Force Dyad
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A/N-thank you very much to everyone who kindly read and reviewed the last chapter.
Chapter Nineteen-BB-8
Rey stepped out of the refresher feeling much calmer than when she went in. She dragged a wide toothed comb through the knots in her wet hair, sitting cross legged on the floor as she spent time untangling, parting, and then braiding it. When she stood, she caught a brief glimpse of her reflection in the small mirror hanging on the far wall. Rey paused, looking to the left and right of her to make sure that no one was watching, before daring to approach and examine the image projected back at her from the cold glass. She had never been bothered about what she looked like before, but after the unsettling incident she had just experienced with one of the other young padawans, it made her stop and think about her appearance.
After another energetic training session, led by Hennix this time, Rey had walked back to the temple with her usual group of friends. She couldn't remember how, but she became separated from the others, until she found herself alone with Darwin-a young human boy who had arrived at the temple around the same time as Finn. Normally she didn't take much notice of Darwin. He was shy, not as confident or vocal as some of other padawans. He was a whole two years older than Rey.
As they walked together, he kept trying to hold her hand, much to her annoyance. After his third attempt she had called him out on it. To her surprise, the normally quiet and reserved Darwin had blurted out that he thought she was beautiful, before leaning in to try and kiss her. Rey had been so shocked by his move that her immediate reaction had been to punch him. Darwin had run off, nursing his bruised cheek, and with his face burning with shame.
Rey's first instinct had been to go to Ben and tell him what Darwin had tried to do, but she quickly had second thoughts. Ben was likely to overreact. Nothing had really happened anyway. She had already handled the situation herself. Darwin had learned his lesson. She didn't think he would try anything like that again. But the whole thing had gotten her wondering about her appearance.
Darwin had called her beautiful.
Was she?
Rey stared at her reflection in the mirror and examined her facial features. She focused on her pale skin and the smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose. She didn't see anything remarkable so far. Her eyes were okay she supposed-they radiated a warm brown with a hint of inner gold. Her lips were a pale pink, the top lip was slightly thinner, but not too thin; the bottom one was larger and plusher. Rey pulled her lower lip down and pulled a face. Her features contorted into something alien and she laughed at the ridiculousness of it all.
There was probably a word to describe what she looked like, but it certainly wasn't beautiful, Rey decided. Darwin must be soft in the head amongst his many other failings. She wondered if she should apologise for punching him but decided against that, too. The punch would serve as a timely reminder to him, that if you wanted to kiss a girl, you ask her first.
Ben looked with interest at the old BB unit he had salvaged from the wreckage of an old T-70 X Wing starfighter not long after his father had gifted him Grimtaash. Its circuits had completely blown and the rest of it was in a pretty poor condition. He had been meaning to fix the astromech up for years, until life had gotten in the way, and the little droid had been left abandoned in the bowels of Grimtaash, neglected and forgotten-until now.
When Ben didn't turn up at the mess hall for dinner, Rey went in search of him instead, bringing his share of food with her in a bag. When she came across him, she found him covered in grime and grease and surrounded by a sea of parts. He was holding a dome head in his hands, similar to that of R2 series astromech droids.
"What are you doing?" Rey asked as she carefully stepped over the myriad parts in order to reach him. "You missed dinner."
"Is it that late?" Ben said distractedly. He dumped the dome head on the ground and tucked a stray strand of his inky black hair behind one ear. "I didn't realise the time."
"Well lucky for you I managed to save your portions." Rey handed him the bag she had brought with her.
"Wow, I'm touched." Ben deadpanned as he opened the bag and peered inside. "I'm surprised, with your appetite, you didn't eat it on the way over here…" He paused, a grin forming at the corners off his mouth as he pulled out a partially eaten piece of fruit. "Then again?" He laughed, waving the fruit in front of her face.
Rey scratched the end of her nose in embarrassment at being caught out. "I only nibbled it." She protested.
Ben smiled at her cuteness and tossed the fruit to her, which she caught nimbly. "I'll let you finish it."
"Eww…Ben…its covered in grease now." Rey complained.
Ben just shrugged, still smiling. He reached for a cloth and wiped the worst of the grease and oil stains off his hands. While he was busy doing that Rey was examining the little astromech-or the pieces of one anyway. She asked him again what he was doing.
"It's all part of my grand plan." Ben revealed cryptically as he began to eat some of the food Rey had brought with her.
"What grand plan?" Rey questioned exasperatedly. She wished he would just get to the point. Ben enjoyed teasing her a little too much sometimes.
"To catch our mutual friend out." Ben continued sarcastically; he was all seriousness now. "Skywalker wanted proof that Voe's up to no good, so I'm going to use our little friend here to provide that proof…if I ever get him in working order again that is." He tagged on at the end.
"How?"
"See this?" Ben picked up a cylindrical black object off the floor and showed it to her. "Do you know what this is?"
"A photoreceptor." Rey answered quickly.
"Correct." Ben said, pleased by her quick response. "And what is a photoreceptor used for?"
"It's a visual sensor-a technical name for the optical sensors of a droid. They are the equivalent to an eye-they see, record…." Rey paused in her explanation, her eyes widening slightly in delight. "I understand now. You're going to use this droid to spy on Voe and record what she does."
"Excellent, my little padawan." Ben praised her. "I was considering using R2 but that would have been too obvious and aroused Skywalker's suspicions. Then I remembered I still had this little one stored away in Grimtaash and thought now would be the perfect time to revive him."
"Can I help?" Rey offered eagerly.
"I was hoping you would." Ben said in relief as he looked at the multitude of parts spread out in front of him. "We'll be able to get it done in half the time."
By dawn's early light, Ben did a few last-minute tweaks to the little astromech's circuitry and declared himself satisfied. He stretched, rolling his shoulders in an effort to loosen the aching muscles in them. He glanced toward Rey, who was sprawled out fast asleep on his bed. She had passed out hours ago, unable to keep her eyes open any longer. Ben had worked through the rest of the night on his own, determined to finish the task of fixing the droid as soon as possible.
And now it was done.
Ben picked up the little astromech and carried him outside his hut. His eyes welcomed the sunrise. The sun bloomed on the horizon, golden petals stretching ever outwards into the rich blue. It was like an invitation to a new day, the sunrise so ordinary, but today feeling extraordinary. Ben gently placed the little droid onto the ground and hunkered down in front of him so he could examine him one last time before powering him up.
The early morning sunshine glinted off the droid's dome head; the bulk of its body was made up of a ball on which the droid's head rolled. The little astromech was mostly white, with some silver and orange on its body.
"Well, here goes nothing!" Ben thought to himself as he took the plunge and finally activated the little BB unit.
Instead of the shower of sparks he was expecting, Ben was greeted with a series of high-pitched beeps and whistles as it communicated in its binary language. The little droid rolled agitatedly in a circle before coming to a stop in front of Ben again.
"Do you have a name?" He asked curiously.
As the sun rose higher in the sky, the droid was suddenly bathed in a rosy glow. Its dome head swivelled back slightly as it took in its surroundings. The jittery little astromech emitted another series of beeps as it divulged its name.
"BB-8, huh?" Ben mused. He placed the palm of his hand on the little droid's head to calm it down. "Its good to finally meet you. I'm Ben Solo. I think we're going to become very good friends."
A/N-thanks for reading! Please review.
