usual innocent charm. Yet, at the same time, it had a certain appeal to something inside Ben—something primal, an animal desire. The irony of such thinking was not lost on him. Was Rey starting to embrace her animalistic side? She looked far more regal than a porg, and more powerful—there was something about the color and the cut of her dress that suggested a hint of danger.

While the Solos—the only people present who had met Rey—stared in surprise, the guests clapped to welcome the legendary Jedi master. He bowed, and his young guest beamed, seeming to enjoy the applause. Her eyes met Ben's, and her smile widened. She walked toward him with as much dignity as any senator, holding her head high.

Ben stopped gaping and managed to compose himself, at least outwardly, by the time she reached him. She dipped her chin and curtsied gracefully. "Master Jedi."

It was like a dream, Ben thought, starting to wonder if he was actually awake. He held out his hand, and she accepted it, allowing him to pull her up to her full height. "I thought you said I wasn't your master," he said quietly.

"Well … now I might not mind if you were." She smiled, and then turned to his parents. "Senator. Captain."

"I'm glad you could join us, Rey," Leia said. She eyed Rey's escort as he joined them. "Brother."

"Sister." He bowed slightly. "My apologies for being late."

"I was beginning to think you wouldn't come," Leia said, her tone clipped.

He smiled. "Yet here I am."

Han hardly knew what to say to either of the new arrivals. His gaze was drawn to Rey, and he found himself stating the obvious. "You changed your dress."

She nodded. "That's one reason why I was late." She looked to Ben for his approval. "Was it worth it?"

"I think so." Ben offered her his arm, and she took it in her hands. "Your timing is fortuitous: You've saved me from having to dance with more strangers."

"Is it my turn, then? I've been practicing."

Ben was surprised by her eagerness. "Really? Do you want to?"

"If it will make you happy. It is your birthday, after all."

As Ben led her to the dance floor, Leia leaned over to Han and whispered, "Doesn't she seem different?"

"Well, yeah," he said with a shrug. "I figured it was the dress and makeup. I might not have recognized her without Threepio's announcement."

But Rey did not only look different: she also carried herself differently. As she danced with Ben, she moved with more energy, more confidence, more glee. They interacted with a different kind of intimacy than when they had practiced in Leia's apartment or on the Takodana beach.

Luke soon excused himself to get some refreshments, and was detained by talking to various people who wanted to meet him. Meanwhile, Leia grew increasingly disquiet as she watched the young dancers.

In the middle of the song, she murmured to Han, "I have a bad feeling about this."

"You're imagining things," Han brushed off.

A server droid approached to offer them drinks. Han reached for one, but Leia put a hand on his wrist to stop him. "I'd rather you stay alert right now."

"What, you think we'll be attacked?"

Leia bit her lip to keep from retorting. Finding her composure, she said, "I think something is going to happen. I just don't know what."

Han looked at her with something like pity. "Sweetheart. It's our son's birthday—and for once, he's happy. Look at him."

It was true: Ben was smiling the whole time he danced with Rey, even as his expression changed slightly, between incredulity, mischievousness, and pride. He looked more smitten than ever.

"All our old friends are here, there hasn't been a single Force-related incident, and even people who aren't friends are getting along. You managed to put together a swell soiree. You're allowed to have fun," Han concluded.

A nostalgic smile flickered across Leia's face. "You sound like my mother, back when I was a teenager."

"Well, if she was as wise as you've said, you should probably take her advice."

"It was a different time. Before the war had really begun."

"We lived to see after the war. We can celebrate that too." Han offered her his hand. "You want to dance?"

"Oh … alright." Leia's smile became indulgent as she let him lead her to the dance area.

For an hour or so, all seemed well. Rey impressed not only Ben but also the lookers-on with her dancing. During a particularly fast music number, she and Ben were the last couple still moving, and then even he stepped back, unable to keep up as she continued to dance. Alone now, she began to spin on the spot, and then continued to spin—only a few people could tell she was using the Force to enhance her speed and agility. She stopped with a flourish when the music ended, and everyone broke into stunned applause, starting with Ben. She bowed with a kind of humble pride.

It was after that number that Lady Carise Sindian approached the guests of honor. "Master Solo, you must introduce me to this ravishing young woman."

Ben supposed he could not avoid sharing Rey's company now. Her entrance might as well have been her debut in society. "This is my girlfriend, Rey. Rey, this is Lady Carise Sindian, the senator from Arkanis."

Rey bowed her head and curtsied—Ben wondered how she had learned to do that so well. "My lady."

"Charming," Lady Carise remarked, appraising the younger woman with interest. "Where are you from, Miss Rey?"

Ben tensed at this question, but Rey remained calm and collected as she answered, "I live on Takodana."

"Is your family here?"

"No, I'm afraid not."

"They must be honored by your connection with such an illustrious family as the Organa-Solos."

Rey nodded somberly. "I'm sure they would have been."

"Oh." Lady Carise's eyes widened in understanding. "Have you lost your parents?"

"Yes, sadly. When I was very young."

Lady Carise put her hand over her heart, blinking rapidly. "I am so sorry."

"Thank you. It's really alright. I have friends. The Organa-Solos have been very kind to me."

"I'm sure they have." There was a brief pause before Lady Carise seemed to think of something suitable to say. "I do hope you enjoy yourself tonight." She turned to Ben. "Master Solo, may I have a word with you?"

"Uh …" Ben glanced at Rey, who nodded. "… okay."

He followed the senator as she threaded her way between people and plants until they found an empty spot in which to stand. Then she turned to him and launched into a series of questions. Her tone was casual, but the nature and speed of her questions raised Ben's hackles.

"How did you meet this girl?" Lady Carise asked.

"On a business trip."

"What business is she in?"

"She's a pilot and a mechanic. Right now she works for one of my father's clients." He could only imagine the look on Lady Carise's face if he told her that Rey was a former scavenger currently employed by a pirate.

"What is her surname?"

"She … doesn't have one. Or … I don't think she knows whether she has one."

"So she has no idea where she comes from?"

"You could ask her this yourself, Lady Carise." Ben did not appreciate being interrogated, especially when the subject was Rey.

She looked at him for a long moment, and then gave a thin smile. "It seems to me that you have the same charitable spirit as your parents and grandparents."

The way she said those words, as though Ben's interest in Rey was completely impersonal and motivated by pity, made him angry.

He had endured patronizing comments about his family all night long, starting with his own mother's words about her adoptive parents. "They would be as proud of you as we are." Ben wanted to believe that. He wanted to believe that his parents were proud of him.

But deep down, he knew that what they—and most people—took pride in regarding him was an illusion. He was wearing the clothes of a dead world, and Leia and others of her generation projected their memories of it onto him. He did not know what it meant to be Alderaanian, and he had no idea what Bail and Breha Organa would have thought of him.

"You have no idea what I'm like, Lady Carise."

She nodded in concession. "You're right, of course; we've only just met. But—" She put her hand on his shoulder, as though she were trying to offer some maternal advice. "—as one member of the Elder Houses speaking to another, I feel I must caution you."

"About what?"

"As a Jedi, you may not think of such things as people like your mother and I must. The fact is, you have power and position that many would envy."

Like you? Ben wanted to challenge.

"If you intend to marry someday—and I hope, for your family's sake, that you do—it is quite possible that some women will only be interested in you for those reasons. Marrying someone of … humble circumstances … carries a great deal of risk."

Ben stared in disbelief. Was this woman serious? "My mother married a smuggler."

"That is true; but by the time she did, he had reformed and earned military honors. Your father proved his worth—a nobility of spirt, if not rank."

"Rey is more noble than anyone else I know," Ben said hotly.

Lady Carise smiled again, and now Ben recognized the condescension in it. "You are young, Ben Solo, and have seen little of the civilized galaxy. You probably have not met many people who pretend to be one thing, but are truly another. People do it for all kinds of reasons—not least among them wealth, fame, power. Some may even pretend to be in love."

She thought Rey was a gold-digger? Rey, his unpretentious, multitalented student—

All the anger Ben had kept at bay throughout the evening—in fact, throughout the entire vacation—came to a head in that moment.

"Senator," he ground out. Lady Carise frowned at this title, though it was technically correct. "You don't know me, or Rey, or my mother for that matter. You have no right to judge her, or me, or our relationship."

She frowned in confusion. "I meant no—"

"No, it's my turn to speak and your turn to listen." Feeling impulsive and defiant, Ben raised his voice. "Listen, all of you." As the guests turned to face him, Ben made his way back to Rey and pulled her by the hand into the center of the dance area. He held on to her as he addressed the crowd around them.

"I want you all to look at this girl. We fell in love before she had any idea who my family was. That's how I know it's genuine." He looked at her tenderly as he spoke his next words. "She comes from nothing. But to me, she's everything."

She smiled, and Ben turned to face the assembly once more. "She's the only family I will ever want or need. The Jedi, the Rebellion—it can all die. I renounce all ties to Alderaan, the Elder Houses, and the Jedi Order. My future isn't with them." He ignored Leia's pain, Han's anger, and the guests' shock, focusing instead on Rey. "My future is with you. If you'll have me. You're the only one I love—you, and no one else."

The emotions Ben sensed in the following moments were intense. Around him, all the guests were astonished, some were scandalized, and his mother—he tried to close himself off against the heartache he felt from her.

But another person's emotions, farther away and yet somehow closer, hit him like a punch in the gut: first horror, followed by anguish, then heartbreak, and finally despair. Ben felt these emotions as strongly as if they were his own, though he knew they were not.

Rey. She was the one feeling this way. And yet the woman before him smiled, satisfied with his words. She was the only person present who was happy. More than happy, actually: she looked smug, like she had gotten something she wanted. There was a wickedness about her that Ben had never seen in Rey before.

"That's exactly what I hoped to hear." She grasped his shoulders, turning him to face her. "I would be glad to have you, Ben Solo." She started to lean in as though to kiss him, and for the first time Ben was not sure whether he wanted that.

"STOP!"

All heads turned to the newest arrival, who had not even let C-3PO announce him. It was Luke, standing at the entrance, his hair and robes disheveled, his blue eyes wild, his expression frantic. He looked like a madman.

"That's not Rey—and that's not me!" he shouted, pointing first at Ben's partner and then at his own doppelganger, who stood at Leia's side in the crowd.

Ben felt exactly the same way he had felt in his dream the previous night: the world seemed to jerk, falling out of the way he had thought things were, and into the way they truly were. He had trusted his eyes, his physical senses—Luke had always warned that they could be deceived and therefore were not to be trusted. He felt nauseous, realizing he had been duped, and he felt an intense anger for the one who had duped him.

Immediately he had his lightsaber in hand, ignited, and raised—but Rey's impostor only stepped back, looking bewildered and afraid and innocent. "Ben—"
His attention was diverted by the sound of more lightsabers, accompanied by screams. He looked to see that Leia had drawn a weapon of her own, a lightsaber with a blue blade; the fake Luke had also produced a weapon, a green lightsaber like that of the real Luke; then the blue and green blades were crossed and pushing against each other. Ben had the sudden urge to come to his mother's side, but then she and the impostor were both moving, dueling as the frightened guests stepped back to give them space—and Leia was holding her own against him.

Ben was stunned. Though he had been aware of his mother's sensitivity to the Force, and knew her to be proficient with a blaster, he had never seen her wield a lightsaber. It was stranger still to see her fighting someone with the appearance of her brother, as though the twins had turned against each other.

He snapped out of his stupor when the woman next to him cried out; he turned and saw that Tai and Ransolm had seized her by the arms, holding a lightsaber hilt and a blaster respectively. Ben rounded on the being who looked like Rey—the being, he realized with a sick feeling, to whom he had just pledged his love and fidelity a moment ago.

"Ben, you don't really believe—"

"I just left Rey behind on Takodana," the real Luke shouted. "She had decided not to come here."

Across the room, Leia managed to knock her opponent's lightsaber out of his hand; Han caught the hilt and pointed both it and a blaster at the fake Luke's head. "Stun or kill?" he asked Leia.

"Stun for now," Leia said calmly.

Han shot the impostor, who fell unceremoniously onto the floor. As soon as he was unconscious, his body shimmered and morphed into its true form: it was a Clawdite, a reptilian species capable of shapeshifting.

Seeing this, Ben turned to glare at the fake Rey. "Why don't you show your true self?"

The woman did not move or speak; her mouth was set firmly in a thin line.

"Fine, then." Ben held up his hand, as though to touch her face, but stopped a few inches away from it. "Who are you? Why are you here?"

He found the answer in her mind: she was one of the Knights of Ren. This in itself was enough to turn Ben's blood cold: he had encountered the knights early in his apprenticeship under Luke, and he knew their reputation for wanton violence.

"What are you doing?" Tai asked, concerned but also intrigued.

"It's a variation of the Jedi mind trick." Ben probed further into the knight's mind, and learned that she was currently acting on the orders of Snoke, Supreme Leader of the First Order. She had observed Rey in Maz Kanata's palace and learned to imitate her speech and mannerisms. And she had overheard Luke, Rey, and Maz talking about the one thing that would break the curse, and the one thing that would make it permanent.

All of this was more information than Ben could process. Snoke was the leader of the First Order? When had Luke met Rey, and what information had he given her? But all of that paled next to the question that Ben had been trying to find an answer to since meeting Rey.

Still holding his hand in front of the knight's face, Ben lifted his other hand, and tried something Luke had absolutely forbade his students to attempt: a Force-choke. Her eyes widened, and she clasped her throat, struggling to breathe.

"What does Snoke want with Rey?" Ben seethed.

She assumed that Snoke must have the girl by now, or else was on his way to her.

"What is he doing with her?" Ben demanded, shaking her with the Force.

The knight's thoughts were incoherent, but smug and full of contempt—something about testing and breaking and new toy.

Ben snapped.

He had experienced episodes of anger and aggression before, sometimes to the point that he lost control of his powers. But the emotions he had felt during those incidents were nothing compared to the rage he felt now.

Commanding the Force, he lifted the woman off her feet and flung her across the room; both she and many of the guests screamed. She would have crashed against the wall—Ben wanted to see and hear her bones breaking—but another force stopped her just inches away.

"Ben," Leia said sternly, her outstretched arm mirroring his. "Enough."

He glared at her. Then Leia did something she had not done in a long time: she sent her thoughts directly into Ben's mind, so he could understand without their needing to speak. If he killed someone here, on Hosnian Prime, in a room full of witnesses, he would face an inquiry; and even if it was a case of self-defense or manslaughter, the consequences would be serious for both of them. It would also delay him now, at the moment when Rey needed him. The best thing to do would be to let the authorities take custody of the knights.

Ben relented, letting his hand fall to his side. Leia lowered her hand more slowly, and the impostor followed until she was just a few inches off the ground; then Han shot her, and she fell, unconscious, and morphed back into a Clawdite. Ben looked at the creature with loathing and disgust, but he knew that those emotions were really aimed at himself.

Leia came up to Ben and squeezed his shoulder, then turned to address the crowd. "Everyone please remain calm. No one leave yet. Luke, Han, Chewbacca, and Ben, come with me."

She led the Wookiee and the three men to the lobby. Ben rounded on Luke, who had been the messenger of these bad tidings. "You better have some answers, Master."

"You first," Luke said, as stern and disapproving as ever. "What did you find out from your little 'mind-trick'?"

"They're Knights of Ren. Apparently they work for Snoke now. And they seem to know how to make the curse void or permanent—something you found out already?"

Luke blanched. Suddenly, he looked older and more tired than Ben had ever seen him, but he spoke calmly, albeit urgently. "Right before I came here, Rey and I had a run-in with some of the Knights of Ren. They had kidnapped Maz Kanata—and now I see why: they were trying to keep Rey from coming here. Snoke sent the impostor to trick you."

"Why? What was the point?" Han asked.

"It's a bit complicated. You know about Rey's curse, don't you?"

"Yeah."

"Maz had magic to counteract it. She turned my old lightsaber into a talisman, which protected Rey from Snoke and allowed her to be human some of the time. I learned from my research that the curse can be broken through a sacrifice made by either Rey or the person she loves. But a betrayal from either of them would make the curse permanent."

Ben's legs suddenly felt unsteady. Luke noticed and asked, "Did you say or do anything that would have been unfaithful to Rey?"

"I … I said I loved her—that woman."

Luke bowed his head, groaning. "Then our worst fear is realized."

"What are you saying?" Han asked, still trying to keep up with this talk of magic.

Luke spelled the truth out as simply as he could, in all its bleakness: "Ben's betrayal broke Maz's talisman."

"What does that mean?"

"It means Snoke can get to Rey," Ben realized. His mind raced with his worst fears: Snoke might be on his way to Rey, or he might have already reached her by now. "I have to go to her."

"Ben—" Luke began.

"Don't try to stop me!" Ben stormed.

Luke looked at him for a moment. "I'm not," he stated calmly. "We've all been where you are, at one time or another. You have to do this. But you don't have to do it alone."

"Of course he doesn't; he's got us," Han said.

Ben scoffed at the thought of Han or Chewbacca coming. "You'll just get in my way."

It was Leia who settled the matter, speaking up in the authoritative tone that no one could counter. "Ben, if you're going to attack Snoke directly, you'll need all the help you can get. Take them with you. I'll make sure our guests get home safely."

C-3PO started to enter the lobby. "Excuse me—"

"What, Threepio?" more than one person exclaimed.

The droid shrank back, while Tai walked past him. "It's just that Master Tai wished to have a word."

Tai looked at his classmate and teacher in concern. "Ben, Master Skywalker—I know you probably can't tell me everything going on, but is there anything I can do?"

Under better circumstances, Ben would have felt deeply grateful for Tai's loyalty. Presently, he just knew he should have been grateful, even if he was too afraid, angry, and anxious to feel that way now.

"You can help my sister with security," Luke instructed. "There are high-profile guests here, and if the Knights of Ren try anything else, it could be dangerous for the senators, their homeworlds, and the New Republic."

Leia spoke up then. "If Rey's lightsaber is broken, she'll need a new one." She produced her own saber once more and held it out to Ben. "Take mine."

Ben placed his hand on the weapon, but instead of letting him take it, Leia put her other hand over his, looking up into his eyes. "I named you after my only hope. That's what you are to this girl."

Ben nodded, feeling the weight of that responsibility. "I know."

"If you find her …" Leia's voice was heavy with emotion, almost breaking her calm composure. "… bring her home."

"I will," he vowed, as much to himself as to her

She let go of his hands, then touched his face and kissed his cheek. "Be safe, Ben." She turned to all three men and the Wookiee to say, "May the Force be with you."