Please accept my humblest apologies once again. "Dawn of Wonders" had my attention again, so now here was a wait hopefully worth it. :)

Heads up, especially to the one who asked me if I was gonna continue the story: I APOLOGIZE for not updating this faster than anyone wants, but it's not my fault. Depression and fatigue combined are getting to me, as well as the pressure to make this tale as PERFECT as possible so people don't banter with me with elaboration as to how to explain this and that if they don't understand. I have so much in life going on as it is, just like all of you, and I really wish I could be the happy, carefree person I used to be before all of this happened.

On a lighter note, the chapter is named after a movie I found on TCM. :) (Originally was "Journey" in the name)

Chapter Five

Journeying into Fear

He had to say that Anakin's assistant today, when he visited his grandfather the next day before they departed, was looking rather sandy, and the sleeves covered her arms this time. Not only that but her long hair was pulled back into those three buns he first saw when she nearly got drowned in the rain. It was too bad because he liked seeing the curves.

Here in the office, he had a long glance at the wall of memories behind his grandfather, bearing not only his list of accomplishments during the war as the "Hero Without Fear", but family mementos. The first one was none other than when he married the love of his life, Padmé Naberrie, just before the three-year-long worldwide conflict began. His grandmother was not only the most beautiful woman ever - and so is this girl - but she was one of the greatest leaders in history. Having been in the Legislative Youth Program at a tender age, she later became Senator of Naboo and opposed the creation of an army when things were at their worst. She was a voice for peace that attracted attempted assassinations...and the bodyguard hired to protect her while an investigation was conducted happened to be the one who would eventually be her husband.

And Grandfather said that while he wished there had been more time together before she died, the days he spent with her were the happiest of his life.

Even though she passed away long before his birth, Ben felt like he knew her through Anakin. The old man said that not only was she an angel, but one of the strongest women he'd known, aside from one Ahsoka Tano who was also with him in these memories. That younger, fiery-skinned Togruta who had been a student of Anakin's during the war, remained a good friend after the fighting was over, was presented with his grandparents, joined by Obi-Wan Kenobi...while Padmé was pregnant. Glowing and proud, holding Anakin's hand and leaning into him, both excited for the future and without any more problems to worry about for now, before fate was cruel in the end.

Ben had to force himself to not look at the rest of the holographic images, instead keeping his attention on this one and the wedding photograph, where not only was Obi-Wan present, but so were R2 and 3PO, and Sabé.

"Rey, do you have the recent earnings and shares?" Anakin asked her, bringing him out of his musings.

"Yes, sir," she answered. "Leia dropped them off this morning." Upon hearing his mother's name, there was that damned ache in his chest. The woman who gave birth to him hadn't had the time to even see him since he returned, but he was the one doing the avoiding. "And Master Solo, here's a copy for you."

Ben smirked at his grandfather. "Now you see why I 'stole' her from you. Who can ever resist such productivity she has?" Her cheeks showed a faint hint of rose.

Anakin sniffed. "Your way of making me suffer for sending you on this trip, boy."

"Not at all. Miss Kenobi sealed her own fate." This caused her eyes to widen in shock and disbelief.

"Excuse me?!"

Ben chuckled. "You heard me right; how could I find another assistant on an important trip, especially on such short notice?" Actually, I never needed one, to begin with. I don't know why the hell I thought to ask her, even when I don't HAVE to stay overnight. After all, I might just wrap up and be done with Palpatine in just a couple of hours. He blamed the conversation on the Luxury 3000 he exchanged with her. He thought it would just be harmless flirting with her and staying that way, just while they waited for Anakin's program to end - even Rey refused to bother sharing her opinion! He used to have an assistant even if she wasn't with him for long, and she gave one on pretty much everything from the Grimtaash's recalibration in the hyperdrive to the state of supplies and equipment.

Obi-Wan Kenobi's granddaughter - the man he idolized and respected based on what Anakin told him - in which he had to literally draw the response from her? Why was that, when her opinion made sense about the cold design? And who on planet Fex wanted nothing more than a "comfortable bed"? Even now did this pragmatism chew him to the bone since last night. Someone fresh and sweet as her should long for silly romantic things like hot tubs on pedestals and balconies with starlight and majestic landscape views.

Keeping his attention on her neutral-clad form, he knew she deserved more than just a good night's slumber.

Anakin scowled, the deep lines appearing on his forehead. "Just do what you have to in order to keep Unkar Plutt in place, and you could even have 3PO and R2 for all I care. That man - if you can call him a man - has no boundaries. I wouldn't be surprised if he were there. No doubt he's still waiting after all these years for our weak spot after your father turned him in for suspicious activities. It's like him to wait until the timing is right for revenge when you never see him coming." And there was no mistaking the anger and frustration in his voice. Ben didn't blame him, based on the rants about this man he heard of while growing up. Unkar Plutt was a junk boss involving weapons, scraps, and gear selling which wasn't allowed in Alderaan - at least, not the weapons in an illegal sense. And people like Plutt Anakin Skywalker and his family refused to associate with.

And right now, said weak spot his grandfather was referring to was Cos Palpatine, which Plutt could easily seize advantage of. "I'll deal with it, Grandfather. Don't worry," Ben promised him with a genuine smile reserved only for him.

"That's precisely one of the reasons I wanted you back home."

While it warmed him up, he knew that wasn't the only reason. The other was unspoken, and it wasn't going to work. Thank the gods Rey interrupted to remind him that they should avoid rush hour traffic if they wanted to get to Coruscant. Anakin smirked at her, noting how irresistibly reliable she was, and that was exactly the reason Ben poached her.

With her overnight bag, Miss Kenobi was ready with him to sail towards the city of the stars - which was also once the site of the greatest corruption in history, aside from those in the eastern continent of Sullust and middle eastern Savareen - though had an uneasy smile on her face. She'd been like that ever since he entered Anakin's office. Previously, she was shy and withheld, and now she was...nervous. He just had to ask her on the walk to his ship at the dock.

"I'm fine." Liar.

Her Little Toniray Girl act once again - why did she insist on keeping it up, especially when she gave it away while chewing the inside of her cheek? She needs to learn to start being honest about how she really feels. Unless...

Unless she's nervous about going to Coruscant.

"Admit it," Ben said, "you're anxious about going. I realize how this is all a bit unorthodox and short-noticed." She whipped her head in his direction, irises wide.

"The fact you won't be anything but professional?" she countered. "What do you expect from me, Solo?"

Solo - to hear her call him by his family name was exhilarating because it meant that riling her up would get her to open up more. "Now that you asked, I'll ask that you don't use mindless agreement on everything I say. I could use a second opinion and reconsider it. You should start expressing it, or else I'll hang you by that woodland hair of yours." Also enthralling to see her expression: expressive and innocent irises wider than before, and her lips were parted so slightly that they distracted him to the point he nearly forgot what he was telling her.

Then her face switched to a scowl that might as well belong to a spoiled teenager who didn't get their way. It made him remember when he used to be told he had that face when something didn't go as he wanted. Add that her eyes sparkled like rough-around-the-edge diamonds in irritation even when he told her that they were finally at his ship, ready to take off.

~o~

Oh, it was bad enough that her racing thoughts kept her up overnight, but did he have to add to it by making her start voicing her opinions which were unwarranted compared to those she worked for?! She was having enough trouble as it was!

Rey was far from fine, more than she admitted to him. She was anxious and exhausted, but not because she was going to Coruscant - she was afraid of spending that damned trip in his ship with HIM. Despite the fact she'd flown in ships only for test rides before they went back to their owners, she'd never been away from home like this. Not even for a business venture. She had done a load of things, but here she was off to a brand new place with someone she'd known for just a couple of days, knew him only because of his grandfather, and it would be just the two of them along with GG who waited for them until they showed up.

And Ben - he looked so much more slicker and polished than yesterday. Prepped for formality but otherwise laid back. He had a crisp white shirt and a dark vest and pants, his hair shining and groomed...almost like his late father, based on those holoimages and what Anakin told her. She felt like she could talk to this somewhat new version before, but now - "Don't worry," he assured her when he apparently caught on. "Nothing's changed just because of how I look now."

Relaxed, she secretly found herself calling him a handsome prince - not the ones bedecked in fairytales, but a realistic version who befitted the Alderaanian way of life.

As soon as they were back inside his ship - this being the second time for her - she gasped in surprise at the cabin they would end up sharing since this was made for just a few people at most. There was a single crystallized light fixture to illuminate the space. The coverlets in the bunks had exotic prints. But unfortunately, there were no windows for her to glimpse out. You could only find that in the cockpit.

"Your uncle really went above for you," Rey found herself saying. "Or was this all you?"

"...much of it was already like this when it was given to me. But Uncle Luke and Aunt Mara did help me make it feel like home so that it'd be in my keep after I left the academy." Ben made way for the cockpit, telling her she could take the co-pilot's seat and make herself comfortable. "You said you'd flown before, but not like...two friends of yours."

She found herself laughing nervously. "Well, Finn is still a trainee but soon will be established. I hadn't explained everything last time. And there's also Poe whom I first met through him, who is also his supervisor. They're like best friends, and they're my boys," she said with a slight heat to her cheeks, mostly because of talking about her friends, adding that she never had a girl as a friend whom she could relate to, often preferring the garage and non-girly habits. He took all of this in with a snort of laughter, but then it changed immediately to an expression of absence. "You knew him?" Poe is a little older than us both, maybe close to the same age as Ben...maybe it's a yes.

Just as she thought: "I did when I was at Bespin. We were friends, but then we had a...falling out."

From the way he said it, he didn't want to go into detail and was satisfied with what she told him. She slid down into the co-pilot's seat, the leather cushioned but firm at the bottom, and she had no trouble buckling herself in. It was hard to try and lean into its comfortable familiarity. And the ship's owner looked more relaxed and at home. "You sure you're all right with this?" he asked.

"Why would I not be?" Rey asked, thinking maybe she should set the line for him to stop asking her that from now on.

"Just that you ought to ease up. This isn't an abduction. You're allowed to relax."

And it just about made her wish she brought her bag up here for the reading material she had with her. At least he took his eyes off her for the time being to get the sensors and charts ready, especially for any possible weather turbulence. Her insides jolted with the excitement of actually flying a starship that didn't make its way into Anakin's shop - and it didn't come, for once, from looking in Ben's direction. All it takes is for him to come closer than he should.

The ship lifted then and there, engines firing up and the weight shifting to make its way over the great lake and past the mountains, to fly towards the heavens in its journey.

Since I mentioned in chapter one that the known SW planets are countries within continents like planet Earth is organized, I might have mentioned that THIS planet as a whole is named Fex (Sha Qarot moon which is a strange purple landscape and has crystallized minerals and structures while its system it orbits is volcanic and toxic).

Also, here again from chapter one in case anyone forgot: Tatooine, Geonosis, Jakku, and other desert places together are like the Middle East (named Savareen, the planet from the climax of "Solo") - not to offend anyone in terms of the real-life Middle East. And Mustafar, Utapau, and others in Outer Rim are in a continent like Africa (Sullust, a volcanic-surface planet where the Rebel Alliance briefed on destroying the Empire's shield generator in ROTJ).

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