Force Dyad

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A/N-thank you very much to everyone who kindly read and reviewed the last chapter.

Chapter Seventeen-The Senate

Apathy washed over Ben like heavy water as he listened to Leia Organa Solo address the New Republic Senate. He was trying, he really was trying to take an interest, but politics bored him. He zoned out when his mother got shouted down again. Leia wasn't put off, she just increased the volume of her voice, letting it rise in pitch until the others were forced to listen. Ben grudgingly admired his mother's tenacity. She didn't give up; she was determined to get her point across come hell or high water.

"Some of you stood beside me in the Imperial Senate when we spoke for worlds that had been silenced by Palpatine's war machine. After the Empire dissolved the Senate, others of you fought beside me in the struggle to restore freedom to the galaxy. And all of you are fellow citizens of a galaxy yearning for peace and prosperity. I hope you will remember these bonds that unite us as you listen to what I have to say."

Ben lounged against the wall, his mother's words bouncing off him like rain from concrete. Every muscle in him was slouched, even his heart was beating slowly. No doubt if Skywalker could see him now, he would demand he stand up straight, to show he was a true representative of the renewed jedi order. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Tai doing exactly that. Skywalker's favourite apprentice was taking a keen interest in everything going on around him. He was listening avidly to Leia's rousing speech, his head nodding occasionally when something she said particularly resonated with him.

"As a young senator, I saw my home world of Alderaan vaporized before my eyes, destroyed by a murderous machine that the Empire had created. The horror of watching so many lives extinguished will never leave me. That moment changed me forever, and made me vow that I would live to see an end to war and the beginning of an era of peace."

Ben heard the slight catch of emotion in his mother's voice as she spoke about the devastating loss of Alderaan. It was very rare she touched on such a painful subject. She had certainly never spoken at length with him about it. He had asked her about it once, years ago, but Leia had brushed his questions aside, reiterating that it did no good dwelling on the past, and that focusing on the future was all that anyone could do.

"But that peace could only be achieved through victory at arms. A noble but misguided few said that those of us who opposed the Empire should surrender and hope for mercy from Palpatine, but that would have sentenced the galaxy to millennia of terror. Our Alliance needed hope—but not blind hope.

The Empire now lies in ashes, but the First Order has risen from its embers. And in the galaxy's shadows, its leaders are directing a campaign that has only one goal: the destruction of the New Republic you have worked so hard to lead."

Leia's hand movements were as expressive as her impassioned speech. She had their attention now. Ben stood there in the auditorium, listening to the swell of his mother's voice as she tried to convince the senate of her findings. She had gathered together a detailed account of the many ways the emerging First Order violated the terms of the Galactic Concordance. Leia had collated documentary evidence in the hopes of convincing the Galactic Senate of the New Republic to take military action against the First Order before it was too late. This included intelligence reports, captured surveys, and testimonies from refugees.

Ben remembered the surprise on his mother's face when he had arrived home unexpectedly. She had been in the midst of perusing the evidence when he had turned up with Tai in tow. Her surprise had soon turned to annoyance when she found out why he was there. At first, she blamed Luke for sending him home after her insistence that she was fine. It came as a shock to her to find out that it was actually Han who had requested their son's presence and not her beloved brother.

Ben had been just as shocked as his mother when he found it was his Han who had contacted Luke and asked for him to come home. He was angry that Luke had omitted to divulge that particular bit of information from him in order to manipulate him into going and leaving Rey behind. Even though Leia expressed her pleasure at seeing him again, Ben could also tell she was exasperated at having to deal with the extra pressure his presence put on her shoulders during this stressful time.

Behind closed doors where they thought Ben wouldn't hear, his parents argued, but for once Han stood his ground and refused to back down. The familial tension gave Tai his first insight into how the dysfunction running rife through the Solo family affected Ben and it made him much more empathetic toward him as a result. Even though Tai gained a new understanding, it was an unpleasant reminder of the past for Ben. Leia and Han were arguing again and as usual he was the cause.

"The Empire now lies in ashes, but the First Order has risen from its embers. And in the galaxy's shadows, its leaders are directing a campaign that has only one goal: the destruction of the New Republic you have worked so hard to lead.

I wish I were wrong. I would gladly tell my detractors in the Senate that they are right—that I'm an alarmist, a warmonger, and a relic from the last war. But this isn't about me. It's about evidence collected at great cost by brave men and women who seek the same peace we all do."

Ben was brought back into the present by the ringing echo of his mother's voice resounding in the large assembly chamber. His heart throbbed painfully as the familiar whisperings began making themselves heard in the back of his mind, refuting everything his mother said, twisting her words to suit an alternative narrative. Ben felt like he was losing his sense of reality. He tried to keep calm and meditate, to push the traitorous voice back into the darkest recesses of his mind.

"I have compiled information vital to the survival of the New Republic into the report. I urge you to read it. It details some of the many ways the First Order has violated the Galactic Concordance, using it as a shield to prepare for war."

Something clicked inside Ben's head. It was in the brisk temperature of the room, the buttery lighting highlighting his mother's petite figure on the stage.

"The First Order's leaders are masters of rhetoric, unleashing torrents of propaganda and fear. This is a deliberate strategy designed to distract us from what the First Order is doing in secret, and about which it is silent."

The world slowly dissolved around Ben and Leia Organa's voice became background noise as a small halo of light appeared in front of him and Rey stepped out of it. It had happened a significant number of times over the intervening weeks he had been gone, she would often appear when he was struggling the most. Like she always did, her presence soothed the growing tension building inside of him, the voice ceased to exist in his head, and he was able to breathe.

"Is that your mother?" Rey asked as she came to stand beside him. Even though no one could see or hear her besides Ben, she still whispered. The solemn atmosphere inside the huge assembly hall was overpowering as Leia concluded her long speech.

"First Order incursions into New Republic space continue to happen, with the resulting diplomatic protests ignored. The First Order's cooperation agreements with neutral systems are enforced by the business end of blasters. And the First Order's calls to civilize the galactic frontier are a story they tell to cover their colonization of star systems—systems that New Republic observers aren't permitted to visit.

No one, least of all me, wants to see war consume the galaxy again. But war is coming, whether we like it or not. Many senators have demanded that I show them evidence the First Order has violated the Galactic Concordance. This report contains that evidence, and it is irrefutable. I urge you to view it with an open mind, seeing what is there instead of what you wish to see. And then I urge you to ask yourself this question: What if the next irrefutable evidence isn't a message from a friend, but an attack from an enemy?

Should that day arrive, what will you do? And what will you tell the people of the galaxy you swore to defend?"

Thunderous applause from some of Leia's supporters erupted from one end of the chamber. The chancellor called for quiet and a series of counter arguments from other factions ensued as they heatedly refuted what was inside the report, some even going so far as to attest that the evidence was biased.

"You have her eyes." Rey mused quietly to Ben. "They're a warn brown like yours."

Ben raised his eyebrows at this observation. He always thought he favoured his father more in looks than his mother. Rey was always so observant. He glanced down at her, wondering what she thought of all the strangeness. This was his mother's world, not his. If he found it overwhelming, he couldn't imagine how she must feel.

Rey's hair was almost to her waist now. She hadn't cut it since he had rescued her from Jakku. She wore it in a long intricate braid that fell over one shoulder. He noticed a slight frown mar her forehead as she listened to the raised voices of the other senators. It was clearly affecting her.

"Let's get out of here and go for a walk." Ben said to her in a low voice.

"Are you allowed? Aren't you on duty?" Rey questioned anxiously. She didn't want him to get into trouble for her sake.

A flicker of amusement crossed Ben's face. "This place is surrounded by security. And Tai's here. He can alert me if there's any trouble. We won't go far. This debate will probably go on for hours."

"K.'" Rey said, reassured.


Ben and Rey stepped out of the senate chambers to be greeted by glorious sunshine. They gravitated toward the formal gardens which surrounded the historic building. Rey was soon transfixed by the beauty of the gardens. She was surrounded by flowers of many colours, they were like a dancing rainbow, as if light and music had found a new way to blossom together. Ben's mood lifted and he found himself sharing in her delight as she wandered from flower to flower, revelling in the rich aroma coming from them. She was full of questions and Ben did his best to answer them. He loved that she always wanted to know everything.

The well-manicured lawns spread before them like a sea of green as they took a slow stroll around the gardens. As they walked, Ben tried to gently coax out of Rey what had been going on at the temple during his absence. It didn't take her long to admit about what had happened with Voe and Luke's subsequent lecture.

"I had to apologise." Rey's expression turned mutinous. "She was so smug, Ben. She was enjoying watching me squirm and making me feel small."

Ben felt his anger rising. This was a repeat of his own youth. Luke was treating Rey exactly the same way he had treated him whenever he tried to raise concerns about Voe's bullying behaviour. Now she was using Rey to get her power fix. She was purposely humiliating Rey to get to him. Ben knew that and he wasn't going to tolerate it. There was no way he was going to allow Voe to get her ego boost at Rey's expense. She was like a parasite, boosting herself at the cost of others self-worth.

Ben came to an abrupt decision. He wasn't really needed here. His mother certainly didn't want him hanging around. She had made that clear from the outset. She was only tolerating his presence to appease Han. She was surrounded by security and Tai could stay to oversee things. Tai took more of an interest in all the political sniping than he did.

And Rey needed him.

Her welfare came above everything.

"I'm coming back, Rey. Leave Voe to me." Ben promised.

A/N-thanks for reading! The writing in italics-or Leia's speech to the senate-is taken from The Last Jedi: Bomber Command by Jason Fry.