Disclaimers: All right reserved of the originals "Star Wars" Characters, Names, Places, etc., to George Lucas / Disney. I pledge to return all characters after the story is complete.
Warning: Major Spoilers of TRoS.
Note: This is a Reylo FanFiction (slow-burn)
「Act 55: In the House of Morgrocc Jeffdic」
Endor, 37 ABY
Senators represented their planet, system, and sector in the Galactic Senate of the Galactic Republic, Separatist Parliament of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, Imperial Senate of the Galactic Empire, New Republic Senate, or Galactic Alliance Senate. They often worked alongside Associate Representatives.
They also acted as sectorial heads of state in the Old Republic, New Republic, and Galactic Alliance senates. Some senators alternately represented very powerful megacorporations and industries, such as the Trade Federation or the Corporate Alliance. During the Old Republic's waning days, many senators had fallen to corruption and decadence, while others strove to uphold the ideals of democracy.
Morgrocc Jeffdic was a senator representing the Endor, and his house was built in Endor after the war had ended. His place was offered as a hideout or shortstop to the Resistance if they ever needed a place to rest, refill their resources, or hide for a few days. After the Imperial Palace and talking with the Resistance, the Falcon had to make a stop there.
Ben woke up and found himself lying in bed. His first impression was that he was inside the Falcon after a long, unpleasant dream that still hovered on the edge of his memory. In that memory, he met with Dark Rey, and she stood there determined to talk with him. Palpatine's clone wanting to speak to him seemed already a bad idea.
He felt ill, disgusted, and terrified. Those three emotions ran through his veins as Dark Rey took a step towards him, emitting dark and powerful energy. She was wearing a long black cloak, her hair tight up in a long ponytail, her make up felt thin, and she was wearing a compact black suit.
Ben looked upwards; the ceiling looked strange; it was flat, and it had dark beams carved. He lay a little while longer, his tall structure covering the small bed, while longer looking at patches of sunlight on the wall and listening to the sound of the waterfall.
"Where am I?" he asked aloud to the ceiling, as he could feel a familiar presence next to him.
"In the house of Morgrocc Jeffdic, one of the senators in the New Republics," the voice answered in a calm tone.
"Rey?" said Ben, sitting up. There she was, sitting in a chair by the open window and gazing outside. He thought it was Dark Rey for a second, but her attire wasn't black and gloomy.
"Yes," she assured him, "I'm here. And you are lucky to be here, too, after all the absurd things you have done since we reached Endor."
Ben lay down again. He felt too comfortable and peaceful to argue with Rey, and in any case, he did not think he would get the better of an argument. He was fully awake now, and the memories of his actions were returning: the disastrous 'short cut' through the wreck of the Death Star and into the ocean looking for his lightsaber -the one he had thrown on his own-, his accident while looking for the ancient black cracked kyber crystal - the one he had found on the planet of Malachor-, and his madness to try and connect it to his lightsaber.
While he was thinking of all these things and trying in vain to bring his memory down to he arrives in Morgrocc Jeffdic's house, there was a long silence, broken only by Rey, who tapped her fingers against the wooden chair. Although she seemed calm, deep down, her anxiety was rising, and she wanted to confront Ben.
"Where are the others?" Ben quizzed as he turned and gazed at Rey, who was still looking out of the window.
"The others are safe and sound," she answered at him. "Poe and Chewie were here until I sent them off to get some rest."
"What happened?" Ben wanted to know, he remembered most of his latest actions, but after trying to connect the powerful crack crystal to rebuild his lightsaber, everything went dim.
"You almost killed yourself," Rey's voice came strong and echoed around the room, she tried to remain calm but she couldn't, she stood up and walked over to the bed and glared at him "Stupid Ben!"
"You seem to know a great deal already," said Ben. "I haven't spoken with you about the lightsaber and an old black cracked kyber crystal I had found on Malachor."
"You have talked long in your sleep, Ben," Rey explained gently, "and it has been enough for me to read your mind and memories. Do not worry! I'll not kill you yet!"
"I should never have done it!" he acknowledged as he sat up, looking up at Rey. "I know that it takes time to connect the crystal with your lightsaber, and special this one, that is so powerful and cracked, but I wanted to have it crafted and ready before we reached the North Unknown Regions."
"I wish you would have told me what happened before I found out while reading your memories!" Rey admitted and sat next to him on the bed. "Anakin had suggested that we might both need our lightsabers; why didn't you tell me anything about it?"
"All in good time, you weren't supposed to worry as you were dealing for so much more." Ben offered an apologetic look on his face.
"You were worried about me?" Rey questioned, irritated, "You were the one who got seriously injured in the Imperial Palace, saving Poe's life; you end up wounded once more looking for your lightsaber in those forsaken ruins and almost died connecting the crystal with your lightsaber. And upon all that you were worried about me?"
"Yes, I know, Rey. My plan wasn't to make you worry about me," Ben assured her as he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close to him, "I'm sorry."
This time Rey didn't lean into the hug as she would; she pushed Ben off her, still looking angry at him. "No, you aren't sorry." she uttered, "You are taking risk after risk, thinking that it's okay because you own to the Galaxy, and without thinking, you talk to the enemy as you know each other for years."
Ben dropped his head, embarrassed since Rey's words were the truth. After the company had held a few meetings with the Resistance, they had agreed to take the Sith's Soulstone to the North Unknown Regions and there to destroy it. Rey, as had promised, found instructions inside Luke's texts, and they knew how to reach Eanor. Though the trap was, there was no way out. The North Regions were still cut off from the rest of the Galaxy, but they had agreed to take the risk beyond the danger.
Rose, Zorii, Jannah, and Hux agreed to take part in the new mission as well. They decided to meet in Endor because Ben needed to retrieve his lightsaber. The one he had thrown when he talked with his father. Though it was suicide to go after it, Ben Solo showed once more his capacity and went after it. It took him a day to find the lightsaber, the crystal was long gone, and he ended up severely injured. But he made it back alive.
Then on their way to Morgrocc Jeffdic's house to meet with Rose and the rest, he tried to repair his lightsaber and connected the ancient black cracked kyber crystal; it was so powerful that it caused an explosion. Ben got wounded once more, almost died, the southern parts of the Falcon were nearly blown up, and it was pure luck the rest were not injured.
They managed and reached Morgrocc Jeffdic's house; they stayed there for days treating Ben and repairing the Falcon. Last night the Falcon was finally restored, and today Ben caught his consciousness back. That meant that they ultimately could leave for the North Unknown Regions and start their quest. A quest to destroy the Black Stone before Dark Rey or her master would find them.
But those were not the reasons that Rey was angry with Ben before Ben tried to craft his lightsaber; Rey found him having a little talk with herself. Astonished by the view of Ben and herself talking she eavesdropped, and found out that he was talking with Dark Rey. She didn't manage to hear everything, but she shuddered to remember Dark Rey talking so close to Ben. Her heartbeat got more robust, and she felt new emotions rising. The new feeling was called jealously, but Rey denied it.
Why would she be jealous? Especially by Dark Rey?
"What enemy?" Ben prompted, confused, but soon his memories pointed out him and Dark Rey talking. He wasn't sure if the vision that appeared in front of him was even real. She spoke to him seductively and offered him power if he would give her the Sith's Soulstone. Ben declined and told her he would never betray his friends and the cause he was now fighting for. Dark Rey leaned into his ear and whispered: That he would lose. And they disappeared."You saw her?"
"Yes," Rey said, feeling her fingers shaking as she was still pushing Ben from her. "And you two were talking calm and peaceful! What did she want?" Rey asked darkly.
Ben gasped a bit as her finger against the wound on his chest stung him. He softly took her hand into his hand and leaned closer to her, his face an inch away from hers. "She wanted me to give her the Sith's Soulstone, and she tried to accomplish that with offers. I denied, and she was gone." Ben narrated to her, "I dare to decline what's wrong."
"Still," she said, standing suddenly up and sticking out her chin while she looked away from him. "I was worried," she admitted and felt her cheeks burning red. What was happening to her? Was she ill again?
Ben slowly stood up as well, at first he lost his balance and dropped against the bed, but then he managed to stand up and took a step close to her. His arms slowly wrapped around her and pulled her close to him until her back leaned on his chest, and he rested his head on her shoulders. "Never be!" he ensured her tightened his arms around her. "You can trust me; I would never do anything to hurt you or anyone else. I believe you already know that. Not after what I have done."
This time she gave in and leaned against him; his arms were so tight around her that her worries were slowly gone. "I know you would never hurt us," she whispered next to his ear. "But for a moment, I was..." she paused, searching for the right word to add.
Ben Solo knew, and he knew it very well, he should never point out other people's flaws. But he was drawn into the moment and felt so happy that Rey was worried about him and even jealous. Why was he acting like a child who just found out that his crush was jealous of him talking with another girl? Ben refused to answer that question, but he replied, Rey's. "You were jealous!"
"What!" Rey cried out and broke the back hug spinning around and facing him. "You think I'd be jealous of her? Or jealous at you?" she faked a laugh and felt her cheeks only getting redder. "That's absurd!"
"Yes, it is!" Ben finally said to help her calm down. "I was wrong!" she admitted as he let his hand touch her reddish cheeks, and next, he stepped closer against her, his face a few inches away from hers, and he softly leaned in and kissed her forehead.
Rey sighed and gave up leaning against him and wrapping both arms around him. He hugged close to him and rested her head against his torso slowly. They remained hugged like that for a long while, resting in each other's arms.
Next time, their new adventures start in Eanor alien worlds. They would wander with the company following four more individuals -Hux, Rose, Jannah, and Zorii.
「Upcoming Chapter: Act Fifty - Six」
Okay, guys, that's all. I hope you enjoyed reading the 55th chapter.
Thank you all so much! Stay awesome! Stay sweet!
And be nice to each other, see you soon, in the next chapter!
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