Chapter 7
Present Day
Elsi feels the ship go into hyperdrive. She moves to sit down on the bench across the room from Chewie. She sits and stares down at her hands as Finn goes to sit next to her.
"What happened before? Did you really stop those blaster shots with your mind?"
Elsi stared at Finn shocked. "You saw?" Elsi was sure that down in the vents Finn would not see her from how far he was away.
"Well, I could see partly through the gaps in the grates. Didn't believe my eyes at first. But its true? You can use the force?"
She pondered it over in her mind before deciding that there was no point denying what he saw. Elsi merely nodded at Finn.
"Are you a jedi?"
Elsi shook her head this time. She was a jedi once upon a time and at least until today she had believed that those days were long behind her. "There is only one jedi left and that's Luke." She truly believed that.
Finn took that answer as a hint not to ask anymore questions.
A short while later Han walks into the room towards Chewie. He kneels down in front of him and checks his wound.
Chewie moans about how he didn't do much to help them escape.
"Nah, don't say that, you did great. And don't worry, Elsi won't tell Leia how you acted, you know how Elsi just gets cranky when things don't go her way."
"Hey!" Elsi protested. "I don't get cranky. Besides someone had to stop him from killing Finn."
Han chuckles and turns to Finn. "Good job kid. And thanks."
"Your welcome." Finn responds accidentally hitting the button on the chess set which he frantically tries to turn off.
"So fugitives huh Elsi?" Han raises his eyebrows at her.
"Eh you know me Han, just another day at the office."
Rey interrupts their banter. "The first order wants the map. These two are with the resistance, I'm just a scavenger.
Han gives Finn a sceptical once over before looking at BB-8. "Let's see whatcha got."
BB-8 rolls forward and projects a holographic map the filled the entire room. It showed stars and planets across the galaxy.
Each of them look intently at the map. Han moves forward towards it.
"This map's not complete. It's just a piece. Ever since Luke disappeared, people have been looking for him."
Elsi remembered being one of them.
"Why'd he leave." Rey questioned.
Han hesitated looking at Elsi who nodded that he continue to tell the story.
"He was training a new generation of Jedi. One boy, an apprentice turned against him, destroyed it all. Luke felt responsible... He walked away from everything." Han hesitated to continue, knowing the bad memories that this would bring up for Elsi. "A few of Luke's padawans went to stop the boy but -"
Elsi interrupted Han before he could finish. "They all died. The boy killed them and lost his light in the process." Even though she had survived, it felt like she had died that day; along with her best friend. She still believed that Ben could be brought back to the light, but she always questioned how difficult that task would be.
Finn didn't miss the exchange between Han and Elsi. "What? All of them?! How could he do that, just suddenly turn on his friends and his master."
Elsi's head lowered, painfully remembering that day. "No one saw it coming. Turns out he was being influenced by a dark force user. Had been for years. He never told anyone."
"You say that as though you were there." Rey's eyes softened as she peered at Elsi, thinking that perhaps there was more that Elsi wasn't saying.
"Do you know what happened to Luke?" Finn questioned when it was clear that Elsi was not going to respond to Rey.
Han continued. "There're a lot of rumours. Stories. The people who knew him the best think he went looking for the first Jedi temple."
Rey looked shocked. "The Jedi were real?"
Finn just looked at Elsi who had went back to studying the map.
Han glanced at her as well. "I used to wonder that myself. Thought it was a bunch of mumbo-jumbo -magical power holding together good, evil, the dark side and the light. 'Crazy thing is, it's true. The Force, the Jedi, all of it. It's all true."
An alarm rings at the front of the ship and Chewie attempts to get up. "No, you rest."
Han heads towards the ships cockpit. As he walks by Elsi he softly rests a hand on her shoulder and nods his head at her in understanding. "You want my help? You're getting it. Gonna see an old friend. She'll help us to get your droid home. This is our stop."
Han leaves the room to ease the ship out of lightspeed.
Elsi takes the moment to leave them to it and walked to side of the lounge area of the ship where she sat down on the back bench; the opposite bench from where Chewie lay resting. Elsi ran a hand through her hair closing her eyes in exhaustion. She couldn't remember the last time she had a decent night sleep or a good full meal.
She decided to rest her head down for a moment. And before she knew it she was sound asleep.
Flashback
On Elsi's 18th birthday Ben's dad Han Solo, Chewie and Leia had come to the jedi temple for a visit. A small party was held for her. Nothing too fancy just a meal all together with a few gifts given. Hennix, Voe and Tai were there as well. Though they only stayed for the meal and then left to get back to training.
She received a new hologram communication device from Leia, a new lightsaber attachment from Luke and a new blaster from Han and Chewie. Ben hadn't given her anything yet. Though she didn't need anything from him, she was just so happy to be accepted as part of his family.
That day Elsi felt as though she was finally considered an adult. She was gaining loads of progress in her jedi training and had even been given more responsibility helping to teach some of the new younglings at the temple.
Elsi couldn't be happier. She had a family, friends and a best friend who she knew would fight by her side in any situation.
Their family meal had just finished and Ben excused himself and Elsi from the table, whilst the others still sat reminiscing about the past and talking about plans for the future.
"Ben where are we going?" Elsi was being dragged behind Ben as he grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the ship hanger.
"You'll see, just follow me."
They headed into the hanger and Elsi could clearly see where they were headed towards.
"Ben if your father finds out we went onto the Falcon without his permission he will flip. You remember what happened last time." Elsi and Ben once snuck on the Falcon when she was about 14. Ben convinced her to play a prank on Han where they moved everything around on his ship making him think he was either going crazy or that it was haunted.
Han did think it was haunted and even got Luke to check if he could use the force to get the spirit out. He was embarrassed and livid when Luke told him that it was just his two best students playing a big prank. Since then they had not been allowed back on the Falcon without Han present.
"Just come on Elsi, I promise we won't get caught this time. And besides you're an adult now, we can cover our tracks better and my dad won't find out. Where's your sense of risk and adventure?"
Elsi rolled her eyes and followed Ben as he let go of her hand and walked up the ramp and onto the ship. "Fine but if we get caught, I'm blaming it on you."
"Trust me when I give you your present you won't be."
"Present!"
"See now who wants to go on board the ship?"
Elsi followed Ben as he led her into the central part of the ship. She noticed a large metal box on the table.
"I snuck it up here when my dad arrived. I thought it would be best to open it here seeing as there is more space and privacy and we can use my dad's tools to help."
"Tools?"
"Just open it and see."
Elsi edged her way to the box cautiously as though it were a wild animal waiting to pounce on her.
"It's not going to bite Elsi."
Smirking she opened the metal box slowly and peeked inside.
A bright glow shone back at her as she opened the lid off fully.
Inside was a violet coloured Kyber crystal. The brightest one she had ever seen.
"I searched for one during my last mission. I thought that the blue and green sabers looked a little boring for you. And besides, the colour matches your hair."
Elsi looked in shock at Ben. No one had ever gotten her such a thoughtful present before.
"Ben? I- thank you. Thank you so much!" Elsi threw herself forward at Ben and wrapped her arms around his neck. Ben fell back on the bench behind him but nevertheless he hugged her back tightly.
"Your welcome" He whispered softly into the side of her face, breathing in her smell as he nuzzled into her neck.
Anyone walking in at this moment would think that they were in a romantic embrace. But the two friends were so close that this type of interaction was normal. However, in some ways this one felt different.
Elsi pulled away from Ben realising that she had more or less fallen on him into his lap. But he didn't let her get very far as he kept her where she was but now they were face to face. Inches away and staring at one another.
Elsi breathed in deeply as she thought for a moment that he was going to kiss her, despite her knowing that the jedi were not supposed to love or have any romantic connections.
Ben moved a strand of her hair and placed it behind her ear, caressing her cheek as he did so. Elsi leaned into his touch.
The sound of a ship landing nearby in the hanger jolted them both back to reality. Elsi cleared her throat and stood up.
"Thanks again Ben. Now are we gonna put this thing together or what?" Ben smirked up at Elsi and together they worked on Elsi's new lightsaber using the new part from master Luke and the new Kyber crystal from her best friend.
Authors Note:
Hi all. Ooh they almost kissed. I love the building suspense of a romance. I would totally choose a purple lightsaber. What colour would you guys choose? Let me know in a review. I would greatly appreciate any reviews because so far I have not received much feedback on this story and I would love to know what you all think. Thanks to those who have favourited, followed and reviewed so far. I was so happy to see some more followers and favourites after the last chapter. Thanks again, ZV.
