Earlier that evening
Ben's perspective
Ben dropped the crate of supplies into the compartment and slid the grate back into place. All that was left to load were their uniforms. Once Finn and Poe were done fueling up, the ship would be ready to go.
Rose met him at the top of the ramp. "The chip is transmitting an older signature, but I doubt the First Order will have a record of old Imperial troopers. Hopefully they won't look into it, but if they do, with luck they assume it's just a glitch. As long as we play it off well, we should be able to fly under the radar," she said as they descended together.
It was a risk, but one they had to take. He nodded. "Good."
She was still looking at him, as if she had more to say. He raised a single brow in silent question.
"You seem… different, somehow," she observed. "More at ease. More confident."
The corner of his lips quirked up in a soft smile.
"It's because of Rey, isn't it?"
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, sweeping his gaze around the hangar as he reflected on the woman herself. "She gives me strength," he said simply.
Rose smiled. "I'm happy for you, Ben. You deserve this."
He felt the tips of his ears grow warm. "Some days, I'm still not sure it's real," he confided quietly. He cleared his throat and straightened. "I'm going to tell Leia we're ready to go."
Rose nodded. "See you in the morning."
Leaving the hangar, Ben reached out and felt for his mother's Force signature. Surprisingly, she was still in the makeshift meeting room, and as Ben expanded his senses, he noted that Han, Chewie, and Luke were with her. This late in the day, he would've expected them all to have retired for the evening.
He made his way to the meeting room. The sensors marked his arrival and the doors slid open as he entered the chamber.
The four figures were silhouetted by the blue-green light emanating from the holomap projection they'd been studying. Remnants of an era gone by, Ben mused. Pillars in the galaxy who had already served their time, but who had been called to fight once more.
At the sound of the door opening, they all turned to see who had entered.
Leia recognized him first, and stepped away from the table. "Ben? What is it?"
He cleared his throat. "We're ready to go. We'll be leaving first thing in the morning."
All four of them straightened at the news. Han rested a hand on Leia's shoulder.
"Everything is in order, then?" Leia asked, studying Ben carefully. "You have everything you need?"
"Yes." He hesitated. "Have you heard anything from your old allies?" he questioned one last time, voice pitched low.
Leia held his gaze a moment longer. "No," she whispered.
He nodded once. "Well, then." He looked from his mother to the others, each in turn. "May the Force be with you."
They nodded in return. "May the Force be with you," Leia said. "Always."*
…
He let himself into the shop, and found Rey standing before the work table, arms crossed over her chest as she studied the uniforms spread across the surface.
"Rose finished installing the chip and says everything seems to be working," he said to her back. "Poe and Finn are fueling up now. We'll be ready to go first thing tomorrow morning."
She didn't turn. He could feel the waves of anxiety rolling off her.
Stepping up behind her, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and rested his chin on top of her head. "You're worried."
She nodded beneath him.
He kissed her hair. "You won't be alone."*
"Neither will you,"* came her quiet response.
He squeezed his arms around her, then kissed her temple, remaining there for a moment before kissing her again and pressing his cheek against hers.
"It's going to be okay," he murmured against her.
When she leaned into him, he closed his eyes and nuzzled closer, inhaling the scent of her hair and skin, cherishing her nearness and warmth in his arms.
"I promise," he whispered.
They stood for a moment longer, observing the armored disguises before them, before Ben gave her one final squeeze.
"Come on. There's nothing more to be done here tonight. We need to sleep."
She nodded, and he led her from the shop back to the barracks. By wordless agreement, they went to Rey's room, stripped down to their underclothes, and curled up back to front on her narrow cot. He pulled the blanket over them, then wound his arm around her middle and pulled her flush against him, tucking his head into the crook of her neck.
They lay quietly for a long time, but sleep proved elusive. Thoughts of what lay in store the next day raced through his mind in a chaotic stream of flashes and memories. He could tell Rey was awake too, likely thinking of similar things. Burrowing his nose into her hair, he took a deep breath and sighed.
"Ben?" came her soft voice after a moment.
"Mm?"
"I'm afraid."
He shifted closer and pressed a kiss against her shoulder. "Of what?"
"I just have this bad feeling… like you're going to leave me." Her voice sounded tremulous.
His chest tightened. "I will never leave you, Rey."
"But what if you can't help it? What if something happens tomorrow—"
"It won't," he assured her. "I'm not going anywhere. I have plans for this life, remember?"
He heard her sniff. Her head nodded against the pillow.
"Rey, come here," he murmured, tugging on her shoulder, and she spun in the circle of his arms and buried her face against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, and felt her shudder as a sob fought its way free.
He pulled her in tighter. "Oh, sweetheart. I'm not leaving you. You're my other half, remember? I love you, and I plan on spending the rest of my life showing you how much." He kissed her forehead, then tucked her under his chin, cradling her head against him. "I will never leave you," he whispered.
She twined her fingers in his shirt as she sniffled and slowly regained mastery over herself. Only then did she grow calm enough to sleep. He followed soon after.
…
They were up before the sun, moving silently through the base as they finished getting ready. Ben and Rey packed up their uniforms and weaponry, which joined the food rations and other disguises in the subfloor cargo holds, while Poe, Finn, and Rose started on the pre-flight checks. Everyone was groggy to some degree, but underlying that was the same feeling of anxiety and unease.
They all knew this could be the last time they saw the base.
Once everyone had climbed aboard, Finn shut the ramp behind them. Poe went to the cockpit, followed by Rey, and fired up the engines. The others strapped in behind them. The First Order transport purred as Poe put a hand to the thrusters and lifted off. The ship moved smoothly through the hangar, out into the early morning sky and up toward the stars.
As they broke through the atmosphere and entered space, Poe keyed a series of coordinates into the computer. "It'll be a few hours 'til we're there, barring any complications," he announced, swiveling in his chair to face them. "I suggest we get some rest, fuel up, and change into our disguises at a half-hour to docking time."
…
The stars streaked by.
Everyone had quietly gone about their business, attempting to catch up on sleep, picking through their rations, looking over maps or simply sitting quietly, deep in thought. A couple hours had passed, and the tension in the transport vessel had slowly risen.
Sitting at the table in the cabin, Ben could feel the anxiety rolling off Rey in waves. She was beside him, empty mug in front of her, arms crossed tightly over her chest as she tried to hold herself together.
He finally leaned over. "Come with me," he whispered in her ear. Ignoring her puzzled frown, he slid out of the booth. "We're going to change clothes," he murmured to Rose, then took Rey's hand and led her down the corridor. He stopped to retrieve their disguises on the way.
Leading her inside one of the empty officer's berths, he shut the door behind them and dropped the clothes on the bed.
"What are you doing?" Rey asked, watching him. "We still have at least an hour of flight time. We don't need to change yet."
"I wanted a moment alone with you." He looked her over, noting the tension along her shoulders, the muscles ticking in her jaw.
She allowed herself to be drawn into his embrace. He engulfed her in his arms, holding her head in one large hand while the other rested on the small of her back. She sank into his chest with a bone-deep sigh, and her arms came up to encircle his waist.
"We've been through worse," he murmured, running his hand over her hair as he recalled the things they'd faced, both in the vision and in reality.
"Mmhm."
"It's straightforward. In and out. Dock, find the control room, activate the guns, and leave."
"Yeah."
He could feel her fear roiling inside her like the choppy sea on Ahch-To. He knew she could feel his fear, too.
Fear wasn't the Jedi way. Neither was this, but he didn't care.
He cupped her head between his hands and caught her lips with his. She sucked in a sharp breath, and then she was kissing him back with everything she had. Her arms came up around his neck, her fingers tangling in his hair as she held on tight.
In his desperation, he backed her up against the fuselage wall and pinned her there, teeth knocking as he kissed her feverishly. She whimpered against his mouth and fisted her hands in his hair, pulling him closer.
This was not going to be the end. It couldn't be. But they weren't promised another minute, and he was terrified, and stars above, if only this moment could last forever…
He was panting as his lips descended down her neck, kissing a trail to the juncture with her shoulder and nipping at the flesh with his teeth. She mewled beneath him, and he nearly lost all control right then and there. He latched on, licking at the skin before bearing down and sucking hard. He pressed flush against her, and she tightened her arms around him, forcing him even closer. Her fingers squeezed in his hair as she drew him back up to her and slanted her mouth across his lips; he groaned when her tongue met his.
He pulled back just enough to speak. "We are going to survive this, sweetheart," he murmured against her lips. "We are going back to Ajan Kloss. I am—going to marry you. And I am going to spend the rest of my life—mmfh—loving you."
She bared her teeth at him, but the ferocity of the look was utterly ruined by the glaze across her eyes. "You'd better," she gritted.
He grinned, his eyes at half mast. "There's my feral desert dweller," he rumbled.
She snorted a laugh.
Their kisses grew gentler, and then he was simply holding her, leaning against the fuselage wall as their breathing returned to normal. She nestled herself into his chest, fingers playing idly with the frayed edge of his tunic. He ran a broad hand over her hair, smoothing back the fine little flyaways framing her face.
"Come on," he finally whispered. "Let's get dressed."
He helped her out of her clothes and down to her essentials, taking time to admire her as he drew her shawl off, brushing gentle kisses down the lengths of her arms as he unwound her wraps. She donned the underclothes of her disguise, then he assisted her in securing the armored plates into place. He draped her cowl around her shoulders, smoothing the fabric over her arms as he took in the whole picture. Rey, the Knight of Ren. She was a fearsome thing to behold.
Then she turned to him and began to undo his belt. She untied his outer tunic and slid the sleeves off his arms, then lifted his undertunic over his head, kissing the pale flesh of his chest as she tossed the tunic aside. He toed off his boots and let his pants drop to the floor, then dressed again in the dark shades of his disguise. She helped with the pieces he couldn't reach, then arranged his cloak over his shoulders in a similar fashion to hers.
She shook out her buns and braided her hair out of the way, then picked up her helmet. He tucked his own helmet under his arm, then met her gaze and gave her a solemn nod.
They returned to the cabin for the short remainder of the trip.
…
"Hello, this is Shuttle Iridium, requesting landing privileges," Poe spoke over the comm. "Please advise."
It was a moment before a voice responded. "Copy, Shuttle Iridium. Please standby."
The team exchanged wary glances. The silence in the cockpit grew oppressive as they waited.
The comm crackled to life as a new voice spoke, this one laced with authority. "Shuttle Iridium, please provide your call sign and passphrase."
Rose had found this information as well as other data when she'd installed the chip, and Poe relayed it now. "Call sign four-five-seven; passphrase five-two-five-seven-seven."
There was a pause as the information was verified. "Shuttle Iridium, that information is outdated. Please provide a current call sign and passphrase for landing privileges."
Poe cursed under his breath. Beside him, Rose grew pale. Finn and Rey exchanged worried glances.
Ben frowned at the comm. He'd be damned if he allowed the First Order to stop them, not when they were this close. They hadn't come this far to fail now.
He leaned over Poe's shoulder, bracing himself on the dash. "Try again," he whispered, then reached out with the Force in the direction of Starkiller Base.
Poe raised his brows in an if-you-say-so expression, then activated the comm again. "Apologies; there seems to have been a miscommunication. Call sign four-five-seven; passphrase five-two-five-seven-seven."
As Poe spoke, Ben gave a firm push through the Force. This information is in the First Order records.
After a moment, the docking officer replied, "We have you in our records."
Landing privileges are granted, Ben hinted further.
"Landing privileges are granted. Please proceed to docking bay three-two-seven and await inspection prior to disembarking." As the voice spoke, the digital readout pinged with directions to the specified dock.
Poe switched off the comm, and there was a collective sigh of relief. The pilot steered the ship toward the indicated docking bay. The rim of the vast trench slowly blocked out the dwindling sunlight overhead as they passed through the shields and into the planet base.
"Are they fueling up?" Rey asked, peering out the viewport at the dimming star.
Finn followed her gaze. "Looks like it. Although I dunno why… Who else were they planning to fire on?" He looked at Ben.
Ben shrugged. "In my vision, Starkiller Base only fired on the Hosnian system. They were preparing to fire on D'Qar, but the Resistance destroyed Starkiller Base before they could do it. I don't see a point in it now, though. They know the Resistance abandoned D'Qar."
"Do you think they found the base on Ajan Kloss?" Rose whispered.
"Or is it strategic?" Finn asked in a low voice. "Destroy the old bases on D'Qar and possibly Crait, and reduce the number of hideouts where the Resistance can hole up and wait them out?"
"It could be any or all of those things," Poe interjected, "but I don't plan on waiting around long enough to give them the chance to do it." He backed off the forward thrusters and began to slow the vessel as the docking station neared. "You guys might wanna take your positions."
As previously agreed, the rest of the crew went to wait in the cabin while Poe brought the ship into the dock. The ship came in and landed gently, suspension hissing and mechanics settling as the systems began to switch off. Ben secured his helmet in place and lifted his cowl over his head. Immediately, his heightened breath echoed in his ears as his eyes adjusted to the narrowed, once-familiar view. Rey followed his lead, clicking her helmet on and tossing the hem of her cowl over her shoulder, her posture making the ragged garment seem like the robe of a queen. Finn and Rose tugged and smoothed their uniforms.
Poe joined them in the cabin. "Inspection team's on the way," he announced, hitting the controls to lower the ramp. He reached up to straighten his cap, then stood by the others.
They heard the clap-clap-clap of the Stormtroopers' boots before they saw them. When the troopers entered the cabin, Ben raised a hand to them.
Everything seems to be in order.
The troopers stilled, their guns drooping by their sides. "Everything seems to be in order," the lead trooper said to the others.
You're free to go about your business.
"We've logged your arrival. You're free to go about your business." With that, the troopers made an about-face and left. The team glanced between themselves.
"All right, then. Let's go," Poe said. He bent to pick up his bag, then headed for the ramp. Rose picked up another bag, and they followed the pilot down to the docking bay floor.
The vastness of the place would've been enough to make anyone gawk. Ben could feel Rey's reluctant awe through their bond, and Rose and Poe seemed hard-pressed not to look around in wonder. Finn and Ben, however, had seen it before.
Finn stepped forward, falling naturally into his role. "If you'll follow me," he addressed Ben and Rey, then turned to lead the way through the dock, heading for the portal-like doorway to the interior of the base. The two Knights followed, with Poe and Rose bringing up the rear, satchels tucked closely against their sides.
Their official-looking group crossed the hangar, their boots clicking on the glossy black floor as they made their way past squadrons of troopers and clusters of ranked officers. A few curious glances flicked their way, but no one dared to stop them.
Until they made it to the portal door.
"Halt right there!" came a commanding voice.
Finn paused and spun to see who had spoken. Poe and Rose stepped out of the way as Ben and Rey turned to face the approaching officers. At their helm was a pale, skinny man with striking red hair.
"Ah, General Hux," Ben intoned. His voice came through the modulators intimidatingly deep and grating.
Hux paused. "Knights of Ren," he observed in his own nasally tone, looking them up and down. Ben was pleased at the frisson of unease he detected in the general's quick gaze.
"Forgive me, but I wasn't made aware of this visit," Hux said, looking from Ben to Rey and back.
"Why would you have been?" Ben replied, staring back at the general through the expressionless mask.
Hux's solemn façade slipped momentarily, but before he could respond, Ben spoke over him. "The Emperor isn't pleased with the way you have managed to mangle the simple tracking and capture of the pathetic Resistance fleet—if you can even call it that. We are here to oversee the conclusion of this war." He turned back to Finn. "Lead on, lieutenant."
Behind him, he heard Poe's parting shot as the team walked away. "General Hugs, was it? Keep an eye on the Emperor's ship, eh? Would hate for it to get scratched."
With Hux audibly spluttering behind them, the team proceeded through the portal door, turned left, and continued down the corridor.
A/N: Starred (*) phrases were borrowed or adapted from Star Wars!