The Man Who Fell to Lehon
Main Theme- Understanding by Yoshihisa Hirano
Ben Solo watches as an orange streak bursts through the blue skies of Lehon. He assumes it's another pile of spaced garbage burning on reentry; both the ancient Sith and Jedi had no qualms about using the space around Lehon as a dumping ground. The Force sharpens his natural sight enough to make out a ship's hull. It's quite possible that this was one of the half-broken ships that surrounded Lehon too, but then he senses life coming from the ship. There's nothing he can really do for the ship until it crashes. He's powerful in the Force, perhaps the strongest in his generation, but it's too far and hurtling too fast for him to do anything but watch.
Ten klicks off the archipelago, the ship crashes.
His Master, Luke Skywalker, emerges from the ruined Temple of the Ancients when he heard the booming crash. Ben turns and sees his Master staring out at the horizon.
"Ben, what crashed?"
"A ship, Master, a Vanya-class Jedi courier or a ship that looked like one."
"From the ship graveyard?"
"I sensed life from that ship."
"Then, we better go and save it, Padawan." They hurry to the boats that they brought along for this ocean-laden world. The boats are repulsorcrafts from Naboo with enough speed to get them to the crash site. Ben is half-surprised that his guess turned out to be correct. The ship is a Vanya-class Jedi courier, so rusted that he's certain it saw action during the Sith Wars from thousands of years ago. He senses life aboard the ship.
"It's nearly submerged. It'll take the X-wings to haul the ship out of there, but it might sink to the bottom by the time we get back."
"We'll have to use the Force and levitate the ship onto safer ground."
"There's only a sandbar hardly bigger than the ship."
"That will have to do."
Ben grins. He's always enjoyed the more physical applications of the Force. Combined with Luke's Force mastery, they both pull the ship out of the clear waters and deposit it as gently as they could. It sinks a bit into the sand, but then it stops after a few centimeters. His Master breathes heavily from the effort, while Ben sweats a little. They peer inside the cockpit and find no one there.
"Should we break the windows to get inside?"
"It has a ramp. I'm sure you remember some of your slicing classes with Artoo."
"Um, I do," he half-lies. He did take the classes with his fellow padawans, but he didn't really pay much attention to the droid since he figured that he could use his saber and melt a lock if necessary. His Master just looks at him with mild disappointment, clearly not believing him. "Perhaps, we should've brought Artoo, Master."
"Don't worry, Padawan, I'll show you." Ben waits impatiently for five minutes as Luke slices his way into opening the ramp. They ascend and find that the ship's lights still work. The inside is as rusted as the outside. The pipes rattles and whistle around them, while their boots clank down its ancient hall. They search the rooms and find the medbay, engine room, and a small kitchen complete with a holochess table. They finally come across the living quarters split between crew and captain quarters; Luke goes for the crew, while Ben takes the captain. He's the one that finds a young man with long, red hair lying unresponsive on the floor. He wears a pink bodysuit that looks like it's made from a pack of jellyfishes from the Silver Sea of Chandrila. He hurries over and checks for a pulse.
Weak but there. He's also breathing which is good. I don't see any blood. And his stomach is gurgling louder than Chewie's.
The pale eyelids flutter open and reveal watery green eyes. He looks lazily at him and mumbles something unintelligible. Ben helps him sit up and finally hears what he's saying.
"You smell like bread. May I eat you?" the young man pleads weakly.
He is thin, so maybe he rationed to near starvation? No, he's not that skinny. Judging by the bags on his face, he probably passed out from amenia. Ben pulls out a hunk of bread from his pouch and brings it to the young man's mouth. He takes a bird bite and swallows. Within seconds, the young man snatches the rest of the bread and devours it. Ben feels lucky that he didn't lose a finger in the process.
"Five blossom bread?"
"Uh, yeah?"
"It was delicious!"
"Really? It's been in my pocket for two days." This does not stop the man in his devouring. Ben briefly wonders if this man grew up on a starship and only had the bland food usually offered on them.
"Only thing missing is butter, but butter doesn't really keep so well in your pocket on a tropical planet," he jokes. Before Ben can ask if he learned from experience, Luke finds them. The young man's eyes widen and take on a curious shade of blue.
"Pfassk, you're Luke Skywalker!"
"I believe we've never met until now."
"I'm Armitage, and I know you through…those propaganda holos." Ben snorts at the young man's obvious change in his reply, but his Master gives him a don't be rude look with his eyebrows.
"I'm not as young as I once was," he admits humorously.
"At least your wardrobe has some color to it now." Luke wears a light-blue tunic with the brown Jedi robe accustomed to a Master's rank. "Your tunic matches your eyes, while your robe matches the mud on your boots."
"The mud is wet sand."
"Sand? Am I already on Lehon?" Armitage rubs at the back of his head with a pink glove hand. "I must've been sleeping well!"
"You're fortunate that your ship didn't lose any parts." Or that it can still fly at all. Ben adds inwardly.
"This ship has outlasted many galactic wars and will do so until the very final one that kills the entire universe." Ben cannot tell if he's being serious or humorous; he hopes for the latter.
"Your ship wouldn't happen to be a Vanya-class Jedi courier?"
"Good eye! It's a family heirloom." Before his Master can inquire any further, the young man's stomach lets out an angry gurgle.
"It sounds like you could use a good meal. My Padawan is an excellent chef."
"Padawan?" Armitage looks at him again. "He has all his hair!"
"I'm not very strict when it comes to dress code."
The young man then focuses on the braid grazing the top of Ben's left shoulder. "Your Padawan braid is a Naboo lovelock."
"How'd you know?"
"My father was Naboo and taught me the simple hairstyles. He was the best chef in the galaxy." Green flashes briefly in those eyes before returning to its calm blue.
"I probably could make you a simple Naboo dish depending on what's in your fridge."
The kitchen area is simply furbished with a black and red checkered table with four chairs. Ben notes that the table looks very much like the holochess table on his dad's ship. Armitage makes a great show of pulling open the fridge door like he's pulling back the curtains to a paltry magic act.
"Wow, you really love your vegetables and soups," Ben remarks politely.
"I'm allergic to mammalian meat, so it limits the options."
His Master goes over to the table and drums his fingers on the table's squares. "How about a game while we wait?"
Armitage nods and fiddles with the table to bring up Divoran holochess. This type of holochess is multi-field with each player controlling fifteen armies; the player wins when they capture all of their opponent's fifteen emperors. It typically takes hours before a victor is declared.
"This will eat away the wait."
"Ah, yes." Luke wears a calm expression, but he feels his Master's reluctance in their bond. Ben merely smiles and then turns to his cooking. Every now and again, he would glance back and find the pair still completely focused on the game. Over an hour later, he ladles the chunky stew into large bowls and then tops them with puffy rice. He brings over the bowls, balancing them across his arms like a professional waiter, and interrupts their match.
"I present coconut curry chicken stew and Ghoba rice."
"Ghoba rice?" Armitage stirs the rice and curry together with the chopsticks. "This is Nagai puffy rice."
"It's a lot like Ghoba rice," Luke reassures him. Ben takes his seat and enjoys watching Armitage scarf down his bowl like a hungry akk dog. He finishes before Ben and Luke are even halfway through their bowls.
"Is there anymore?" Armitage asks pleadingly.
"There's more curry in the pot." Armitage's chair scraps noisily against the tile as he goes for seconds. Luke looks him over like he's parsing a mystery.
"What's wrong, Master?"
"What do you notice about him?"
"He's a bit skinny from not eating enough."
"Aside from that, what do you notice about his face?" Before he can reply, Armitage returns and scraps the ground again. He smiles up at Ben and then picks up the chopsticks. Ben catches glimpses, in between his own bites, of Armitage's face.
The bags under his eyes are a nasty purple like he hasn't slept for more than a few hours a night. He's got tear tracks that I can only see when he catches the kitchen's light. Does he spend most of his nights crying? Why? He doesn't seem distress to me, but I just met him, so for all I know he could be putting up a front.
"Armitage, are you okay?"
"Now that I've ate your food!"
"I mean in general."
"Well, I…" Armitage stirs up the curry with a haunted look in his blue eyes. "I came to Lehon to get away from the galaxy for a month."
"Which part of the galaxy if I may ask?" Luke inquires as he pushes his empty bowl aside. Armitage looks at his curry and seems intent on silence, but then he looks up with green eyes.
"The Unknown Regions. I wasn't born there, but I spent most of my life there."
Ben feels a frown twitching across his face. He knows the quite a number of Imperials fled to the Unknown Regions after the Empire's destruction. Considering Armitage's accent, there's a good chance he's a son of an Imperial. However, a small part of him hopes he's just a smuggler or even a mercenary that works for the First Order. Luke shoots him a stern look.
I shouldn't judge without getting all the facts, but there's no way he's just some innocent bystander in the Unknown Regions.
"Don't worry, I'll be gone in a month. No need to call the New Republic Defense Fleet on me!" he jokes and then grimaces, "I'm really here for some peace."
"I believe you," His Master says honestly. Ben keeps his mouth closed and watches as Armitage clears away the empty dishes. "My Padawan and I best be going. We'll continue our game another day?"
"I'm looking forward to it."
They return the next day and find a flimsiplast note stuck to the ship's entryway. Luke peers at it, but then looks to Ben for a translation of the ovals and circles.
"Gone fishing. He didn't need Futhark for this; Futhork would've sufficed," he scoffs.
"Why would someone of the First Order bother to learn the complex Naboo writing systems?" Luke proposes.
"They could use it for codes, but there's plenty of Naboo in the Defense Fleet. I guess maybe one or both of his parents are Naboo, and he learned it from them."
"Well, I need to finish my reports on the temple, but you're free to do what you will." His Master winks as he returns to the boats. Ben doesn't follow Luke; he searches for Armitage instead. Fifteen minutes later, he finds Armitage just off a tear-shaped sandbar. He holds a simple fishing pole with a cooler at his feet for the fish he caught.
He really is fishing.
"I really am just fishing, Padawan."
"My name is Ben Solo," Ben shouts. He shuts the boat off and hops onto the land. He hurries over to the ginger.
"I didn't know since your Master just called you Padawan." Armitage doesn't look up from the waters. "Padawan Solo, what do you want? I take it's not to fish since you don't have the equipment."
"Are you from the First Order?" he demands. He scrutinizes the young man, waiting for any lies to be physically revealed.
"I was."
"Was?"
"I'm currently listed as missing-in-action. When I go back, there'll be an investigation and a trial." Armitage waves a dismissive hand.
He's not even concerned that he could be tried as a traitor for desertion. Maybe he's the son of a high-ranking officer? Is it possible he's a scion from an old Imperial family? A Motti? A Tarkin? Maybe a Tagge? Ben tries recalling if any of those families have a member looking like Armitage, but none come to mind.
"Why even go back? Is the pay really that good?"
"…"
"So, you're not doing it for greed. Power? You hoping to be the next Supreme Leader? Or maybe Grand Marshal?"
"There's no such thing as Grand Marshal. I believe you meant Allegiant Admiral." Armitage sounds irritated, and Ben wonders if it's actually the heat getting to the ginger. He's wearing a long-sleeve swim shirt and black swim pants. His sweat makes the shirt stick to him like a second skin.
"Aren't you hot in all those layers?" Ben remarks.
"You really just want me to lose my shirt, don't you?" Armitage mutters and then wedges the fishing pole firmly into the sand. His nimble fingers grip the bottom of his shirt and then he pulls it off. Ben waits for Armitage to throw his shirt at him, but the man just discards it onto the sand. Armitage's left arm catches his attention fully with its burns. The burns are pink and taut from age; there's a strange circular pattern to it like a chain wrapping the entire arm. His eyes than drift to the freckles kissing Armitage's thin shoulders and parts of his smooth chest. Armitage reminds Ben of the beautiful princes from fairytales with equally noble personalities.
"Am I not to your liking?"
"I thought you would have chest hair at your age."
"My age? How old do you think I am, youngling?"
"Close to thirty."
"I'm twenty-two. We're pretty close in age."
"Not really, five years seems like quite a difference to me."
"You're seventeen!? I thought you were like twenty and close to being knighted."
"I'll earn my knighthood when my Master deems me ready for the Trials," Ben says sourly. Personally, he feels ready, but Luke has never done the Trials before and needs practice before testing him.
"I know in the Clone Wars Padawans became Knights because the Jedi needed Knights. It's nice that this generation can just do the Trials." Armitage smiles, and Ben traitorously feels his cheeks heat up.
"Let's hope your Order doesn't start a war anytime soon."
"Well, I hope you don't consider this the opening salvo." Before Ben can ask, Armitage dives right into the water, causing some of it to splash on Ben's boots. He surfaces quickly and slicks back his hair, looking roguish. Ben chews on his bottom lip as he resists blushing.
"Too bad, you're in your Jedi robes, then you could join me in the cool waters!" Armitage then floats on his back and closes his eyes. "The water really is lovely."
Ben swallows dryly and then removes his clothing, except for his boxers, and then tosses them onto Armitage's swim shirt. He then dives right into the water, delighting in the cold that envelops him. When he surfaces, Armitage watches him with green eyes.
"You're right. The water is lovely."
The sun sets with pinks and oranges coloring Lehon's blue skies. Ben has yet to return, so Luke returns to Armitage's ship, certain his Padawan will be there. He finds boat moored in the waters near Armitage's ship. The ramp is down, so he ascends. He's hit with the aroma of peanut oil and cooked spices. He finds Ben panfrying fish and some diced vegetables, wearing clothes that barely fit on him.
"What happened to your clothes?"
"There was sand in them, so there in the wash."
"Couldn't you just shake the sand out?"
"The sand was everywhere," Ben replies in utter seriousness. Luke wonders if the hatred of sand came from Leia or further back in the family lineage.
"Where's Armitage? Is he too battling the evils of sand?"
"He's showering. I hope I didn't use up all the hot water," Ben mumbles the last part, and Luke smiles at his nephew's considerate nature.
I bet he's making Armitage dinner because he didn't want him eating a ration bar. He strikes me as the kind to consume ration bars instead of real food far too often. Is that what they do in the First Order?
"He's from the First Order. He deserted his post, but he intends to go back and stand trial. I don't understand why he would. It's not for the credits, and he didn't seem excited by the prospect of power."
"Perhaps, he has family and friends waiting for him."
"Then, why leave in the first place?" Ben shuts off the stove and divides the fish three ways, knowing full well that Luke hasn't eaten dinner.
"Perhaps, he had no choice." It's then that Armitage walks right into the kitchen. Luke sees he's wearing his pink suit again.
"You're wearing the jellyfish suit again? Why didn't you wear it when you went fishing?" Ben comments as he lays the plates onto the table.
"My robeskin doesn't like the ocean. Too salty!" Armitage replies and takes his seat. He waits for them to sit before taking his first bite. "Hmm! I love the lime in this!"
"Lime adds more flavor versus regular lemons, and you didn't have a lemon." Ben eats without the gusto Armitage has since he's used to his own cooking and Luke is likewise. Armitage consumes half his fish when he looks his way.
"How long are you going to be on Lehon if I may ask?"
"Well," Luke glances at Ben; his Padawan looks pleadingly at him. Luke pauses and then continues, "two more days."
"Wonderful!" Armitage smiles, and Ben smiles too.
The Temple of the Ancients endures a tropical storm. Rain slams against its metallic exterior with most of it getting through the broken windows. Fungi springs up in the halls, but they don't reach the rooms without windows. Two humans wait in a room on the floor above the entranceway. One stares down at his datapad, while the other uses the Force to pluck mushrooms from the nearby hallway.
"How long do tropical storms last here?" Ben grumbles.
"Well, tropical storms can last from a day to even a month. The last time I was here during one, it took a week for it to go away. Coincidently, we waited through it in this very temple! I bet this won't last more than a day." Armitage chirps. Ben wishes he had Armitage's optimistic attitude, but after two hours of listening to the raging storm, he doubts that the storm will be so merciful.
"Combined with our supplies and the fish you brought, we should have enough food for three days, maybe a week if we stretch out the rations." Armitage can't cook worth a damn, but he can fish. I really wanted to do a seafood boil, but the kitchen is partially flooded.
"Oh, I guess you haven't explored the top spire then."
"Hmm?"
"There's an emergency cache filled with dried foodstuffs and weapons."
"I take it you placed it there."
"My sire did the last time we were here together. Add in the foodstuffs from there, and we can survive another week here."
"Force, I hope it won't come to that." I really don't want to dine on FO rations for days on end!
"I hope your Master is okay out there." Before the storm began, Luke went scavenging through starship debris that exist all over the planet, though Ben believes it to be an excuse to leave them alone.
Did the Force give him a vision about Armitage and me? Or does he feel like the younglings need time to themselves? It could be both knowing him. Ben sighs at the thought.
"He's most likely waiting out the storm in a cave somewhere." He pulls the last mushroom and lets it fall with the others onto the wet floors.
"How can you be so sure?"
"Our bond. If he died or was in a lot of pain, I would've felt it." Ben looks to Armitage and find those green eyes boring into him. "Uh, why are you staring at me like that?"
"You explained it so nonchalantly. It's a part of you like the Force. I always wanted something like that: someone who will always be with you. I thought I had something like that; perhaps, not as tangible as yours, but he was there. And then he was gone."
"I'm sorry for your loss," The words come out thick and clumsy like he was speaking Naboo for the first time.
"He didn't die," Armitage then adds with a sad smile, "he just didn't tell me where he went. One day, I'll find him again."
"H-He must be an incredible man." Someone who isn't an awkward teenager that barely has any friends outside of his family, and even then, it's only because they're padawans like me. He probably has a gorgeous face with small ears and nose.
Armitage chuckles lightly. "I wasn't talking about a lover; he was my father. I understand the Jedi frown upon attachments."
"Not anymore. I can get married and have kids and I'd still be a Jedi."
"Is that all you want?"
"To love and be loved in return?" Ben reflects for a moment and finds in his muddled emotions the truth. "Yes."
"I want that as well." Armitage lays a hand over his and gives a gentle squeeze. Such a comforting gesture that perfectly conveys Ben's desire.
I hope it's with you.
Seven years later, Armitage finds himself in the same room where he and Ben waited in until the storm was over. He's on the floor with Ben's head in his lap. The gangly limbs of adolescence have hardened into the burgeoning muscles of a young man. Yet, his hair is soft to the touch and wild from his crying bouts. All he can really do for him is hold him and listen.
"First, it was my mom who betrayed me. She wrote all of these letters explaining her reasoning to keep the truth from me. She claimed it was to protect me. Then, it was dad when he agreed with her; I thought maybe he was in the dark just like I was, but he never was. I thought it couldn't get worse…"
The tears wetting his thighs cease as Ben lifts his head. His face contorts in an expression of pure fury.
"My uncle, the Grandmaster of the New Jedi Order, Luke Skywalker, stood over me and ignited his saber. He was going to bring down that green blade and cut me in half! He would've killed me!" The fury in those brown eyes loses its fire with desperation taking their place. He pleads, "Everyone's lied to me, but Snoke. He warned me of Luke's betrayal, but I didn't believe until it happened. Tell me, does Snoke want to help me?"
Armitage inhales and exhales through his nose, parts his dreams for the FO. He then gently says: "He will only help you to help himself. You are the most powerful Force-user of your generation, and he craves nothing more for power. He's like the Emperor in that way, but where there was a genuine care, if initially, the Emperor had for Vader, Snoke doesn't care about you. He just wants your power at his disposal. It's the same with the Knights of Ren; they went from a roving band of mercenaries to his personal attack dogs because they had power he could use. The Knights of Ren are hardly better, and I'm afraid they'll just hurt you more than help."
Ben stares at him, absorbing all he's said, and then asks, "Aren't you supposed to take me to the Knights?"
"You need the truth more than I need that promotion." Armitage cups Ben's face like he's holding the most precious treasure in the galaxy. "You do need help, and Luke needs it too. If there's any remnant of the man from seven years ago, he would realize what he's done."
"I-I think I may have killed him. I can't feel him anymore. I remember bringing the Temple down to save myself and then…our bond was dissolved."
"Are you certain?"
"I-I…don't know. I didn't check the rubble. He could be alive, and I could've dissolved the bond myself. I know I ran, got off world, and then…I know I killed Hennix. Not on purpose! But I know he's dead, and I'll never be forgiven for it. What should I do?"
"I think I need to take you to your mother." Ben pales, and Armitage adds softly, "I'll be there to get you out if she's not herself. However, she needs to know what's happened. I wouldn't be shocked if Snoke, or maybe some Dark Sider, is behind your uncle's madness."
"Armitage, if you do this, then you can never go back."
"I know. My parents had hopes that I would take over the Order and lead it into an Age of Peace, but I don't think it's worth sacrificing you to it. You matter more than some far off dream."
"I love you."
"I love you too."
Author's Comments- Here are the links:
The Queen Izrina is based upon a Jedi courier ship from after the Exar Kun War, so it could've been part of the ancient Sith Wars. It's the black ship in the middle of the image: a href=" . "Link/a
Robeskins are a common form of clothing for the Yuuzhan Vong's Worker caste, the Shamed Ones, and Familiars. It's described as being thick, jelly-like cloth that even ripped to shreds would grow; it fed on the wearer's sweat and oils and can even heal the wearer by feeding on necrotic flesh and pathogens. Since there's no official or even fan art on robeskins, I decided to imagine them being like the clothing/skin that Ventricosus (the pink jellyfish lady in the clip) from Land of the Lustrous would wear, except plainer: a href=" watch?v=zV96hi7OLd4"Link/a
Here is an example of the Temple of the Ancients on Lehon: a href=" . /starwars/images/f/fe/Unkwld_ "Link/a
May the Fourth be with you! I actually wasn't planning on posting anything for the day, but this one-shot worked out for that to happen. Originally, I was going to end it with Armitage singing Ben a lullaby, but I cut it because it wasn't working for me or the rest of the story. Anyways, if this AU continued, Armitage and Ben would eventually assemble their own force to kick Snoke's and the Knights of Ren's collective asses, and then make out after the fact.