Ben – Age 7

"Young Master Solo, I must insist. You've eaten nothing but canron for the past three days. Your father has put me in charge of you, and it is against my protocol for any child to go hungry."

Poe was aware of the conversation before he could finish his second helping of fral. Scanning the crowded dining hall, he picked out a golden droid hovering over an unmistakable mop of black hair.

"I don't like it," Ben argued, stabbing a plate of green and brown. "C1-P7 lets me order canron."

"I was instructed to keep you in good health during your parents' absence, and I cannot allow you to exhaust yourself from jellies and sweets. Oh, dear. This is not going as well as General Solo promised."

"Save my spot, would ya?" Poe told the cadet beside him. Grabbing his plate, he disentangled himself from the bench and wove between tables until he reached Ben. The child had islanded himself at the one unoccupied table. He jabbed the plate of green and brown with his fork again, swirling it into an unrecognizable paste.

"Don't care for the rations?" Poe quipped as he slid into the bench across from Ben. "You can order anything you want, you know. That goop isn't suitable for a paddy-frog."

"Master Skywalker assures me that it is full of nutrients," C-3PO intercepted.

"I can't get canron," Ben grumbled. "Nothing else tastes good."

"Do try a bite," C-3PO entreated.

Dubiously Ben raised a tiny nibble to his mouth and scraped it with his teeth. Immediately he gagged and spat. Poe looped an arm around his fral as green spattered the table between them. No hits? Still edible. He flicked a dubious particle from his fork and dug into his food.

"Everything here is abominable!" Ben whined. He looked pleased with his big word. Surreptitiously Ben glanced over at Poe, who was scarfing down his supper before it could be assaulted again. "What's that?"

"Fral," Poe said around a mouthful. "Peasant fare compared to some of the Coruscant dishes, but I like it. Wanna try some?"

"It's not sweet, I suppose," Ben said resignedly. Gingerly he plucked up a cushnip crust between his fingertips and dragged it through the sauce. A dab with the tip of his tongue turned into an experimental taste, which burgeoned into a ravenous appetite as he crammed the cushnip into his mouth. "Can I ged some of dat?"

Poe snickered and waved to the serving droid. "Another fral for my friend, please … and one for me, too," he added as Ben leaned over the table to snatch another piece. It was fine. Poe was used to sharing with his fellow cadets. He could handle a kid snitching his dinner.

He blamed the commencing food fight on the golden babysitter.

Thank you to CrazedFangirl13, ZeDancingHobbit, Igeekthetudors, Begoogled, The-Splatoon-Rook 64, Chloris, FoxfaceFan1, Space Opera Singer, FreelyBeYourself, HelloVera, and guest reviewers Dude, Guest, and Levi for reviewing!

In answer to Levi (Guest)'s question: Yes, this series will escalate to Ben as Kylo Ren.